Tag Archives: lead toxicity

Hatch underway at Royal Albatross Colony…Monday in Bird World

19 January 2026

Good Morning,

We hope that you had a good weekend! It was ——– cold here. You can use whatever word you like. The wind blew so that even in the City there were whiteouts. I cleared off the two tables beside Brock’s feeding station to see how much snow actually fell. Have a look!

The young lad clearing the snow has certainly been busy. We are now under an extreme cold warning and some forecasts say that we will have between -38 and -42 C temperatures this coming weekend. I cannot even imagine it.

Toby was finally able to get the mats off his tummy after his stay at the vet, but the groomer had to shave him. Now Toby likes to go outside to do his ‘business’. Potty pads are for little baby training – you can almost hear him say that. Poor fella. He flew outside, did the job, and got right back in. I had a warm towel waiting for that bare stomach of his. Can dogs get frostbite?

Neighbour came up with a solution – we are going to try doggie long johns on Toby tomorrow for his walk with Ellen.

The big worry at the moment is Brock. He has not been seen since late Thursday. This is unlike him. One of the neighbours and I are keeping a close eye on our feeding stations and others have joined in to check for prints – but with the blowing snow prints are not always present. I fear he has gotten snowed in his bolt hole and cannot get out even by clawing. Oh, please let him be alright.

Bird World? What is happening.

The egg has been switched and the hatch for the Royal Cam chick is underway in New Zealand! Liznm has the switch on video: https://youtu.be/Ab_hrAB1jp8?

There is also a hatch underway in the Kistachie National Forest in the first egg at E1 nest in Louisiana.

At the E3 nest, the eggs are ​​28 and 25 days old today.

SK Hideaways has a great line up of videos for the week.

SK Hideaways Videos Week of 11 January 2026

AEF-NEFL Eagles ~ Northeast Florida ~ Gabby, Beau, NE32 & NE33
Courtesy American Eagle Foundation/NEFL Eagle CamOps https://nefleaglecam.org/
Nest Cam 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouWBQoVFegI
Nest Cam 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQrJv_Dt4tY
Cam 3 (Approach view) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImHK7o8UHXE
Nest Cam 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gkln9bA4CwE

NE33 Comes to Terms with New Clown Feed & Flappable Arms (2026 Jan 17)
As 18-day-old NE32 napped, 17-day-old NE33 looked down only to discover very large appendages at the end of its legs that seemingly sprouted overnight. Yes, the clown feet phase has arrived along with more exuberant baby wingers. This is going to be fun. 
Video: https://youtu.be/ydq-njzJr7I


Channel Island California Eagles
Livestreamed nests:
~ Fraser Point ~ Santa Cruz Island ~ Cruz & Andor
~ Sauces Canyon ~ Santa Cruz Island ~ Audacity & Jak
~ Two Harbors ~ Catalina Island ~ Cholyn & Chase
~ West End ~ Catalina Island ~Resident in flux

Two Harbors: 22 Years Wed ~ Cholyn & Chase Still Bump, Beak, and Cuddle (2026 Jan 13)
Cholyn and Chase filled their morning nestorations with lots of bonding bumps and beaking. Though some might call “anthropomorphism” on us, the frequent direct physical contact made by these 28-year-old wonders could only be described as cuddles (by us). Nearly 23 years as a mated pair and the romance lingers on. 
Video: https://youtu.be/njM08jBvYNU
Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies, explore.org, Two Harbors Eagles Cam Ops
Eagle Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5T2eHM8tcI
Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yx7RKxpyzQ

West End:  Possible Haku Return Followed by 3-Way Chase Around the Tors (2026 Jan 15)
A third eagle appeared at the West End, who looks a lot like Haku. A positive ID awaits her visiting the nest, where field marks are clearer. The pair that has been around for a while sat together away from this third eagle. 

As sunset approached, there was a remarkable chase scene that seemed to involve minimal physical contact. All three eagles were seen flying after that, so all is well. Who knows what will transpire tomorrow. 
Video: https://youtu.be/XiDDW4QvFpA

FOBBV Eagles ~ Big Bear Valley, California ~ Jackie & Shadow
Courtesy FOBBVCAM | Friends of Big Bear Valley

Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE
Wide View Cam (Cam 2): https://youtube.com/live/LCGYWfbyBWc
LIVE Recap & Observations https://bit.ly/3Md8TSz

Jackie Brings Another Tree to the Fortress ~ Shadow Shakes His Head (2026 Jan 13)
Jackie is very focused on creating a fortress to protect the eaglets we hope will come along in this nesting season. To that end, she brought an even bigger “tree” to the nest than before. Shadow wasn’t too sure about all the big new furniture, but in his easygoing way, just helped “fix” the placement once Jackie stepped aside. They also both pancaked in the nest bowl to test the comfort level. 
Video: https://youtu.be/rmGaHA-YRtM

Jackie Adds Large Furniture ~ Alters as Needed ~ Shadow Steers Clear (2026 Jan 12)
Shadow thought evening nestorations would be minimal, but Jackie arrived with a massive, complex branch. Shadow mostly stayed out of the way as Jackie tinkered away ~ whittling and snapping branches. Final placement of the big, new furniture is pending. 
Video: https://youtu.be/EMnEs2oLQ74

Redding Bald Eagles ~ Redding, California ~ Liberty & Guardian
Courtesy of Friends of the Redding Eagles, Redding, California 
URL changes frequently, so here’s main page to livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@FriendsoftheReddingEagles/streams

Liberty & Guardian Tweak Nest Bowl ~ Bump Bonding All the Way (2026 Jan 16)
Liberty and Guardian made two morning visits to the nest, tweaking sticks, aerating nesting material, and all the while bump bonding. There was a minor disagreement about furniture placement, but the ensuing beaking was brief and flirty. 
Video:  https://youtu.be/gP7Yj1vtEH8

Liberty and Guardian Defend Nest Against Mystery Midnight Intruder (2026 Jan 15)
Guardian flew in to the nest just after midnight and began alert calling. Liberty joined him shortly after and the two of them sounded the alert for quite a while. While we didn’t see the intruder on camera, it could have been a Great Horned Owl or the female sub-adult bald eagle who has been hanging around the nest in the past few days or both!  At 6:02-6:06 in the video, there is rustling and the sound of a sub-adult right before Guardian issues a few wing slaps. 

