Tag Archives: LRWT

Thursday in Bird World

25 May 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that you have had a fabulous first half of the week. It is the end of May. The lilacs are blooming and the garden is so fragrant. The Baltimore and Orchard Orioles ‘flew the coop’. I have not seen one in the garden since late Monday evening. The Cowbirds are gone and the Grackles have arrived. Mr Crow was here for peanuts along with his mates and Mr Blue Jay, Dyson and family but, other than those, it was rather quiet. And cooler. Down to 11 C tonight – Melbourne weather. It feels cold.

I wish I could send a big bouquet to everyone. The lilacs were planted 24 years ago. They were just sticks that autumn. Now they are so tall – of course, the big bunches of blossoms are at the top. These are lovely, and a tiny little sprig in the conservatory makes the entire space smell grand.

As I am writing this, Bobby Horvath of WINORR who cared for Pale Male in his last hours, told me he would happily go and clean up the Patchogue nest if a bucket truck can be obtained. People are willing to help. Let us hope that permits come through. Bobby said, “It’s a matter of resources. A bucket truck capable of reaching the site and if there’s live electric involved or not. Then permission is a whole other issue. If a truck can be secured I offer my assistance removing any material I can.” I am so grateful, and there are others..it is getting all of this in place that is the issue. Fingers crossed. Thanks, Bobby!——— The power company is telling callers that they ‘will take care of it’…..let’s hope that someone does. I have to say that I worry about that little osplet but so far so good. Look at them lined up like so nicely having fish…is it possible that they are all males like Bazza, Falkey, and Ervie and this Mini will survive? One day at a time. One day at a time. I live with hope. Bib Bob is at least six times the size of Mini and the older two are just entering the Reptilian Phase. It makes monsters out of them for a short time…not sure why. Would love to see the hormone levels in their blood – the aggressive ones.

Thank you to everyone who reached out to get help to this nest. You are fantastic.

Mini-Bob looks unwell this morning and may be dying/dead. It is difficult to tell – deep sleep. Mum has been looking curiously at the poor little thing while she was also trying to remove some rubbish earlier.

This should put a big smile on your face! Wonderful, generous people really made a difference to this wildlife rehab sanctuary.

What does it mean when people donate even the tiniest things? This! Thank you to everyone who reached out for Murphy and his eaglet…this is amazing news. Windfalls like this do not happen all the time. Murphy got a lot of publicity. Just remember that every wildlife sanctuary requires items from clean used towels and sheets to those unused power tools in your garage. Go out and look. See what you have. Offer it locally!

Read all of the lines…your help for a year and more. See what is there that is needed – and then keep your eyes open for anything on this list. Is someone moving and clearing out their space? Are they leaving laundry supplies? See if they will donate them!

Gosh. I almost need ear plugs – Rosa, Zephyr, and Luna are sooooo very loud. Lewis goes running when he hears them…he is frightened.

Gorgeous Mum Annie leaves the kids to the prey – good idea, self-preservation.

In case you are missing little fluff balls starting to get rather loud, check out this feeding at Cromer Peregrine Falcons.

WRDC has announced that both of Ron and Rita’s eaglets this year are males. No surprise there! They were a delight all year, very civil…Thanks, ‘H’.

Oh, it is so nice when a fish delivery comes in and your big sibling is out flying around seeing the world. That is what happened to Middle at the Achieva Osprey nest on Wednesday morning at 0745.

Little Bob at Severna Park can be seen to get right in there when there is fish despite the huge size difference. Another nest of three that we are keeping tabs on…with hope.

Lucy flew to her nest at Lake Murray and was making the tiniest little cheeping sounds. To go to sleep and wake up and find that your only surviving chick is gone…where did it go? who took it? what happened? My heart aches for her. She lost her entire family.

Bridgette has confirmed what ‘H’ reported to me that the third chick was dead when it hatched or shortly after and Harriet consumed it. “Unfortunately #3 was not alive and was eaten up by Harriet at 5:30 a.m. Yes, that’s how it is in nature. Let’s hope for a healthy development for #1 and #2.

All is well at the RTH nest of Big Red and Arthur in Ithaca, New York. No one is hungry, no one is injured, no one has fallen out of the nest and there are no predators around those babies.

Arthur bringing in another delivery! The deliveries keep flowing. Big Red is now leaving the chicks for longer on the nest and taking breaks at a nearby light stand where she can ‘sun’ herself. She is within a quick distance if there are any problems at the nest.

Come on, have another bite! I know you are hungry! LOL. No one is ever hungry on Big Red’s nest.

Everything is good with Angel and Tom and RTH5. Tom continues to deliver, Angel picks up and feeds RTH5 who is growing fast just like Big Red and Arthur’s chicks. Remember those Blue Jays dive-bombing Angel, Tom and the nest? Well, RTH5 had a Jay nestling today. That is why they were so upset!

Both chicks at the Dahlgren Osprey platform of Jack and Diane in Virginia seem to be doing fine. There is such a difference in size. We wait and hope…

There was a second hatch at the Carthage TN Osprey platform in the early morning Wednesday the 24th.

Will there be only two little osplets for Idris and Telyn this year. We wait to see. This is what Dyfi thinks..as you look at that image I want you to remember that in four months or less, this baby will be flying alone to West Africa where we hope that H5N1 has been contained and eliminated as much as possible.

No shortage of fish for only Bob at Dyfi! Will there be another hatch tomorrow?

The first hatch for Mr and Mrs 69 at Kielder Forest hatched on the 23rd and was alert on the 24th ready for a fish feed!

Everything is going well at the Rutland Manton Bay nest of Blue 33 and Maya. The little ones can get into mischief but they are thriving. Late Wednesday Blue brought in another of his whoppers and Little Bob got its head stuck under it. He made it right…thankfully. While these big fish really do feed a lot of chicks, they are incredibly dangerous.

The baby took a whack. Let us hope it is alright. The others are up eating what would typically be either the last or penultimate meal of the day. Oh, yes, it is moving up to the food line. Lots of fish there. Mum will eat and all three will be stuffed.

It has been a rough year for many nests. Laddie and Blue NCO didn’t lose their first hatch but there have been so many intruders and it is having an impact on fish delivery. Blue NC0 had to fight off an intruder for over an hour. Imagine with two little babies under her. Brave Mum.

https://youtu.be/TkVbmAJNMfI

At Llyn Clywedog there was an intruder trying to land on its Mum, Seren Blue 5F. It was Blue 469! The big male from 2021. I don’t think Mum is too excited to see her big boy with two little ones under her!!!!!!!!!

A video has been posted of River taking the fish off the nest at Dale Hollow and presumably providing it to DH17 who you can hear squeeing in the background.

https://youtu.be/KzIt0Rl-nKg

There are no breeding pairs of Ospreys in Ireland. There are ospreys that stop for a bit or others flying by but now the plans to reintroduce to our favourite raptor are in place.

https://www.rte.ie/news/munster/2023/0523/1385185-ospreys-ireland/

Dr Sharpe and Amber continue to band all of the 2023 eaglets they can on the Channel Islands. You might recall the rescue of the largest one at Bald Canyon. All ringed today.

The three at PA Farm Country have done very well, indeed. I have not checked on them in so long. Just look.

Beloved E22 is still at the nest with M15. This is the longest that any fledgling has remained…aren’t we fortunate?

The latest news on the situation at Dale Hollow that I have seen.

The Raven came and took the third egg of Iris at her nest on the grounds of the Riverview Clinic in Missoula, Montana. Fingers crossed that she can now relax and enjoy her summer.

The Sydney Sea Eagles are getting busy on their nest.

A Place Called Hope is one of the wildlife rehabbers on my list to be cared for if I were found. They are telling a story and appealing to everyone in Connecticut to get back to the politicians on these much-designed rodenticides. Most of you do not live in Connecticut, but I want you to read this narrative anyway. Then, when you have the time, get on to your politicians (a sad lot to be handling something so dangerous – I hate when things become ‘political’) and find out what is happening where you are! Help..secondary poisoning is very real. You will know if you have a pet that dies from this in great agony. I did. Her name was Duncan, after my Dad. Thank you! We have to educate ourselves.

Recycled Plastic. More harmful than the original? The key is to not use plastic – ban it from your life, whenever you can, just like you would rodenticide!

“But … the toxicity of plastic actually increases with recycling. Plastics have no place in a circular economy and it’s clear that the only real solution to ending plastic pollution is to massively reduce plastic production.”

“Recycled plastics, the report says, often contain higher levels of chemicals such as toxic flame retardants, benzene and other carcinogens, environmental pollutants including brominated and chlorinated dioxins, and numerous endocrine disruptors that can cause changes to the body’s natural hormone levels.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/24/recycled-plastic-more-toxic-no-fix-pollution-greenpeace-warns?CMP=share_btn_link

And now for some good news…don’t plant! Just leave nature to take over and do what is necessary!

“Forestry doesn’t get everything right,” he says. “But with huge areas to work with we can experiment – a bit of local disruption can supercharge an ecosystem. Scrape back here, block a watercourse there, or we can suspend planting and just step back. It might take decades to see the benefits, but fine. Foresters are used to long cycles.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/23/country-diary-a-boggy-untouched-paradise-for-wildlife?CMP=share_btn_link

Congratulations Chris Packham!

Geemeff reports that the Crowdfunder to assist in the clean up in The Gambia of the HPAI birds met is goal. Congratulations Conservation without Borders!

Thank you so very much for being with me today. I am off and running this morning so the blog is finishing up at midnight. There will, no doubt, be lots of osprey news happening in the UK while I am sleeping! It will not make it in for tomorrow…so please check to see if there are any more hatches! Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, tweets, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A’, Geemeff, ‘H’, Patchogue Ospreys, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, World Bird Sanctuary, Cromer Peregrine Falcon Cam, WRDC, Achieva Credit Union, Severna Park Ospreys, LMO, Dahlgren Ospreys, Cornell RTH, Window to Wildlife, Dalhgren Ospreys, DTC Osprey Cam, Dyfi Osprey Project, Kielder Forest, LRWT, LOTL, CarnyXWild, RTE.ie, Gracie Shepherd and Raptors of the World, Sara MacDonald and PA Country Farm Eagle Cam, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Celia Aliengirl and Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, A Place Called Hope, The Guardian, Conservation without Borders and Crowdfunder, and @RSPCAChris.

First UK hatch at Manton Bay, Cal Falcons named…Friday in Bird World

12 May 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

I took Tuesday afternoon off to go to Assiniboine Park. It runs along the Assiniboine River, is home to the Zoo, the English Gardens, the Leo Mol Sculpture Gardens, and now The Leaf. The sky was clear and it was hot. People were chatting and having their lunch on benches and laughing. here were Chipping Sparrows, Greylag Geese, Wood Ducks, Canada Geese, Franklin Gulls, Nuthatches, Tree Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos along with the very friendly Black-capped Chickadees. It was a lovely day to be outside. I did not spend as much time watching the screens – my eye doctor will thank me. But I have a reasonable run down on some of the nests we are watching.

We need to start with something special and this appeared in the Fort Myers weekly newspaper and is making the rounds of the FB groups. M15 is a hard act to follow – human or otherwise!

Just look at this fledgling that M15 raised. You are incredible E22!

At Cal Falcons, Red caught a moth! Oh, goodness. The first thing that came to mind was Alden and when he taught the eyases of 2022 to catch moths. Red is soooooo big – a first hatch female. So different from all the males…she is right out there doing everything!

‘H’ reports the names are Red is Rosa, Blue is Luna, and Yellow is Zephyr. So happy to see the names of the children used this year!

Is there a hatch in progress at Manton Bay Rutland for Blue 33 and Maya? Why do we think this? Maya is not hungry! Just look at that nice fresh fish Blue 33 just delivered! Maya is always hungry so something is up!

This is at 2215:

Yes, absolutely! Geemeff confirms that 0818 the first hatch for Blue and Maya and perhaps a second on the way! Remember. They have four eggs. If they raise them successfully it will be their fourth clutch of four eggs to fledge! Super Family.

Blue NC0 and Laddie LM12 laid their egg first before Blue 33 and Maya but, it will be a close horse race with these two nests.

We have a little while to go for Idris and Telyn’s eggs to hatch at Dyfi.

I am really excited to see how the season unfolds for new couple Aran and Elen at Glaslyn. This couple made the BBC news…see below. Their eggs will be hatching a little later.

OK. I will make you feel guilty — if you love those fluffy sweet Royal Cam chicks like Pippa and SP and you eat tuna. Yes, tuna, unless you catch it yourself in the ocean. Maybe it is time to pass on that sandwich or salad, as the tuna industry is responsible for the death of the albatross, according to new research by BirdLife International.

New-study-underlines-risk-longline-vessels-pose-to-threatened-albatrosses-BirdLife-InternationalDownload

Good news at Achieva. Middle is getting confident. This is a big deal. If the second hatch is not confident but, rather, is shy and meek, on this nest, they could starve. Middle at the Achieva Osprey nest got its change at 1007 on Thursday morning to take a fish from Big, mantle it, and have a nice feed. Way to go Middle! Still, as ‘R’ notes, this nest is so difficult to watch when you see all the fish at Moorings Park!

There is positively no shortage of fish for Sally and Harry and their kids at Moorings Park. The fledglings will be so healthy. Let us hope that they thrive…and if you ever get the chance, please advocate for the stocking of the ponds and rivers with native fish for the ospreys.

Fish everywhere…always eating…Moorings Park. That is what I will remember about this season!

Aran and Elen made the BBC news! Everyone is so glad that Aran found a new mate and Eden looks like she is going to be a fantastic Mum. A new era for Glaslyn and one lucky female who found this incredible male.

Glaslyn-osprey-finds-new-lovebird-and-set-to-become-dad-again-BBC-NewsDownload

Big Red and Arthur’s three Ms are doing fantastic. They just seem to be growing faster than I remember in past years.

It is difficult to be certain if any prey has come on the nest for Angel and her baby on Thursday. Three lizards were mentioned but the moderator of the chat says no prey delivered…you can see my confusion. Yesterday was a virtual buffet! This chick does no appear ‘on the surface’ to have been harmed by not eating for over 30 hours when it was even younger but, the reality is that it should be eating every couple of hours.

‘A’ reports: “Tom is getting the idea that the baby needs frequent feeding. Today, he has brought in three lizards and he just flew in with something that is larger – cannot even see if it’s feathered or furred because Angel is obscuring it. Again, Angel and Tom fly in together, landing literally side by side, exactly like yesterday. So close together they appear to be a single bird. It’s hard to see which of the two brings the prey and which takes it, but I suspect it is Tom giving the prey to Angel. He did intervene and re-grab one of the lizards, but the chat suggests that was to kill it not steal it. The chick ate all three of the lizards and mum is feeding it from the fourth prey item even as I type. We are SO proud of Tom. He has come a long way.”

Murphy’s baby is not a baby and we now know that Rockababy is a Male. Just look at that eaglet! That crop and those legs and that fat little bottom. This is one healthy eaglet. World Bird Sanctuary did a fantastic job pairing these two.

The Denton Homes trio hatched on April 1 and 4. They are 41 and 38 days old today. It was a soggy day on the nest but they did some self-feeding and worked on standing and walking.

It was hot over at the Decorah Hatchery nest.

The triplets at Dulles-Greenway don’t seem to care about the plastic Martin brings in or the pieces that Mum Rosa weaves into the nest, just look at them. Their sights are set on that big world beyond.

It looks like it was hot in Pittsburgh at the US Steel nest of US6. Once they get their thermal down, the eaglets can help regulate their temperature by panting with their mouth open.

Congratulations to Patogue, New York on their first osplet hatch of the 2023 season.

Baby Season or Orphan Season? It is all the same. This is the time of year when there are nests and where little ones are getting blown out, dropped, nests are toppling, parents are lost. How to identify a nestling and what do you do if you find one. NOTE: The number below in the poster might well not apply to you! – check for your local wildlife rehab clinic.

One of my favourites – one of Monty’s boys, Tegid Z1 caught eating a fish. He has a nest but there is no camera and it is on private property so we seldom see him unless he lands on the Glaslyn nest (visiting his brother Aaron Z2 at Pont Cresor?). Nice to see you Tegid!

If you are watching the Loch Garten nest, things are still not settled. Poor Asha.

I am always interested in how groups funded their projects – or not. Friends of Ospreys Su Australia – the Port Lincoln group that identifies sites, erects platforms, and puts on trackers – charges $20. They have over 900 members and are hoping that everyone pays on time. That is 18,000+ AUS dollars. We associate them with Port Lincoln and the trackers and the barge. Is this the way to go to support your projects?

In other instances, it is difficult for groups to earn money. We immediately think that students at a university have ample funding but sometimes the funds go to athletics and not the study of birds or cameras to observe Ospreys. We watched the pair at University of Florida-Gainesville on the light stand above the practice field in previous years. The bulbs were changed to LEDs and then the camera was hit by lighting. The cost to replace the camera is 10k. The students and their department, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, have obtained a pledge for 5k. They are looking for everything from small donations – and I do mean small – to large to match this donor in order to replace their camera. If you are an alumni or a friend or someone who enjoyed this camera, I know that they would appreciate any funds and they are tax deductible if you live in the US. Google uff.ufl.edu and you will see the following tab:

And just a note! I do not know nor do I seek to find out who donates to any of the causes that I mention!

So glad Rose is home. ‘H’ says Rose looked tried and haggard, dirty when she got home..she does still a bit. Wonder what happened to her? We did not want another missing mate. It is too difficult and yet, we might have one at Lake Murray. Sadly, Lucy’s osplets are not as old as R4 and R5.

Heading back to our problem nest. The situation at Lake Murray is not good. Kathryn reports, “I haven’t seen Ricky today again, Lucy is bringing in fish but they are little. She is trying hard. Middle got maybe 3 bites and Big was furious about that. You can actually see the look on her face that she can’t believe middle is eating at all. She is pulling feathers out of middle’s back. Luckily middle is protecting its head so far. Middle knows to lay down and pretend to be knocked out.  Right now, big is laying on middle, waiting for movement again. She doesn’t even like middle asking for food. Horrible.”

Ricky has not been seen for two days. If he has not appeared by tomorrow, we can safely believe that he is no longer with us. It will be tough going for Lucy who is, no doubt, quite hungry and well, will Middle survive?

Geemeff confirms that there is a hatch at Threave Castle, possible Black 80s but we will clarify later. Thanks so much for being with me today…it is starting in the UK and I could not be more delighted. Stocked ponds and less intruders…Take care. See you soon!

I want to thank everyone for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog this morning: ‘A’, Geemeff, ‘H’, Kathryn, ‘R’, Ft Myers Weekly, SWFlorida Eagle Cam, Cal Falcons, LRWT, LOTL, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Birdlife International, Achieva Credit Union, Moorings Park Ospreys, BBC News, Cornell RTH, Window to Wildlife, World Bird Sanctuary, Denton Homes, Raptor Resource/Explore, Dulles-Greenway, PIX Cams, Mary Anne Miller and Osprey Friends, BCSPC, Elfyn Lewis and Glaslyn Osprey Group, Liz Bracken and RSPB, and Lake Murray Ospreys.

E21 is hit by GHO and flies back to nest…Thursday in Bird World

30 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

It was -4 C in ‘Winter Peg’. No snow. Blue skies and a chilly, chilly wind. We are now at the point of longing for spring to arrive, and it will be another month til it feels like it! I would love to wake up in the morning to hear the quack of ducks in my garden!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/27/country-diary-the-dawn-chorus-here-begins-with-a-quack?CMP=share_btn_link

I will go back to SW Florida, but what we had feared all along happened. One of the Es got knocked off the branch while they were sleeping by the GHO. It was 21. ‘A’ sent the following note: “Both Es are in the nest tree, although I am not entirely certain that E21 may not have fledged and returned, as E22 suddenly got very excited by what could only have been E21 much higher in the nest tree. Camera scans had not found E21 in the tree prior to that, and I was starting to think he had fledged earlier this morning, then suddenly, E22 was squeeing like mad and there was E21. So I thought that he may have left the tree and returned. Otherwise, he was in the higher reaches of the nest tree all morning. Well, turns out that what happened was E21 got knocked out of the nest tree by a GHO and landed in a branch under the nest tree. Three hours later, he is now back in the nest tree. Congratulations E21.” E21 flew back to the nest so it is an official fledge. So lucky!

Heidi Mc got it on video- please watch to the end. The Es so happy to be together after the ordeal.

 If you missed it, Geemeff published Tim Mackrill’s brief talk about the miraculous journey of Blue KW0 cross the Atlantic to Barbados on the BBC.

I simply cannot help but continue to applaud this incredible Osprey. She is an amazing bird and let us all hope that she lives a long and productive life.

A fantastic interview with Sasha Dench and her return to Guinea to find 4K again and check out the challenges for the ospreys return to the UK. Thanks, Geemeff. Please listen. It is such a good interview.

Geemeff got to visit Rutland today and guess who they caught mating? Oh, eggs soon Blue 33 and Maya!

When CJ7 gets back to Poole Harbour she might have something to say to Blue 22, who has been cavorting with the unringed female on their nest at Poole Harbour!

Maya and Blue continue to work on the nest and are waiting for eggs. Blue 25 seems to be staying away or maybe her mate has now returned.

Telyn is at the Dyfi nest patiently waiting for Idris to return while eating her flounder in the wind.

Looks like she finished that off nicely! Telyn is also an excellent fisher.

Waiting for Mrs G and Aran at Glaslyn Valley where it has flooded and there is currently rain. At one time the nest was a wading pool.

It has been raining up at the Loch of the Lowes where Laddie LM12 and Blue NC0 (she has lost a ring) are hoping for eggs soon!

Heavy rain drops are falling at Louis and Dorcha’s nest at Loch Arkaig. According to one of the nest experts, the pair typically do not return until April. Smart! It looks damp and cold.

It is dreary at Clywedog, also. Dylan and Seren are both home from their migration. These are the first Welsh couple to be reunited this season.

This incredible couple made the news! There were so many new stories about Ospreys today. I wonder if the unthinkable journey of Blue KW0 across the Atlantic has sparked international interest in the fish hawks.

https://www.cambrian-news.co.uk/news/environment/ospreys-dylan-and-seren-return-to-mid-wales-forest-604482

There are three rather energetic osplets on the Achieva Osprey nest. I don’t know how this season will end but right now the little one is quite feisty. That said, the beaking has already started. The key will be for Jack to keep the fish coming in to the nest just like a train – finish one, get another. Like Harry did at the Moorings Osprey Park in Naples, Florida when Abby and Victor were wee. It didn’t stop Abby’s dominance but Victor is still happily with us!

Trey at the KNF E1 nest of Anna and Louis is having a great time flying from branch to branch at the nest tree today. She is sitting right above the nest on a branch in the image below. What a magnificent eaglet.

Prey delivery at the KNF E-3 nest of Alex and Andria and their kids, Valentine and Nugget. Both Valentine and Nugget on the nest while Andria looks on.

Connick is big and beautiful and his nest is full of fish at Captiva. Connie and Clive will still be close at hand even though Connick might like to only self-feed and be somewhat independent. Clive supplies lots of fish. You can see them on the nest. I am counting seven!

Rose and Ron’s two eaglets at the WRDC nest in Miami are sooooo cute.

They have names – and every time I go to keyboard them in I forget. So…the two at Duke Farms have their complete thermal down. There are only a few little white dandelions remaining from their youth.

Sharon Pollock shows us what the Es have been up to!

Both have been up on the attic together. Could we have a dual fledge?

In California, ‘B’ warned me that bad weather was approaching Jackie and Shadow in Big Bear and would arrive on Wednesday. He was 100% correct. I am sooooooo glad there are no little eaglets on this nest right now. This front is expected to last through Thursday. It makes me cold just looking at it!

Shadow cannot stop thinking about those nest rails even with the snow and wind! Does he know the Ravens have been taking them?

At the Bartlesville, Oklahoma Bald Eagle nest, there are three eggs! Thanks, ‘L’ for letting us know and for sending us the link to their camera.

It is raining in Corona California but this is not stopping Pip, Tootsie, and Hoot from fledging! Congratulations Owlvira and Hoots for another successful year.

Angus and Florence will have hatch around the third week in April. There are three eggs for these first-time parents. If they all hatch, this will be a crazy nest to watch. Gosh that is a long time away. How will they do in the heat and humidity?

A check on the Moorings Ospreys shows that Victor walks freely around the nest today with no monofilament hindrance—smart little one. Whenever there is an incoming fish, and he fears Abby will not be agreeable, he gets between Sally’s legs to eat and protect his head!

We have all been concerned about the Moorings osprey platform since the incident with the monofilament line. It is, sadly, too familiar. Humans must be vigilant and take better care. Sunnie Day sent me a link to a site. Please check it out. I understand that they might even retrieve line. So write this down somewhere! It could save a life.

https://www.facebook.com/mindyourline

The Moorings Park monofilament line also brings to mind the need for all streaming cam owners to have proper contact information that will respond. It is unknown how many citizen scientists – you – save the lives of birds each year. There are no statistics. What we know is that individuals watching nests know the birds personally. They can tell when they are sick. Watchers first spotted Legacy not feeling well at the NEFL Bald Eagle nest, and it was confirmed she had Avian Flu. Others – I remember Patuxent and my friends ‘S’ and ‘L’ calling everyone. A staff member listened to the taped phone messages and took their canoe to save an osprey chick falling in the water. The tide had not come in, and it was a glorious ending. ——So my point is this: YOU can save lives. To do so, you need the phone number of the nearest wildlife rehab centre for the nests you watch. You need to report what is happening and where clearly. If it is a human caused issue, such as fishing line, they can get the permit in the US to go to the nest. If a chick falls out of a nest, they can help. You are all wonderful and you can make a difference! Do not hesitate. Do not assume someone else has called.

We have a falcon egg at the Spartan Stadium in Michigan!

It is never the outcome we hope for but this posting does help us understand just how well the raptors can adapt to injuries. We have seen eagles with one leg, eagles with a mangled leg become mothers (Ma Berry), and this one with only two toes surviving well til he broke his wing. Remember this – a good learning lesson! Share the story with others when they wonder if an eagle can survive and hunt with only two toes.

That is a round-up of some of the nests we have been following. Stay tuned for the Es fledge. It is coming quicker than we might imagine. Will they fly together?

Thank you for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, their videos, posts, announcements, articles, and streaming cams that helped to make up the news in my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, ‘L’, Heidi Mc and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Geemeff, Sunni Day, The Guardian, Tim Mackrill and the BBC, Tom Heap and Sky News, Geemeff and LRWT, Poole Harbour Ospreys, LRWT, DYFI, Glaslyn, LOTL and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, CarnyxWild, Cambrian News UK, Achieva Credit Union, KNF E-1, KNF E-3, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, Duke Farms, Sharon Pollock and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, FOBBV, Sutton Wildlife, Moorings Park Ospreys, Mind Your Line, Olga Kysil and Orange Australia Peregrine Falcons, Terry Carman and Bald Eagles Live Nest and Cams.

Blue 33 arrives at Rutland…Thursday morning in Bird World

16 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you so much for your good wishes! When I got in the door at home and saw the kittens, the trip seemed to melt away. Air travel is not like it ‘used to be, back in the day’. I am privileged to be able to travel and had a wonderful trip, and it was just as good to arrive home, too! I shall mumble quietly about the lack of ground crew personnel, sitting on the tarmac, and waiting for luggage for hours at an airport where the passengers could have offloaded it faster!

If you are planning a trip to Toronto, message me. I will happily pass on all the tips I have learned on this trip and in past ventures to that amazing city.

The kittens were fine. Happy. Wanted to play ‘fetch’ for hours!

The best news of the morning is that a male UK Osprey has arrived home from his winter migration. Blue 33 arrived at Manton Bay at 12:58:39 – just about an hour ago. Some of you will know that I adore this male Osprey…so glad to see him return safe.

Of course, Blue 33 caught a fish right away and is looking around for his mate.

He waits for the love of his live, Maya, to return.

E21 and 22 might have gotten a snake at 1930 on Monday evening with nothing on Tuesday but, on Wednesday, M15 brought in three fish for them. The female intruder was hot on his heels! Poor Dad.

When they were not mantling and fighting for prey, 21 was testing out his wings and 22 was giving us all nervous breakdowns by standing on the rails all day long.

The scramble over one of those deliveries.

Lady Hawk has edited all of the action surrounding the three feedings on the 15th into one video for us.

Last night was the first time that M15 did not sleep on the branch above the eaglets. Instead, he chose to stay in the tree next to the female. Lady Hawk has it on video.

Did you watch the nest of Ron and Rose on Wednesday? Oh my goodness, R4 is a really strong eaglet. I could not believe it when I saw it holding its head erect and eating after only a few hours after hatching. What kind of sibling R4 will be?

Upside down, again!

Before R4 hatched, Rose did not stay in the nest during the day. That behaviour was quite odd. Ron got plenty of incubation time. Now he is lucky if he gets a chance to brood and incubate the kids! Rose has turned into an extremely dedicated Mum whose feeding abilities are improving.

You can see R4’s egg tooth, that temporary white projection that helps the eaglet break through the hard shell.

On Thursday morning, ‘H’ reports to me that the egg with R5 has been hole side down for some time, and there is some concern. We will have to wait and see. My mantra is always – one healthy eaglet!

On Wednesday, Mum brought a rabbit in for breakfast while Dad had been brooding the eaglets.

These two are loosing that soft natal down and you can see their dark thermal down growing in.

At the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest of Gabby and V3, the couple worked this morning on the nest. Gosh, they are a handsome couple. It doesn’t look like there will be any eggs this year, but every time they work on that nest, they bond.

This nest might have been Gabby’s former mate’s natal nest but, since Samson’s disappearance in late November, Gabby is determined that it will be her territory! V3 is helping her do that.

At the nest of Jackie and Shadow in Big Bear, the couple continue to visit the nest and Shadow seems particularly keen on refurbishing it. “Jackie…we need more eggs!”

The sun rising over Big Bear Lake Thursday morning.

Shadow at the nest on Wednesday working away.

The four owlets in Corona, California have been named: Pip, Tootsie, Hoot, and Peanut. Sadly, Peanut died on the 11th of March.

The Canada Geese are arriving at some of the eagle and osprey nests! Look who showed up at Charlo Montana? One year, we had fluffy little goslings jumping from that platform instead of osplets flying.

Oops…and then the snow came!

The geese are at the unused eagle nest in Decorah, and they might give us some lovely goslings to ooooh and coo at this year, like last.

Everything continues to go well for the two osplets at Moorings Park. Harry is a fantastic provider. There is always fish for the two and Sally, although it might not arrive as early as the osplets would like. She keeps the eaglets fed well, and Harry occasionally gets to pitch in and help, too. I continue to praise this nest. Harry loves being with Sally and seeing the nest happenings. Both take the best care they can of these two as they morph into ‘dinosaurs’. On Wednesday, they had a couple hour long feedings. Both were stuffed.

Proud first-time parents, Harry and Sally.

Harry flew in with a live fish about 1908. Look at the eaglets above and then at the images below and you can see how quickly their plumage is changing.

These two will now eat longer at a feeding. They will consume more fish giving them a nice crop. There will be fewer feedings per day.

Do Osprey Mums feed their osplets in the middle of the night? We certainly saw this at Port Lincoln and now, here is Sally feeding these two. It is 00:33 Thursday, 16 March. (Clock says 12:33 which always confuses me).

It is called ‘How to keep peace and food security on an osprey nest!’ Fantastic parenting at this Moorings Osprey nest. Just wonderful.

Port Tobacco has two of three Bald Eagle eggs hatched this morning.

It is pip watch at PA County Farms where there are, again, four eggs in that eagle’s nest.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Now that Blue 33 is home we sit and watch and wait for Maya. They have previously landed within an hour of one another. Stay safe. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that help make up my blog today: ‘H’, LRWT, SWFlorida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, WRDC, Duke Farms, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, Corona California Owl Cam, Lin Lawson and Osprey Friends, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Moorings Park Ospreys, and Sassa Bird.

Did you know falcons kiss? and other stories early Friday

29 July 2022

Good Morning everyone. I hope that you are all well. Bird World appears to be quiet although it might not be…there continue to be intruders at nests. ‘N’ expressed some concern about nest #4 in Finland. I will keep an eye and see if there is an intruder there. The visitor is still with Rosie and Richmond and Brooks is living on a nest about a mile away. In my lifetime my home has been the place where the children of my friends or my children’s felt they could come for a ‘break’. Some stayed a night, others a month, and some 18 months. It helps me to understand what is going on with the ospreys in SF Bay. It is fantastic that they take good care of one another’s little ones. Enlightened. So many academic journals speak to the notion of cooperation instead of competition and that in the end, cooperation is better for all of the raptors. We are certainly seeing it played out on the nest of Richmond and Rosie.

Serious romance is happening in the Cal Falcons scrape…Bird World might be relatively quiet but….wow…there are fireworks between Annie and Alden!

Despite areas around Osoyoos being 44 C today, Olsen managed to deliver fish and quite honestly that is all that matters. The chicks are looking food and it is Friday! There is – oh, let’s for once have a correct forest – cooler weather coming after Sunday. Soo has done the best she can do and Olsen is working as best he can…good work everyone. Just look at those two beautiful chicks.

The heat warning for Osoyoos and this beautiful family has now been extended to run through Monday. Oh, goodness.

Olsen has already been out fishing and that is fantastic.

So far the two osplets – one has fledged -on the Janakkalan nest in Finland are doing so well. The second has yet to fledge. We hope that the goshawk that visited the nest two days ago does not return. These two need to eat and build up their strength for migrating south – what a dangerous journey for them it will be.

Only one on the nest at Loch Arkaig as the light begins to cast such a beautiful glow on the valley and loch below. Yesterday this chick was flapping and hopping and today could be fledge day. Hoping you get some wind, Sarafina.

Dawn finds one fledgling on the Manton Bay nest at Rutland of Blue 33 and Maya. Waiting for a delivery of fish by Dad no doubt! But look at the crop..was there something already on the nest??? I wonder.

At the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn, there appear to be three fledglings on Dad’s perch – not on the nest!

Kielder Forest is celebrating the fledge of the 100th chick from its osprey platforms since they started in 2009. That lucky chick was Fourlaws, a female from nest 6. Of those 100, Mr YA from Nest 1A was responsible for 26 of those. Sadly, he is not longer with us but Mrs YA gets several gold stars. She brought in 3 large trout today! I do not know if you knew but Nest 1A originally had four beautiful osplets. 440 Farne fledged but he has not been seen since and is believed perished like his father, YA.

The four fledged. that is a tremendous undertaking. Mrs YA is really amazing taking on all parenting roles now.

Victor is at the end of this short video clip about the sound Bald Eagles make. No new news but we all hope that he is doing splendidly in the great care of the Ojai Raptor Centre.

Oh, I haven’t mentioned the California Condors for some time. Shame on me! The chick in Tom’s Canyon (parents are 462 male and 846 female) is doing fabulous. Huge hopes for this one.

This is the link to the camera:

The storklets of Bukacek and Betty are doing fantastic. They are so white now compared to when they were younger and it was raining. They looked like they had rolled in soil rich in Red Iron Oxide.

Betty is calling to Bukacek who is in the ‘adults only’ nest in the background.

Look at how beautiful the four storklets are. Oh, my goodness.

Karl II has brought in lots of fish for the first meal for the four Black Storklets on the Estonian nest.

‘H’ caught the two fledglings at the Mispillion Harbour platform doing a great tug o war over a fish. Super shot. The oldest won but no fear. Dad or Mum will arrive on the nest or out on some of the perches with something for the youngest. What a great nest this one turned out to be and few people watch it. Definitely one to put on your list for next breeding season.

Notice the already nice crop on the one in front and the long legs of the fledgling behind. Beautiful birds. They are, of course, doing what they need to do to flourish on their own — fight over food and win!

I had a note from ‘N’ yesterday with a question about an osprey platform in Idaho. It is not a nest that I knew about and I have written to the parks manager to find out more because it seems this nest had four fledglings! Four. It is rare as we know. All survived. There is no rewind and there were only two on the platform this morning. Yesterday when I was watching there were three birds on the platform.

There are three cameras,, not all of them are on at the same time and there is no rewind but the clarity is excellent.

Here is a map of the location. The area looks like it would be great Osprey territory with all of the lakes. It is also in the region of the heat wave that has been hitting the area. Osoyoos is actually directly north and just a wee bit west.

This will give you an idea of the area.

Sure enough…this area is going to be even hotter than in Osoyoos. Keep all of these ospreys in your thoughts until we can get the end of Monday finished then there is hope for cooler temperatures.

Here is a link to McEwan Park Ospreys, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

https://www.cdaid.org/videos/OspreyCameras?p=8088&d=3&name=South%20Camera

There are few Bald Eagle fledglings that we can catch coming to the nest. Thankfully Lilibet is one of those – I wonder if she is still missing Victor? Hopefully we will get an update on his improving condition this week. For now, Andor and Mama Cruz are providing really well for their girl.

Lisa Yen caught this great capture after Lilibet had consumed several fish and a bird about a week ago. Goodness…that is a crop.

Just a couple of images of the Sea Eagles nest in Sydney. One of my readers ‘C’ says it is a hard nest to watch. It is! Yesterday SE30 had a really good feeding when 29 was asleep. These are going to help it. It seems a long way away but this nest really should be settling down in another week. My suggestion is to simply watch another nest…check on this one in a day or two or even three. As long as the food continues to come on the nest and there are feedings every hour or so, I am not thinking there is going to be a problem. But, as always, we know that nests turn on a dime and anything can happen.

The ‘official’ word coming out of Sydney is that the nest is doing fine. No worries.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Unless there is a major incident or announcement about a bird in care, I will begin what I normally do during the month of August and write only one blog a day until we have some more nests with eggs in Australia. Almost every osplet has fledged in the UK. Sarafina at Loch Arkaig should fly today. I will continue to monitor the nests that are suffering from these extreme heats caused by climate change. Please keep them in your thoughts. It is so very tough for them. Take care everyone. Stay safe. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their posts and/of streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Osoyoos Ospreys, SF Bay Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Cal Falcons, Mlade Buky Storks, Eagle Club of Estonia and Looduskalender, Explore.org and IWS, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and ‘H’, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park, McEwan Park Ospreys, Cornell Bird Lab, Dyfi Osprey Project, Kieldner Forest, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Google Maps, and LRWT.

Feedings and Flying

1-2 June 2022


Wednesday was a positively beautiful day. Chilly enough for a jacket but the sun and blue sky were perfect. The water is so very, very high in the Red River (it is everywhere). Last year there were literally hundreds of American White Pelicans at the dam at Lockport, Manitoba getting fish. They were sleeping along the shore for the most part today.

These pelicans were in the water like a synchronized swimming team fishing.

And all back up again!

There were Canada Geese but not a gosling in sight.

What is it about watching a mother raptor feed her little ones? Blue NC0 is doing a much better job with the Three Bobs. Little Bob has also figured out ‘the way of the world’ and will let Big Bob eat, get full and pass out and move up front.

Look at Little Bob trying to stretch that long neck of his up so Mum will see him. Big Bob is already getting full.

Both Big and Middle bobs are full and it is Little’s turn. He has wiggled right up there in front so Blue NC0 won’t start feeding herself and forget about him.

Little Bob is quite the cheeky little one! He is also full.

Idris brought in another one of his monster Flounders at the Dyfi Nest. Telyn makes sure that all the Bobs are also full and feed. Gosh, can you imagine brooding three wiggly Bobs?

I would really like to ship that nice big Flounder to Little Bit 17. He has been eating off and on all day – a small fish and some road kill. When I went back to check on him he was still working on the raccoon – trying to hork the last wooly piece of it.

You can sort of see a fuzzy bit of fur in his beak in the image below.

Then Little Bit was really courageous! No one should ever think that Little Bit could not survive in the world. He is as fast as lightning when he does his Snatch and Grab! He knows to stay away from 16 and he also knows that 15 will not hurt him. Street Smart Kid. An adult brought a fish on the nest at 20:46:01.

One of the big siblings got it. But a couple of minutes later, the adult took the fish away from the big sibling. In the process a piece broke off and Little Bit, the ‘King of the Snatch and Grab’ went for it – straight to the adult beak and had a tug-o-war. Little Bit won his piece of fish!!!!!!! Brilliant.

It wasn’t an enormous piece of fish but Little Bit got it and ate it. The adult fed the two big siblings. Little Bit got up to the feeding spot to get 1 maybe 2 bites. Little Bit also looked over the floor of the nest for any other pieces and found some.

As the sun is setting, Little Bit had a small fish, some more bites of fish, and it looks like he might have finished off that Raccoon pelt along with some squirrel. Would we have liked him to have more? No doubt. It is still better to have had this food and to go to bed – not with a big crop – but at least not starving. Let’s think positive. Hoping the cool weather keeps up and that there are no storms to murk up the river. Let’s wish for fish for Thursday!

And the fish came. Little Bit pulled a fish out from under nesting material at 10:34:11. It had been brought in at 10:31 by an adult. It is very hard to say how much fish, if any, Little Bit got. He moved around the nest from place to place very uneasy. He had possession of the fish until 10:40. The nest is very restless today. Little Bit is hungry.

The West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta in the Channel Islands has the most beautiful sunsets! The profiles of Kana’kini, Ahota, and Sky just seem perfect up on that cliff.

The Osplets on the UFlorida-Gainesville nest at the practice field are getting ready to fledge. I wish I could tell you which one did all the hovering but I can’t. I believe, from a rough count of the dark bars on the tail, that it is Big Bob – . Big Bob hatched on 5 April followed by Middle Bob on the 6th. They are 57 and 56 days old. Western Ospreys fledge from 7-8 weeks or 49-56 days. They are ready to fly!!!!!!!!!

A shout out to ‘B’ who alerted me to the fact that Spirit and both of her parents, Jackie and Shadow, were on the nest tonight. This is just amazing. Jackie and Shadow are really going to prepare Spirit for a successful life in the wild. Another thing that will help Spirit is that the habitat is closed by the USFS so that Spirit will not be disturbed while she learns to fly.

A fish was delivered and Spirit that gorgeous daughter started going wheeee, wheeee for the fish! She had to figure out how to get down from the tree and to the fish. (Someone said it was Jackie that delivered the fish but this sure looks like Shadow to me in his tight jeans!)

Spirit was carefully fed just like she had been the night before. How sweet.

Spirit gets left to clean up the rest of the fish.

And then all of the family are on the nest. What a beautiful sight to see!!!!!

The sun is setting on another perfect day at the Big Bear Valley Eagle nest. Spirit flew off in the morning and returned, spent time with her parents, had a nice fish meal partially fed by Dad. She is going to sleep on the perch again and hopefully repeat this same day tomorrow until she can fly and find prey and live without parental support.

Spirit is a sweetie. In some ways she reminds me of Legacy at the NEFlorida nest of Samson and Gabby. I am not sure how but she does.

Oh, speaking of cutie pies. SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon made a compilation of Week 2 with the two osplets of Richmond and Rosie. They are so cute….Have a look!

Both of the chicks at the Cal Falcons scrape are now out and running about! No worries. They love their food and they will definitely come when either Annie or Alden has prey!!!!!!!! They will come screaming. Oh, just think. Friday we will get to call you by your names. Vote Everyone! Get your friends to vote – get these two cutie pies super names.

The three osplets at the Glaslyn nest continue to do well. You could not tell for an instant that Aran had an injury a year ago. He is really back in prime condition supplying Mrs G and the triplets with huge fish! Wonder if I could get them to adopt Little Bit?

Congratulations to Louis and Dorcha on their second hatch. Both chicks could be seen at 06:09 this morning.

It is clearly evident how much a headstart Maya and Blue 33 (11) have with their chicks. Just look at the difference!

Big Red and Arthur’s first hatch of the 2022 season at their Cornell Campus nest, L1, is checking out the fledge ledge! Fledge watch for L1 begins tomorrow!!!!!

And, last – there are now two little nestlings at the Glacier Gardens Bald Eagle nest in Alaska of Liberty and Freedom. They are three days apart. How cute!

When Charles Broley (The Eagle Man) studied and banded Bald Eagles, he was one of the first to note that the northern eagles are much larger than their southern counterparts. Alaskan eagles do not migrate. They stay and eat the salmon chum (dead salmon after laying eggs). It has been very plentiful.

It is cold and grey today. One beautiful warm day, one not so nice! I am just reading an article that is not making me very happy. It seems it has been going on for several years – the killing of Double-crested Cormorants in Newfoundland and Labrador with Parks Canada providing the justification. Are they serious? We take over their habitat and now we complain about their guano or that they are eating the fish!!!!! Are not Cormorants protected under Migrating Bird Laws? You would think but, not always. Apparently our provincial governments can also alter the laws about migrating birds. Who actually protects our wildlife?

Continue to wish for fish for Little Bit 17. I don’t think he got much of that fish this morning – I sure hope so but he is so nervous. 16 is a very, very nasty bird. The water level at the river where the adults fish at ND-LEEF is about a foot and a half or 45 cm higher than normal making it difficult for the adults to fish. It is going down but slowly. From seeing the high water around me and the opaque mucky colour, it is understandable that it is hard for the parents to fish. I imagine that they are also hungry.

Thank you so much for joining me this morning. Take care! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures and video clip: UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, ND-LEEF, Dyfi Osprey Project, Explore.org, FOBBV, Friends of Loch Arkaig and People’s Postcode Lottery, the Woodland Trust, Cal Falcons, LRWT, SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Glacier Gardens, and Brywd Gwyllt Glaslyn.

Saturday in Bird World

28 May 2022

Do you like condors? If so, then you should be listening to the once monthly Condor discussions and updates from Ventana Wildlife. They take care of Central California’s Condors – Big Sur and Pinnacle. The home of Iniko 1031!

Part of today’s discussion touched on the issue of lead toxicity. The Bay Area has high levels of lead caused by the old mining industries. Because the California Condors and the Buzzards in the areas feed on carrion – dead carcasses – they are susceptible to the lead from the ammunition used in hunting. Did you know that part of the programme of thee Ventana Wildlife Society is to get lead-free zones? Since 2012 they have been providing lead-free ammunition to the farmers and hunters in their area to attempt to eradicate the problem in their area.

Before the pandemic there were 100 California Condors in the Central California area. Today there are 87. That is the bad news along with stories about those special birds lost – some just turning 2 years old, others just getting to their prime and ready to breed. Condors normally live to be 50-60 years old in the wild so these were significant young loses. Those who work with the birds talk about how each is such an individual and how they get to know them so well – losing one is a very personal issue. The good news is that the hatch rates in Central California are catching up with those in Southern California and they are hopeful that next year will be better.

The next discussion is slated for the 30th of June. Here is the link to the presentation of 26 May. Very informative.

Little Bit 17 really deserves a standing ovation. I am so impressed with this wee eaglet on Friday! Little Bit 17 had some big meals on the 26th – the last being an overly stuffed crop at 21:25 Thursday night. Indeed, Little Bit had full crops every day from the 16th of May to the 26th.

It was rainy today. A small fish was dropped off by one of the adults after 20:15. The oldest ND15 got the fish – it was not that big. What was significant was that Little Bit 17 went right up into 15’s face for the entire time Big Bob was eating the fish. Little Bit 17 really earned his name as the ‘Snatch and Grab King’ today, though. Yes, he got a little fish that was dropped – actually one nice piece. But the heroics was when the snatched and grabbed and got the fish tail!!!!!!! I know you don’t believe me. It is true.

There is 17 moving to get right up at the front where the action in. Little Bit is clearly a very brave eaglet that given half a chance can survive in the wild because he is not afraid of the hard work in getting food.

Little Bit 17 showed no fear when ND16 was coming up from behind.

Little Bit has the tail – it still has a nice bit of tender fish left! Go 17!!!!!!

Little Bit 17 is mantling his cache. So far 16 has not noticed that 17 has the fish tail. Remember 16 is also hungry.

Then 16 notices and starts to try and get the piece of fish. 17 mantles harder. 17 will also keep the fish in its beak and mantle turning around and around.

Little Bit gets his treasure over to the other rim of the nest away from 16. However, he is alongside 15 and 15 would very much like to have that fish tail as well.

Little Bit 17 was able to get a few bites of the fish before Big Bob took the tail back but, what a brave little eaglet to go up against both wanting his food. I am so proud of Little Bit. That is really something to go up against these two – just look at how big they are compared to him.

We really need more fish brought on to the nest. If the adults just drop off small fish Little Bit might lose out. He does better when Mum comes in and if he can feed on an opposite side. Little Bit can also self-feed as good or better than the older siblings. So if they are full and there is fish available there is no issue with this ‘Little Eaglet Who Could’ feeding itself! We just need fish!!!!!! Lots of fish. No time for parents to be cutting back the fish. Both of the adults should be out fishing and providing 5 or 6 fish to the nest. We would really see a huge growth spurt in 17 because the other two are levelling off now.

Saturday morning has not been good for Little Bit. The big siblings are really hungry today with so little food since the evening of the 26th. There have been three deliveries: 08:44, 09:01, and 10:54. The power of the bigger siblings was really pronounced. At 08:43 Little Bit was attacked by one of the big siblings. We are now assured that it is not a lack of feather growth on its head but a bigger sibling – I suspect 16 – pulled it out!

The parents at the ND-LEEF nest need to come in with a huge fish and then another one and another to get this back on track after that single day of bad weather.

The two osplets at UFlorida-Gainesville cannot blame the parents for being hungry today. A catfish with its head came on the nest a little after 08:00. Catfish are problematic for the best self-feeders until they figure out how to unzip them. Both chicks had a bit of a go at it and then the fish was moved over to the rim of the nest.

Their looks were priceless. Think they learned a lesson today – keep the fish in the middle of the nest!

Thankfully Dad arrived a few minutes later, at 08:13:52, with a nice chunk of fish.

Looks like Big Bob gets it.

Middle is sniffing around for that fish. Stop for a moment though and look at the dark bands on their tails.

Middle gets it! Remember Middle is really good at snatch and grab. Meanwhile the adult was watching everything that was going on with its kids. There will be more fish today. Th adult did not have a crop so he needs to eat, too.

Middle really enjoyed that chunk of fish. Big did not try to take it nor did she try to attack. This nest really turned around with two nice osplets that are healthy and will fledge. Middle finished the fish tail at 08:48.

I wish every eaglet, storklet, eyas, or hawklet – whatever you wish to call them was fed as well as the two osplets on the nest of Richmond and Rosie in the SF Bay. Today the duo were fed for over half an hour – you can compare this with the length of feeding at some of the nests with much larger offspring. They were so full that when one rolled backwards with a flake of fish in its mouth – it could not get up!

Mom is on the nest at the Port Lincoln Osprey Barge. Is she thinking that Ervie might be going to land with one of his puffers and she wants to be there to chase him away? While it is true that other parents like Diamond and Xavier had to chase Izzi away as breeding season approached, I lived in some kind of ‘delusional’ hope that Mum and Dad might tolerate Ervie at the barge.

Ervie’s talon has not grown in but he has brought a significant size fish to the nest, not just puffers. That demonstrates that he can catch larger fish. We should not worry about that. We will just miss him as he has been such a character – and oh what joy he has brought to our lives!!!!!

Hats off to Dylan and Seren who did a tandem feeding at the Llyn Clywedog Osprey nest today. I had said that I was concerned about the third hatch on this nest – it looks like they were, too. Well done – great parenting! Now if we could only get Laddie to stay in that nest and feed Little Bob (Loch of the Lowes).

This is just wonderful to see. Tears!!!!!

As the sun rises, Seren is feeding the trio. They are all lined up and it looks like everyone will have a wee crop. Nice.

Idris has the fish on the nest and Seren is doing the first feeding of the day at the Dyfi Osprey nest in Wales.

And then – there were 3 at the Dyfi nest! I love how Emyr Evans at the Dyfi Osprey Project collects and puts the data out there. Chick 1 hatched on 25 May at 39 days in the shell. Chick 2 hatched on the 26th of May at 36.9 cays in the shell. Chick 3 hatched on 28 May at 35.7 days in the shell. All look great and all hatched within the normal range with the eldest being the longest and the third being the shortest gestation period. Let’s see if this impacts their growth over the season. The closeness of the hatches will certainly bode well for the third osplet as it is only two days younger. Telyn really ‘nailed’ that incubation. These three should thrive. Congratulations Telyn and Idris!

Daddy Longlegs (Idris) has brought in a nice fish for Telyn and the trio.

Good Morning Dorcha at the Loch Arkaig nest. It looks like it is going to be a beautiful day! Now where is Louis with the breakfish?

Blue 33 has the fish on the platform as the sun rises over the water at Rutland. Maya is waking up but the Three Bobs seem to be wanting to sleep in on Saturday!

Blue NC0 had to take a personal break at the Loch of the Lowes. There are the three wee ones in the nest. They look good.

She is back and is waiting for Laddie to bring the first fish of the day. Just look at those lovely rose gold kissing everything at the loch. Beautiful.

Sometimes Blue NC0 makes it difficult to tell who has been fed and who hasn’t. At one feeding where I could clearly see, all three chicks were fed. Nice. I do not think that Little Bob is out of the woods yet. Fingers crossed.

The falcons at the Manchester NH scrape are really losing their baby down. The flapping of the wings sends it flying all over the scrape. Their legs are strong and – well, this has been an amazing nest to watch in terms of the sheer effort by the parents to make sure that each of the five survived and thrived.

Spirit hatched on 3 March. She is 86 days old today. Bald Eagles generally fledge from 10-14 weeks. Spirit is certainly looking out to the territory!

Kana’kini has been doing a lot of hovering and today she actually did that with a stick in her mouth. Here they are the three of them – whoever dubbed the trio ‘The Three Amigos’ is so right. What a fabulous group of eaglets to watch and the thanks goes to Thunder and Akecheta who kept feeding them and kept bringing food to the nest! Great parenting.

