As promised, here is a wrap up of the breakfast feedings in Australia. It is all good!
At the Port Lincoln Osprey barge, Mum started doing her talon dance and calling to Dad at 07:46. He was over on the perch attempting to have the head of the fish he had just caught for his breakfast. She could see him. At 07:468, Dad gave in to Mum’s cries and flew the fish over to the nest.
Today Big is 30 days old. Peace descended this morning as both Big and Middle had their breakfast. No beaking. No intimidation. Just two siblings happy to be fed their breakfast by Mum.
Mum had some bites in between feeding the osplets and, at the beginning, Big got more bites per bites given than Middle. In the end, both ate well.
Notice the juvenile feathers coming in on the osplets. They are moving out of the reptile phase. Fantastic.
At 367 Collins Street, Dade flew on to the ledge and gave Mum a well-prepared pigeon. Mum fed the Melbourne Four who tore through that pigeon in record time. It arrived at 0646 and Mum flew off with a few leftovers at 0701. 15 minutes. Wow. Those eyases are getting quite large and strong. Gosh, they are gorgeous.
At the scrape box of Indigo and Rubus on the campus of Charles Sturt University at Orange, Xavier flew in with a Starling at 06:24:49. I have expected Indigo to run into the corner in fear after the Starling head yesterday. Diamond took it immediately feeding the two and flying out with the leftovers at 063727.
Indigo hit the bull’s eye on the camera with a rather large ps. That is why the image is cloudy.
All of the chicks in Australia did very well. They were all fed early. What a wonderful way to begin the day.
I have had several requests in the mail for a book list of readings for Ospreys and ‘H’ has suggested that I remind everyone about another book on Ospreys. That is coming up tomorrow! More in-depth news will also be coming tomorrow but, for now, smile. Port Lincoln is, as predicted, settled – at least for the moment and I am hopeful that it will stay that way.
Thank you for being with me. Take care all. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.
Once upon a time, someone asked me why I write a bird blog. What was in it for me? I smiled. First, I have met hundreds of the most caring people I could ever hope to meet. You. Your passion for and love of our feathered friends is infectious. Secondly, I cannot help myself. I love all birds and want to do whatever I can to help improve their living conditions and educate humans on what we can do to enrich their lives now that we have taken away their habitat, put toxins in the water where they get their fish, caused changes in climate. All of you know these things – which is also what makes you very special to me. You get it. One day I looked into the eyes of a female Sharp-shinned Hawk and ‘something’ transformed me. I will never be able to fully explain the connection with that raptor, at that moment, but it was intense. Not fear. It was as if the entire world stopped for those minutes. I have also learned something very special – nature and birds enrich our lives. They calm us when we are stressed out by daily living. Spending time with them is much better than paying a therapist!
In the Mailbox:
From ‘R’: “How do you deal with watching so many osprey chicks be killed by their sibling”?
‘R’, that is a great question and many have asked me something similar this morning. The real answer is that I don’t get over them. Each time one dies a piece of me goes off into the ether with them. I never forget them and their struggles and, I shed more tears than anyone knows for days after. At the same time, I rejoice – I mean jumping up and down cheering – when a third hatch that has been terrorized survives. It is my belief that they are clever, problem-solving, and will eat anything including the dry skin off a bone to survive. What I want to find out is if that translates into returning at two years to breed. Years of data still to come. As for Little Bob at Port Lincoln, my heart still aches and tears still flow. We watch them grow, we love them, we cheer them on to eat…it is difficult to see them come to harm.
I was touched by the many letters expressing the joy that Little Bob had brought to your lives and the sadness that nothing could be done to help him. Let us continue to support intervention. As one reader reminded me, ‘B’Dr Sharpe acted quickly to get permissions to help the eaglets in the Channel Islands clinging on the edge of a cliff for their life. Perhaps the authorities that give the permission for interventions in South Australia will come to understand that the tide of change in public opinion has already happened. We want nature protected and cared for! As humans we realize that many of the challenges faced by our raptors is because of us. Let us support having fish at the ready or by removing chicks to feed them and return them to the nests. Fix their eyes like CROW did for those little eaglets of Harriet and M15 (E17 and E18) or the removal of monofilament line at Captiva. Whatever it takes – much of their suffering is because of our bad habits – let’s fix things for them by being active in their lives in a positive way.
Making News: Videos and Posts:
Harriet and M15 have doubled the size of their nest. My goodness what a hard-working pair of Bald Eagles getting on with the job of replacing their home after Hurricane Ian destroyed it. Industrious. That is the word my mother would have used for these two! Well done, Harriet and M15!
Fishing gear – in the oceans, in the lakes, along the rivers and streams. It is absolutely dangerous for our water birds and other animals that live in the oceans. Individuals who partake in recreational fishing should take a course on how their equipment can harm wildlife. Commercial fishing vessels have to be held accountable in a manner that will harm their profits if they do not comply. They should also be required to load their hooks at night so as to lessen the chance for decapitating an Albatross. It is such a simple fix.
I really want to start with some good news and it is about Ervie and Dad. According to Fran Solly, Take2 Photography, Dad fishes at a place called Murray Point which is about 2-3 kilometres from the nest. It just so happens that is where Ervie fishes, too! They have plotted it on his tracker. So Dad and Ervie are fishing together. Just makes me smile.
Breakfast is being served in the three nests in Australia or, at least, I hope it is. Let’s check in and see what is happening.
At 367 Collins Street, that beautiful glow of the city just waking up had Mum flying off the nest at 06:16.
Off she goes!
Mum returned at 0639. She looked around. Was she expecting Dad to show up and feed the eyases? Then she began feeding them that fresh pigeon. One of the great things about falcon and hawk nests is the way the chicks are fed. Everyone gets food. Lessons are taught – Mum holds the prey higher or stands further back getting them to stretch those necks and get them strong. It was a great feeding.