Our dynamic duo defended together until they deemed the threat over. Liberty pancaked in the nest and dozed with her head against Guardian as he continued to keep watch. We think he grabbed a few winks as well. Eventually Guardian flew off, but Liberty stayed till dawn. This middle-of-the-night nest defense surely signals that nesting season is in full swing (not to mention the mating observed!). (2026 Jan 15)
Video: https://youtu.be/hM36iXT_qfc

Want to learn more about the illegal killing of raptors in the Dales? There are three free webinars to inform you.

Three free webinars about illegal raptor persecution hosted by Friends of the Dales ‘Eyes on the SkiDownload

Fish gifts arriving at the US Steel nest! Indeed, across the eagle nests, the others are getting ready to breed. https://youtu.be/kVmf5ljfXaM?s

One of my favourite books is H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald. Indeed, I like all of MacDonald’s books. Now H is for Hawk is an audio book! And it is a movie. Yes! Part of the article reads, “It is coming up to 12 years since the publication of H Is for Hawk, about the historian, writer and naturalist Helen Macdonald’s time spent training a Eurasian goshawk after an intense period of grief. Showered with awards, the book was a runaway hit and sparked a literary trend for shared transformative encounters with animals including cats, dogs, magpies and hares.

This month, H Is for Hawk comes to the big screen in a new adaptation starring Claire Foy. But there is still time to get to know the source material, which tells of the sudden death of the author’s father and how Macdonald, an experienced falconer who had previously trained kestrels and peregrines, took delivery of a temperamental young goshawk named Mabel with the aim of taming her and teaching her to hunt. Macdonald, who is non-binary, is the audiobook’s narrator. Their reading is characterised by introspection, curiosity and flashes of humour as they observe this “spooky, pale-eyed psychopath” who, as well as feeding and flying, likes to play ball with scrunched-up bits of paper.”

H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald audiobook review – a soaring journey through griefhttps://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jan/15/h-is-for-hawk-by-helen-macdonald-audiobook-review-a-soaring-journey-through-grief?CMP=share_btn_url

Updates on the Northern Ireland Peregrine Falcon shooting:

Update on the shot Peregrine in Strabane, Northern Ireland – Raptor Persecution UKDownload

Update on what is happening at Knepp with its rewilding and Burns night celebrations. Oh, I wish I could be there!

Regenuary Burns Night Celebrations at KneppDownload

More eagles dying of lead toxicity. (There is great information on amounts that kill in this posting from Wild Heart Ranch in Oklahoma. When will humans get fed up with using lead and its impact on wildlife and stop the lead? ‘J’ sends us news:

·”It takes 1 ppm lead (parts per million) to kill an eagle, but less can easily be fatal. 

This is the last photo of this beautiful eagle standing, taken Saturday. He crashed last night and we gently ended his struggle. 

His initial lead test was above .65 ppm, which is as high as our machine reads, but he was responding to treatment and gaining strength, though he never did keep solid food down. All his calories were gavage fed (tube) and even though we deal with lots of birds that initially cannot deal with solids, we usually have them eating within 3-4 days. He wanted the fish so badly. He just couldn’t tolerate it, indicating the severity of his condition. 

We did 5 days of lead chelation (binding lead in the blood with CAEDTA) and we were getting there, but it was too little too late.

His last blood test showed 27.3 on the machine (.27ppm). We had brought his levels way down, but the damage was already done. His blood tests on Friday showed his liver was struggling, so we knew then not to get our hopes up. 

A “lead eagle” is an every day, all day-late into the night high alert here. We give them privacy and rest, but in between, we are on a medical battlefield, in constant contact with the veterinarians from the Tulsa Zoo, (eagle experts) adjusting, evaluating, changing treatment… following directions to the letter, recording every move we make and every result, so that if things go south, we KNOW we did everything we could, and if we pull off a “miracle”, we have our map for next time. 

There is no confidence when lead levels are this high, but if they are fighting and stabilizing, we will continue to support them, even when we know their odds are low. When they crash, it isn’t a small symptom. They go down, close their eyes and they give up. That’s what he did last night. 

For some of our crew, this was their first “lead eagle”. They gained experience and understanding of treatment and symptoms and the delicate and intense work of battling this toxin. His life made an impact here as he helped new hands learn how to care and reminded us of the reality of lead in the wild and why it is so important that we educate and ask, again and again. However long it takes. 

ONE is too many. Lets keep lead out of the wild. For our eagles, a FLAKE, smaller than a grain of rice, is likely fatal. 

Annette 

I’ll be on Fox News Tulsa this morning talking about him. 

His last test was a .27

Here is AI overview of blood test guidelines:

„A lead level of 0.27 ppm (27 µg/dL) in an eagle is a significant finding, indicating subclinical lead exposure, meaning the bird has ingested lead and is likely suffering chronic effects, even without obvious symptoms, but isn’t in immediate acute crisis like levels over 60 µg/dL; it’s well above background levels (below 0.2 ppm) and a major concern for eagle health, with many birds in this range experiencing subtle issues like poor body condition or anemia, and it’s a common level found in wild eagles, highlighting ammunition as a primary source.”

Beyond sad.

The first mortality of 2026 has been added to the new memorial wall. If you know of others, please let me know! Adding these names just makes me weep. I know that I am missing some from 2025 – if you notice one that isn’t there, don’t hesitate to contact me.

I am working hard to review how my care of Don is doing – and how I can engage him in helping me rather than me having to do all of the housework, all the care of the animals, and ‘entertaining’ and caring for Don. I have learned that those with dementia do not need to be entertained. Some people with dementia need to be busy – and Don is one of those. But it doesn’t need to exhaust me at the same time. So, for as long as he can, he and Toby will vacuum the carpets and apply Bono to the hardwood floors. Don can fold towels or clean out drawers (under supervision), and Toby can drag them out just as he puts them in. In the end, it doesn’t matter. Dishwashers can be unloaded – we have done all of this before, but I will engage him in helping with earnestness until the weather warms up and we can be outside. I know how much my life has changed because it was this time last year that we were in Guadeloupe. Shortly after, a sea change occured and Don’s dementia has progressed. That progression has changed our lives – and clearly it has impacted how often I can send out a newsletter about our favourite birds. But, I am not giving up! So, wish me luck. If you have any ideas, send me a note. I appreciate any and all ideas.

