Tag Archives: Monty and Nora

Bird World 15 November 2021

In the first chapter of her book, Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder, Julia Zarankin talks about the rather spartan apartment she had as a graduate student. She talked about the compromises with her husband’s collection of 300 stone elephants only to realize what happened when she discovered birds. She said: “Within a year, the barometric pressure in my apartment shifted. Stuffed-animal squeaky hooded warblers learned to coexist with tigers; bird-shaped vases stood next to the elephant-shaped salt shaker; sculpted owls flirted with the faux-malachite elephant’s plastic tusks…more frightening: a pile of bird-themed stationary of every persuasion and a shelf dedicated to field guides…Not to mention the nondescript felt bird, the two paintings of birds, and the stained glass owl..” Later she adds the parrot notebooks, bird-themed t-shirts and all the bird magazine subscriptions. How many of us see ourselves in those same words?

I was, despite all of the warnings by Zarankin, delighted to see Emry Evans’s book, Monty, in the post along with some pins. The Dyfi online shop is now open. All of the nature centres will ship overseas. Roy Dennis’s Wildlife Fund has his three books and shipping internationally is calculated at check out. Lots of good things at all the on line shops for Osprey fans.

Emyr Evans writing is exceptional as are the images in Monty. Written with a deep, abiding love and respect for a bird – 50 stories from the pen of Emyr Evans.

It is a horribly grey day on the Canadian prairies. Will it snow or will it rain? Do birds get arthritis? Would they like a heated area to warm their little feet? Those are the silly thoughts that have gone through my head today.

Dyson decided it was best to just be off the snow altogether and sit in the tray feeder filling his cute little face.

Dyson doesn’t share. He is like Ervie, the Port Lincoln super star fledgling who grabbed the first fish of the morning from dad at 6:50:24. Oh, I love this image of Ervie in front of Dad grabbing that fish with his leg just like Mum does. Ervie watched and learned. Sorry, Bazza.

Falky just loves to fly and he was much more interested in checking out the area than the first fish. He flew in just a little too late.

Falky’s landings are actually really good. Ervie did a few spins yesterday and wound up landing on Bazza – Ervie needs landing training. That is great form that Falky has on this landing. Ah, the lads will all improve. This flying thing is just new. What fun it must be to whip around the bay!

Now Bazza – it is your turn!

Diamond brought prey in for Yurruga at 07:09. Yurruga was ready!

I thought Diamond would drop the prey and leave like Xavier but she had a different idea.

Diamond who incubated the two eggs during the night decided she was also going to feed her nestling.

Look carefully. Yurruga is changing. The white down is really coming off those wings and the head. She looks like a bird, not a fluffy column with a sort of bird head. Even, the fur boa is disappearing.

You can see the pin stripes on Yurruga’s chest and her head now looks like that of a falcon. Amazing. Equally impressive is the length of Yurruga’s tail. What a gorgeous Peregrine Falcon she is going to be.

Ah, and if you are watching the dates, Izzi fludged a year ago today. Izzi is the 2020 hatch of Diamond and Xavier and quite the character.

Oh, such delight. There is no news – at least not yet today – on Grinnell. I hope he is ready to be released shortly. And no news on WBSE 27 but there was a gorgeous Galah in the nest this morning poking about.

One of the Aussie chatters always said that if someone called you a ‘galah’ it meant that you were rather ‘slow, dim witted’. Ah, terrible. They are such incredibly beautiful pink and grey cockatoos. A few minutes of a cute bird that loves to have ‘tickle tickle’.

Bazza still has plenty of time to fly today but I don’t. Thank you for joining me — and if you loved Monty, you seriously need to get to the Dyfi store and get a signed copy of Emry’s book. I promise you will not be sorry but you will need a box of tissues. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: the Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Sea Eagles @Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, and Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.

Sea Hawks, a PS, and a wall mural to a Bird you say

The headline read, “White-tailed eagles have appeared at Loch Lomond for the first time in more than 100 years.” Can you just imagine the excitement. After human persecution in the early twentieth century, the big raptors disappeared from Scotland. They were reintroduced in the 1970s and again in the 1990s through the 2000s. Deemed a success there are actually more than 150 breeding pairs in the country. The excitement seems to be that this is the first time a pair has been so close to a loch. You can just imagine the rejoicing with todays announcement of a sighting at Loch Lomond.

Scottish wildlife and conservation authorities have put in boundaries so that humans do not scare the birds away. They honestly can’t believe it – sea eagles within 30 miles of Glasgow! Let us all hope they stay! You can watch the announcement here:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57428986

Ah, and the joke is on me and a mystery is solved. All this time I thought it was condensation on the Rutland Manton Bay Osprey cam but, that wasn’t the culprit. Oh, no. One of those Bobs of Maya and Blue 33 is practising his aim. Looks like it was a bullseye hit today!

Thank you to the LRWT for their streaming cam where I grabbed these screen shots. You can watch the antics of this family here – I hope that our Little Mister Sure Shot aims a different direction next time!

When Ezra, the mate of Big Read died, the Cornell University community and the lovers of Ezra, created a flower garden on a hill where he liked to hunt in remembrance. I thought that was a pretty terrific way to honour a very special hawk.

Today, a wall mural was revealed honouring Monty at the Dyfi Wildlife Centre. Monty is loved by more than just the people of Wales. As a translocated bird from Rutland, Monty is responsible for many of the birds now breeding in Wales. His last mate was Telyn and Monty could not have been a better mentor for this young female who wasn’t sure what to do with chicks. Equally impressive were his fishing skills including getting a fish in for Telyn and the chicks during the horrific storm named Hector that hit the country in 2018.

The Welsh Government paid for the tribute. The artist was Maria Hayes. Included with the mural was Monty’s real perch set in the beautiful Cors Dyfi Landscape. I really hope to get to Wales to see this in person one day!

Thank you to the Dyfi FB page for posting this lovely mural. That is where I grabbed this shot for my blog.

The Cowlitz PUD kids are really waiting for a fish today. The weather in the area has been changing and Wattsworth might be having trouble fishing. Sadly, Wattsworth is no Monty! These birds have such individual characteristics – I just wish that Wattsworth had some of the skills and keen interest of a Monty or a Blue 33.

There they are waiting for their late afternoon tea. They are really crying for food. These kids are hungry. Gosh I hope something comes in for them. Sometimes watching this nest just breaks my heart.

Thank you to the Cowlitz PUD for their streaming cam where I grabbed this shot of the two Bobs. You can watch them live here:

And there is another special someone waiting for some fish too – our little Tiny. He is rather anxious as the sun begins to set over St Petersburg. Oh, how I hope Jack flies in with a big one for our sweetheart.

Thank you to the Achieva Credit Union for their streaming cam where I grabbed this shot of Tiny. You can watch and worry about Tiny with the rest of us here:

And the last for Friday – Big Red, Arthur, and the Ks. Arthur flew in with a little vole today. K1 was in the right spot at the right time and she just mantled that little morsel of prey.

Here comes Arthur! Gosh his landing has to be perfect to fit between those metal bars and not get injured. You can see that little chocolate coloured morsel of a vole in his talons. And look who is watching him fly in – K1!

Arthur watches as K1 claims the vole with her talons and begins to mantle.

She is doing a great job. Wonder what kind of marks Dad gave her for that performance? Interestingly, neither K2 or K3 seemed one bit interest in that prey drop. Just wait til they all start fighting over the food and rushing to grab it!

Everyone watches as Arthur departs.

Big Red and Arthur have moved from that intense physical caring for the Ks to educating them to live in a world outside and away from the security of their natal nest. