There is so much news in Bird World. I simply cannot keep up. At the same time, most of it is all wonderful! That is a good thing. My report will be short. Many things to do after listening to the wonder session with Cal Falcons.
Jackie and Shadow are amazing. While we have rain warnings here on the Canadian Prairies, our beautiful Eagle family in the Big Bear Valley had a horrific snow/ice storm.
Here is a video clip of Jackie and Spirit. What a great Mum Jackie is!!!!!!
This image was taken at 13:45 and things are much improved.
Cal Falcons. Mark May 5-6 as hatch days. Gosh, the Q & A with Sean Peterson and Lynn Schofield was really and truly informative. I learned so much! And I am posting it for you so you can listen if you wish. There were a couple of takeaways from this session that I found quite interesting. The first was that Alden was known to both Annie and Grinnell and was accepted by Annie and Grinnell. He had been seen for 1 or 2 months. Neither of them ever tried to chase Alden off the Campanile. On at least one occasion, Alden brought a prey delivery to Annie while Grinnell was alive. Again, no action by Grinnell. There is speculation that Alden was going to be a ‘nest helper’ for Annie and Grinnell and that is why neither of them were antagonistic or aggressive to him. The second was that a falcon has super eye sight for about a mile. They can spot a prey item. Grinnell was killed within a mile of The Campanile. Annie might have seen Grinnell being killed and that would contribute to her bonding with Alden so quickly.
Here is the link to this session.
Another fish came to the UFlorida-Gainesville at 16:11:37. The feeding finished at 16:47:55. Little Bit got nothing. The problem is that the two big siblings are now requiring more and more food and both are intimidating the wee babe. If another extremely large fish comes on board before night, finger’s crossed. I am not hopeful, however.
In part, one of the biggest issues is how the female stands to feed the chicks. If she would point her head at the rim so that Little Bit could get between her legs or on the opposite side, he might have a chance of some food.
Lena has been calling for a fish delivery. I wonder if she is hoping she can get Little (MiniO) who fledged this morning back up to the nest for some food.
There is absolutely nothing more beautiful than Big Red looking down at her new baby and it looking up to its wonderful Mum.
Iris has been spending time today at the nest just like she seems to do every afternoon.
The winds are roaring around the Channel Islands Bald Eagle nests. Everyone at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta are holding on!
It is not nearly as breezy but the wind is blowing and it is wet and dreary at the MN-DNR nest of Nancy and Harry and their two eaglets.
Big and Middle shared a fish at 09:38. These two are looking really good and there is absolutely no rivalry. It is truly wonderful – even when there are not a lot of prey items.
It is Earth Day and this is a very good reminder from Rosie and Richmond!
Wishing Everyone a Very Happy Earth Day. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or FB pages where I grabbed my screen captures: SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, DHEC, Friends of Big Bear Valley, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, MN-DNR, Cornell Bird Lab and Montana Ospreys, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wldlife, Explore.org, and Cal Falcons.
I have hardly moved from observing two bird streaming cams so far today. Those are the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey Cam and the Cornell Red-tail Hawk cam of Big Red and Arthur. Each nest had potential issues. Blood was seen on the outside of the egg of L1. Was this just the normal amount of blood coming off the umbilical cord? and then a second egg began to pip! At the Florida nest it is difficult to tell who is the nastiest towards Little Bit. Is it Big? or is it Middle? Last year at the Achieva Osprey Nest in St Petersburg, the largest sibling let the Middle one constrain and peck Tiny Tot Tumbles, the third hatch. It was horrible. Tiny Tot survived and became the dominant one on the nest. I am hoping Little Bit does, too.
A nice sized piece of fish arrived on the UFlorida nest. Little Bit had none of the earlier fish and was hungry. He managed to grab a bite from Mum before he was clobbered by one of the older siblings. Our little scrapper from a few days ago quickly went into submission. He has to be tired and somewhat dehydrated but, like all third hatches, he hung in there and waited and watched.
Big is hovering over Little Bit.
Little Bit looks like he is down and not paying attention.
Watch. There Little Bit goes scurrying behind Big. He needs some of this fish to help rehydrate him and help him get strong again.
Both Big and Middle had eaten earlier and had big crops. It is good they got full quickly at this feeding so Little Bit could have some food.
At 15:17 we get a glimpse of Little Bit’s head behind Mum. He is in a food coma. Mum continues to eat on the fish and give more bites to the bigger siblings once in awhile until well past 15:30. There was lots of fish at this feeding and things should be settling down but both the two bigger siblings still believe that there is not enough coming on the nest for three. We wait and hope for another large fish today before bedtime for these three. That should help ease the anxiety although often there is lots of food on the nest and the older siblings continue to exert their dominance.
The miracle might have happened. At 16:58 a nice fish landed on the nest. The two older siblings have big crops. Little Bit looks so skinny.
His wings are so thin.
The big ones ate some of that fish but there is lots left. Little Bit is going to get a lot of fish (I hope). Sometimes the older ones eat til you think they will be sick just to keep the youngest from getting any food.
You can see Little Bit’s skinny wings up by Mom’s left shoulder being fed. This is their biggest growth period. Little Bit needs lots of food. It looks like he gets fed and then one of the bigger ones moves in for some more. I hope he stays put and lets them eat so when they leave he is there ready for more.
There. Little Bit was fed until 17:13 and moved away full.
Little Bit has gone to sleep. Meanwhile it looks like Middle Bob is back up for more fish. Around 17:15 chaos breaks out. Little Bit raises its head like it wants more fish. Big and Middle get into it and then they go after Little Bit. This is not a happy Osprey nest. Middle continues to be the worst towards Little Bit. He will snatch him by the nape of the neck and shake the baby. That always scares me.
They are full. Middle and Big have eaten and eaten. The power plays are entirely unnecessary. Wish for Little Bit to be strong and smart as well as tenacious. He needs to outwit the big ones.
Well, Little Bit is eating again and the two older siblings are watching! Bravo.