Thank you so very much for being with us today. We hope that you have a really good week. We are looking forward to having you with us in a couple of days, when we have some cute little hatchlings.

Thank you to SK Hideaways for their great videos. Thank you to the creators of the other videos, the owners of the streaming cams that let us view the lives of our favourite bird families, authors of FB posts, and authors of articles and posts that help us understand the lives of our raptors. My blog would never be the same without your talents.

Day 6 Welcome to Winter!

7 December 2025

Good Morning Everyone!

I want to start off today with something that might have waited til Monday’s newsletter but it is too good not to share today!

Thanks, Geemeff for sending us this inspiring story.

A lucky escape for this long-distance traveller! Russian Osprey saved from Kenyan fishing net:

https://www.msn.com/en-xl/africa/kenya/siaya-rare-migratory-bird-from-russia-saved-while-entangled-in-fishing-net/ar-AA1Q3tBk

My goodness it is cold!

We woke up to -22 C Saturday morning. Just seeing those numbers on the phone screen and feeling the cold of the conservatory floor on the soles of my bundled-up feet reminded me how much I dislike getting up on a winter’s morning. While ‘The Girls’ have their boxes, dear Toby had to head outside for his ‘business’. Poor thing. We also had to get ready to get Toby to his last grooming session of the year. My goodness. We are 24 days away from 2026. Can you believe it?

There is a forecast, our first for a cold warning (ECCC) with windchills from -35 to -40 C. This is for Saturday night and into Sunday. Extreme Cold.

Thank you so much for your letters and your comments. Today I finally got around to answering comments, some from near Thanksgiving. I do appreciate them even if I can’t sit down and respond as quickly as I did several years ago. It reminds me that there are wonderful people out there who love our wildlife and will do anything they can to help. It makes my heart (and feet) warm.

‘MP’ sent us a link to a new Bald Eagle nest in Texas with the following note:

“Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwqE5u3HXDs

Eagle nest live Texas. It’s in Bay City, TX in Matagorda county on the coast in South Texas. There are already two eggs in the nest. They are going to be naming the adults and then the chicks after they hatch. I don’t know how long the nest has been there, but it’s on a private ranch near the Colorado River in Texas. It has a chat too. The stream opened this year on 12/2/25.”

When I checked the live stream was not available. Please check on and off as they could be having Internet issues!

If you want to help all of our wildlife, then it is time to take on the issue of lead. Every year at this time, countless raptors are admitted to rehabilitation clinics in dire condition due to lead.

Lead builds up in the bodies of raptors and other carrion eaters, such as condors and vultures, by ingesting fragments of lead ammunition from animal carcasses or gut piles left in the field by hunters. They also consume lead from lost fishing weights and sinkers in aquatic environments. Our birds do not have the luxury of ordering food. They are opportunistic. They are scavengers and eat carrion, especially in winter when live prey is scarce. When they consume meat containing tiny lead fragments (often the size of a grain of rice or smaller), the lead enters their digestive system. The stomach acid quickly breaks down this lead which is absorbed in their blood stream. Their bodies do not get rid of it. It accumulates in their liver, kidneys, brains – the soft tissues of their body – and over time it will even be absorbed into their bones. Even small amounts of lead can cause severe illness or death.

The easiest solution is for anyone currently using lead equipment – either in sports or in the military – to switch to a non-lead alternative. They cost a little more but, in the end, isn’t it worth it? If humans cannot voluntarily do what is good for wildlife and the environment, then lead ammunition and lead equipment should be banned from manufacture.

Please tell anyone that you know that hunts or fishes how they can help and what happens if they don’t stop using lead!

For those who love the Decorah Hatchery Eagles, you might recall that the wonderful female, known as Hatchery Mum or HM, also died of lead toxicity.

Decorah Eagles 2025 Update: A Year of Loss, Change, and New Beginnings at the Hatchery – SPODownload

The Kistachie National Forest nests have had a lot of drama over the past several years. It seems we are starting off this season with more!

Bald Eagle Nest Live Cam Captures Intruder Drama at KNF E-1 – December 5, 2025Download


.Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We will see you again tomorrow!

Thank you to ‘MP’ for writing in about the new Texas eagle nest! And thank you to Geemeff for that great story as well as the authors of articles and posts included today. My blog would never be the same without your input.

Tuesday in Bird World

18 March 2025

Good Morning Everyone!

Thank you to ‘PB’ who sent me a CBS video of the Sandhill Cranes, thousands, hundreds of thousands? of them gathering in Grand Island, Nebraska. What a beautiful sight. I wish everyone would wake up this morning and see the beauty in wildlife and nature and become so empathetic – not separate – but together with nature to actually do something about making their lives and our planet a better place.

Not the same video but the event of a few years ago!

Well, osprey season is starting off with a flurry of arrivals. As you probably know, my first love was the Red-tail Hawks in my birthplace, Oklahoma. I then had an ‘experience’ with a very large female hawk in my garden, and so, the smaller raptors – the hawks and the falcons – have a special place in my heart. My knowledge is, however, about ospreys. I am, therefore, over the moon that so many are returning.

I have a tiny, but dedicated group of helpers. I have said, many times, that we monitored 502 osprey eggs last year. That is a phenomenal number. I could not do it without Heidi. We prop each other up emotionally when things go sideways, as they might well do again this year with poor little ones starving. But, I want to start the year off on a positive note in the hope that it will be different. I can personally use a break from what has been happening on the bald eagle nests especially Kistachie E3 where the adult seems to not respond to the two starving eaglets on the nest – with their full juvenile feathers. Andria had two owl strikes and there has been an intruder flying around the nest. Intruders steal prey intended for eaglets in the nest and the hits from the owl could have caused injuries.

