Tag Archives: Lena and Andy

Monday in Bird World

17 May 2022

Balloons.

“Balloon release – 1” by Jerry Downs is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
Copy text

Thank you to everyone who wrote to me about the balloons. I am not ‘Debbie Downer’ but there are sure lots of ways of having fun other than sending balloons up into the sky as in the image below!

My comment about starting in elementary school reminded a reader, ‘B’, of an incident. Out in the wilderness a balloon was found. There was a note attached to it asking whoever found it to please call the teacher at the elementary school that had released the balloons. The finder did, indeed, contact the school but did inform the teacher about the dangers of balloons to all wildlife. I am certain she had no idea. This got me to thinking. We really need to spread the word somehow.

I know that many of my readers are teachers or individuals who have friends or family who are teachers or group leaders for Cubs, Guides, etc. We do need to start with the children but let us educate them to the dangers. So how do the teachers do this? and how can we create a web of understanding so that people do not feel criticized but who realize the dangers and want to help? Why not have balloons and the environment as a topic for a staff meeting? or a conference? I am certain that a wildlife rehabber would happily come in and educate teachers and students on the dangers of balloons. They might even bring one of their ambassadors. It would be a great topic that could generate lots of interest! If you know of someone who provides children’s parties, talk to them as well. There are many types of decorations that are much more planet and wildlife friendly and who doesn’t want to be on the sustainable and environmentally-friendly side? Most don’t knowingly want to harm birds or other wildlife; they just simply do not know the bigger picture and how a simple act of releasing balloons for a celebration can have a lasting impact on birds causing their death or disability. Spread the word!

I have several other concerns that focus on simple solutions to a huge problem for wildlife. Lead. The Institute for Wildlife Studies – Dr Sharpe and gang that manage the Channel Islands Bald Eagles amongst other projects including Condors have put out an information pamphlet about the alternatives to the use of lead. I am attaching it. They do presentations at various sporting events. Please read it. If you know someone who hunts or fishes and uses lead, please gently inform them of the alternatives. Thanks!

Click to access Alternativesto+Lead_2011_final+draft_6.23.11.pdf

SF Bay Ospreys have posted an image of a crack in egg 2 for Richmond and Rosie. They believe that egg 1 is non-viable and stated that even egg 2 is late. It would be grand if 2 and 3 would hatch close to one another.

Duke and Daisy survived the storm that went through New Jersey last night. It is still windy today, though.

This is the view from the platform to where Duke does his fishing. Gorgeous. Just gorgeous. When you live inland on the prairies, you long for water! and sandy beaches! and mountains!

Middle Little O was on the Captiva Osprey platform with his long, long legs (he could challenge Idris in a couple of years) wanting some fish. Andy brought him a Lizard Fish this morning and later he brought him a Pinfish. Middle Little O is so loud — and always fish crying! So funny. [I could almost swear Middle Little O is a female].

I think the only time that Middle Little and Little Mini were hungry was when Big was alive. Andy and Lena are taking super care of their two surviving juveniles – their first since 2019. So happy for them. Andy is certainly devoted and doing his job getting fish to both the fledglings.

The five walking cotton balls at the Manchester NH scrape continue to do well. Enough food for all – eating,, sleeping, and growing. The fifth hatch is so cute! There he is by the exit to the exterior platform.

There are still serious issues for 17 on the ND-LEEF Bald Eagle nest. Prey comes in and at 14:26:19, he was able to snatch and grab a single bite. 17 has been conserving its energy by sleeping and was gnawing on some bones at various times. This is pretty sad. 17 is 6 weeks old today. Half way to fledge. The chick needs nourishment and the older siblings have always been aggressive and dominant.

17 did have a small PS. Oh, I wish for some food for this little one. It is hard having two great big siblings and being so small.

It is 15:13 nest time at the UFlorida-Osprey platform on the practice field. Middle has quite the crop. I don’t need to go back and check on a feeding. At some point while I was rustling up an electrician at the last minute, Mum came in with enough fish to fill Middle to the brim. That makes me so happy.

The storm left Big Red and the gang a little soggy yesterday. They are all doing fine. The oldest and the youngest have been flapping their wings today. It is like L4 says to the elder sib, “Anything you can do, I can do!” They are so cute. Watch at the end as they see a parent doing a fly by. Precious.

I haven’t seen any prey deliveries on the Dale Hollow nest. Both eaglets are still there. One found something buried in the nest and the other is watching closely as the sib tries to eat it. Hopefully some fish will come in later.

The chick at Cromer Peregrine scrape has been ringed. The measurements are inconclusive so DNA samples were taken to determine gender. The chick is either a large male or a small female!

Just look at the crops on the eyases at the San Jose City Hall Falcon Scrape. Wow. It’s so funny how you can tell if the crop is totally full – the skin looks really shiny where the feathers separate. Gosh they are cute.

Annie has a snooze and later feeds the two eyases. Cute, cute. Gosh. What is it? 8 or 10 days til they are ringed? Unbelievable. I remember when I was waiting to get my driver’s license and my mother assured me that time passed much faster when I got older. She was right. Weren’t we just waiting for a hatch yesterday?

These chicks always look like they are smiling and why not? They have Annie and Alden for parents.

The ND-LEEF nest is still the problem. I sure hope some giant fish arrive so that 17 gets some decent bites of fish. All of the falcon and hawk nests are fine. We are waiting for Osprey eggs to hatch in the UK.

Take care everyone. Thank you so much for joining me today. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Cal Falcons, Cromer Peregrine Falcons, DHEC, Cornell RTH, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, ND-LEEF, Peregrine Networks, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife, Barnegat Light Ospreys, and SF Bay Ospreys.

Manton Bay Sadness and other news in Osprey and Falcon World

11 May 2022

I want to start this newsletter with something that is pretty wonderful before we get on to the big story of the day coming out of Rutland Water’s Manton Bay Osprey nest.

Forgive me if I am wrong but it looks to me like Alden is feeding the two chicks at Cal Falcons! Why do I think this is Alden? and why is this such a big deal? Well the left foot has a problem or did something happen to Annie? or is this just nothing and I am seeing things? Annie likes to feed the kids so that is why this is a big deal. But Alden has been nervous and seemingly shy of feeding. So what is going on?

Well this looks like an experienced parent.

The time is 06:03 and I am confused. The adult behaves like Annie but I am confused by the left foot.