It is nerve wrecking. The two are now resting. Little Bit continues to eat! He eats til he is full and then Mum enjoys some of the nice fish. It is 17:25. We can all rest easy tonight. More fish tomorrow!!!!!!!!!! Please, Dad.
Big Red and Arthur have four eggs. The first began with a pip yesterday afternoon. That hatch has caused some worry because of some blood showing. It is normal for there to be a little blood from the umbilical cord. We will have to wait and see. The chick is alive. Is it having trouble with that inner membrane of the egg which is really tough to get through? Around noon another egg began pipping!
You can clearly see the pipping from the second egg, the splotchy one, at the top. L1’s egg is to the far left.
Arthur has brought the first prey item to the nest for the Ls or Big Red if she gets hungry. Big Red will probably remain on the eggs til L1 has hatched fully.
Grab some sleep now Big Red. You are going to be very busy tomorrow.
It is 15:26 and Big Red is extremely restless, rolling and checking on the eggs. Fingers crossed for that wee one to get through that membrane and the rest of that egg!
What do you do while you are waiting for one egg to finish hatching and another to get on with its pipping – on a very windy day? You play with sticks!
At 15:52 we get a glimpse.
Well, I am worn out with the excitement. L1 is working hard to get out of that egg. There is lots of movement. Gosh, I bet everyone watching Big Red and this little one struggle to get out of that egg are having sympathy pains. It won’t be long. Then L2 will be hot on the trail. It would be grand if the four hatched within 24-48 hours.
None of the raptors normally help the little ones hatching. It can actually cause them harm. I have seen some remove a half egg shell that is sticking if the hatchling is free elsewhere. Akecheta did that this year with one of the triplets.
It is now 17:02.
Big Red is not going to lay on the egg. She is going to just wiggle her breast feathers over it. Good progress. It is 17:03 and you can see the little one move. It needs to pop that top off – but it might need to rest a bit. Hatching is very tiring.
The Glaslyn Osprey nest cam is back on line. What a soft nest Mrs G and Aran have made. You can see Mrs G rolling the first egg. We will be looking for a second tomorrow.
Aran looks particularly handsome in the sunshine as he sits on the perch. He has returned from migration in top form!
Towards dusk Aran arrives at the nest with a fish for Mrs G.
He takes over incubation duties while Mrs G eats on the perch. All is well on the Glaslyn nest! Yes.
Iris, the oldest Osprey in the world, has her nest on a parking lot near Hellgate Canyon in Missoula, Montana. It is cool and blustery there today. Iris arrived a little after 14:00 and did some nest work and then stood and looked around.
I wonder if Iris is looking for Louis? Does she think he might grace her with a visit and a fish? It is hard to say. Louis still considers his primary nest with Starr over at their new nest at the baseball park.
Well, Iris is nothing short of stunning for a bird that is 28 or 29 years old (they are unsure since she is unringed). Simply gorgeous.
The failed nest in Illinois is getting a new artificial nest and the two surviving eaglets will be taken up as soon as it is secured! Amazing work. Thank you to Ellen for posting this on the Big Bear FB page.
Thank you for joining me. It is wonderful to know that the two eaglets will be back with their parents in a safe nest. We will have, for sure, at least one hatch tonight at the Cornell Red-tail Hawk nest and Little Bit will sleep and grow. What a relief to see him get a good feed. Take care everyone. There should be a fuzzy eyas in the news for tomorrow. Maybe 2. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Friends of Big Bear, Cornell Lab RTH, U-Florida at Gainesville Ospreys, Brywd Gwyllt Glaslyn, and the Montana Osprey Project.
I thought I was seeing things! I did confuse an ‘I’ for an ‘L’ earlier today in the name of Annie’s new mate – calling him Aiden instead of Alden.
I know the female on the nest in the parking lot at Hellgate Canyon in Missoula, Montana is Iris. No other female would dare to try and take a lease out on Iris’s nest!!!!!!!!!
Who is the male flying in from the left bearing a gift of fish? The time is 15:52:40.
Is it Louis????!!!!!!!!
Tears began pouring down my cheeks. When was the last time that a gift of fish was delivered to this magnificent bird, the oldest Osprey in the world? Can you remember?
My memories are of Louis stealing Iris’s great catches!
Iris quickly grabs the gift – in case Louis changes his mind – and flies off to the pole while Louis stays on the nest alerting.
This was such a special moment that I did a video clip, too.
Iris is back on her nest and that beautiful orange and yellow train that we see so often is going through Missoula.
Iris has spent some time on the nest late today. I wonder if eggs are coming?
At 17:50 Louis returns. It looks like he is on high alert.
Ah, was the fish a gift in case Iris was tempted by another male suitor in the area? I wonder. Louis didn’t bring any fish when Congo was around last season. It is all very interesting.
Whatever the reason, it is nice for Iris that she had a dinner delivery and didn’t have to go out in the wind and catch it herself for a change. This is such jarring news that it warranted its very own blog.
Thank you so much for joining me! Take care everyone.
Thank you to the Montana Osprey Project for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures and video clip.
The snow on the Canadian Prairies arrived later than expected – around 07:45 in my garden this morning. The wind roared and the snow blew and then, around 15:30 it calmed. We have been told that there will be several calm periods with rain and snow arriving again later tonight. The 27 European Starlings came. The woodpecker arrived for suet. Tens of dozens of Sparrows and seriously, I am not exaggerating, 350 Dark eyed-Juncos. We continued to clear paths on the deck and pour a line of millet and sunflower seeds – about 30 feet long – several times today. Everyone ate there or at the seed and suet cylinders and feeders. It felt good to help them. Many are arriving or returning to eat now that the snow has stopped. We received about 55 cm of snow. Thankfully the old snow had all melted. The whole of western Canada can use the moisture. We have had droughts for 4-5 summers. I hope that this lessens the wildfires during the summer.