Those little ones at Cal Falcons are so adorable. I was sooooo shocked at the little male. He reminds me so much of the male at Captiva Ospreys – Middle Little. He was really loud too. You could hear him fish calling in Fort Myers. Alden and Annie are doing a fantastic job. It was very interesting to me that Cal Falcons noted that Alden was ferocious in his protection of the scrape with Annie yesterday whereas Grinnell used to leave that to Annie.

Want to take part in the naming. See the band at the bottom of the image.

The sun is beginning to come out. The weather forecast is for rain for four days but I am hoping to get out to our other nature centre sometime. Maybe today! Thank you so much for joining me. Wish for fish for ND-LEEF. The river should be going down and clearing after the storm so Suckers and Catfish will be easier to catch for the eagles. Little Bit 17 needs a lot of fish to be delivered so that it can get some. 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: Ventana Wildlife Society, ND-LEEF, UFlorida-Gainesville, SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, CarnyX Wild, Dyfi Osprey Project, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the People’s Post Code Lottery, LRWT, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Peregrine Networks, FOBBV, Explore.org, and Cal Falcons.

Early Tuesday in Bird World

24 May 2022

Good Afternoon everyone. I hope each of you had a very lovely start to the week yesterday. This has really been quite the year for the birds on the streaming cams around the world. I haven’t ever seen a year like it. At the end of the season we will touch on every nest and see if there was an incident. You can help me! Start making your lists.

First up. Let’s check on the condition of Laddie LM12″s eye is in this morning if the camera can catch him looking the right way. Was he able to bring in more fish for Blue NC0 and the three nestlings?

Yes! Was so happy to see this great improvement over night. It reminded me of when Bella returned to her nest with Smitty after an altercation with another intruder. The wee chicks are also eating well – all three of them. Such a relief, Laddie!

They are all fish crying. Just look at the Bobs. Blue NC0 is extremely loud. You could hear her to Glasgow!!!!!!! Laddie did deliver another fish. For some reason NC0 flew off the nest with it and did not bring it back. Ugh.

Horrific news is coming in from Colorado’s Fort St Vrain Bald Eagle nest. One of the eaglets was pulled off the nest by a raccoon! Search parties have gone out to look for the wee one.

These are the images from the incident. The eaglet was very brave. The question is: where are the adults when this is happening?!

There has been so many incidents with intruders. We have Laddie with the eye, the eaglet taken off its nest by a raccoon (I will now add raccoons to the list of ways eaglets and other raptors can be killed), and as we celebrate DC 9 being 8 weeks old, Lotus is missing. Mr President celebrated the day by bringing in food and by guarding the nest.

One of the nests that I have watched and – well, the Venice Golf and Country Club Ospreys – fell through the crack. It seems I reported the happenings on the nest only a couple of times. We were, at one time, worried about the third hatch on that nest. There was a lot of food competition. I am happy to report that the first osplet fledged on 30 April and the others following within days. This was a nest to celebrate that event for sure.

The osplet on the left, not flapping its wings, actually flaps its wings and flies off the nest to the surprise of the other two.

The parents continue to provide food on the nest for their babies. As far as I know all three were on the nest today.

It just couldn’t be any better for ND17, Little Bit. A fish came on the nest and the adult is feeding 17. Despite the other siblings not being interested, Little Bit is very aggressive in his snatch and grab movements especially around 18:19. These actions will help him later on when eagles are fighting for prey items in the wild. It is clear that he is still very nervous around the big siblings. At 18:35 he has a very large crop! 17 has now had at least four big meals today – four! (There could have been five).

The adult feeds almost all the prey item to Little Bit before one of the older siblings comes over to get some bites.

Little Bit has a very large crop at 18:32 but he is still up by mom in case there is more food! Too funny.

Little Bit is using a turtle shell for a pillow – but even more important,, he is sleeping on his ‘prey stash’. Smart Little Bit 17.

I want everyone to really give Little Bit 17 a big cheer. This morning a parent delivered a really large fish for self-feeding. One of the older siblings pecked at it. At 10:18:34 Little Bit takes the fish away from the big sibling!!!!!!!!!! (The big siblings do not do as well at self-feeding as 17).

At 10:26:55 Little Bit is eating the fish and the bigger sibling – I think it is 15 – joins him.

Two fish deliveries that I have seen. Little Bit 17 eats from 10:18-10:27 when he foregoes the one fish to the elder sibling (very peaceful). Another fish arrives from Mum and Little Bit feeds on it from 10:46-11:15. Typically Mum will come in and feed them later but, for now, they need to be learning these skills. Little Bit is doing great. He just needs to remember to hold down the fish with his talons! This nest has had a miraculous change in the past 5 days.

At 12:09 Little Bit finds some fish scraps – perfect size in the nest!

The streaming cam for the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest is up and running again since the lightning storm. If you go on rewind, you get all manner of days. I tried to catch the lightning and rain from Sunday night but to no avail in the image below.

They both survived nicely and it is getting more and more difficult to tell who is who unless you watch their behaviour (Middle still grabs the food) and look closely at the bands growing on their tails.

It is good to see them!

Friends of Big Bear Valley – the home of Jackie and Shadow and Spirit – have put a call for your help. Here is the appeal:

One of Dyson’s favourite friends ‘A’ has sent us news of Peregrine Falcon scrape on top of a government building in Japan. There are many falcons and beautiful hawks scattered over the islands of Japan and it would be wonderful if some had streaming cams. ‘A’ tells me the demands are growing so we are hoping that one of the companies will start a trend!

There are five little falcons!!!!!

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170427/p2a/00m/0na/004000c

Everyone at Manton Bay is itchy! So far no fighting amongst the chicks! There is, of course, with Blue 33 fishing lots of food on the nest for Maya and the wee ones.

Everyone is watching the nest of Idris and Telyn at Dyfi Osprey platform in Wales today. The first pip of the three eggs came at 16:24.

That is a lot to take in on one morning. Great relief that Laddie’s eye is healing. He has three screaming osplets in the nest – who by the sounds of them – will be as loud as NC0 when they want fish. Too funny. The chicks at Gainesville did great during the storm and Little Middle is just the bravest little eaglet I have seen. The people searching for the eaglet at Fort St Vrain have found feathers, nothing more. So very, very sad. It seems to me that there are raccoon baffles that can be put on a platform. Am I dreaming that? And please read the open appeal from FOBBV and support them if you feel so inclined.

The garden has been very, very busy with migrating visitors. Yesterday there were American Goldfinch and Rose-breasted Gosbeaks. Little Red’s new penthouse will be moved around to see if I can entice him to move in. It is Dyson that is causing all the mischief – of course, it is Dyson! I found a very old birdfeeder that my neighbour made decades ago in the shed. Filled it with White Millet and guess who found it first thing? Dyson! Now, he almost got stuck in Little Red’s new house – how did he get out? He chewed the entrance hole bigger! He almost got stuck in this new feeder, too. I had filled it up and realized I should cut the wire and get a brush for the top – left for two minutes! Dyson gets inside.

Dyson is so cheeky. he knows that I will not get mad at him so he sits in the feeder watching me.

Thank you so much for joining me. Dyson and I hope that you have a really wonderful day. We will see you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and FB pages where I took my screen captures: Scottish Wildlife Trust, Xcel Energy, NADC-AEF, VGCCO, ND-LEEF, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, LRWT, and Dyfi.

Monday Morning in Bird World

16 May 2022

The sun is trying desperately to brighten the sky. The leaf buds are half way open and there is a tinge of green on all the trees in the neighbourhood. So nice after the long grey white brown winter which seemed to go on forever. The flood waters in my province are finally receding but the cost to the wildlife is unknown. I do hope to see some goslings but how many nests were destroyed by the rising waters will always only be a guess.

I want to thank everyone who sends me news items that demonstrate that we have a long way to go in our fight to make our planet safe for our dearly loved feathered friends (and others). News has come to me this morning from ‘S’ about the toll that wind turbines are taking on the eagles – both Bald and Golden. What an avoidable tragedy!

The ESI Energy Company, Inc. has pleaded guilty to violating the Migratory Bird Act in its killing of at least 150 Bald and Golden Eagles.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/wind-energy-company-pleads-guilty-to-killing-eagles-180979898/

The story was carried by all the major US news agencies. Thank you ‘S’ for bringing this to my attention.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/04/06/150-eagles-killed-wind-turbines/9492311002/

The simple solution is to paint one blade black. “An eagle eye has two focal points (called “fovea” [singular] or “foveae” [plural]) one of which looks forward and the other to the side at about a 45 degree angle. These two foveae allow eagles to see straight ahead and to the side simultaneously.” A study by Jesper Kyed Larsen, Environmental Expert at Vattenfall (Netherlands Energy Company) says, “Painting one blade of a wind turbine rotor black resulted in 70 percent fewer collision bird victims. That has to do with the way birds perceive the moving rotor of a wind turbine.”

https://group.vattenfall.com/press-and-media/newsroom/2022/black-turbine-blades-reduce-bird-collisions#:~:text=That%20study%20showed%20that%20painting,Larsen%2C%20Environmental%20Expert%20at%20Vattenfall

So why is this easy solution not being undertaken? Why is this taking so long?

Some US States have outlawed balloons because of the damage that they do to the waterfowl. ‘L’ writes about a story that broke in Florida after 90 balloons were popped and tossed into the water? How many waterfowl will wind up in the care of the local wildlife rehabilitation clinics? This is precisely what happened on a yacht in Biscayne Bay. Will fines and public shaming help to stop the problem of the balloons? And do we really need to have balloons to have fun? or to mark the site of a celebration?

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/2nd-arrest-after-viral-video-shows-popped-17171599.php

The two osplets on the nest at the practice field at the University of Florida in Gainesville are waiting for their breakfast.

As I write this, it is now past 11:00 and the two chicks are still waiting for a fish to appear.

As all of you know, ‘R’ and I have been trying to solve the mystery of the lack of fish coming to this – a fact that saw the third hatch become a victim of siblicide. Every possibility had been examined with no conclusions other than multiple factors might be causing issues including the amount of algae in one close lake and the encroachment of dormitories and parking lots taking up part of Alice Lake. This morning ‘R’ caught the camera panning around the campus. There had been a question about whether or not Dad had another nest.

So who is on this nest? Is this a second nest of Dad’s?

The mystery continues.

Still tracking what is happening at the nest of Richmond and Rosie on the old Whirley Crane in San Francisco.

Everyone was expecting the first egg to pip or even hatch by the 15th of May.

Rosie was rolling eggs and the camera is zooming in to see if there is a pip.

That looks like old fishing nets on the nest. Makes me nervous just like fishing line and baling twine.

Is anything happening? It is very hard to tell.

Everything is fine at the platform of Blue 33 (11) and Maya at Rutland today.

Iris. Iris has, perhaps, had a suitor landing on the nest. One day she called for a fish and he did not bring her one. The next day she fought him off. Yesterday she did let him land but she isn’t friendly. Oddly, Louis doesn’t seem to be around. If only this new male would bring Iris a fish!

There is a chunk of fish on the MN-DNR nest of Nancy and E1, Harriet. We can assume that all is well so far there today.

Beautiful close ups of DC9 at the National Arboretum nest of Mr President and Lotus.

The two eaglets on the Dale Hollow nest are restless this morning. We are within the early part of a fledge window at this nest.

So many of us are really going to miss the triplets at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta. What a joy Kana’kini and her two brothers have given us this year. But hates off to Akecheta. He sure stepped into the role of Dad in a big, big way!

The wee eyases at the Cal Falcons nest cuddled up with one another. They are waiting for their breakfast.

Cal Falcons reports that the eyases have reached a milestone in their development:

Oh, those five eyases at the Manchester, New Hampshire scrape are growing. Unbelievable!

The falcons on top of the tower in Oudenaarde in Belgium have an amazing view! In the image below you can see that while the chicks are seemingly alone, there is an adult close by. This would be the same with all the other falcon scrapes that we watch.

Big Red was up early – just as the sun was beginning to shine over Cornell’s campus at Ithaca – feeding the Ls. Notice how the eyases’ gorgeous contour and wing feathers are starting to grow.

Gosh, I continue to enjoy watching the Goshawk, Alla with her chicks. Here is a short video clip of a feeding this morning.

Bukachek and Betty have been taking turns incubating their eggs in the Mlade Buky nest in The Czech Republic. Some of the interference with the nest has stopped. Looking for pip watch in about a week.

That’s a wrap for this morning. The truck has arrived to start taking apart a very old garage/shed that has been the ‘penthouse’ for Little Red. By mid-June, if all goes well, there should be a greenhouse/conservatory taking its place. Can’t wait. The birds are not happy with the workmen being here – indeed, the birds are not happy if I am outside other than to fill their feeders!

Thank you for joining me today. Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams an/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Cornell RTH, Cal Falcons, MN-DNR, LRWT, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, DHEC, NADC-AEF, Mlade Buky White Stork Nest, Peregrine Networks, Montana Osprey Project, Explore.org, SF Bay Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon.

Sunday Morning in Bird World

15 May 2022

Good afternoon everyone. It is a coolish, perhaps, rainy day on the Canadian Prairies. So far it feels like a really good day to read rather than planting all the annuals. There are rumours that are temperatures will drop this coming week and that would kill all the delicate flowers and vegetables! So far no Baltimore Orioles today but a whole host of White Crown Sparrows, Pine Siskins, European Starlings, and House Finches. It is also a good day to check on some of our favourites and some that have been overlooked for awhile.

Alden always surprises me. I adore him for his quirkiness and his devotion to Annie and the chicks. Alden was up hunting and delivered ‘something’ that resembled a gull early this morning. Annie ran out and retrieved it for the kids at 04:44. The kids were wide awake and ready for breakfast. Both of those chicks are growing and doing very, very well. What could have been a disasterous season has turned into a truly joyful blessing.

Here ‘it’ comes!

If you have been watching the Weissenburg Peregrine Falcon nest and you cannot see the eyases, do not despair. They are losing their white down and their feathers are coming in. They are also very mobile and all are out on the ledge when prey is delivered as the scrape is very cramped. You can just catch a glimpse of them at the far right.

Only chick at the Cromer Peregrine Falcon scrape is doing great. Indeed, look at the colour of its legs and feet in the second inmage. That bright yellow is a sure indication of a chick that is in good health.

This is a short video clip of a feed at the Cromer scrape on the 13th.

There are four eyases at the scrape in the Salisbury Cathedral. The parents are doing a great job keeping each one of them fed. Every one has a huge crop.

There is a continuing fear by many watching the falcon and hawk nests that have 3-5 chicks that one will suffer like they do on eagle, boobie, osprey, heron, etc nests. This is not normally the case. The falcon and hawk parents feed the eyases til each is full and the % of siblicide is so low on these nests that we do not even have to think about it!

The three in a scrape over looking the city of Warsaw, Poland are doing well, too.

All five eyases at the Manchester, NH scrape appear to be doing just fine. I cannot even imagine the work that these parents are going to have to do in terms of getting prey as these chicks grow and grow and grow.

It is amazing how many Peregrine Falcon scrapes have streaming cams! There is always a new one and the scrape in Warsaw is new to me!

It is raining lightly on Theo’s Osprey nest in Latvia. It appears that he has not attracted a mate to the nest. Is it because all the female Ospreys know that this Osprey nest is close to the Goshawks and that those hawks will kill the chicks? That is sad. This is the only Osprey nest in Latvia.

If only we could get Theo together with Iris! A male sort of suitor has been coming to Iris’s nest. She did not fight him off until yesterday. Iris wanted to see his intentions and when he approached the nest several times without a fish, she wasn’t having it. Good for you, Iris!

The Patuxent River in Maryland has been home to Ospreys for more than thirty years. They chicks are ringed and one female has been returning for 20 years! So don’t forget about these Osprey if you are searching around for a nest to watch. I will also add that it was here, last year, that many of us were able to rally one of the staff to return to the part on a Friday evening to retrieve a chick that had fallen off and was in the water. A good intervention!

Here is the link to the streaming cam for nest 2.

Mum is bringing in catfish to the Osprey nest at the UFlorida-Gainesville. Middle has been working hard to get the food off of them unlike Big who really does like to be fed by Mum. Both chicks appear to have moved beyond the food competition phase. Middle is a lovely bird – a survivor.

Big gives up working on the catfish – getting the meat off of a catfish head is very, very hard work. Middle does not mind.

I have been thinking a lot about this nest and I am grateful to ‘R’ for helping me to understand what might be impacting the fishing for this family. ‘R’ was able to establish that Lake Alice which ‘was’ a very large lake supporting the Ospreys has been partially taken over by dormitories and parking lots! Bivens Arm Lake in the second image is covered with green algae/plants making it impossible for Dad or Mum to see fish and catch them. This is quite tragic. Thank you ‘R’ for finding this out for all of us. Much appreciated.

There is also concern that Dad might be trying to keep two nests as one is clearly seen on a light pole leading up to the campus not far from the nest on the practice field. Both could explain the prey deliveries to the nest for Big and Middle.

The triplets at Manton Bay are doing well. Blue 33 continues to bring in lots and lots of fish including those pesky perch that have several lives.

Blue 33 is getting his breakfast order from Maya.

Rosie and Richmond are not giving any hints as to a pip happening at the San Francisco Osprey nest on the Richmond Shipping Yards.

The eaglets on the Dale Hollow nest are really getting the last of that juvenile plumage in. It will not be long til they begin to hover and fledge.

Big is on the right and just look at Middle’s crop!!!!!!!

Only Eaglet at Duke Farms is really going up high on the branches and is quick to get to the nest when food is brought in. (You may recall that there were originally two eaglets at the nest. The much smaller one did not survive).

That is a quick check in on some of our nests. So far, so good! It is always lovely to start the day knowing that everyone is as good as they can be! Thank you so much for joining me today. Please take care!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Duke Farms, DHEC, SF Bay Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, LRWT, Google Maps, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Patuxent River Park, Montana Ospreys, LDF, Peregrine Networks, Warszawa Peregrines, Salisbury Cathedral Peregrines, Cromer Peregrines, Weissenburg Peregrines, and Cal Falcons.