At any rate, the chicks are fine. Gosh, golly. Do we have a foot injury on Annie??????? or has Alden suddenly turned into a pro at feeding chicks?

Everyone watching the Manton Bay nest of Blue 33 (11) and Maya are simply at a loss for words. A large fish came on the nest and flipped from the side over to the top of the nest cup hitting both chicks and the third egg. Just as watchers were stunned so was mum, Maya. Ospreys are used to fish flapping. Indeed, one of the historic reasons that the males eat the heat is to ensure that the fish is dead when they deliver it to the nest. Of course, that is not always the case. It can be a tragedy when day old osplets are on the nest.

One of the chicks has survived. The other was still breathing but was left exposed for a period of time. At 13:17 Blue 33 (11) comes to check on Maya. With what we can only believe as his encouragement, Maya moves the fish out of the egg cup and to the side of the nest where she eats some fish. With the fish out of the egg cup, she gathers both chicks under her to brood. Am I crazy to hope that wee one will survive?

Is the little one stuck under a stick or something? I wonder.

By 14:35 the rain is pouring down on Maya. She has both chicks and the egg under her and is hunkered down. Send your most positive wishes to this Osprey family. Hope for a miracle for that wee babe to come around and for two healthy osplets.

It is 15:30 and the rain has stopped. That is really good news for this Osprey nest. Maya is feeding a chick and eating herself. The other chick is drying off and is still moving but, honestly, it would be a miracle if this one makes it. Still, I hope.

Its little wing was raised up and moving. It is in front of the egg towards us. Maya will cover up both chicks and the egg. Mum is looking a wee better. We must remember that Maya may have had fish flop around in the nest before but she has never had a chick fatally injured by one. She has little time for mourning but did appear stunned and very lethargic when the event happened.

More tragic news has come from the Dahlgren Osprey nest. The third hatch has died. That nest is located at the mouth of the Machodoc and William’s Creek in King George County, Virginia. It is the nest of Jack and Harriet. The creek has had very high water and has flooded in places causing murky fishing for Jack. It is not clear but as of the 8th of May the third hatch was getting little food. It died this morning.

Things are, however, continuing to go well on the Captiva Osprey Nest. Middle Little or Captiva’s Daddy Long legs fledgling has been flying on and off the platform with a very large fish. He is flying like a pro now. So good!

There he goes in the middle to the 8island to enjoy his late breakfast!

After the Ospreys, it is often reassuring to check on the falcons and the hawks.

Everything appears to be fine as the day starts for Annie and Alden and the two eyases at the U-California Berkeley scrape.

All five eyases are alive and either preening or trying to sleep at the Manchester, New Hampshire scrape.

The three chicks at St Mary’s Church in Andover, Hampshire, UK had a really good feed today and all are doing well.

The two at the Indiana & Michigan Power scrape are also fine!

These two are really losing their baby down.

There are still only two eyases at the Utica NY scrape. Both are doing well and with sadness on the nests overall, two energetic chicks is great.

Sadly, there has been a unexplained death of the youngest eyas at the Cromer Peregrine Falcon scrape in the UK. Both chicks were eating fine and developing well. There appeared to be no problem. Sometime between 1315-1430 yesterday the youngest on died. I was not expecting that news. The fact that the chick ate well does not indicate Avian Flu. The owners of the scrape commented on its pale egg and feet thinking that there was something the matter with the wee ones health all along. Condolences go out to all the individuals associated with the Cromer scrape who work so hard to reintroduce the Peregrine Falcons into the UK.

All is well at the Dolina Baryczy Peregrine Falcon nest in Poland.

The chicks ate for a very long time and it was recorded. They look healthy. They are losing their down around the eyes and you can see the feathers coming in on the wings and the tail.

All is well at the nest of Big Red and Arthur on the Cornell Campus in Ithaca. the four eyases are growing like bad weeds, getting their feathers, and starting to spend a lot of time preening. Relief. They are sure taking up a lot of space along that ledge of the lightbox!

Thank you so much for joining me as I continue to monitor the situations at the Manton Bay and UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nests. Take care all.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: LRWT Manton Bay, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Cal Falcons, Peregrine Networks, I & M DNR, Utica Falcons, Sokoi D Baryczy Zdenka, and Cromer Peregrine Falcons.

Late Thursday in Bird World

21 April 2022

Today, the American White Pelicans began arriving in Manitoba. Groups of about 30-40 flew over a couple of hours ago heading north. The Juncos and Robins are here and the other song birds are arriving in large numbers. Do I dare tell them we might have more snow tomorrow?

There is a really nice article on the naming contest for Alden, Annie’s new mate. Did you know that they received 3x the amount of votes for the name choice than any previous chick naming contest? That is fantastic. We love the growing interest in the raptors and their stories.

https://www.berkeleyside.org/2022/04/18/uc-berkeley-peregrine-falcon-new-name?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_Berkeleyside&fbclid=IwAR1dVpEMdh5XmaWu23vpAfyo8yrxhVz15BXyzMMj3hRiXMkE1U7X2LpBqys

This is a reminder that the Q & A tomorrow, April 22, is at noon Berkeley time. There will be another one on 6 May when it is expected the eyases will hatch.

The two White-tail eagle chicks in Poland at the Tucholskie Forest nest have eaten well and both had nice crops before night.

Akecheta and Thunder worked together to bring three small fish to the nest today- one for each of the eaglets today! Talk about team work. In the image below, the eaglet on the right has a fish while the one in the middle is looking on at the self-feeding.

The eaglets are 44, 42, and 40 days old today.

There is lots of activity at the Captiva Osprey nest with birds flying by. Middle (Little) has been flying in and out and Little (Mini) has been getting some height under its wings. Both have been home with Lena anxiously awaiting some fish deliveries from Andy.

Two beautiful Ospreys with their Mum, Lena.

Here is a video clip of both chicks calling for fish and Middle (LittleO) getting some air under the flapping of its wings. Those wings are beautiful. It won’t be long!

Big Bob and Middle Bob at the Dale Hollow nest are doing fantastic. I used to be able to tell by the white at the edge of the tail but now I have to look more closely. It is Big on the right and Middle on the left. Beautiful raptors.

I missed the feeding but both have nice crops and there is evidence of a delivery and feeding in those bones. The two eaglets are 53 days old today if you count hatch day.

Iris has spent a bit of time at her nest this afternoon. There is some precipitation falling and people are about. They do not seem to bother her in the least.

Iris loves to give you the ‘snake eye’.

At 19:59 we get a good look at the hatch on the Cornell Campus Red-tail Hawk nest. Progress is definitely being made. Hope this wee one doesn’t get tuckered out. That was one hard shell and membrane to get through!

Here is the progress at 20:48. You can clearly see the beak! Oh, this is so good. The wee one can breathe and surely it will not be much longer now.

Big Red appears to be assisting somewhat in the removal of that shell.

It has been quite the day. From previous pips and hatches I really did expect L1 to be dried off and fluff this morning. It has been a long slog for it and Big Red who has not left the nest. It will be such a relief when this chick is completely out and eating some of that bird tomorrow. L2 could be with us and by then there could be another pip. Little Bit had a good feed – finally – at the UFlorida Osprey nest and all the others including this hatch seem to be fine.

Thank you so much for joining me this evening. I had hoped to just remind you of the chat with Cal Falcons tomorrow and announce L1’s hatch – but, never mind, all is well. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Explore.org, Cornell Bird Lab and RTH, DHEC, Tucholskie Forest Eagles, Montana Osprey Project, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife.

Thursday morning in Bird World

21 April 2022

The snow that was forecast did not materialize in southern Manitoba and Winnipeg. That is wonderful! We needed a break from the last storm to melt the snow and to be outside. The birds needed a break in the weather, too. Sadly, there is another special weather advisory for the southern part of Manitoba starting tomorrow morning through Sunday. Perhaps we will only get the wintery rain. Oh, the poor Wood Ducks. They have just arrived.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: The Q & A session on Cal Falcons is at noon in Berkeley! When you go to the YouTube site and set the alarm reminder, it will confirm your local time – hence the confusion. Thanks ‘B’ and ‘S’.

You can tell by Big Red’s demeanour that ‘something’ is happening. She does a little wiggle and then you catch her with this focused look as if she can see the eyas advancing in its pecking. Of course, she can hear it cheeping and, apparently, so can the other three. Some believe that this encourages them to hatch faster so they can join their sibling. That would be grand.

Arthur revealed the progress of the hatch when there was a shift change.

Hatching!

The White-tailed eagle nest of Tula and Borek in the Tuchola Forest had three eggs. The eaglets hatched on 8, 12, and 14th of April. There are only two surviving eaglets today. Siblicide is not as widespread in White-tail Eagle populations as it is in Golden Eagles. That said, when the third eaglet hatched the eldest at this nest began immediately to beak it. There was 6 days difference in their age and size. I believe the two surviving are hatches 1 and 2. I will refer to them as Big Bob and Middle Bob to try and keep things straight.

Today, Middle was clever and crawled up leaning half in and half way out of the nest cup so it could get some food. This is a very determined youngster. The eldest had eaten and so the youngest was not tormented. I hope that these two survive just like the two oldest hatches at the Dale Hollow Nest.

The nest is 25 metres above ground on a 140-year-old pine tree. The White-tailed eagles have been using the nest for four years. At another place in the forest, eagles had been nesting since the late 1990s on a 160-year-old pine near to one of the fish lakes. So for 25 years eagles, at some location in Tuchola Forest, WTE have been breeding. There is a year round protection area around the nests extending 200 metres in any direction.

The nest is located in this large, 46 sq kilometres, nature reserve in northern Poland. The two main types of trees are the Pine and the Oak Bartek. It is the oldest oak tree in Poland believed to be 686 years in age.

“Polek i Bartek w jednym lesie stali” by Polek is marked with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

The park is full of rabbits, deer, and 80 species of birds. There are also nearby rivers for fish. It is anticipated that there should be plenty of food for the adults and both of the chicks.

There are about 1200-1500 pairs of White-tailed Eagles in Poland. Their conservation status is ‘very scarce breeding bird’. Most of the eagles live in the northern areas of Poland.

Here is a link to this White-tailed Eagle nest in Poland:

Both eaglets were being fed well Thursday morning:

Idris and Telyn were watching the train go past the Dyfi Nest in Wales. Two eggs. We will be watching for the third tomorrow.

Little (or Mini) is still on the nest with Lena and has not fledged yet. Middle (Little) took off this morning about 10:05 for a flight and is perched on some greenery near the nest. He is probably going to watch for when Dad delivers a fish. This morning Lena has also had to chase away an intruder, another Osprey.

It looks like the MN-DNR nest is getting a bit of sun this morning. It will help dry out the nest of Harry and Nancy but will they get some of that snow and rain that is coming?

What is enfluffeling?

Jackie and Shadow’s 2022 eaglet, Spirit, sure loves it when the wind blows hard through the nest. She is working those wings today!

For all us worrying aunties and uncles, the cam operator did Zoom out and there are three eaglets on the West End nest. Relief. When the camera is in the normal position, you might only see two.

This is the view of the Glacier Gardens Nest this morning. Oh, it is beautiful. Liberty and Freedom should be returning soon.

It is a bright sunny day for Chase, Cholyn, and the little one at the Two Harbours nest.

The Redding Eagles are asking for you to vote for your favourite name for Liberty and Guardians 2022 hatches. Here is the announcement:

Friends of the Redding Eagles​ NAMING: Step 2: Vote for your favorite pair of names, just ONCE please. Click here to vote- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA…

Jasper and Rocket from Samson and Gabby’s NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest have both fledged. They have also returned to the nest. Yahoo. Today they were perched on a branch of the nest tree looking out. I wonder if they might do some tandem flying?

Mum flew in with a hunk of fish at 09:22 at the UFlorida Osprey nest. Look where where that one osplet is positioned for the feed! I believe this to be either Big or Middle. It is not Little Bit.

That chick got a lots of nice big fish bites while the other two were fighting at the back of Mum. It is difficult to tell who is who and the dark shadow is not helping. I first thought it was Little Bit on the rim of the nest but I believe that Little Bit is getting hammered by Big while it is Middle eating. But that is not a 100% certain ID.

The chicks are really, really hungry. Clever of that one to get up there to be fed. It walked away and fell into food coma. Smiling. Ah, is he playing possum? He looked up to see the other two eating. Wonder if he will return for some more fish?

That osplet would certainly like some more fish.

Sadly it looks like Little Bit is lodged between Big and Middle. This is not good especially with less fish coming on the nest and the hot weather dehydrating the little guys.

Little Bit cannot seem to get around the bigger sibling. He will be getting tired and dehydrated.

At 10:00 the Big sibling was laying on top of Little Bit.

I do not believe Little Bit did get any fish. The feeding was over and Mum went to brood the chicks.

I will monitor the UFlorida nest on and off today. What looked good a few days ago has now turned. Let us all hope that another big chunk of fish gets on that nest quickly so Little Bit can have some food.

This is the latest on the hatch for Big Red and Arthur. The image was shot in a change over from Arthur to Big Red. I am really hoping that is blood from a prey item.

Thank you so much for joining me today. Take care everyone. I will be back with what I hope is good news on Little Bit later today along with hatch news from Cornell. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Cornell Bird Lab, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Friends of Big Bear Valley, Explore.org, Tuchoskie Forest Eagle Cam, NEFlorida and the AEF, Redding Eagles, MN-DNR, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife, Cal Falcons, Glacier Gardens, and Dyfi Osprey Project.

Late Tuesday and Wednesday in Bird World

12-13 April 2022

We continue to shovel the walkways so that we can put down seed. Then it snows lots more and we do it again!

It is nearing 23:00 on the 12th of April. The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) are closing all of the major highways in the province where I live. This is unprecedented and will actually be quite helpful in keeping people safe. For at least two days we have known about the historic storm that is due to arrive in a few hours and have been told to stock up on medicines, batteries, candles, food, etc. All of the schools are closed. As for me I am sitting back and waiting and watching the MN-DNR Bald Eagle nest south of me in Minnesota to see how this system plays out with those eagles.

The nest is in a severe thunderstorm watch area. The winds were gusting earlier. I caught a few minutes of the nest as it creaked and swayed.

It is currently raining and the nest is still blowing about but not nearly as bad.

This is the nest Wednesday morning. They have gotten rain but not the snow that we are experiencing that is confusing many of the smaller birds such as the Juncos.

There have been two recent visits of Ervie’s to the Port Lincoln Osprey nest. One was 17:42 on the evening of the 12th (last night). The other was this morning, the 13th in Australia. Ervie arrived and then left and returned with a puffer.

In the image above, you can see the missing talon. Ospreys only have four talons. The image below has caused a lot of confusion. Does the nail on the right top belong to a different foot? or the one with the missing talon?

Is Ervie missing one or two talons? or is one curled under? Everyone is looking very closely at Ervie’s feet.

I wanted to do a quick check of many nests this morning so we can see how they are doing.

The rain from yesterday seems to have stopped. Both Big and Middle Little at the Dale Hollow nest are dry and there are large pieces of fish on the nest. Little Middle had a nice feed earlier, too. So all is well with those two!

This nest has settled down.

This is the Llyn Clywedog Nest of Dylan and Seren. It is gorgeous. Dylan is notorious for bringing back trout to the nest! Sadly, yesterday, a goshawk came and sat on this nest. Goshawks tend to like to lure the Ospreys into the forest where they attack. Fingers crossed that it will not return!

Aran and Mrs G together on the perch first thing on the morning of 13 April. Aran at the back and Mrs G with her really dark face at the front.

Handsome Aran with his fish on the perch at Glaslyn later in the day. Did he bring it for Mrs G? where is she?

Idris and Telyn on the perches at the Dyfi Nest. All is well.

Blue NC0 laid her first egg on April 12 at 18:35. What a beautiful nest at the Loch of the Lowes – so soft and comfy – and personally, one of the most gorgeous sites in all of the Osprey breeding areas.

Laddie LM15 comes to take his turn helping his mate Blue NC0.

CJ7 has been bringing nesting materials into the alternate nest at Poole Harbour. Blue 022 has been seen sky dancing all over the place. I hope he stays at Poole Harbour!

All is well at Rutland Water. Maya is incubating three eggs. Fantastic.

If you are following the UK arrivals, here is a good chart for you.

Thank you to Friends of Loch Arkaig FB Page for posting his chart.

Moving back to North America, the three osplets at the U of Florida at Gainesville continue to do well. Little Bob is still with us! And that is a good day.

Strong winds took out the camera at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta on the 12th.

Calmer winds are forecast for the Channel Islands today. That is fantastic. Looks like the view is pretty good from Two Harbours already. That wee one of Chase and Cholyn’s looks so tiny in that huge nest!

Andy has delivered fish. Little (or Mini) is calling for fish in the image below while Big flaps its wings.

Gosh, those chicks of Andy and Lena’s are sure beautiful. They will surely pop the corks when these two fledge! It has been a good year for Captiva Ospreys.

Mr President and Lotus’s chick has a nice big crop this morning. That little fuzzy teddy bear of a shape has sure changed over the past week! No signs of bad weather at the National Arboretum Nest in DC.

It is a little wet and windy in Iowa at the Decorah North nest. I wonder if they are going to get any of the system that is impacting us?

This is an image of Majestic, the Ambassador Bald Eagle for Wildlife Haven, our local rehabber. She has been part of a fund raising campaign because of the Avian Flu. She has been moved indoors where she will be safe. Everyone loves Majestic!

The Manitoba Wildlife Federation is sponsoring a virtual talk/discussion on what is being done about Avian Flu in our province on 19 April at 7pm. Here is the link to sign up. It is free. Since it is virtual and if you are wanting to learn more about Avian Flu, why not sign up?!

Avian Flu Seminar

Hancock Wildlife in British Columbia is having a GoFundMe drive for nests for Bald Eagles. David Hancock is ‘the eagle man’ in Canada. Most of you probably know him. He reminded me today that when he was sixteen years old and living at Blaine Harbour, you would see white buckets on the fishing boats with eagle legs. Yes, the legs cut off. They would be shipped to Alaska for $2 a pair. That was 1954. Sadly, David says that the same attitude of neglect towards the Bald Eagles continues.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-new-home-for-our-delta2-eagles-nest?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer

Thank you for joining me today. We are busy trying to take care of the birds that come to our garden as best we can. The squirrels are tucked up warm and no where in sight. Take care everyone!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Osprey Project, MN-DNR, DHEC, CarnyxWild, Brywd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Dyfi, Scottish Wildlife, Poole Harbour, Rutland Water, UFL Ospreys, Explore.org, Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife, NADC-AEF, and Wildlife Haven.

Ervie is on the PLO nest! – and other Bird World news

12 April 2022

I want to start with Australia and this will be a quick blog so you can go see Ervie on the nest yourself. Thank you to ‘B’ for alerting me to his presence! Much appreciated.