The UFlorida Gainesville Osprey Nest was on ‘S’s list of top ten osprey nests to watch. I must find out more about this family from her. My interest is, of course, the fact that there are three little ones and how well this wee osplet can manage against the older siblings.
Little Bob at the UFlorida Gainesville campus Osprey nest is doing fine. He is growing. They all scramble about in the nest bowl and I really dislike the camera they are using but…all that matters is that he is doing well.
There is Little Bob on the far left.
The chicks at the Captiva Osprey nest are almost ready to fledge. They love to self-feed but, Lena being the great Mum that she is prefers to do it so that both get fish. Keeping it fair. I love it. Here are some images from today.
Chicks watching, totally focused. Such beautiful birds.
Lots of flapping. Look at those long legs! This osplet wants to compete with Idris at the Dyfi Nest for the nickname, ‘Daddy Longlegs’.
Those legs of Middle sure look a lot longer than Mum’s! Little continues to love looking out over the side of the nest rim.
Another nest on ‘S’s list is the osprey nest on the Narrow (Pettaquamscutt) River. Here is a view of the nest. No occupants yet! And a link to their camera in case you want to check later.
The Ferris State University Ospreys are also on ‘S’s list and there is an osprey on the nest but no eggs yet! The couple have been working on getting the nest in good shape.
Here is another view of the nest at Ferris State University in Michigan.
In the UK, Louis has decided that he likes the nest that he shared with Aila better than the nest he had with Dorcha last year. As a result, Louis has convinced Dorcha to change nests. This is very interesting behaviour. It is such a gorgeous nest. Louis seems, by the move, to have accepted that Aila will not be returning. This will be her second season not to return from migration. Louis and Aila were an incredible pair. I am looking forward to watching Louis with his new mate this season.
The couple are settling in doing what Ospreys do when breeding season hits!
Dorcha is very dark and quite stunning. She reminds me of Mrs G at the Glaslyn nest.
Beautiful Iris has been on the perch and sitting in the nest today. It is a good place to get out of the wind. Gosh, she is gorgeous. Louis has, of course. been around doing what Louis does.
There always seems to be a train going through Missoula, Montana behind Iris!
Iris has a fantastic nest. In her time with Stanley she was a magnificent mother. No doubt, as I often say, she has earned the right to let Louis do his thing, lay the eggs, let the Crows get them, and then relax for the rest of the summer.
They are not friends to the Ospreys but, Northern Goshawks are incredibly beautiful medium to large-sized hawks. There are rare in my province. Those that live or breed head to the dense northern forests in the north. The adults have red eyes with a dark crown (the eye colour changes as they age). Their plumage is a gorgeous blue-grey slate colour with streaks on their pale breast and belly. They are known for grabbing chickens in farmer’s enclosures, rabbits, squirrels of all varieties, grouse, and Rock Doves. They have been known to lure Ospreys into the forest to kill them and to take their chicks- a sadddness which happened at the nest in Finland last year.
The numbers of nesting pairs has dropped considerably when there were 1000 couples to today when there are only between 400-600 pairs.
The images below are from a nest near Riga in Estonia.
This is some very interesting information about this nest and the hawk couple from Looduskalender:
“The nest of goshawks in this location in Riga has been known since 2016 – it is believed that the breeding couple moved here from another nest about 600 metres away. In the immediate vicinity of the nest there are both industrial objects, the sounds of which can often be heard, and private houses. The tree of the nest is located in a small wet area overgrown with weeds and shrubs. The nest is built in a black alder, which grows on the edge of a ditch. The goshawk has built his dwelling on the remains of a crow’s nest. The metal wires twisted in the nest still evidence that the crow was a supporter of durable building materials.
The nest was controlled during this time and the nestlings were ringed in it. This couple, and especially the female, is known among the ornithologists for their special character – she tends to behave particularly aggressively and attack people when they are just approaching the nest. On the other hand, birds are accustomed to people and equipment operating behind the fence in the nearby industrial facility and do not pay attention to them. Interestingly, at the time the female laid her first egg, very close, about 50 m from the nest, a crow couple were building their own nest. Crows are a common food item for Goshawks, but it happens that hawks do not touch other nesting birds near their nest, and they make use of this safety zone.”
This is the link to this Goshawk nest:
Mum is on the ropes at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge this morning in Australia. I wonder if Ervie will come and visit again today making it three days in a row? It is always reassuring and such joy when he visits.
Please help select the name for Annie’s new mate. He deserves a super name and Cal Falcons have narrowed the field down for you to select the finalist. (Go to the link for the names and their associations with UC-Berkeley)
This is just a quick glance at some new nests and a check in on the UFlorida triplets. Both of the eaglets, Jasper and Rocket, have now branched at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest. Avian flu continues to be a concern in many areas in the US and Canada.
Take care everyone. Thank you so much for joining me today.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Cal Falcons, UFlorida Ospreys, Captiva Ospreys an Window on Wildlife, Angel, Twitch, Woodland Trust, Montana Osprey Project, RMC, Narrow River Ospreys, Ferris State University, and Port Lincoln Osprey Project.
I know that many of you watch the White-bellied Sea Eagle nest in the Sydney Olympic Park of Lady and Dad. Last year, WBSE 27 fledged and was taken into care twice. The second time she went into care the wildlife rehabbers said she would receive flight and hunting training. She has been in care for a number of months now and yesterday, she was released into the wild. Congratulations to everyone and thank you to all you cared for this magnificent bird. Isn’t she stunning? Fly high, live long.
This is the announcement:
It is always a big sigh of relief when our feathered friends return from their winter migration to their spring and summer homes. They travel thousands of kilometers to get home amid numerous challenges including sand storms from the Sahara. Today, there are only a few UK Ospreys that are not home on the monitored nests. Notable of the missing is Aran, the mate of Mrs G at the Glaslyn Nest.
Yesterday, we celebrated by tearing up and staring at her beautiful face – the arrival of Iris to her nest at Hellgate Canyon in Missoula, Montana. No doubt Dr. Ericke Green and his team were positively spell bound as they watched the monitors today – her favourite day to arrive – and then there, at 16:09 she was landing on the nest.
Gosh, Iris, you look so beautiful. She immediately tended to those obnoxious sticks on her nest. Iris has one of the nicest nests around. When she lost her mate Stanley, Louis came around but he has a family with Starr at the Baseball Park and insists on still claiming Iris – and often wanting the nice fish she catches – for himself. Louis and Iris fledged their one and only chick in 2018. Many hope that Iris will get a new mate but Louis thwarts that. I always think it is nice if she just has a rest, a summer holiday, too. She raised many chicks and tending to them is hard work. That said, if Dunrovin’s Congo were to appear again this year, perhaps, he could run Louis off!
Tomorrow, it is hoped that the same joyful tears will roll down cheeks in Estonia for the arrival of Karl II, the Black Stork. I just checked – 10:52 in Canada and the camera is not up BUT the first Black Stork has arrived in Latvia! So happy for everyone! This is the nest of Grafs and Grafina and it is Grafs that is home. The nest is so narrow. I always worried that the storklets would fall off but…they didn’t.
Grafs waiting for his mate, Grafina to return in 2022, 8 April.
Here is the link to this Black Stork camera:
As many of you know, I love all the birds but some tweak my heart a little bit of a higher note. The small hawks and falcons stole my heart first and then the Ospreys. The long project that I am working on has to do with Ospreys and, in particular, the nests with three and how the third survives. There are times when the happenings on the nest break my heart. Still. we continue on.
Yesterday I posted one of the favourite Osprey nests of my friend ‘S’ in Hawaii. That was the Dunrovin Osprey nest. Today, I received a note from ‘S’ telling me about the one Osprey nest in Latvia. It is the home of Teo, the male, and Vita, the female. Like Iris and most of the UK Ospreys, Teo is back on the nest on the 7th of April, too. Congratulations.
‘S’ provided me with some fantastic background material for me to share with you. The nest is located in the Kurzme-Saldus region of Latvia. This is the westernmost province of Latvia. Ospreys have been nesting here and raising their young since 1989. After having some bad luck with tree nests, Aigars IKalvans installed an artificial nest in a pine tree in 2007. Three years later, Ospreys liked what they saw and started using that nest. 8 fledged between 2012 and 2017. In 2018, the current male, Teo and his then mate, Tija, laid 3 eggs. The camera system was damaged that year during a thunderstorm and it is not known what happened with the ospreys and the eggs. Teo had a new female but they were not successful in 2019. In 2020, Teo and Vita again had 3 eggs in the nest. Two hatched on 31 May and 1 June. They thrived and were banded and named Pipars (male) and Poga (female). Sadly, before they could fledge a goshawk snatched them out of the nest on 9 July and then the second on 11 July. This was surely unimaginable and tragic events to happen.
Teo and Vita are loved because of their wonderful personalities and are an absolute pleasure to watch. Teo is known for his unique behaviour that you can observe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMIaJjh3MPs and his loving attitude towards his female (sometimes feeding her while she’s incubating the eggs). Teo returned home yesterday, the 7th of April. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-51GChc8M4. Hopefully, we will see Vita at the nest soon. Here are the links to the camera for Teo and Vita and the discussions.
Of the US Ospreys, Richmond and Rosie are a solid team. You aren’t going to shed any tears at this nest although you might laugh with tears at Richmond who is such a comedian. He got to see his first egg on the 6th of April (and I missed it so I am making up for that today)!
One of my UK favourites nests is the Dyfi Nest in Wales. The fish for the family are caught at the River Dyfi in Montgomeryshire. Does the name sound familiar? Yes, this is Monty’s old nest! Monty is the hero of Wales in terms of Ospreys. A magnificent bird who fathered many chicks who have returned including one of my favourites, Tegid Z1 who hatched in 2016. Aeron Z2 is Tegid’s brother that hatched in 2017 is on the Pont Cresor nest. He fathered a chick in 2021 with Blue 014. Aerobn is keeping Mrs G company until Aran arrives (hopefully soon!).
This is Tegid. What a magnificent bird. He makes my heart throb.
One of my all time favourite hatches of Monty. He is at the ON4 nest in Wales.
The nest is now occupied by Idris (unringed) and Telyn Blue 3J. Idris is known from bringing in Whoppers to the nest. The couple fledged three chicks in 2020 and in the wet cold and stormy 2021, their two gorgeous chicks, Dysynni and Ystwyth, fledged. It is a very successful nest.
This is the link to their camera:
Catching up on a few of the US nests today. The only eaglet of Mr President and Lotus at the National Arboretum nest continues to thrive.
US Steel had their second egg and last one, USS5, hatch today! Congratulations everyone at the Irwin Plant. So cute! You can see the difference from week 1 moving to week 2 looking at the NADC chick and the two below at US Steel easily.
Mum and Dad at the Pittsburgh Hayes Bald Eagle nest sure know how to raise three healthy eaglets! Just look at how big they are! They hatched on the 21, 22, and 25th of March. No problem with triplets – ever – at this nest.
Harry and Nancy still have snow on their nest in Minnesota. Harry is keeping the pantry stocked and Nancy is making sure that both of those eaglets are tucked under the brooding patch tight.
Still some snow and chilly weather at the Decorah North nest in Iowa of Mr North and Mrs DNF and their two eaglets.
A little breezy for Big Red and Arthur this morning. Oh, goodness. In three weeks time all you will be hearing about are hawks!!!!!!!!!! Love this couple up in Ithaca.
I do not know of any current issues at any of the US nests that we have been watching. Little Middle at Dale Hollow had a good feed this morning and there is no perceivable monofilament line lingering to harm the eaglets. Look how Little Middle’s plumage is changing. He is right up there to have some of River’s nice fish! Big seems unbothered.
It is sunny with a beautiful blue sky on the Canadian Prairies. It will get up to 7 C today and 9 C tomorrow. I am off to check on Tundra Swans. Have a great day everyone. Thank you for joining me today. Take care.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or FB pages where I took my screen captures: DHEC, Dyfi Osprey Project, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Pix Cams, NADC-AEF, MN-DNR, Latvian Fund for Nature, Montana Osprey Project, and the Sydney Sea Eagles Eagle Cam.
Iris is the Queen of American Ospreys. Believed to be the oldest Osprey in the world, Iris began breeding in Missoula, Montana on a hydro pole with her mate Stanley. The Montana Raptor Project built her a nest on what was the parking lot of the Riverside Clinic in Missoula near Hellgate Canyon. She is thought to be 28 or 29 years old.
Each year everyone waits holding their breath. April 7 is a special day because it is the day that Iris seems to pick to arrive more often than not! I will have a full report on this grand dame but for now, just celebrate! Iris made it through the winter and is back in Hellgate for the spring and summer!
Welcome home Queen Iris.
Thank you to ‘L’ for alerting me and to the Montana Osprey Project for their streaming cam where I took these images.
It is raining snow and snowing rain on the Canadian Prairies on Wednesday afternoon, 6 April. The huge mounds of snow that have covered every space available have melted from the inside out and are disappearing causing fears for a spring flood. Grey squirrels, Dyson and Scraggles, have come out only in the last light of the day to find food. Little Red must be tucked in nicely in his penthouse. So far only one of the Blue Jays has returned. I hope the others are just delayed. For years it has been the three of them – of course, birds do not live forever but when I look out and see my friends in the garden you want to believe that they will always arrive to say hello. Wildlife in an urban setting has many challenges. I am happy to report that my little corner of the world has four new families feeding the birds which, by the act of seeds falling, also feeds the rabbits and the squirrels. Individuals are now showing their toddlers the birds outside eating out of their feeders and together, we are building a bigger and bigger corridor for the wildlife. Our City no longer takes care of the boulevards in front of our homes and this year I want to encourage, where possible, the planting of bird friendly shrubs or trees on these sites. Wonder if I can get a grant from the City to help pay for the trees for everyone? It’s a thought! Will keep you posted.
You have asked me about Osprey nests with streaming cams now that the US birds are returning – some already have eggs in the nest. My friend ‘S’ loves Ospreys because they only eat fish. She knows the US nests; I tend to watch the ones in the UK and now Europe also. I asked her for her top list of nests to watch and she sent me quite a few. I am going to start with one or two a day. These nests are known to be successful. First up is the Dunrovin Nest in LoLo, Montana, home to Harriet and Swoop. Harriet is home; Swoop has not returned yet.
Here is Harriet on her nest looking out to the Montana hills.
Do you want to learn more about Ospreys? Then there is a special programme for citizen scientists run by a graduate student in Conservation Biology from William & Mary College. You observe a different nest, take notes, and meet up in a virtual world every Thursday at 14:30. The programme for this year has not started. Check out this link for more information!
One of the biggest challenges on the Dale Hollow nest for Middle Little is Big and her previous intimidation. When food comes to the nest, Little Middle is frightened and becomes defensive. Little Middle is self feeding but there needs to be food on the nest so that it can do this. Wednesday evening at 18:23:23 River brought in a 2 bite teaser. Big shot up immediately, grabbed the tiny minnow, if you like, and horked it down. Little Middle did not, of course, have a chance.
It is Thursday morning and both of the eaglets have eaten well. The nest appears to be drying out, too. Now that Little Middle is nice and full, it is time to go elsewhere and check on all those other nests including Karl II’s movements over night.
While Dale Hollow is drying out, the National Arboretum Nest in Washington DC is getting a bit wet. That little fuzzy ball is sure changing!
Big Red is getting some of that rain in Ithaca, too!
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Need another Peregrine Falcon nest? Here is another with four eggs like Utica, like the Red-tail Hawks in Ithaca and Syracuse…Some think that the increase in the number of eggs is to compensate for the loss of birds due to Avian Flu this year.
There is a pip in egg #2 at the US Steel Eagles!
A beautiful image of Jackie and her fast growing baby, Spirit, from yesterday afternoon. It really is a lovely name the children chose.
If you are a fan of the oldest female Osprey in the UK, Mrs G at the Glaslyn nest you might be wondering why – since you know she has returned from migration – she is not on her nest. She is over visiting with Aeron Z2, one of Monty’s boys. She is waiting for Aran and he is waiting for Blue 014. If neither return will these two get together and what nest will they choose, we wait! Aeron Z2 and his brother Tegid, Z1 who has a nest in Snowdonia have been very interested in that Glaslyn nest. Oh, the soap operas of the birds.
I am extremely fond of Idris and Telyn at the Dyfi nest in Wales. If you want to watch an Osprey cam this is one of the good ones in the UK.
Here is the link:
Karl II was near Minsk last night. There is hope that he might be near the Latvian border later today. As well as Karl, his mate and all the other storks in Latvia and Estonia should be on their way and hopefully safe and away from the war. Waiting is hard. Champagne corks will be popping when he lands on his nest!
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources posted an image with a saying yesterday: “Rescuing Wildlife is Legal”. If you see injured wildlife, please notify your local wildlife rehabber. Don’t know who that is? Find out! Because of the spread of the highly pathogenic Avian Flu,, special protocols might be in place. So ask before you help.
The New Guy at the Cal Falcons nest is still doing what he does best — support Annie! Yippeeeee. The romance continues.
Have a wonderful day everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB or pages where I took my screen captures: Google Maps, Friends of Big Bear Valley, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Audubon Society of Rhode Island, Pix Cams, Cornell Bird Lab and RTH, and Dunrovin Ospreys.
Please pardon any spelling or grammar issues today. I have not had time to proof this report, unfortunately. Thank you!
So far it is a pretty good morning even at Dale Hollow Lake Bald Eagle nest on the border of Tennessee and Kentucky in the US. I turned on my computer just as a small fish was brought in my River, with its head, at 08:11:14.
Big goes to intimidate Middle at 08:23:49 but it is not the level of frenzy that Middle experienced late on the 23rd. Big ate all of the fish that came in. It was finished at 08:35:16. Then River moved over to the piece of Sucker that was still on the nest at 08:36:29.
I was encouraged by River’s actions as she clearly seemed to have feeding Middle in her mind. Middle turned to River to eat at 08:37:23 and then Big entered the picture pushing herself between River and Middle after she had a PS.
It was evident that both Big and Middle had eaten earlier as Middle had a nice crop.
River began feeding Middle at 08:38:25.
Eight minutes later, at 08:46:15, Big decides it wants to eat and starts intimidation. It ate a few bites.
River tries again to feed Middle at 08:47:33. River stops feeding at 08:47:25. There is still a piece of the sucker left. The nest is quiet of any animosity. At 09:03:38 Big turns and towers over Middle and does nothing! River returns to the nest. She is aerating the area by the small piece of remaining sucker. Big moves down at 10:01:20 and River feeds Big all the Sucker.
By 10:11:40 Middle is up at the top of the nest on the left being fed the rest of the old fish tail (not much on it). Big ignores the whole thing! Both eaglets are full. It is just after 10:15 on the nest.
Despite the modest attempts of intimidation, Middle ate this morning and has a nice crop when I stop watching. Big also has a crop. Hopefully more larger fish will come on the nest. Indeed, I hope that obey knows where to find more suckers! We can be joyful. This morning has been good for Middle!
River returns to the nest later to aerate. It is now 11:35. No more food items but not expected. Both Middle and Big have big crops still!
Middle had a really healthy PS at 11:32:41.
There is Big’s Crop. Because Big is such a large bird – no doubt she is a she – her food requirements are probably twice that of Middl now. Continue to send positive wishes for this nest. We are not out of the woods yet but I sure hope we are in a week. Both chicks cast pellets this morning and both had at least one PS. Enjoy this morning. It has been a good one at Dale Hollow.
Here is the first view of the newly hatched chick at Harry and Nancy’s MN DNR (hatched yesterday).
I have received word from ‘S’ in Latvia that a female interloper White-tailed eagle has destroyed the two eggs that Milda had laid on her nest in Durbe County. This is what ‘S’ conveyed: “Just a quick update. Yesterday evening a ringed strange female came to the nest and destroyed/ate Milda’s eggs while Milda was away feeding. Voldis did not stop her. It’s clear Voldis is not in any nesting mode yet, since his incubation skills also did not improve significantly. The intruder female is a Latvian WTE who was ringed in Latvia, near Jaunpils in 2016.”
Here is a video summary of the events:
As ‘S’ points out, many of the experienced watchers of Milda’s nest believe this to be better as it is clear that the situation could have gotten worse – no care for hatchlings, lack of prey to nest, etc.
‘S’ also included a message sent out by the Ornithologist, Jan Kuze:
“Today we have witnessed a very interesting turn of events – at least I am not aware of any other such cases. The role was played by the fact that the male is young and inexperienced, its connection with the territory and this partner is not sufficiently strong yet. The female continues to incubate due to inertia, but it cannot be ruled out that another egg will be laid in this nest, the next week or two will show.
I ringed the egg-eating female bird in the vicinity of Jaunpils on 25.05.2016. It is a young female who has reached the nesting age and is looking for a nesting area, it cannot be ruled out that we will continue to see her here and that some conflicts will continue.”
In Montana, members of the Raptor Resource Project are installing some ‘goose exclusion’ mechanisms to the Osprey nests. Here is the message from Dr Ericke Green:
It is not an Osprey nest but an unused Bald Eagle nest at Decorah, Iowa. The Canada Goose that has been checking out this nest has now laid her first egg. This is going to be a terrific nest to watch as long as there are is no predation. Imagine all those little goslings jumping off the sides.
The goose laid the egg and then covers it. Did you watch Daisy on the WBSE nest? If so, you might remember that the goose or duck will lay their eggs and then begin to add down from their breast to make the soft nest. After 24 hours, the goslings will all jump down! They have quite a ways to go but video has been taken of goslings jumping 106 m or 350 feet. They bounce! It is really exciting. They will then follow their Mother to water where they will begin eating. Ducklings and goslings are precocial – covered in feathers and able to eat on their own after hatch. Amazing.
On the Cornell Campus yesterday, 19 year old Big Red surprised everyone when she laid a 4th egg! Perhaps most surprised was her 6 year old mate, Arthur. Cornell called it “unprecedented” on Twitter. Red tail Hawks can lay up to 5 eggs. Since the camera became operative in 2012, Big Red has consistently laid 3 eggs. It is not know how many she laid in years prior.
I will alert all of you as pip approaches for Big Red and Arthur as well as for the Peregrine Falcon couple, Annie and Grinnell. If you are used to watching eagles, it is very educational to observe the smaller raptors and how they manage larger clutches.
Speaking of Falcons, it is not time for any egg laying by the Australian falcons at CBD 367 Collins Street or Xavier and Diamond at Orange. That will come in late summer. For now, there are several nests. That said, I am playing close attention to Annie and Grinnell (as much as Dale Hollow allows for). This morning Grinnell was in the scrape at 06:44:05 calling Annie. I sure hope he had her breakfast! In terms of hunting, Peregrine Falcons, the fastest birds in the world flying up to 370 kph, capture their prey when flying. That prey can range from parrots, doves, pigeons, Starlings, to geese and herons depending on the falcons location.
For those just starting/thinking about observing this scrape, there is one quick difference between Grinnell and Annie. Grinnell has a black ID on his left leg and a standard silver band on the right. I would also like to draw your attention to the hue of Grinnell’s legs, cere (the yellow part above the beak), and the yellow around his eyes. Notice how the colour appears to be an orange-yellow. This deep colour indicates that Grinnell is extremely healthy.