Video of owl strikes: https://youtu.be/xYm8HqzHHBo?

As I was told many years ago by an eagle expert, the Bald Eagles will first defend their territory, then they will protect themselves and their mate, and the chicks/eggs, etc are last on the list. If Akecheta died, it was because he was protecting his territory. Even so, I find it utterly gut wrenching to watch babies die on a nest from lack of food – either because of intruders or a sick or missing parent. If these two are to pass, I hope that it is quick. They have no one giving them supplementary food like Brodie at the BBC nest last year.

Meanwhile, Gabby has decided to feed the intruding juvenile at the NE Florida nest to the dismay of many onlookers. I have mentioned her own fledgling getting lost and going from nest to nest in the area (BOGs watched and reported) trying to find food. Then I remembered that a couple of Richmond and Rosie’s fledglings from the Golden Gate Audubon Osprey platform also left their nest, went for food elsewhere, and were fed. Bodie has no siblings and while this has been ‘tough’, Bodie has to be a fighter in the real world of eagles. No one is going to cut her a break. Gabby and Beau have enough food for both of the juveniles. Gabby knows what she is doing by feeding the intruder. Yes, it will return for food. Hopefully Bodie and it will both have good crops. Bodie can learn from watching the intruder and if it is fed, maybe it will be nicer. We do not know what we would do if we were starving.

Beau came in with a rodent and Bodie self-feed! https://youtu.be/LIfKQVnJwMk?

The warm sun has melted the snow, or most of it, in the nest of Jackie and Shadow. Shadow has been doing some really good work as daddy and it turns out he is a great feeder. Those two little ones were stuffed to the top of their heads and quickly into a food coma!

The Only Eaglet at Sauces, SC1, is the sweetest luckiest little eaglet in the Channel Islands.

But back to the ospreys. I am returning to the format that I used where I include Heidi’s reports and mine daily under our names. If I miss something, it is entirely my fault. I wish that we could aim for as comprehensive a study this year as we did last year, but my life is more challenging than I ever imagined, so if we get half the number of eggs watched and all the data recorded, that would be just fine. (I have hired a Girl Friday to help with other things so I have Friday afternoons free to work on all things osprey).

If you wish to add to our knowledge and data bank, we welcome your input. We need the name of the nest, its location, the link to the streaming cam if there is one, the names or ID numbers of the adults, the dates of their arrival and departure, the dates of eggs laid, hatch dates, fledge dates, and death dates and causes.

Please note that this might not be a comprehensive listing of every osprey nest. Rather, it will include significant milestones.

Heidi’s Osprey News:

Fenwick Island: 3/17 – Fenwick Island, Delaware (Captain Mac’s Fish House):  June arrived back home to her nest in the early evening!  June is the ‘queen of the striped bass’… she caught so many of those large fish last season to feed her only osplet ‘Fen’.

Lake Murray, South Carolina: 3/17 Congrats to Kenny and Lucy.  Lucy laid egg #2 at 10:16.

Dewey Beach, Delaware: 3/17 – The female of the pair arrived on 3/12, and today at 08:30 her mate finally arrived.  It was immediately apparent that this is a bonded pair, and they fell right in step with fixing up the nest.  Best wishes for their success this season.

(Gosh those two are a handsome pair)

Mary Ann’s Osprey News:

Maya arrived at Rutland and Blue NC0 at Loch of the Lowes on the 17th.

Geemeff catches NC0’s arrival: https://youtu.be/CUabK04PELs? Oh, how I hope she gets a good mate. I often wondered if Laddie LM12 had been ill for a couple of years or unwell leaving Blue NC0 without food or the babies, some who starved. While I adored Laddie and I did, Blue NC0 deserves an eager fisher for a her new mate. I want to see that nest piled with fish.

Blue NC0 sleeping on the perch branch protecting her nest. Come on Dark Knight!

Eschenbach Osprey Platform, Germany: The news under the streaming cam is: Herbert arrived on the 16th of March. “We are waiting for Hermine to arrive, but the activity in the nest does not stop. Other females are present: some claim the place, others are passing by and take advantage of the male’s generosity. Today Herbert appeared accompanied by an unringed female. A very demanding girl who has demanded (and obtained) several deliveries of fish. What will happen? We will wait to see the events of the next few days.”

Last year Herbert arrived on April 4.

Birds of Poole Harbour:

Who will return to Loch Arkaig?

RSPB Loch Garten has had its share of drama.

Many more ospreys will be arriving in the next fortnight. At some of the US nests there are little bobs and only bobs. May each and every one flourish.

Moorings Park: Beautiful Only Bob.

Frenchman’s Creek: Only Bob doing well also!

Venice Golf and Country Club are incubating.

Incubation at Brevard, Florida:

Oceanside MNSA Osprey Nest: Blondie returns on the 13th of March.

News from Others (various birds):

Geemeff sends lots of news items including this one about Wisdom!

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2025/3/oldest-wild-bird-wisdom-has-more-than-doubled-her-life-expectancy-and-become-a-grandma

Storrington has been named the capital of the White Storks!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/17/storrington-in-west-sussex-named-uk-first-european-stork-village

Are authorities turning a blind eye to the illegal killing of birds by trapping in Cyprus. Watch and judge for yourself.

A reader from Berlin writes that they found this ebook on Germany’s Amazon site. The book is not affiliated with FOBBV:

‘J’ sends Rita’s History Monday:

We have news from Chichester Falcons.

chichester newsletter no.2Download

Worcester Cathedral Falcon Scrape has its first egg of the breeding season.

Lead can and is being replaced by other materials. Lead is toxic and deadly to our raptors. Why do the governments that make up the UK miss deadlines to stop its use? Why do people no longer care about the suffering the wildlife experience?

UK Governments miss deadline for responding to recommendations for restrictions on use of toxic leadDownload

The intentional poisoning of over 150 beautiful corellas in Australia is enough to turn your stomach.

‘Heartbreaking’: poisoning suspected after mass deaths of more than 150 little corellas in Newcastlehttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/18/newcastle-corella-birds-mass-deaths-suspected-poisoning?CMP=share_btn_url

“Little corella (Cacatua sanguinea gymnopis) Blanchetown” by Charles J. Sharp is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Their challenges:

Department for Environment and Water – Little CorellasDownload

Pip watch for Bella and Scout at the NCTC nest begins today.

‘A’ brings news of Angel and Tom: “Again, Angel spent more time at the nest this morning than Tom did – and again, she is doing a lot of nestcupping, as if making final preparations to lay in this nest. I do hope so. In 2023, she laid her first egg on 24 March, which is under a week away, so I am hoping we see two eggs, as we did in 2023, rather than what happened in 2024, when they simply disappeared before Angel laid any eggs at this site. We have no idea whether she laid elsewhere, though I still think the landowner would have spotted Angel at least if she had still been nearby last season. We will never know of course and their whereabouts last season will forever remain a mystery. But ol course they may do the same thing this year and simply stop showing up at the nest. 

But I am still determined to be hopeful – after all, we have seen joyous outcomes for Iris and  her Finnegan, Gabby and her Beau, and now Jak and darling determined Audacity. If this is to be a year for miracle chicks, then please let Angel and Tom’s be among them. “

Thank you for being with me today. We are always delighted to hear your news and have you with us. Take care in the times we are in. Look for the positive and the good. Take care of your neighbours, your friends, and your family – even if it is only a smile you have to offer or a hello in an e-mail.

Migrating Birds are passing through. Protect them from your windows. Put out high-energy food if you can and water. Water is good!

We were so happy to see Star back at the feeder today.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, Heidi, J, MP, PB’, Rhoda A, American Eagle Foundation, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, IWS/Explore.org, Fenwick Island, Lake Murray, Dewey Beach, Geemeff and Loch of the Lowes, Eschenbach Ospreys, Birds of Poole Harbour, The Woodland Trust, RSPB Loch Garten, Moorings Park, Frenchman’s Creek, Breward Ospreys, VGCCO, The Guardian, RSPB, Cassandra McClurkin, Chichester Peregrines, Worcester Cathedral, Raptor Persecution UK, The Guardian, OpenVerse, South Australia Department for the Environment and Water, Guinness World Records, Rita the Eagle FB, Visit Kearney Nebraska

It’s Love…Saturday in Bird World

Good Morning Everyone! It’s Saturday. We hope that each of you had a good week. For those going back to school, it must have been a bit of a shock after the holiday break. Have a good weekend. Get outside if you can – even if it is only for a few minutes. Makes all the difference in the world smelling the fresh air, feeling the sun on your cheeks, and I hope seeing a bird!

The kittens have a new ‘enrichment’ activity toy.

They have had so much fun and have spent so much time figuring out things. Lewis can now use both paws. It is past midnight and Missey is working on her technique. Cute.

My top story is yet another death by lead. As long time readers will recognise, I am a big fan of all the work that the Ventana Wildlife Society and the LA Zoo do for the California Condors. So, today, when I received the link to this Twitter feed from Geemeff, I was once again saddened beyond belief. Lead in hunting and fishing equipment needs to be banned from being manufactured and used. Pull it off the shelves. There are alternatives – copper and stainless steel. Yes, at the moment because their production numbers are not as high as lead, they are a bit more expensive. About $1.50 US a box of cartridges for shooting I was told (not sure the size). So, the use of lead is not necessary. It is also not necessary by the military. Ban lead! Just do it.

First feathered friend for the 2023 Memorial Wall. So sad. It is so unnecessary that I just want to stand in the middle of the street and scream but that won’t help. So today I am going to write my Member of Parliament, the Honourable Web Kinew. He is Indigenous and has a good chance of being our next Premier in Manitoba. He might just care enough to do something when he has the power and the people. Clearly our current government in Manitoba will do nothing. But it needs to be a federal law here, in the US, everywhere-!!!!!!! So make a resolution to write to your Department of Natural Resources and the Department of the Interior in the US, your Congress member, and your Senator. Their e-mail addresses will be published. Then why not write your President.

BTW. The Ventana Wildlife Society is hiring a lead specialist for outreach to ranchers in the area of Big Sur and Pinnacles. Know anyone that fits the description? Please forward.

I always wonder if the DNR puts up a few bird cams to make us feel soft and fuzzy towards them. They derive huge income from selling hunting licenses. The specific amount is published. Check it out and then get mad. But don’t donate to their cameras until they take a stand against lead. A serious one. For those of you living in other parts of the world, check out the use of lead in your country and let me know what you find out. It would be appreciated.

While you are at it, how do you think about selling licenses to drill for oil and natural gas in pristine waters that could easily impact wildlife? aren’t we, as an international society, telling those folks in power that it is time to invest in renewables? not fossil fuels?

Have a look at this 1:39 minute video on the birds and the land in Alaska – and imagine an oil spill. Please help them by writing to your politicians pressing them to stop licensing for oil and natural gas – anywhere.

Hello Everyone! You cannot have my prey!!!!!!!!! Got that, Mum. I am telling everyone so they know – you cannot have it!

Elain’s great video for 6 January shows us the many visits of Indigo and the interactions in the scrape box at Orange on Charles Sturt University’s water tower! And, of course, it begins with Indigo arriving with prey screaming his head off!!!!!!

Well, it’s love. No other pictures of the sweetie pie E21 and Harriet needed. Just look at the love in a mother’s eye to her recently hatched wee one. Precious. Who says eagles do not have feelings?

Meanwhile, it is after 1700 on Friday and E22 is working away with its tooth visible trying to get out of that shell. Soon!

Oh, goodness. If you were watching, Harriet went to roll the egg and E21 got stuck on her talon and went out of the nest cup. The little ones cannot move to get back under Mum and they cannot regulate their temperature. Thankfully Harriet saw what had happened and within 10 minutes had E21 back under her by rolling it with her beak!!!!!!!!! It was a little tense watching it as Harriet had to stop a couple of times but she managed to get the job done. E21 had its first adventure!

Welcome E22! I saw you for the first time at 07:06.

A little later. You are more dried off and E21 is no worse for his adventure.

At 09:36:03, V3 flies in and meets Gabby on the nest. She sees him coming before he lands and begins calling.

The couple begin working on the nest. — I think that it is time to recognise that V3 is the ‘main man’ now. Whether or not this new pairing will produce eggs and eaglets this year is unknown. Will V3 be around next year if they do not have eaglets now? Who knows. For now, it is time to enjoy the two of them together and be happy for Gabby.

The couple get an entire five minutes together before V3 is off protecting the realm. I am thinking about getting him a Superman suit.

Both appeared back together on camera at 13:47. Give V3 a big hand of applause. He is keeping everyone else away from the natal nest. Bravo.

They are both constantly vigilant. Each one watching from different sides for intruders that could attack the nest. It has to be very stressful.

Gabby flew in with a huge crop and V3 flew in after her with a large crop, too. They dined together it seems.

They are a couple. They are together in the morning, during the day, and at night. No doubt about it. And who says they aren’t mating at their ‘special’ spot off camera??? Or maybe they aren’t. Who knows???

Superbeaks. Pearl is 28 days old today and Tico is 27 days. Let us examine the pair more closely through a few images. That is Pearl closest to the rails and little Tico at the back by Mum.

What do you notice about these two eaglets immediately? There could be several things.

Let’s work on some terms and the one I want is not in the image below!!!!!!!! Their rictus or smile is now yellow. This happens during week 4. Their eyes are the best 90% chocolate you can purchase! When they get older their eyes will lighten to that celadon colour that can be white, lightest of watery blue, or very light grey-green. Their cere is still black. Their Maxilla is black. These will change to chrome-yellow as they age. Now look. Dandelions on the top of the head with thick grey down. Those dandelions will begin to look like ‘Mohawks’ very soon. The blood feathers are growing in. This thick down will remain under them to help the eagles regulate their temperature. Now it covers all of their body.

Pearl is getting much more stable on her legs and was seen flapping her wings.

I thought I had a screen capture. One of the eaglets, Pearl, was flapping her wings building up some muscles. They are both developing just fine. There is so much food! Some chatters noticed a bit of bonking by Pearl to Tico and that Pearl had eaten most of one meal but, they are both fine. The last time I checked Tico was being fed.

Now just imagine. In 28 days time, Little E21 is going to look like the eaglet in the image above. Hard to get around that, isn’t it? They grow so fast.

Jackie and Shadow have been on and off their snowy nest all day.

Thunder and Akecheta were perched on Tor together today. Time 16:02.

Anna and Louis are not giving us any hints. For the past two years, this Louisiana Bald Eagle couple whose natal nest is E1 at the Kisatchie National Forest have had only one hatch. Will it be the same this year? Egg 1 is 38 days old today and egg 2 is 34 days old. The average hatch time in Louisiana is 35-39 days. So things are going to happen shortly. Wish them luck! This is their third breeding year together and both are nicely equipped to raise two healthy eaglets. Louis will just pile more fish on the nest. Can you imagine? He was so excited the first year, 18 fish (Anna brought in some to equal 20) on the nest at once!

The wee ones at the E3 nest of Alex and Andria are ‘lanky teenagers’ now. Not round little cuddly eaglets. They are growing their feathers and getting bigger and bigger. E3-01 was out of the nest cup the other day and E3-02 made that leap today.

Oh, precious. Notice. They do not yet have yellow smiles!!!!! But they do have black specks and those black specks indicate grey wooly down and feathers!!!!!!

Both eagles were at Decorah today. When you look at that image, I want to give a shout out to the Raptor Resource Project and Explore. They have done an amazing job – with the quality of the images – and their ability for close ups and pans. Just beautiful.

The juvenile was back at Decorah North.

Good news for Achieva Osprey fans. Barbara Snyder reports on FB that there was a successful mating attempt today. Diane’s leg must be getting better. Cannot think of more joyful news. Thanks Barbara!

Bird sightings in Dulwich. I could hug the author…they even like to see Sparrows. I wish so much that people who dislike sparrows would stop to think that not only do they need to eat but they are in rapid decline in certain locations. I love my sparrows. Each has a different face and some you come to recognise as they reappear daily.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/06/country-diary-a-flock-of-seagulls-and-a-lesson-in-resolve?CMP=share_btn_link

Everyone reading my blog knows that habitat loss, climate change and the sheer impact of the human population is killing both wildlife and our planet. An article in The New York Times discusses the impact on various species. Save it and read it when you have time. But read it so that you can talk about this with others. Thank you.

animals-are-running-out-of-places-to-live-the-new-york-timesDownload

My blog is mostly about raptors. But, I love all birds (and other wildlife) and I am absolutely entranced by Loons. As many of you know, I have wanted to get a good look at them and have travelled throughout my province trying to do so. I did finally see ‘two at a great distance’ in 2022. There is a new book out about loons. Stay tuned!!!!!!!! It has received rave reviews. I hope to have it read in a couple of weeks.

Thank you so much for joining me. I expect we will wake up to E22 with all of us holding our breath and hoping that E21 is a ‘darling’ of a big sib. Tomorrow one story I will be following is the loss of wildlife due to outdated farming and farmland practices in the UK. Don’t ever think it is just the UK. All I have to do is drive to the nature centre for my walk to see all the farmland given over to large housing developments. No birds there. Hardly a tree! There is more bad weather with more record breaking rainfall coming to California from the 9-14th. Jackie and Shadow could see lots of snow while our falcons and eagles in the Channel Islands will have rain. If you live in an area that has the potential for flooding and mudslides, please do take extra precautions. Everyone take care. Winter weather can be very hazardous. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, their Twitter feeds, their announcements, postings, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: Geemeff, Ventana Wildlife Society, GoGreen, Cornell Bird Lab, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, SWFlorida Eagles and D Pritchett, Birdie Cam, NEFL-AEF, Superbeaks, FOBBV, IWS and Explore.org, KNF-E1, KNF-E3, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Barbara Snyder and Achieva, Achieva Credit Union Osprey Cam, The Guardian and Amazon.ca

Saturday in Bird World

10 September 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Friday morning turned out to be a fantastic day to go and check on the birds in a pond in one of the industrial areas of the city. There had been a Great Blue Heron spotted there according to eBird and I hoped to get a glimpse. That beautiful bird and the Lesser Yellowlegs, the Canada Geese, the Mallards, and the gulls did not disappoint.