Ervie has another Puffer fish. He lands in the cave and lands by Dad at 10:11. Oh, I hope they have time for a chat after.

PLO have zoomed in nicely. You can see that missing talon that is growing in ever so slowly. One of my readers commented about the sharp teeth of the Puffer and wonders if one of Ervie’s delicacies might have bitten that talon. Sure could have! It is likely that the Puffers are easy for Ervie to catch with that missing talon. Perhaps Mum and Dad are also supplementing fish???

Whatever caused Ervie to stay around Port Lincoln and the barge, I am liking it. It is the first time that we have been able to watch a fledgling Osprey months after they have flown.

In the image below, you can clearly see Ervie’s missing talon. You can also see that it appears it is growing in – like our nails, it is made of keratin.

The feathers are a little frayed.

Save for the talon, Ervie looks pretty good. It is just so nice to see him. Reassuring in a weary world.

Ervie. You are so adored!

It is always hard to imagine when the chicks are little on the nest that within a few months they will be all grown and flying. This evening I stopped in to check on Little and Middle (or Little and Mini) at the Captiva nest. They are beginning to hover but what caught me was Little. I have always called him a ‘he’ but she stood next to her Mum, Lena, and called out just like a female hollering at the male to get the fish in. Meanwhile Middle was trying to sleep and ignoring it all. Little didn’t stop after I quit taping her calling. Oh, no, she kept going. Every time she saw a bird and thought it might be Dad with a fish. Lena didn’t have to call at all. Too funny.

Little or Mini getting air under those wings. Won’t be long!

Little or Mini.

Middle (or Little). Elegant. Focused.

I wanted to check on the MN-DNR nest of Harry and Nancy. I was hoping to find a new stocked with prey and, with the Avian Flu in the region, a nest of fish. I found some turtles, some eaten, some not.

The winds are blowing much worse at this eagle nest than they are where I am living. I hope this baby gets under Nancy and holds on tight!

This is the link to their camera so you can check on them if you wish.

There is also a Peregrine Falcon cam. the couple have 1 egg in the scrape. I admit to knowing nothing about this nest but have added it to the list of my falcon nests for watching.

Spirit was looking out of the nest at the same time as Jackie. Oh, how cute this little eaglet is. Jackie and Shadow must be terribly proud.

The Pittsburgh-Hayes triplets have crops like Spirit. Nice.

I am going to close so that those who want to go and see Ervie can. Thank you so much for joining me. Thank you to my Eagle-eye Readers who spot Ervie and let me know. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: MN-DNR, Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife, Friends of Big Bear Valley, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, and Pix Cams.

Late Saturday and early Sunday in Bird World

09-10 April 2022

Just when you think spring might be coming with the arrival of the Dark-eyed Juncos and thousands of Canada Geese, a huge storm warranting a special weather advisory will impact us and the American States bordering us. It is to arrive late Tuesday and stay with us til Friday when it slowly moves east. We are being warned that the snow fall could be from 30-80 cm (1 foot to 2.62 feet). Did I say how sick I am of winter?

The best news has happened in the Osprey world – Aran, the mate of Mrs G at Glaslyn – arrived home at 16:10!!!!!!!!! We have all promised not to tell him that she has been hanging around with Z2 Aeron over at Pont Cresor. Don’t think Aran would like. There they are on the nest and the sheep bleat in the background. It is an idyllic place – pastoral. Like a 17th century painting when the cows are being moved from one field to the other.

Aran on the rim and Mrs G in the nest.

Aran looks really good. So very nice to see you home.

Aran arrived! 10 April 2022

Mrs G is the oldest UK Osprey. Her plumage is very dark. You will be able to quickly identify who is on the nest. This is a very desirable site and there are often many floaters coming around.

Last year Aran was injured. Some believe his wing was damaged in a skirmish with Aeron Z2. We will never know for sure. The weather was wet and cold. A big storm was passing through when the three chicks hatched. The community set up a fish table for Aran and Mrs G hoping it would help but it was too late for the babies. Aran and Mrs G did well. Aran healed and got stronger and fledged in September. We all hope that this year is different for this amazing couple and their kind, generous, and loving supporters in the Glaslyn Valley that kept them alive last year. — Yes, fish tables do work!!!!!!!!!!

Footage has been released of the first White-tail eaglet hatching in the UK.

Thank you to everyone who has sent in some questions. Yes, my research interests are in Osprey nests with three hatches and, in particular, the third hatch. Sadly, most of the nests in the US do not ring their birds so I rely on places that do so that I can track those birds in the future if they fledge and are sighted. I am still interested in the behaviour on the nest with three chicks (Apex raptors). Have I have been watching the Venice Golf and Country Club nest? and the one at the University of Florida? The answer is yes. I have only mentioned VGCC once. The camera is often not very clear. The osplets at Venice hatched on the 10, 12, and 15th of March. There continues to be bad beaking of the third hatch from the oldest despite the fact that they are getting older and there is often enough fish on the nest. There wasn’t much left for three this morning. The youngest who is 25 days old got a few bites. It is anticipated but, of course, not always 100% certain, that the nest will quiet down between 28-35 days if enough food is brought in.

The University of Florida Osprey nest at Gainesville has a pretty good streaming cam that is sponsored by the Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department. The nest is on an 80 ft light stand on the softball stadium. There are three osplets on that nest. Eggs were laid on 26 Feb, 1 and 4 March with hatches on 5, 6, and 8 April.

They are adorable! You can still see the egg tooth and if you look carefully there is a nice big fish on the other side of Mum. As in all nests of three osplets, there is worry about the third especially if there is a lot of age difference. We must wait and see. The little one has been fed but still has trouble focusing and face plants. I am looking forward to seeing how the week develops.

I am hopeful.

The streaming cam feed is not on YouTube. You can access it here:

https://wec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/ospreycam/

​The Captiva Osprey nest of Andy and Lena, as many of you know, began with three chicks on the nest. The eldest, Big, was continually stressing its desire to be the dominant one on the nest. Big died suddenly on 15 March. Chicks 2 and 3 have done very well.