At 08:48 Annie returns to the scrape. Peregrine Falcons may have first laid their eggs in twig nests but, if they did, they evolved to using cliffs with sand or pebbles. It is believed that this allows for few, if any, diseases unlike Eagle nests that constantly have to be aerated.
The eggs that Annie will lay are some of the most beautiful in the avian world with their rich red-brown colour. Indeed, because of their beauty and size they became the target of egg collectors. Once Annie begins hard incubation, her and Grinnell will take turns for 33-35 days. On occasion, as at the CBD Collins Street Nest in 2021, all three of their eggs hatched within a few hours. It helps to avoid the issues that we have seen at Dale Hollow and with Eagles and Ospreys in general. Once hatched, it is 5 to 6 weeks til fledge. The parents will then train the eyases to hunt and feed them for about another month. On occasion, the fledglings return to the nest area.
I sure hope Grinnell had a good breakfast for her. Annie appears to be ‘thinking’ about laying eggs. We wait.
Here is a recap by CalFalcons of the 2021 year. You might want to turn the sound down a little – the music is quite loud (or maybe not). It compresses the season from mating to banding to fledge.
At the Berry College nest of Pa Berry and Missy, B15 is one sweet and energetic eaglet! The nest has become a launch pad for ever higher jumping. B15 loves the wind between its wings. This morning he was up checking out the DVR. Fledge could come any day now. It has been a terrific year for this nest.
About four hours ago, Harriet at the Dahlgren Osprey nest laid her second egg. Jack continues to bring in toys. Oh, dear. Last year an egg got lost in all the items on this nest. Poor Harriet.
As we wait for Richmond and Rosie to finish their nest and the arrival of Iris in Montana, the Ospreys heading to Europe are on the move. A couple of days ago there were 51 on a site in Senegal and today only 10.
I want to check on Karl II, the male at the Karula National Forest Black Stork nest who is making his way home for the spring and summer breeding season in Estonia. Yesterday, 23 March, Karl was making good progress and was feeding at Lake Beysehir in Isparta Province in Turkey.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Karl II would normally be heading for an area around Odessa in the Ukraine on the Black Sea. Is it possible that he might revert and fly slightly West? We wait.
The day is half over on the Dale Hollow nest and I would suggest that it was a good start. River is currently on the nest shading the eaglets.
Thank you so much for joining me. I have skipped around checking on other Bird news this morning. All of the other nests are doing well and there is a lot going on. A storm is heading to Captiva that might put fishing off for Andy because the air pressure drives the fish deeper in the Water. Jackie and Shadow have been dealing with intruders. I may not get to all of those today. It could be a very late report. Take care everyone!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Cornell Bird Lab and the Montana Osprey Project, Cornell Bird Lab and RTH, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Cal Falcons, Berry College Eagles, Looduskalender, Google Maps, Dahlgren Ospreys, and Explore.Org. I know that there are more pressing concerns in the Balkans but I am extremely grateful to ‘S’ who took the time to alert me about Milda’s eggs being predated. Thank you ‘S’, I know the birds are your solace right now.
It is a grey and windy day. As the weather channel promised, our summer heat wave in October seems to have come to an end (for the moment) with the arrival of single digit temperatures. The recent rains have caused the ground and old tree stumps to come alive and the sparrows and thrashers are thumping the ground having a good old time. It reminds me – continues to remind me – why we should not be raking our leaves or mowing the grass. Gently rake them into a corner if you have to. The birds really will thank you!
It is also nearing Halloween and all around me I can see the windows and doors decorated – many have elaborate displays outside.
I believe Halloween was the favourite holiday of my children – you got to dress up, get candy, and have parties at School. I recall pulling the two oldest in a sled one year as the snowflakes fell faster and faster. We did not need to go more than a block. Their pillowcases were full because they were the only ones out on such an incredible wintery night. The grandchildren enjoyed decorating the trees and, sadly, I remember using some of that web material with little black plastic spiders. That was a long time ago when I did not know better – but I do now. As a reminder to everyone, please be careful if you decorate. It will be a tragedy if animals get caught and have to be euthanized just for a bit of fun.
Oh, gosh, golly. Xavier and Diamond’s little chick just took its first steps!
Meanwhile, the Collins Street Four – which are a week older – are now standing up. They are also getting curious about the outside world and one nearly gave several streaming cam viewers a heart attack when it walked up to the edge of the ledge.
The Collins Four having some fun. Look at the size of the wings!
In case you are wondering why the scrape box is so messy this year, it is because the wind does not blow through it like it did at the other end. On a positive note, the chicks have been supplied with some shade and neither them or Mum have been as hot and panting as much as last year.
At the Port Lincoln Osprey Nest, the osplets had, at least, five fish yesterday – probably a couple more. I could not rewind the camera prior to 16:00 and all had big crops at that time. One of the most interesting interactions was between Little Bob and Mum. They had a tug-o-war with the fish tail. Mum won!!! It was very cute. that fish tail was from the 18:02:17 fish Dad brought in.
The osplets are doing really well walking around in that twig lined nest, too. They are covered more and more with feathers each day. Those feathers seem to be pushing out of those quills right before our eyes.
Dad brought in a bedtime fish for the family at 19:39:16. It is difficult to tell one from the other but there is Little Bob in its usual spot, right up by Mum’s beak.
Where is Solly, the first hatch of the Port Lincoln Osprey Barge in 2020? She seems to have decided to take a quick trip to Streaky Bay before heading back to her special tree in Eba Anchorage. It is such a relief to see the movements of the birds – to know they are safe, living their lives well.
If you were following some of the Montana Ospreys, a map of their locations has been released on the Montana Osprey FB page this morning. It shows that all of the Ospreys arrived in Mexico or Central America. Such good news. Their satellite trackers are working splendidly.
Both of the little sea eagles, WBSE 27 and 28, were still on the nest early this morning. That doesn’t mean that they will be there in a couple of hours.