Aren’t they adorable?
In Orange, Xavier came to the scrape at 06:20:59 with an unplucked Starling. Diamond was less than impressed. Xavier quickly took the bird to pluck it.
Xavier did not return with the Starling – well, not yet and it is 07:14. Rubus is really hungry. He is prey calling very, very loud.
Xavier returned to the scrape at 07:17:10 and got to feed his two babies a Rainbow Lorikeet. Oh, my goodness, Rubus was full. Talk about dancing talons (a phrase ‘A’ uses for the Mum at Port Lincoln when she sees Dad coming with a fish). Rubus was excited. Both chicks ate well. Xavier was determined to do a good job. He sure had them stretching their necks.
Xavier is very good at feeding Rubus and Indigo.
Loo, at that big bite Rubus is going to hork. Incredible. And Xavier in his cute little pajamas. Gosh, these male falcons are adorable.
When Rubus is full, he turns his back on the parent.
Xavier thinks otherwise….please eat some more, Rubus.
It is half an hour earlier at Port Lincoln and all were sleeping as the falcon scrapes prepared to begin their day.
The wind at Port Lincoln is making the water really choppy with some white caps on high waves. Apparently Murray Point is a sheltered area where Dad can find fish. He leaves early in the morning according to the local observers.
It is nearly 0800 at Port Lincoln and there is still no fish. The waves seem to be getting higher with more white caps. It could be a difficult day – easy to catch but hard to fly against that strong wind back to the nest. I have yet to see any beaking between Big and Middle. That is a good thing.
We will all wish for fish – enough for Mum, too.
Migration:
Checking on Karl II and his family, the Black Storks whose nest is in the Karula National Forest in Estonia. The Mum, Kaia, is in a dry part of Chad. She has flown the furthest.
Karl II is in Israel.
Bonus remains in Bulgaria near the River Bazau.
Waba is also in Bulgaria, east of Plowdiw.
Everyone in the family is fine. The transmissions have been good so far the last couple of days.
Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their posts, their streaming cams which form my screen captures: Looduskalender Forum, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SWFlorida Eagles and video by Marti Lord, and The Guardian.
It was a very long night. I want to thank you for your outpourings of love and empathy for Little Bob at PLO. If love – human love – could have saved him, that nest would have been full of fish. Little Bob died of the effects of siblicide (starvation and a possible early morning injury) in the late afternoon of the 16th of October at the age of 24 days. Port Lincoln received permission to remove his body from the nest. Fran Solly (?) moved the camera away from the nest to the landscape while Little Bob was being taken off the nest.
Port Lincoln posted the following information on their observation board:
A sad day at port lincoln as #3 didn’t survive. It didn’t get fed properly these last few days and collapsed around 1 pm this afternoon and died at the end of the afternoon. PLO got permission to retrieve it for burial, but didn’t get permission to interfere before that. It is sad, but also the way of life in any nest. The other two siblings are thriving and have every chance to successfully fledge in a few weeks.
If you go to the obs board, you can also join in guessing the fledge time of the two surviving osplets. That obs board can be viewed here:
It is a shame that Port Lincoln did not get permission to intervene once they realized what was happening on the nest.
There are divided feelings on which osplet should be removed when food competition is present. Most researchers believe you remove the eldest if it can self-feed instead of the youngest – leave the youngest with the adult who will feed it. In other instances, smaller birds being beaked have been removed and fed and returned to the nests to live happily. Perhaps, in the future, should this occur again (and it almost seems inevitable at this nest if the first hatch is a big female), permission to intervene can be gained even before the eggs are laid. Just a thought.
Little Bob was loved by so many and we remain heart broken. I am glad that his suffering has ended, however. The parents have little time to grieve – they have two large osplets to care for and get to fledge.
Making News:
Warming seas, overfishing, hotter temperatures are all having a huge impact on birds. Will there be a time when Ospreys will only be able to find enough food for the parents and one chick to survive?
We have just witnessed at Port Lincoln the ospreys eating fish that were fresh and left on the nest or the one that magically appeared on the barge. Since climate change is human caused, it is time that we began to consider ways in which we can help our Osprey friends adapt – and that is through intervention. Providing fish when there is not enough. Fish tanks. There are figures of how many fish come to an Osprey nest with three chicks. The average, if I recall correctly, is somewhere around 450 fish.
Already scientists are seeing a 43% decline in Penguins. Here is the story:
The article might be about penguins today but, it is easy to see that the Royal Albatross chicks are requiring more supplementary feedings. What others will we be reading about?
Here is a story coming from Cyprus about the Griffon Vulture. When will countries realize that wildlife and bird watching tours add much income to an economy. So instead of trying to wipe them out with poisons why not embrace the beauty of all and celebrate it?
There remain three active nests in Australia with chicks to fledge: 367 Collins Street Peregrine Falcons in Melbourne, Charles Sturt Peregrine Falcon scrape in Orange (Xavier and Diamond), and the two Osplets at Port Lincoln. There are currently no concerns for the falcons at Orange. Both are eating well and food is arriving with no issue. There is concern about the amount of time the female is away from the scrape box at Melbourne. My understanding is that there will be two very hot days this week that will impact the eyases. They do not, as yet, have the ability to run up and down the gutter nor are they feathered to further help them regulate their temperatures. Big and Middle should thrive at Port Lincoln.
The Melbourne Four had several feedings yesterday. The last was at 1832. The four were absolutely bursting at the seams!
Indigo and Rubus ended their day with a duckling feed. Yesterday they had Starlings, a parrot and a Rosella. Xavier is bringing in quite a variety for his family. The Rosella feeding was at 16:29:58
At 1740 a duckling arrived on the ledge which Diamond happily took to feed Indigo and Rubus. Rubus did not have a crop from the earlier Rosella feeling an hour prior and so, this little one got to fill its tummy before bed with a favourite, duck.
At Port Lincoln, after the removal of Little Bob’s body, Mum fed the two surviving chicks one of the fish that was left by Port Lincoln. She also enjoyed some of it herself. It is worth remembering that both Mum and Dad have to retain their health or the entire nest suffers. Mum worked hard to find Little Bob fish when he was eating – at the expense of herself. The females lose weight and body mass as they produce eggs, incubate, brood and feed the chicks until such time as they fledge. Often, at about 30 days, Mum will, in fact, go fishing and supplement the fish Dad brings to the nest.
I do not personally believe there will be any more problems on the Port Lincoln nest. It is not always the case, however. At the UFlorida-Gainesville nest, after the third hatch died, the eldest began to take their angst out on the second hatch. The competition continued but as Middle got bigger, it was clear that Big could not kill it. At that nest, it was evident that the Mum often favoured the eldest. It was a very interesting nest to watch – it had two strong fledglings in the end.
Middle has grown a great deal in the last couple of days as she began to figure out how to get fish and be away from Big. Let us all hope that lots of fish continues to come in and that Mum will also get her share.
Breakfast has not yet arrived at all the nests. I hope to have a very late day report on the comings and goings early on a Monday morning at the nests in Australia. Thank you for being with me and thank you for all of your outpourings of sympathy for Port Lincoln over the death of sweet Little Bob. It will be very difficult to watch that nest for many. Port Lincoln is not a nest for the faint of heart. For those of you that love Ospreys, I want to now recommend three nests in the UK: Rutland’s Manton Bay with Blue 33 and Maya. That Osprey family has raised four osplets twice!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are Super Stars in the Osprey world. The second is at Dyfi in Wales, the home of Idris and Telyn. It just so happens that Telyn is Maya’s daughter from Rutland! The other is the home of Louis and Dorcha at Loch Arkaig. Louis melted our hearts when he helped his former mate, Aila, feed their three chicks in 2020. He is an amazing provider just like Blue 33 and Idris.
Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their stories, posts, and our streaming cams where I took my screen captures: The Guardian, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.
The scrape box on the ledge at 367 Collins Street is really teaching us a lot about falcon behaviour this year — or about this particular couple, F22 and M22. To recap, the old mum, F17, was found injured in June and had to be euthanized. Cute little Dad M17 took another mate F22. Four eggs were laid. Then came a territorial crisis with old dad M17 last being seen in September. Since then Male 22 and Female 22 have been incubating and now feeding and brooding the offspring of male 17 and female 22.
The behaviour of the female and, in particular, her penchant for leaving the four eyases in the hot sun at mid-day has caused some concern. Little Dad has tried to shield them as best he could. Little Dad often does a lot of the feeding. Sometimes Mum feeds then broods and Dad comes and feeds again.
Today was peculiar – actually Sunday in Melbourne. Mum flew off at 0602 and returned with a freshly caught pigeon, unplucked. She considered plucking it by the scrape and feeding the chicks but, she changed her mind and flew off with it. She returned more than an hour later with a somewhat plucked bird and went about to feed the eyases and then changed her mind again and left. I wondered if Dad would have to feed them!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, Dad did arrive. He was empty taloned. He recognized that the chicks were ravished. He went over and first found a bone and went about getting anything off of it for them. He then dug around and found a bit more carcass and fed the wee ones. I am seriously starting to wonder if he doesn’t have more maternal instincts than the female.
Dad looked and found every morsel that he possibly could in order to feed the four eyases. In the meantime, they remained civil to one another . This has to be noted. Siblicide, sibling rivalry, beaking abuse, and food competition such as we are seeing at Port Lincoln is almost unheard of in falcon and hawk nests.
Finally, Mum arrives with a big pigeon. She gives a great plucking demonstration to the Melbourne Four who take it all in. I wonder if they thought she might take that bird away, too. But, no, this time, some three and a half hours after breakfast sort of began, the kids were fed. Goodness.
The four eyases were fed and Mum flew off. She has returned. I hope that she stays with the chicks during the heat of the day today.
‘A’ and I continually speak about the need for a shade over this scrape box like the one at the other end. It will surely protect the chicks from the elements as well as the heat of the sun if Mum continues to make it a habit. It would also help in the future. We have a few more days and these eyases will be able to run down the gutter to get in the shade if they are left.
Have a great day everyone. These four are quite full. Now if we can only get a good feeding into Little Bob. That would be a grand Sunday in Australia.
Thank you for being with me. See you soon.
Thank you to 367 Collins Street by Mirvac for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.
The dreary cool day continued on the Canadian Prairies. The garden has been very energetic all day. Notable were visits for 7 Black-capped Chickadees, some adult and juvenile Clay Sparrows, Junior and his three Jays, one Crow, all of the squirrels, and about 150 House Sparrows. Oh, yes, and about 25 Dark-eyed Juncos and 4 European Starlings.
Dark-eyed JuncoDyson and Co dumped the covered feeder. Two of Junior’s fledglings are in the middle of it eating their corn.
All the joy in my garden doesn’t compare to the sadness and despair bracketed by hope that people have for Little Bob at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge.
At 06:38:32, Big Bob decided it was time to give Little Bob a good thrashing – for nothing more than being there – and Big anticipating that an early fish was coming in.
Little Bob got nothing of that fish. He is so afraid that he did not even raise his head.
Mum flew off and came in with a big fish. Little Bob was too scared to move. He had Middle on one side and Big on the other. Middle is doing well and when I last looked both Middle and Big had huge crops.
Everyone is hoping that another fish or two will come in quick succession and Little will get to eat. He had some fish – not tons and not enough to make a big crop but, some, 24 hours ago. Little needs a really good feed today. He needs to be able to raise his head up and not be intimidated and hurt by Big.
Breakfast was confusing at 367 Collins Street. Mum flew in with a freshly caught pigeon which she began to pluck. She changed her mind after the Melbourne Four were excited for an early feed. – Oh, she gave one or two of them a few feathers. She flew off with the bird. Then she returned with it mostly plucked. Went to feed the eyases and then changed her mind again and flew off at 07:33. I would not be surprised if Dad shows up and feeds the Four.
No real breakfast yet. Back to sleep.
I wonder if these chicks are as confused as I am. What is going on, Mum?
There was a frenzied breakfast feeding at Orange. Diamond came in with a Starling at 07:11 and Rubus was ready to go. Diamond is working to get Rubus to stretch its neck and the little one did not disappoint. At the end of the feed, both Rubus and Indigo had nice crops. Well done.
Another prey item came in at 0724. Cilla Kinross said it was definitely not Starling. Diamond stayed with the chicks and Xavier either ate his breakfast or put it in the pantry for later. All is well at Orange. No worries here. Indigo’s feathers are developing very well. Rubus continues with his loud screams..and life is good in rural Australia.
The only nest to have had breakfast by the time I finish writing this is Orange. The four chicks at Melbourne would love to have had some of that fresh pigeon. They wait. Middle and Big (of course) ate well. Little needs food. ‘A’ observed a very tiny PS from Little last evening – a sure sign that he is becoming very dehydrated. Please wish for fish. Send all your positive energy Little’s way.
Thank you for being with me. That is a wrap for me in Manitoba. Take care all. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.
It is 0500 on the Canadian prairies and the sky is solid clouds with a temperature of 5 degrees C. I am surprised at how toasty warm it is in the conservatory and how quiet it is. No cars, no people, no geese honking, or songbirds. Quiet.
The situation at Port Lincoln has had me up and down most of the night. I had so hoped that Little Bob would get some more food during the day but Big has made sure that Little and Middle are so frightened of eating that Little wouldn’t hardly raise its beak. It is a worry. If Big is going to calm down, it should begin to happen. What I witnessed on Saturday was a huge sibling demanding all the fish including any that would go to Mum. I am up early today because one of the things that relieves stress is to go for a walk in the forest and that is where I will be headed. As much as I would like to remove Big from the entire situation at Port Lincoln, I can’t. You can’t. Sometimes it is simply hard to watch abuse.
A sweet story about Blue Herons by an 11-year-old, how weather changes might impact Chiffchaffs, and a couple of videos to start the day:
Before we go and get the round up of the days events in Australia, Lady Hawk made a very short video of Samson and Gabby for all of us who are missing them!
And for those who cannot wait until the next season of Royal Albatross begins, Sharon Dunne aka Lady Hawk, made a much longer video of the albatross arriving at Taiaroa Head. I wonder who the Royal Cam family will be?
Oh, I had so hoped that Big Bob at Port Lincoln was ‘cooling her jets’ and settling down. The breakfast meal on Saturday went well. Big filled up. Middle got quite a bit, and Little got a couple of bites and then was able to get fed some fish before the tail area. Everyone settled down. As the anticipation of another fish arrival grew, Big ‘decided’ to remind Middle and Little Bobs with some savage beaking and pulling at the neck and some tossing that – she – and only she – was to eat first.
As the morning wore on with no additional fish delivery, Big got increasingly angry. The chatters who were watching the live stream were urging Little Bob to just not make a sound. Big is in a frenzy. Will Big be one of the exceptions to the rule of calming down? Middle and Little would gladly be fostered about right now. No matter what size the next fish is, it is Big’s. And no one will have any peace until there are several fish deliveries in a row that are huge…deliveries that have a late one and then an early one the next morning. Gracious.
Neither sibling is spared. The meal was over. Both Middle and Little were minding their own business and Bob decided to go after them.
At 11:50 Little Bob insists on cuddling with Big Bob – right under her neck. Interesting. Big Bob gave Little ‘the look’ but, didn’t beak.
It is windy and choppy. No fish delivery yet. It is after 1330. It could be quite nasty with Big on edge. I sure hope it is a monster of a fish.
There will be two more fish deliveries at Port Lincoln. The mid-afternoon delivery saw Bob terrorizing both Middle and Little again. Does anyone remember the days when Big only went on a rampage between meals and everyone got to eat? It has been a long time since that happened. Now, both Middle and Little are fearful of eating. Little Bob did not get anything to eat. Middle did a do around and pulled some pieces of fish from behind Mum.
On the PLO nest there was a late fish delivery at 20:13:24 but Little did not get anything to eat. Middle got to enjoy some fish. It is very clear that Big Bob has scared Little from eating. Let us hope, beyond hope, that he gets some food Sunday morning. Of course, the other miracle would be that Big would slow down in the aggression. Will this happen?
At 367 Collins Street, Mum returned after Dad had fed the chicks. The prey that he brought in was identified as a Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo. You can just see a few of the yellow feathers remaining. Apparently these are very dangerous birds for the falcons to catch as they can break the tarsus.
So we can be clear. The prey breakfast that Dad brought was not the pigeon that Mum caught and brought to the ledge. From the look of her enormous crop when she returned, she must have been ravenous and finished off that entire bird.
Mum cleaned up pieces of prey in the scrape, stayed with the chicks for a bit, and then left. Dad returned when the chicks were panting to try and shield them from the sun. Again, this is the strangest Peregrine Falcon scrape I have ever seen.
The eyases have grown so much that little Dad has a hard time just shading one of them. We are still about a week away before they can run down the gutter to the other end when it is in shade.
Top 2 images of Mum shading the chicks when she returns. Why didn’t she stay? It is so hot for them.