Andy and Lena are excellent Osprey parents. Today, there were 7 feedings – yes, seven!!!!! The chicks are getting ready to fledge and Andy and Lena continue to provide them with lots of fish. I want to thank one of the chatters who is also a fan of Ervie, ‘JL’ for listing the type of fish and the time stamps for today. They were #1 @ 07:50:02 (leatherjacket); #2 @ 08:55:21 (needlefish); #3 @ 10:19:50 (mullet ?); #4 @ 11:58:51 (fantail mullet); #5 @ 2:17:45 (striped mullet); #6 @ 4:53:40 ballyhoo; and #7 5.29.38 striped mullet. But wait!!!!!!!!!! Feeding #8 came in at 18:30.

There are a couple of other nests with chicks that I wish were fed this well!

These are healthy Osplets. Their parents have taken such good care of them. I hope that when they have their own nests that they will copy the great care they had as chicks.

The sun was setting on the West End Bald eagle nest where the triplets of Thunder and Akecheta were eating and settling in from a busy day. Another fine nest with three hatches and great parenting.

Pittsburgh-Hayes are old hands at raising three eaglets. Those that hatched this year are doing great! It will not be long til they are branching and causing all manner of mischief.

Let’s run through a few of the other nests and see how they are doing.

Thunder’s sibling at the Two Harbours Bald Eagle nest of Chase and Cholyn is doing very well indeed. This is going to be one well cared for eaglet.

The poor parents at US Steel Irwin Plant eagle nest are trying to feed two moving heads!

Mr President and Lotus’s only Bob has moved beyond the white little fuzzy ball stage. Look closely the thermal down is slowly coming.

It seems like it was just yesterday that we were waiting for the two eggs to hatch at the Redding nest of LIberty and Guardian and look at them this morning! They hatched the 20th and 23rd of March making eaglet #1 3 weeks old today and eaglet #2 19 days old. Wow.

What a fabulous day. Little Middle had a really good breakfast this morning, too. He has grown over night!

Standing up looking out at the world with a super crop. Nice.

Someone asked: How is Ervie? We have all been worried about Ervie and his injury. Port Lincoln posted his sat-pak tracking and a statement about his injury on the 8th. I will share it with you here. He was on the barge and we were all glad to see him this week.

Today will be a lovely day on the prairies. I love waking up to the Dark-eyed Juncos hoping around the deck eating the tiny little Millet seeds. Lots to do to get ready for Tuesday. The nests look pretty good this morning. So happy for the people of Glaslyn who were worried Aran might not return – he is home! Annie and the New Guy have a nice rhythm and things are going well on that nest as are Big Red and Arthur.

Thank you for joining me. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Ospreys, DHEC, Pix Cams, Explore.org, Brywrd Gwyllt Glaslyn, UFL Osprey Cam, VGCC Ospreys, Redding Eagles, NADC-AEF, and Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife.

Friday at the Captiva Osprey Nest

08 April 2022

As Ospreys return and eggs are laid in the UK and northern areas of the US, it is time to stop for a second and congratulate Andy and Lena, Lori Covert, and the team at Window on Wildlife for a very successful year at the Captiva Osprey Nest.

Lena and Andy incubated three eggs. The hope was that the Crows would not predate them. All hatched. Big Bob hatched at 21:24 on 16 Feb while Middle Bob came along about five hours later at 02:02 on the 17th. Little Bob joined the pair on the 19th at 16:29. Sadly and without any notice, Big Bob died on the morning of 15 March; he was 27 days old. Middle and Little Bob (affectionately known as Mini) have thrived. Today, Middle is 50 days old and Little is 48. The average nesting period of Western Ospreys is 50-55 days. We are now approaching fledge at Captiva. After fledge, the fledglings return to the nest to be fed and to work on their flying before leaving the parent’s territory.

Here is an assortment of images of Lena and her babies from 08 April 2022. There is still lots of fish arriving on the nest. It seems Lena is always feeding the chicks.

Lena is a very devoted mother.

Little Bob still loves to look over the side of the nest!

Food coma.

Seriously look at how big Little Bob is standing up so straight.

Soon Lena will be able to rest her vocal cords! Here she is reminding Andy that the kids would like to have a fish before bed – and so would she!

What a gorgeous image as the sun sets and sends that beautiful rose-gold tint over Lena and the babies.

Lori Covert is an excellent steward or custodian for the wildlife that have their nests on her property. Last year, Connie and Clive lost their two eaglets, Hope and Peace, to rodenticide poisoning. In that same year, fishing line was noticed on the nest and Lori promptly had CROW out to remove it. This year fishing line was noticed on the Captiva Osprey nest. Lori and Window on Wildlife posted the following on the information below the streaming cam:

3/28 Update: There seems to be a bit of fishing line in the nest. If it is causing significant issues, and we can document it, we will ask permission to retrieve it. The line seems to be embedded in the nest and would be a major operation to remove without damaging the nest or putting the chicks in danger. Will monitor it very closely. If it becomes an immediate danger, we can act within hours, as we have a ladder on site ready to go.

There is still time to enjoy watching these two Ospreys. What a great vantage point to see them begin to hover and fly! If you have never ever seen an Osprey hover, you are in for a real treat. Little helicopters. Here is a link to the streaming cam:

I want to thank Lori Covert and Window on Wildlife for their love and care of this wonderful Osprey family. The mods on the chat have been excellent and information has been passed on to those watching as it becomes available. Window on Wildlife also had a streaming discussion session after Big died. It was awesome. The Captiva Osprey Nest has and will continue to be a joyful nest to watch for the rest of the season! Check it out.

Thank you for joining me today. It is always such a treat to talk about a successful nest. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Update on Karl II: Karl II is on the nest in Estonia. The camera should be operational shortly. Relief.

Thank you to Lori Covert and Window on Wildlife for the streaming cam where I took my screen captures.

Sunday in Bird World

3 April 2022

It was cold, damp, and dreary counting Canada Geese this morning. I did not take my camera – it is bulky and heavy – but I will return and take some images for everyone early this week. There are Canada Geese everywhere there is a large puddle!!!!!!

There is lots going on in Bird World – too much to keep straight. I want to start with dear Annie at the UC-Berkley Campanile. When Grinnell was killed we thought all was lost. Turns out Annie has her own ‘saviour’. It is thought that Annie laid an egg on Thursday but not in the scrape box. Cal Falcons felt that she thought she could only take care of 2 by herself. On time, she laid egg 4 and that is the big news. By my reckoning, this egg belongs to the new man since it takes approximately 2.5 days for Annie to make an egg. Oh, I hope this turns out well. It would be wonderful to see the last two chicks of Grinnell be healthy and fledge.

He’s a little raggle-taggled compared to Grinnell. I wonder how old you are Annie’s new man??

He is certainly trying to show Annie he has good intentions and is a good hunter.

Last evening Annie accepted ‘dinner in the scrape’ from the new lad. She stashed it for later and returned to incubate but how sweet was that?! Everyone remains hopeful.

Many of you are falcon fans. I have discovered a new scrape on top of the stadium at Michigan State University. It is brand new as of January 2022 so nothing is known, as far as I know, about the falcon couple. Here is that link – and there are 3 eggs!

Here is the link!

Michigan is working to reintroduce falcons into the state and there is another scrape that is funded by the Lansing Board of Water and Light.

How long do Red-tail Hawks live in the wild? I believe that Pale Male will be 33 this year. Him and Octavia have not had any clutches for the past two years. It will be three this year. Robert Yolton writes a wonderful blog on the wildlife around New York City’s Central Park. He found Pale Male eating a brown rat yesterday and took some video. His feathers appear to be fading a bit but what a legend Pale Male is.

Have you seen the free movie about Pale Male and how the community, including Mary Tyler Moore, lobbied and picketed for him and his mate to keep their nest on one of the nicest pieces of real estate in NYC? If not, watch it or save it for when you need something uplighting. The voices of people can really make a difference to the lives of these fantastic raptors. We just need the right person to hear us!

https://www.thelegendofpalemale.net/

Pa Berry and Missy at the Berry College Bald Eagle nest have been trying to coax 78-day-old B15 into the nest for some food. Missy has been watching her first fledgling closely making sure that he is learning to fly and land but not venturing far from the nest. Late this morning B15 returned to the nest and Dad flew in with a fish immediately for his boy.

Meanwhile Kincaid is branching higher and higher at the Kistachie National Forest nest near Alexandria, Louisiana. No one will ever know for sure if Kincaid is a male or a female; the eaglet will not be banded. But from the size comparison with Mum and Dad at this stage – right before fledge – most think Kincaid is a female. She is definitely a sweet eagle. Anna and Louis did a fine job this season. Hats off to everyone at KNF who worked so hard to get the two camera system in place, for taking the time to mod the chat and answer questions most of the day.

Closely watching the progress of Karl II, the patriarch of the Karula National Forest Black Stork nest in Estonia, as he flies over a war zone to get to his nest. Isn’t he gorgeous? This image was taken in 2017. He is still as handsome!

Who doesn’t know CROW? and who doesn’t wish we could wiggle our noses and get them to land at the Dale Hollow nest to check on that monofilament line? Made famous for their rescue of E17 and E18 of the SWFlorida Bald eagle nest when they had non-human caused conjunctivitis, CROW this morning cleaned out an Osprey nest full of human garbage. It is a threat to the wildlife – just like all those toys at Dahlgren are, sadly.

Oh, the Osprey chicks of Andy and Lena have been so neglected by me. They are just gorgeous and getting way too big too fast. So happy for Andy and Lena. After two horrible years, it looks like they will fledge two this year.

There was a statement on a FB group about the number of eggs in a Bald Eagle clutch. They said it was ‘rare’ for three and rare for three to survive. (They did not mention the rarity of siblicide twice at the same nest). I dug around and found a very interesting study on the change of clutch size in Bald Eagles in the Chesapeake Bay area of the US. It is really interesting ready. The author, writing in 2017, begins with the age of egg collection and continues to 2011 demonstrating that the size of the clutches has increased significantly since the beginning of the 20th century. It is not onerous reading. Very insightful.

Clutch size in Chesapeake Bay bald eagles: an unexpected history

Dave Hancock of Hancock Wildlife in British Columbia did a study and found that the average for that province’s Bald Eagles in terms of clutch size is 2.

https://hancockwildlife.org/hancock-wildlife-reference/bald-eagle-biology/eggs-incubation-hatching/

There are a number of 3 chick clutches currently being watched by us as well as one with 4, the PA Farm Bald Eagle nest. Pittsburgh-Hayes consistently has three and Redding would once again had three this year had their one egg not gotten broken. One of the most visited Bald Eagle sites is the West End where there are three eaglets this year. I wonder if this varies by region? Will look to see if I can find any solid information for us.

Deb Steyck made a video yesterday of the four at PA Farm being fed.

Meanwhile, Mr President seems to be really loving being a Dad again after 4 years and Lotus is figuring out everything as a first time Mum rather quickly. This is one spoiled little nestling that will grow fast and strong if Mr President’s prey deliveries are any indication of what is to come.

In contrast, nothing arrived on the Dale Hollow Bald Eagles nest until a two-bite teaser appeared at 11:24:55. We all know who ate that! These eaglets hatched on the 28th of February. Jackie and Shadow’s only chick hatched on 3 March. The Big Bear eaglet had been fed 8 times by 16:00 yesterday. The Dale Hollow nest continues to baffle me.

The eaglets are hungry.

At 12:31:34 a small fish was brought to the nest. Almost before the parent landed, Big went and began beaking Little Middle. Big’s beak is large and it can still encase Little Middle with its body hurting him. Big is a big bird.

To survive, Middle Little gets that head down and stays put.

I do not believe there will be enough for Little Middle to have any fish. I hope to be wrong. I also hope that the parent would change the direction they are feeding so Little Middle could move. It appears from the image above that the fishing line could be around some of the right talons??? But that is anything but 100%.

It is 12:44 and Little Middle has made no attempt to move to get any fish.

The fish is all gone at 12:45:24. Little Middle is still maintaining submissive posture. While it had been hoped that the attacks would stop, they continue because of the erratic fish deliveries. Like children, eaglets on the nest need some stability or they go into survival mode. Remember, Big wants to survive so it protects what it sees as a low supply of food. Middle Little protects itself for another time by being submissive and putting its head down. No sense in fighting a sibling that is twice your size.

A nest that is much calmer is that of Big Red and Arthur, the Red tail Hawks at Cornell who continue to incubate their four eggs which will hatch later this month.

Big Red is 19 years old this year and is the most well known RTH in the world. She is an incredible mother.
Cute Little Arthur has learned how to puff up his feathers to keep those four eggs warm and dry!

And the last check of the day, the two eagles that hatched on March 20 and 23 are doing remarkably well at the Redding Bald Eagle nest of Liberty and Guardian. They have sure grown out of the cute fluff ball stage now.

Liberty looks down at his two chicks while Guardian is aerating the nest.

It has been a busy day at the nests, many I did not get to check. Hopefully later. Thank you to everyone who has commented or sent me an e-mail. The inbox is full. I plan to have responded to everyone by tomorrow (Monday) at noon. Thank you so much for your patience and for your caring for Little Middle and all the birds. Your kind gestures bright light in a world that feels somewhat dark right now. Each of the nests seems to be doing exceptionally well. Dahlgren needs its garbage cleared, Richmond and Rosie have a good nest structure, West End babies fed well, and I have to check in with Chase and Cholyn to see if Thunder has a sibling. We continue to wait for the arrival of Ospreys Dylan, Aran, and Idris in the UK and for Iris in Montana.

Take care all. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and FB pages where I took my screen captures: Eagle Club of Estonia, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Cal
Falcons, MSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club, Lansing Board of Water and Light Peregrine Falcons, Berry College, KNF, Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife, CROW, Cornell Red Tail Hawks, and NADC-AEF.

Late Friday in Bird World and all is well

25 March 2022

Viewers of the Decorah North Bald Eagle nest of Mr North and Mrs DNF were frightened today when 47 mph gusts hit the nest. Those winds will continue until tomorrow. Hatching is never planned and that little one is making keen progress from its pip this afternoon at 12:46. It is being rocked and kept warm.

In 2018 this nest collapsed. It was rebuilt and re-enforced so despite the winds, everything should be fine. Hope.

And then it snowed at Decorah North! The baby is hatching. Dad has come in to take over so Mum can have a break.

It is still unclear what is happening at the Sauces Bald Eagle nest on Santa Cruz in the Channel Islands. This is the nest of Jak and Audacity.

View of the egg this morning. It is getting more possible that the egg is non-viable. Too bad they couldn’t have one of of the 4 and one out of several triplet nests that have hatched.

If you missed it, the big news today is the discovery that there are four eaglets on the nest at the PA Farm Bald Eagles. This is extremely rare. I knew about 1000 Islands in Wisconsin last year. Someone wrote that Norfolk had four eaglets in 2011.

Congratulations to to Mr President and Lotus and the National Arboretum Bald Eagle nest. First hatch after 3 bare seasons. Here is the announcement.

Congratulations Mr President and Lotus. Meet the newly hatched DC8!

Thunder has been bringing in crib railing to the West End nest and wow, it is working in one area of the nest. Thunder watches to see if these three lively eaglets will remain contained!

Sometimes but not when Dad Akecheta wants to feed them the Cormorant that Mum brought in today. Sweet babies. Seriously sweet babies.

We are all going to have to get our worry beads out. These kids of Thunder and Akecheta’s do not sit still!

Sorry for all the videos. The wind doesn’t really show in the stills and it is nice to see the four eaglets bobble. In this last one for the day, put out by Cal Falcons, Annie and Grinnell get down to business. Eggs tomorrow? Sunday? Gosh, I hope the romance drama has settled out on The Campanile.

Since the last feeding right after 12 noon when Little Middle had a huge crop, a fish head was brought in at 12:59:56. River fed Big until 13:08:18 and stopped. Little Middle did not bother to go up. It was more than full and why set off Big? River moves up to the fish head at 15:01:11.

River steps on Little Middle’s head and he pulls back, frightened.

Little Middle looks up at the feeding at 15:16.

Little Middle isn’t quite sure what to do. He has looked eyes with Big. (Often never a good idea as it sets the larger sibling off).

At 15:16:48, River pulls the fish head between the two eaglets. It is now closer so she can feed Little Middle.

A bite to Big and then a bite to Little Middle.

Same again, one for Big and one for Little Middle.

Then several more bites for Little Middle. More for Big and then the feeding stops by 15:30. It was slow. Not much fish on the head. But slow is good. Big gets full faster!

At 16:50;56 River flies in with a teaser fish?? Like a 3 or 4 bite fish??

She offers the first bite to Little Middle who was the closest at 16:51:31. I am watching this live and have no idea how well that gesture is going to play out with Big.

At 16:53:59 Little Middle moves cautiously and with head down away from the feeding. Big has done nothing that I can see – other than her sheer presence – to frighten the little one. I cannot imagine what it is like being that so frightened.

River obviously likes this species of fish. She is taking big bites and eating them herself. I wonder what it is?

Big gets full at 16:55:59 and River begins feeding Little Middle off the fish head.

Little is still being fed at 17:10. Life is good. River returns to clean up scraps around 18:00. Feeds Big a few bites. Little Middle doesn’t bother.

I checked on Estonian Black Stork Karl II’s progress and note that he has flown west. I wish that he would fly a little more west and head to his home in the Karula National Forest through Romania.

On the 23rd of March, Karl was feeding at the north end of the Beysehir Lake in Turkey. I so wanted him to turn west and not go straight north to the nature reserves around Odessa in the Ukraine. He left that feeding area and flew NW! 285 km

Today, he flew 308 km. He is west of Istanbul, west of the Black Sea.

Here is another map. Will Karl II turn to feed along the shores of the Black Sea or will he continue to fly north away from the war in the Ukraine? If he continues to fly west away from the conflict this is quite wonderful. How did he know?

The sun is setting on another good day at the Captiva Osprey nest in Florida. Lena and Andy have done well. Both Middle and Little are getting beautiful juvenile feathering. So happy for them. There continues to be no word from the second lab on what suddenly killed Big on the 15th of March in the morning. You can clearly rule out some physical cause such as choking on a pellet. I believe you can rule out Avian Flu, too as the UGA Vet School would have been able to test for that.

Mum and Dad at the Port Lincoln Osprey Barge have been making more and more frequent appearances there. Both were on the barge today and on the 23rd I did get a shot of Mum eating a fish. Would love to see our Ervie again. He is staying close to home. Here is Ervie’s latest tracking.

It is a good day in Bird World (except for Sauces, sadly). Little Middle is going to sleep full even if nothing else appears on the nest. Big settled during the afternoon but Little Middle remains scared. That is probably for the best. He recovers faster than last week and has eaten almost all day.

Thank you for joining me. Take care everyone. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Thanks to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife, Explore.org, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Looduskalender, Dale Hollow Bald Eagles, Cal Falcons, West End Bald Eagles and the Institute for Wildlife Studiews, AEF NADC, and the PA Game Commission.