Late Saturday in Bird World and — Ervie is 4 months old

As this big weather system moves through the United States Midwest over to the East coast, a multitude of raptor nests are in its wake ranging from those at Decorah, Iowa to Berry College and Duke Farms.

There is snow on the Decorah North Bald Eagle Nest in Iowa. Not expecting egg watch for about six weeks – sure glad the eagles are missing all the snow! — Yes, I know they can handle it but it is difficult feeding just borns in the cold and wet. Better dry!

There is snowing covering the Denton Homes Bald Eagle nest in Iowa also.

The Pittsburg-Hays Bald Eagle Nest looks like it could get some of this nasty weather. Right now the adults are roosting on a tree above the nest. Not looking for eggs here for a bit. Last year this couple raised three to fledge! Amazing.

Right now at Berry College, this is the weather forecast:

B15 is doing great and B16 is trying to hatch. As you know, I am often rather out spoken. B15 is Missy’s first to survive little one and her and it are doing nicely. If B16 doesn’t hatch, it might be for the best. Let this young mom find her way.

There remains no signs of rodenticide poisoning with Ron and Rita’s two, R1 and R2. R1 is a real stinker to R2 lately and, in part, this is why I say let Missy raise one strong eaglet. The experienced Mums have ways of sorting out the rivalry issues such as gentle taps on the beaks or getting the assistance of their mate. Even so, it is not easy even for them. I want to see some success on this Berry College nest this year and right now, things look good with B15.

Duke Farms is in Hillsborough, New Jersey and it is set to really get hit by this storm as it gets to the eastern sea board. They are on egg laying watch there. Oh, I hope that egg can wait! Many of you have set through night upon night worrying about the Mum on this nest who was incubating eggs covered in snow for weeks. She is quite amazing. She is not on the nest tonight,.

The high wind warnings continue for the Kisatchie National Forest area. Anna fed the baby some Coot and hopefully the little one will sleep through the wind!

As night settled on the forest, the winds picked up. It is now 34 degrees F at the nest of Anna and Louis.

It is a little breezy at the Osprey nest of Lena and Andy on Sanibel Island, Florida. Lena is sleeping blissfully incubating those three eggs of hers.

The only hope left for the Captiva Bald Eagles, Connie and Clive is if the second egg is fertile. Egg #1 is 42 days old today.

Today is Ervie’s birthday. He is precisely 4 months old. How incredible. As many of us know, we held our breath when he hatched hoping beyond hope that #1 sibling would please leave the little one alone. What we didn’t know at that precise moment of hatch was the robust character that #3 was going to turn out to be. Today Ervie has been flying around the barge and might have even been up on the wheel house. Of course he is screaming his head off to be fed —— if he wasn’t, we would think something was wrong with the Erv. What a magnificent bird you have turned out to be #3.

Let’s hope that Ervie gets some extra fish today for his birthday. So happy with this Osprey. Send out positive wishes to all the people and the birds – not just our beloved raptors – in the path of this storm. Keep them in your thoughts as the wind and the snow and ice plow through the Eastern side of the US. I hope that Big Red and Arthur are hunkered down.

Take care everyone. Thank you for joining me on this quick report.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Decorah North and Explore.org, Captiva Osprey Nest, Port Lincoln Ospreys, KNF Bald Eagles, Berry College, WRDC Bald Eagles, Pittsburgh Hays Bald Eagles and Pix Cam, Duke Farms, and Denton Homes Eagles.

Meet Rita and Ron and their 2 or will it be 3 eaglets?

Ron and Rita are a bonded pair of Bald Eagles living in Miami’s Dade County. Last spring, a bald eagle chick fell out of its nest and was rescued on 13 March 2021. Its nest had been destroyed by a very bad storm. The chick had surgery and was released back into the wild in August of 2021. At that moment, they realized that something should be done to try and help the parents who repeatedly had their nest destroyed by storms. So together, Ron Magill Conservation Endowment and the Wildlife Rescue of Dade County decided to build them a stable platform – just like is done for Ospreys. Everyone waited and hoped that the couple would take to the new nest along with its camera!

The eagles are Rita and Ron. Rita is banded and Ron is not. Rita hatched in 2011 making her 11 years old this spring. Her and Ron have been together since 2015.

For several days the Bald Eagles were unsure of the platform. Then they flew in to look at it and to everyone’s amazement, they began to bring in nesting material. No one spent the night at the nest until Rita returned on Thanksgiving when she laid her first egg. Three days later she laid another and three days after that she laid a third!

The first two eggs have hatched. R1 hatched around 22:00 on 1 January and R2 hatched on 2 January.

They are both doing well and being fed while everyone waits to see if chick 3 will hatch soon (and survive).

You can watch Rita and Ron and their chicks here:

Check them out everyone! This is the only Bald Eagle nest in Miami Dade with a camera and these are experienced parents. Let us hope that this nest survives any storm that comes their way!

Thank you for joining me tonight. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the WRDC streaming cam at the nest. This is where I took my screen captures.