Then as I was driving around the other side to leave I looked over and saw something ‘white’. It was a beautiful Great Egret wading in the water fishing.

What a lovely way to start the morning! I feel blessed. It is always good for the mind and soul to get out into nature, however long or short one can, and if, by chance, we get to see these beautiful creatures then it is doubly wonderful.

It is also the full moon. Around the world people will be looking up and hoping for clear skies. It is known as the Harvest Moon and is a time of thanksgiving. Many years ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to be in Kyoto during the Tsukimi or Moon Viewing Festival. Moon Viewing has been practiced in Japan since the Nara Period from 710-794. One did not look at the moon directly but, rather, observed the moon’s reflection normally in a beautiful pond. Many residences of the aristocracy had moon viewing platforms. Poems were written. Auspicious gifts placed on the tokonama while the flowers, the incense, and the hanging were changed to reflect the move to autumn. I recall stacks of mochi and vases with beautiful sheafs of grain. ‘A’ also reminds me that it is a time for eating dumplings – which we will do later this evening while watching the rabbits pound the mochi in the moon!

Making News:

Yesterday I reported that Big Red and Arthur’s youngest hatch for the 2022 breeding season had been released on the Cornell Campus. Here is the YouTube video of this fantastic event! Please note that L2 is still on campus and has not left- as believed- and hopefully these two will hook up. They were always best friends.

L4 was spotted on the Campus this morning. She has made herself right at home! Suzanne Arnold Horning got a shot of her with her phone.

The raptors really need our help to spread the word. Making the news today is an Osprey with a balloon tangled around its legs. Don’t wait to get to the state that I am in – chasing after every loose balloon I see – but help educate. Tell everyone you know and ask them to tell 5 friends and family. Soon, the web of knowledge will grow and the birds will be safer.

If you live in this area, please keep your eyes open for this bird. Thank you.

It is sadly that time of year. The Bald Eagles and other birds of prey that eat carrion get lead poisoning because our governments will not outlaw the use of lead in any hunting and fishing equipment! They need to ban the manufacture, remove the supplies off the shelves, and stop this senseless pain, suffering, and death. We know the solution. Tell your elected officials. There are alternatives. ——— Of course, as you know, my alternative is to end the recreational shooting of animals – it is barbaric.

Nest News:

Idris brings his daughter, Padarn, a flat fish for her evening tea. What a fantastic dad he has been to this healthy and robust female that will soon, should the winds blow in the right direction, head off on her migration leaving Dad some time to recuperate from what has to have been a tiring summer with three girls and Telyn to take care of!

Padarn was on the perch for the night.

She was still there on Saturday!

The sun was setting on Loch Arkaig. We will have to wait until tomorrow to see if Sarafina is still with us! But there has been no activity on the nest today.

On Saturday Louis was seen on the nest. The last time that Sarafina was seen on the nest was at 0634 on the 9th of September. There have been no visits and no nest calls by Sarafina on Saturday.

Who is home at Glaslyn? It looks like it is Aran and 497. The boys and Mrs G are gone!

Aran is over in the Oak Trees.

497 has been in the nest and on the perch. Aran did not seem to be responding! 497 has had a hard time with siblings and Mrs G around to get some of those fish. Perhaps a few days longer will get this little one in shape to fly if Dad obliges with a nice big breakfast tomorrow!

Talk about beautiful. You can sure tell she is Aran’s offspring. She may have the glare of a female Osprey, but that lovely head turned…that is Aran. Until you see the dark necklace – then Mrs G comes in.

Her dark necklace she gets from Mum, Mrs G.

The nest was empty at dusk.

497 was there on Saturday and Aran was busy bringing her fish!

Xavier convincing Diamond that it is time for her to have her breakfast so he can get some eggie time.

You can see a big change in the Sea Eagles at the Sydney Olympic Park nest. They are standing more on their feet and walking about the nest more. SE29 is really flapping its wings and investigating the branches! Yesterday, SE29 got the fish that Dad had brought to the nest but wasn’t sure what to do with it. Lady took it and fed both!!! ‘J’ wrote that she thought this was the cutest part of it – 29 trying to figure out what to do with the fish! I am grateful she mentioned those moments. You might have seen that instance. I am certain SE30 was delighted when Lady fed both of them.

Look at those nice strong legs. Great wings, too! Developing those muscles. These two are simply precious.

It is fascinating – looking at the nest – how the branches help to camouflage the eaglets.

SE29 will be 8 weeks old tomorrow. What to expect for the next couple of weeks in their development? Their wings will begin to get heavy and you will notice that they will begin to sit with them drooping. There will be more hopping and flapping of their wings and by the end of week 9 they should be able to mantle, hold their food and tear off pieces to eat. They will begin sleeping upright with their head tucked into their wing like the adults. Their feathers will continue to develop all over their body. Watch at the end of the two weeks to see them standing on one leg!

Dad on the ropes and Mum on those three eggs at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge. It is the 11th of September in Australia. Do you know what this means? We could be one week from hatch!!!!!!!!!!!

Incubation continues at 367 Collins Street in Melbourne! But there are strange things going on…I wonder how this will turn out.

Mum departed around 0856. Dad came and stayed on the eggs after they had been left for an hour. He stayed about 15 minutes. The eggs were left uncovered for another 43 minutes…and then Mum finally comes and settles down after 2 hours. She then leaves again briefly a little later. This couple appears to have trouble getting their rhythm going…let’s hope it is all worked out by hatch.

Mothering is not always easy, especially the first time!