I am a huge fan of Gabby and Samson’s at the Northeast Florida Bald Eagle nest near Jacksonville. The morning was just starting. The couple spent the night on the branches and as the sun came up, Gabby could be seen working on the nest.
At various times during the day, Samson, Gabby, or both, can be seen preparing their nest for the new breeding season. Here is a link to the streaming cams (there are several but this one looks directly into the nest), so you can check on them.
Tiaki, the 2021 Royal Albatross Cam Chick, is making really good time on her way to Chile. She was well beyond the International Date Line this morning. So, with that news, everyone in Bird World is doing well today. Smile. It is all good!
The sun is out and the Slate-grey Juncos are on the deck and the sparrows are having a drink out of the bowls. I wonder what other garden critters will show up? No Halloween candy for them! But they are getting extra dry corn cobs.
Thank you for joining me. Take care each and every one of you. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Osprey Project, NEFlorida Bald Eagle Cam and the AEF, Sea Eagle Cam@ Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, and the Montana Osprey Project and the Port Lincoln Osprey Project FB Pages for the sat-pak maps showing the location of the migrating Montana Ospreys and Solly.
The poor mum at the Port Lincoln Osprey Barge nest has certainly been stared at! Chatters want a stick moved and Dad seems to continue, on occasion, to bring in some more nest materials.
At 02:06, many were certain there was a bump. By 05:33:13 there was a definite pip. The bump expanding for three hours certainly seems logical.
You can see it here – the back egg! The first egg was laid on 3 August. I think it makes it 40 days on the dot – but don’t trust me, do your own math, please. It looks like there will be a little Osprey by morning tomorrow. Lovely. I hope the weather is good for mum and chick.
Thanks to the two ‘Ss’ for alerting me. It seems that Iris was enjoying a fish yesterday on her favourite tree at Mt Sentinel. You will read later in this newsletter that Ospreys prefer trees without branches. This one is certainly perfect. She can see all around her. Oh, the survival skills the Ospreys have developed over millions of years.
Oh, these birds are so smart. If the weather is bad, maybe they know it. Certainly they anticipate local weather and act accordingly!
Hurricane season officially lasts from 1 June to the end of November. Last year several of us worried about Tiny Tot and we became curious about the impact of hurricanes on the Ospreys and other birds.
In his book, Soaring with Fidel, David Gessner talks about visiting Sanibel Island after Hurricane Charley hit the area in August of 2004. Santibel took a direct hit and it is home to many sea birds including lots of Ospreys. Some of you might have watched the Captiva Bald Eagle nest last year – Joe and Connie. That nest is on Santibel Island.
According to Gessner’s friend, Tim Gardner who lives on Santibel, the hurricane hit with 140 mph winds, a category 4. “The Ospreys, according to Tim, moved lower and lower in the trees, until they hunkered down near the ground in the brush.” “But no amount of hunkering could protect them.” Gardner revealed to Gessner that all of the nests were gone after the hurricane. Blown away. Gardner also added, “The remarkable thing was the birds’ resilience: those that had lived through the hurricane had come back to rebuild on the same spots”. He noted that the few trees that remained looked just like sticks pushed up out of the ground with no branches —– well, lo and behold, our Ospreys love trees without branches. Perfect. They can see all around them. As hurricane season continues for 2021, let us wish all the wildlife resilience and strength.
I have so enjoyed Gessner’s writing that I was able to find his first book at a used book shop. It is Return of the Osprey. A Season of Flight and Wonder. I hope that it is as informative as it is a good read. Certainly Soaring with Fidel fit that. I continue to return to that book. It is a delight.
After posting the article, “The Tears of the Albatross,” my friend, ‘L’ send me a link to this wonderful video, Albatross – A Love Story! It is excellent. Have a look. Thank you, ‘L’!
So many of you have sent me the most beautiful images of your the birds. Thank you! The care, love, and concern that each of you have for the wildlife visiting your gardens is so endearing. I wish we could spread that love and care like an aerosol.
Oh, the joy and laughter the birds and animals bring with their antics! This evening as the sun was setting, the three Blue Jays that visit my garden and two of the large grey squirrels had noticed the ears of dried corn that had been put in a bowl for them. My view was mostly blocked but oh, you could see the crest of the Blue Jay pop up and down and, on occasion, the cob would roll and you could see the Jays getting a kernel and eating it. One decided to have a bath. Of course, he will never use the bird bath. This fellow, the male, prefers the old gold water bowl.
I am also certain that he can hear when I take the cap off the lens since he absolutely refuses to pose! Seriously, he had been looking straight at me prior to this.
The Blue Jay couple are year round residents in the back garden. They always come out in the morning and late afternoon to almost sunset. They often arrive with a single juvenile every summer. To my amazement, they get along with the other regulars – the little Downy male woodpecker (and his juvenile in the summer), the lone Black-Capped chickadee, the three Grey Squirrels, Sharpie the Sharp-shinned Hawk, Hedwig the Rabbit, and ‘Little Red’, the Red Squirrel. OK. Red and the Grays dislike each other completely.
These characters that give us so many giggles are really a part of the family. It is always comforting, at the end of the day, to check off that each has been seen.
The link to the Port Lincoln Osprey cam is here:
My newsletter will be late tomorrow, very late. I am hopping to get a glimpse of some birds during the day if the weather cooperates. On the list are Sandhill Cranes. In fact, it might not arrive until Tuesday late morning so don’t worry.
Thank you so much for stopping by to check on our friends in Bird World. No doubt everything will happen at once – the chick at PLO will hatch the moment that Tiaki fledges and Iris arrives at her nest! The birds certainly keep us on our toes. Stay safe everyone.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or their FB pages where I took my images: Montana Osprey Project and Cornell Bird Lab, Sharon Leigh Miles from the Montana Osprey Project who allows me to use images from their FB Page she posts, and the Port Lincoln Ospreys.