Little Dad comes and does his best. Look at how big they are. Oh, the shade cannot come quick enough and my calculations are that is 2 hours away.
I have included this ‘behind the scenes’ view of what I believe is the oldest or next oldest of the chicks. Just look at the feathers coming in, that huge tail, and yes, that fat little bottom and legs. It will not be long til this one is running up and down the gutter.
The Melbourne Four are eating well. The last delivery arrives around 1725. Dad comes in with a nicely prepared piece of prey. None of the four will be going hungry!
After Dad feeds them, Mum returns to brood the eyases.
Diamond fed Rubus and Indigo again around 10:17. Oh, she must enjoy facing away from the camera so we cannot possibly count the bites each of them gets! Of course, now that Rubus can see better and is more stable, there is no cause to worry. Rubus gets fed! And so does Indigo. She had an enormous crop when Diamond left the scrape with leftovers at 10:32.
We have to assume that with how well the feedings have been going that Rubus was full as well as both chicks will go into food coma.
Rubus had a really good feed at noon. At 1209 Diamond was insisting that he eat this huge piece of prey but, he tried and tried and couldn’t. Eventually Diamond ate it giving Rubus lots more bites after. The feedings are going so well now.
At the last feeding of the day, Indigo had an enormous crop and Rubus had a wee one. When you are watching a feeding at Orange, turn the sound up. Rubus is sooooooo loud!
Migration:
Here is a link to the interactive Bird Map showing ospreys, Black Storks, and other raptors on their way to their winter homes:
I will bring news of Karl II and his family – Kaia, Waba, and Bonus as soon as new transmissions are received.
Bird Cast shows us the changing nature of migration through North America.
As the sky begins to lighten, I can smell the coffee. Once upon a time I had a cat named Duncan. She knew that when the morning and evening coffees came, she would be able to go outside. She would sit at the edge of the counter waiting for her harness to go on and we would sit, enjoying the beautiful outdoors. What a great friend she was! I am not sure what the birds would make of having a cat outside but, as the sky turns a light grey, the Dark-eyed Juncos are arriving in droves. There are, perhaps, 40 of them this morning searching for any Millet left from yesterday. It looks like that is my reminder to feed them before I enjoy that coffee. The songbirds have arrived and broken the silence…and it is wonderful. A single Blue Jay has arrived as well. Time to get moving!
Let us all send the warmest wishes that we can to the Port Lincoln barge. May there be so many fish that Big gets sick of seeing fish and allows Middle and Little to eat, unharmed.
Thank you for being with me today. Take care all. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their stories, posts, videos, and streaming cams that form my screen captures: The Guardian, Lady Hawk, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.
A good late afternoon to everyone. It is 1640 on the Canadian prairies. The temperature has warmed up to a balmy 5 degrees C. The sky is very overcast. The Juncos are feeding on the White Millet and there is a large group of American Tree Sparrows that have joined the regulars in the garden. Having been for Bark Butter and Meal Works the Starlings have yet to show up again. I have a feeling they are feeding elsewhere and roosting in the big trees at the back in the evening. I hope they see their special set up. They generally like to eat out in the open tearing through the goodies rather quickly.
Let’s check and see what is happening at the homes of the Melbourne Four, Indigo and Rubus, and the three osplets at Port Lincoln. Of the three I am most anxious for Little Bob at Port Lincoln.
At Port Lincoln everyone is curled up tight. Just have a look at how big Big is! There was no middle of the night snack for Little Bob and Mum last night.
We should, of course, be astounded by the growth of ospreys. They normally “triple their body weight in the first eight days they are out of the egg, and then double it again in the nest four days. During the period of fastest growth, between the ages of fifteen to thirty days, chicks are gaining an average of forty grams or .09 of a lb a day which is translated to 2-3% of their final weight. By thirty days of age, Osprey chicks have achieved 70-80% of their total body mass and growth slows.” (Alan Poole, Ospreys, 101).
This is what I hope will happen to Big. She will plateau. Not requiring so much food for that accelerated growth that has caused her to become nothing short of huge, her beaking and need to keep the others at bay should slow as well.
The first arrived at 06:25. Thankfully, it was a nice big one. Little Bit winds up in the middle of Big on the right and Middle on the left. At 06:52, Little Bit gets a good 3 or 4 bits. Then the two older siblings find yet more room in their full crops. At around 06:53 Mum really reaches her neck over and feeds Little Bit.
It is hard to imagine that Big could hold another bite, but she continues to get some bites until 06:58 when she backs off. Little Bit will move around the left side of Middle to get closer to Mum and the fish tail. Middle has eaten well but is still getting bites. Mum works hard to get the rest of the meat out of the tail for Little.
During the feeding, Little Bob was very aware of Middle and kept back. That was very smart. It will be interesting to see what happens at the next feeding.
It was the most congenial breakfast I have seen in more than a week. Fantastic. We should all be smiling. Little Bit did not get tons of food, not like Big and Middle but he ate without being pecked and was not too scared, just careful. Also, clever moving around Middle to get closer to Mum.
Mum needs some food. That is a fact.
The sun is coming up over the Central Business District (CBD) of Melbourne. The Melbourne Four will be waking up and anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first prey item of the day.
Mum left the eyases and it looks like she went hunting. She flew in with a ‘just killed’ pigeon with all its feathers!
Mum left with that prize pigeon at 07:38. The eyases have not been fed and neither adult has arrived back. As I write it is now 08:40. This is the strangest behaviour at a Peregrine Falcon scrape with four little ones I have ever seen in my entire life. It does not take an hour to pluck a pigeon!
At 0847 an adult arrives on the ledge with a plucked pigeon. I cannot tell if it is Dad or Mum but, the behaviour is like Dad. Ahhh…and it is Dad. He has arrived to feed the little ones who are ravenous.
Dad did a fantastic job feeding the four and they are still eating as I finish writing. What on earth is going on with this female? Most females will go without eating to feed their chicks. Clearly the Mum at Port Lincoln is like that. This female catches prey and leaves. Why didn’t she pluck it on the ledge? The old Mum and Dad often did that. Why did Dad come in with a plucked pigeon looking around and not seeing Mum. Was it the pigeon she caught? Too many questions.
Diamond is awake in Orange as the camera gets ready to change over from IR light.
Indigo and Rubus are awake. Rubus is when breakfast is arriving.
Xavier arrived with a Starling at 0642. Oh, I thought he was going to get to fed Rubus and Indigo. Maybe Xavier did, too! He started plucking that Starling…and then Diamond arrived and took it over.
Diamond had her back to the camera during the feeding.
Both Rubus and Indigo appear to have had plenty to eat. Diamond has now moved ‘eggie’ back into the nest cup. I wonder if she will move it out when she goes to brood the two.
Migration News:
There is good news coming from the satellite transmissions of Karl II and his family. Everyone has sent out their locations.
Karl II has left Turkey and is now in Lebanon in the mountain area near Hos ech Chadoura Ridge.
Waba is still in Bulgaria near Rakowski. He is feeding at the River Marizu and in the canals between the fields.
Kaia is still in Chad. She is feeding in a seasonal river near Baouda.
Bonus is still in Romania.
Everyone has eaten but it sure is a strange morning at 367 Collins Street. Just about the time Port Lincoln is due to calm down the scrape in Melbourne continues to confound. Rubus and Indigo had a good feed and Little Bob did not get a full crop, but he had a good meal on top of his full crop last night. Life is good.
Thank you for being with me. I hope that you have a lovely start to your weekend. Take care all. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.
For us on the Canadian Prairies, we have been plummeted into cooler wetter weather. Chilled to the bones and it is raining snow. It reminds me of when I moved to the UK to go to Leicester University. It was December and it rained every day – heavy, beating down, cold rain. I understood immediately why a pot of hot tea, always at the ready, was important! And my friend from the Shetland Islands showed me why ‘wool’ socks and sweaters were her mainstay. I learned my lesson – I have my ‘woolies’ on right now and there is a big pot of hot tea sitting beside me.
It is 13:36 in Melbourne, Sydney, and Orange and a half hour earlier in Port Lincoln. Here it is 21:36 on a Wednesday. As I write this, the Melbourne Four are having another feeding. Geez to be such a rainy day, these urban falcons have been eating pretty good! Nice fat freshly caught pigeon has been on the menu and Mum has tried to make absolutely sure everyone is full at every feeding today as if there might not be another prey item brought in for a fortnight! She is teaching them a valuable lesson. All raptors know it – live for the now, eat all you can because you might not see food for a day or two.
The feeding is over, and Dad is now at the scrape giving Mum her long break in the middle of the day.
‘H’ summarized the day at Melbourne after I went to bed as 5 good feedings with Mum out for lunch with the girls from 1345-1518. Mum is training Dad well and my goodness, look at him in the picture above. He is so bonded to the care of those little ones.
Are you familiar with the term ‘food coma’? If not, you will hear it a lot when discussing raptors. It is when a chick has eaten so much, they literally fall asleep. It is an induced sleep caused by eating. That is precisely what happened to Rubus and Indigo at the Orange scrape today. They collapsed into a very sound food coma. They had a duckling for breakfast and not long after, Dad brought in a bird with some green feathers. Someone mentioned it was a ‘King Parrot’. Diamond kept filling their beaks and it was surprising when little Rubus had some really big bites but, also lovely. Diamond almost spent as much time feeding Rubus as Indigo!
The images below are from the second feeding – a King Parrot. The two eyases had previously had a duckling for breakfast.
This was a very large parrot and when the feeding was over 25 minutes later there was only a scrap left. Diamond had some good parrot at the end but, she really forced the food on the youngsters. She might well know that the weather is changing and they should eat all they can now. The little ones can only hold so much but, as you look through the images you will see when they begin to get really full and don’t care. Mum is still offering food.
Rubus is just so much more stable. He balances himself on his wing tips like in the image below and sometimes he leans on Indigo but not nearly as much as earlier in the week. He is also raising himself up, stretching his neck, to try and get level with Indigo’s beak.
The hawk and falcon mothers will raise the prey higher to get their eyases to stretch their necks. It helps develop their muscles! The eyases develop so fast that everything is a learning experience.
Rubus has a very nice crop…see the shiny purple area where the feathers are gone? For those of you that do not know what a crop is, it is a very thin-walled pouch at the bottom of the esophagus that stores food before it enters the rest of the digestive system. It is also the place where the raptors create pellets of prey parts that are not easily digested. They will ‘form a pellet’ and then regurgitate it. Scientists study the contents of these pellets to tell them what prey items the raptors have been eating. The raptor can eat and ‘drop the crop’ (allow the contents to enter the digestive system) so they can eat more. When the crop is very flat or sunken in, you know that the bird has not eaten for a while.
These two are just adorable. Indigo is so sedate and Rubus looks like he is going to be a real feisty one! What we want, of course, are two very healthy fledglings.
Diamond offers some big bites, Rubus can’t eat them. Sometimes she will break them into smaller pieces for the little one. Sometimes Indigo gets them but, today, she had more patience and tried more times to make sure that Rubus got really nice bites of prey. Even if he was no longer hungry.
They are both so full.