There are still chicks on one of the Finnish Osprey nests.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust has produced a video diary of the 2022 season. It is delightful. I am missing Laddie and Blue NC0 already. Here is the link: https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/2022/09/osprey-diary-at-loch-of-the-lowes-so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-fish/?fbclid=IwAR3JhvUSWIUsN8cXuNCKE7jsqFG9pmHwewEXuPBkGB4B__4gCLFpE1O7dsA

Migration:

CROW provided a really good post today especially with regard to birds and window strike. It is migration season…have a read. Tell your friends and family to turn off their lights and also tell them how to help stunned birds. Thanks so much!

Continuing in our tracking of the Estonian Black Stork family of Karl II, there is no tracking or transmissions for Karl II today.

Bonus remains in Belarus in the same general area of the Priyapat River he has been feeding at. The fish and frogs must be plentiful!

Kaia is still feeding near the Desna River in Ukraine.

Waba is near the Makachinsky Hydrological Reserve which is also in Ukraine like his parents Kaia and Karl II.

Maya and Blue 33’s first hatch of the 2022 season, 1H1, has been seen in Portugal.

From the Archives. Two images today!

First: Can you name this nest? Do you remember the names of the chicks? It was 29 September 2021. Gold stars for anyone who can put the name with the right osplet!

Second: Do you remember the circumstance where these two images were taken?

Thank you so much for being with me today. I hope that you have a wonderful start to your weekend. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their tweets, posts, and streaming cams that formed my screen captures: Cornell Bird Lab, Suzanne Arnold Horning, A Place Called Hope, Raptor Educational Group, Dyfi Ospreys, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Ospreys, BirdCast, CROW, Looduskalender, LRWT, and Cape Wildlife Clinic.

Answer to From the Archives:

First. It is the Port Lincoln Osprey barge. Mum is feeding Bazza (top), Ervie (middle), and Falky (bottom). You can see that the osplets have lost their soft down and are in the Reptilian Phase – looking like dark black crude was poured over them.

Second. This is Arnold and Amelia the bonded pair of Canada Geese. Arnold had its foot injured by a snapping turtle and had to have surgery. It shocked the vets when they heard a tapping on the glass door. There was Arnold’s mate. The vets realized that the pair had to be together. Amelia was allowed to share meals and whenever Arnold was moved outside she would break into the pen to be with him. This was a really learning moment if every wildlife rehabber paid attention ——–do not take one Canada Goose into care without its mate. Many times volunteers pick up the injured one and whisk it off tens of miles away. The remaining one of the couple is ‘lost’ and depressed and sometimes does not eat.

A piece of lead the size of a grain of rice is enough to kill an eagle!

We really do have to spread this information to those that do not read bird blogs or belong to groups advocating for the banning of all lead in hunting and fishing equipment. Since the fall when hunting season began, wildlife rehabbers have, on their FB pages, testified to the huge toll lead takes on Bald Eagles. It isn’t just eagles – other raptors show up with lead poisoning, too.

I am going to attach the article that my friend sent to me about the use of copper bullets instead of lead. It is a really good read and after trying to take out the good bits and deciding they were all good, I hope that you can read it. I have been able to enlarge it as wide as I can.

The article makes it very clear that they are not against hunting. They simply want the hunters to reflect on their practices and change to ammunition that does not harm or kill wildlife. The return of the Bald Eagle after them being almost completely wiped DDT is being ‘stunned’ by the deaths caused by lead. There is an alternative: copper. There is another and that is stainless steel. A supplier in my City has the stainless steel and copper bullets priced at $1.50 a box more than lead. I do wish they would just stop buying the lead.

Today, Badger Run Wildlife Rehab posted the following information. I am copying and pasting it here to add to that included in the newspaper article. We can never get enough information and clarification!

“HOW are Bald Eagles exposed to the lead, which leads to their poisoning?

Lead “toxicosis” occurs when a bird ingests lead. It’s a neurotoxin & at low levels leads to lethargy often where the bird does not have the energy to find food & simply dies of starvation. The more lead present in the system the more pronounced the symptoms can become including confusion, respiratory distress, convulsions, organ failure, etc. And it also depends on the individual bird. We have had a hawk test very low for lead in the blood (only about 6 ug/dL), but have severe symptoms which resolved following treatment.

There are 2 major ways lead gets into the environment where birds eat it. First, you have the waterfowl (especially swans, ducks, geese) that eat “grit” to help digest their food. Sometimes that grit contains leftover lead shot from 20+ years ago when lead ammo was legal for hunting waterfowl. Other times, it comes from lost lead fishing tackle/sinkers. These birds not only suffer lead poisoning, but predators that eat them also ingest the lead in their system. That 2nd group of birds that commonly suffer lead poisoning includes the birds of prey that eat animals that are tainted with lead. So other than eating tainted waterfowl (eagles, especially) these birds eat mammals that have been tainted with lead. Any gut pile left behind above ground by a hunter using lead ammo has left a yummy lead poisoned meal for any bird of prey finding it. Likewise, anyone shooting small mammals like gophers & prairie dogs with lead who leaves these carcasses above group also is leaving poisonous food for birds of prey.

Can mammalian predators also get lead poisoning by eating left over lead ammo? Yes, but mammals usually have much less acidic stomachs which makes them better as digesting lead particles before they pass through their guts. Birds also have “grinding stomachs” that further help to deliver lead to their bloodstreams.

A piece of lead the size of a grain of rice is enough to kill an eagle!”

You can find more information at http://huntingwithnonlead.org/index.html

Birds like Loons and Swans also suffer a very high incidence of lead poisoning because they ingest the lead sinkers that break off of fishing tackle. Geese and ducks have been protected with lead ammunition being banned they would skin the lead pellets off the water and eat them!

There are many hunters who are supporting the ‘Ban the lead Movement’ and spreading good information educating the general population. You can help, too!

All of the eagles and all those fluffy little chicks thank you for helping them! As well as the waterfowl who ingest all those lead sinkers!!!!!!!! Remember it is an easy fix.

Thank you for joining us this morning. All is well with Ervie. Him and Dad are spending the night on the barge at Port Lincoln and the camera appears stable! Take care. Oh, and before I forget, Dyson and all the garden gang want to wish each of you a very happy Valentine’s Day.

“flower” by kissmuch 

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: NEFlorida Bald Eagles and the AEF, KNF Bald Eagles, and Pix Cams.