And now this is a food coma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We were all so joyful and relieved when Little Bob at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge got fed by Mum early Thursday morning in Australia. Despite the wind and the white caps, Dad did deliver a fish at 13:22:05. On its arrival, Little Bob was closest to the camera with Big on the other side and then Middle. Big Bob consumed 99% of the fish. Middle Bob moved from beside Big Bob and maneuvered its way around to the left side of Little Bob. All this time Little Bob has been rolled up like a roly-poly, tight, head down. Middle Bob kept its eye and ears open and did not move to get any fish until Big Bob had really slowed down. At 13:50:41, you can see the big crop that Middle Bob has. Little Bob made no effort to eat. The fish was all gone at 13:57:54.
I am only attaching one image. Little Bob was like this, curled up between both siblings the entire feeding.
There was another fish delivery at 14:54:33. ‘A’ informs me that Big had an enormous crop but kept eating. Middle did well and Little Bob was simply too frightened to eat. Mum offered and finally he had a good feed for three and a half minutes at 15:38:52. Mum fed Little Bob fast just like she did with the fish tail so that he could get as much as he could before Big started with the anger.
Little Bob was so hungry. He just appeared ‘beaten down’ in his demeanor prior to receiving these bites. I suspect he is just being careful. Big Bob is so large in comparison.
This image prior to Little Bob having bites.
The best feedings for Little Bob were the one early in the morning where Mum pulled all she could out of the tail and with the 2003 fish delivery where Little Bob had a big crop at the end of that feeding.
Just look at that crop! Tears with the coffee this morning.
As much as I am troubled by what is happening at Port Lincoln, the average time for nests to calm down that have had troubles is 28 days. By early next week, if this nest is going to calm down, it will. Please send them your warmest wishes. Little is not the only one hungry – Mum is, too! She did eat some during the night but she worked hard to find anything to feed Little Bob early yesterday morning. She needs a spa day.
367 Collins Street just keeps putting a smile on my face. There is so much food. Dad also seems to be enjoying his time with the kids every day around noon. Today Mum was a little late in leaving. He brooded the Melbourne 4 and then went to get them a pigeon so he could feed them. How fantastic is that?
Everyone did well including Little Bob. The birds are all sleeping in Australia now. Meanwhile the snow is getting heavier here in Manitoba. The Starlings are here, a Raven has come to visit the garden, and all seem to be in a bit of their own panic. I don’t blame them. They are outside in our dreadful weather. Speaking of dreadful weather, ‘A’ tells me there is very hot weather coming to Melbourne. She checked the dates and the two eldest eyases are 2 weeks old today (the 14th in Australia). They need about one more week before they can run down the gutter to the shade. So, let’s wish everyone well while it is rainy and then when it is hot. I wish I could send them some of the cold winds blowing this morning through my garden.
Thank you for being with me today. There will be a posting later with all the breakfast news. Please take care. See you soon.
Thank you to ‘A’ and ‘H’ for being my eyes when mine are closed. Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.
The beaking by Big Bob began a couple of weeks ago. At the time, that behaviour took place away from the feeding line. For the past two days, Big Bob has been on a tear. It was caused by the insecurity and instability of a single fish delivery one day that did not arrive on the nest until 1500. It has been exacerbated by either late fish deliveries or fish coming on the nest only in the morning. The last feeding there was 20 hours separating the last feeding with the first. It makes the eldest become aware that there might not be enough food for everyone. The result is rampant beaking during feedings resulting in Little Bob being shut out, for the most part, and being afraid to eat. Little Bob is 21 days old today. There is no doubt about it – Big Bob is huge and Little Bob is small. Of course, Middle Bob has had the wrath of Big but it did eat at the last feeding when Little was too afraid and Middle Bob did get fish during the night when Mum got up to eat.
So what will play out on the nest today? There is plenty of fish. It is the notion, if you like, that there isn’t that fuels Big Bob’s ravage attacks. In most instances, nests calm down by the 28th day. Can Little Bob survive that long?
Heavy rains are supposed to be headed for Port Lincoln. Mum has been feeding the leftover fish on and off overnight. She even tried to feed Little Bob but, he did not eat. Middle Bob did. At the first feeding of the morning, Big Bob is up at the eating table.
At 06:54:53 Mum moved to another fish and Little Bob got a bite. Then he got a peck. We need Big and Middle to go into a food coma.
At 07:10, Little Bob gets to eat. It is the end of the fish but Mum is pulling out every morsel she can find for her wee babe. I hope she feeds him the tail and the skin. Tears. What is needed is another big fish to land on this nest now.
Mum is getting gold stars this morning. She is pulling out every piece of fish flesh she can get out of that tail for Little Bob. She is still finding food for him at 07:17. I know that I am not the only one cheering Mum on — all of the chatters watching the streaming cam are joyful.
Hopefully, Little Bob will get his confidence back and be that feisty little one we saw a week ago. It takes time. But here he is, side-by-side with a big sibling eating away. Fantastic. It is just the best.
But wait, Mum keeps going. At 07:20 she begins to tear the skin into small pieces and feed them to Little Bob. This Mum is amazing!
Mum is not finished. She has gotten every bit of this fish and she begins to break up the tail for Little Bob and feed him it at 07:25:41. Did I say I can’t stop the tears from flowing? I haven’t seen a Mum work so hard to feed one of her chicks in years. Not since Achieva in 2020. Incredible.
Xavier brought in a duckling – which Diamond loves – at 06:39:04. It seems that both Indigo and Rubus love duckling, too.
It is pitching down rain in Melbourne. Mum is doing the best she can to keep those big eyases dry. Dad came in to look after the babies so Mum had a break and then she returned to feed the Melbourne 4.
Life is good. Everyone has eaten! It is a good start to the morning.
Thank you so much for being with me. It has turned cold in Winnipeg and the temperature has dropped to 4 degrees C with rain. It feels like it could snow! I shouldn’t say that. Take care everyone. If you can rewind and watch that wonderful feeding for Little Bob. It starts at 07:10. Let us also all hope that he gets another good meal today. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Ospreys. 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.
I hope that all of you had a good start to the week. It is cooler on the Canadian Prairies today with really cloudy skies and reports of possible showers starting at noon. The animals have really been busy in the garden gathering nuts and eating. I wonder if we will have another cold snap? The European Starlings have come to the tree in the back lane but, for some reason they have not come to the garden. Is it because I have no Butter Bark or Meal Worms out for them? I plan to go and get some later today. We will see if that is what they are looking for.
Of the four nests in Australia, the real concern is at Port Lincoln and I will be monitoring that nest closely.
The gold star for the week goes to the male at Melbourne who really kept the nest together when Mum was away for over 3 hours and the hot sun was beating down on the youngsters.
To tell the difference between Dad (below) and Mum, look at the breast area. Dad has hardly any lateral barring – with a full crop, his chest area looks like fluffy Victorian handmade lace. Isn’t he adorable? I have come to love this tiercel so much. He has really saved the lives of these four eyases, now known affectionately in my house as The Melbourne Four.
Making News:
The causeway to Captiva and Sanibel Islands is now restored and vehicles are going in to restore communication systems, power, etc. This is incredible news. Who would have imagined this would be completed in October! (Not sure what was done or if private vehicles can travel but the causeway is functioning). Connie and Clive have been seen and photographed and Lena has been heard. Everyone is just waiting to get the cameras back up and running.
There are lots of boots on the ground checking for SE30. She was found on the ground being harassed by Currawongs and Magpies yesterday. She flew and seemed to be fine and was seen near the River Roost with a parent. That should put a smile on all our faces!
The text and images come from the Eagle Cam FB page.
I have seen no further reports on SE29 who was found in a residential area and taken by WIRES to a vet where it was receiving fluids and pain killers.
Sharon Dunne (aka Lady Hawk) has completed her tribute video to Lillibet, the Royal Cam Albatross chick, daughter of OGK and YRK, for 2022. As always, get the tissues out. OGK was last seen the middle of May on camera. It has saddened everyone to think that this fabulous mate and father has perished. We will wait to see if he returns for breeding season in October 2023. He was injured in 2020 and was away from the nest for 40 days. What a joy it was when he returned. Miss Pippa Atawhai was so happy. They had a very close bond.
Sadly, the Albatross continue to be killed at an alarming rate by the long-line fishing trawlers. As anyone knows reading my blog, there are quite a number of easy fixes to stop these endangered seabirds from being slaughtered. They include setting the lines at night – how easy is that?
Nest News:
The Melbourne Four continue to be well fed. At least three persons noted that there were 9 separate feedings yesterday. They were a mixture of stashed prey (as at breakfast) followed by fresh kills when there was not enough meat on the pantry item. Raptors eat everything unlike us humans who are said to waste 40% of all food we purchase. All of those pigeons are turning into beautiful falcons! Mum had her lunch time break (from 11:19:45-13:01:37). Thanks ‘H’.
Nine feedings. If they can keep the intruders away from their penthouse scrape and maintain their territory in the non-breeding season, we will have years of watching this incredible couple raise their families. The male has really stepped up and has actively engaged with the eyases and from his protective mode the other day has a strong bond with the little ones.
Port Lincoln Ospreys keeps a running timestamp of happenings on the barge. Its listing yesterday pretty much sums up what is happening. The nest has gone off the rails. Little Bob had a few bites of prey yesterday. It is so hungry that it is trying to take food off Middle’s beak. Big Bob is unrelenting in her (it has to be a female) rampage. The osplets are 25, 24, and 21 days today. In general, nests like this ‘settle’ at 28 days just like they start on day ‘8’. We have a week to go. Even then, nothing is guaranteed. The oldest sibling on this nest has pushed its younger off the nest at 65 days and killed it. It is going to be a long week.
Mum was up having a snack and she tried to reach down and give Little Bob a bite of fish while Big was asleep. The time is 01:27:54. Little Bob is awake but Big Bob moves. Oh, if Little Bob would just slide up and open its beak, he would get a good feeding.
Middle Bob did eat some fish along with Mum. Sadly, Little Bob never woke up. Both Middle and Little will be hungry but Little really needs to have a good feed.
You can see Middle Bob’s crop. I just wanted to shake Little and get it awake so it could it. That feeding would have made all the difference. Mum has fish leftover for morning but will there be enough for Little to eat or only Big?
At the scrape box of Xavier and Diamond in Orange, Australia there were six feedings starting at 07:46:35 and ending at 18:48:40. Rubus is getting some bigger bites. Both of the eyases, Indigo and Rubus, are adorable.
Little Rubus had a nice big crop before bed!
From the Bookshelf:
Do you love Hen Harriers as much as I do? Those beautiful owl-faced low flying raptors that can be seen over the heather? There is a new book out by Ian Carter that looks very promising, The Hen Harrier’s Year. Here is the review:
So many factors play into a successful nest – lots of prey, healthy parents, no intruders…the list can be fairly long including Avian Flu. Despite all that has happened at Melbourne, that Peregrine Falcon nest is doing really well right now. That lovely tiercel is delivering fresh prey to Mum, the chicks are growing, and Dad has been able to help shield them from the sun during Mum’s noon day absences. Rubus is doing better at Orange. That wee one had a nice crop before bed last night. SE29 is in care and SE30 is being closely monitored. Thank you to all the boots on the ground near the Discovery Centre. The problem nest is Port Lincoln and this will not dissipate soon. We can only hope that Little gets one decent meal today.
Thank you for being with me. Take care everyone. I will be sending out breakfast news at the nests in the early evening. See you then!
Thank you to the following for their posts, their video tributes, and their streaming cams that make up my screen captures: Sharon Dunne (aka Lady Hawk), Port Lincoln Ospreys, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, Sea Eagles FB, Raptor Persecution UK, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.
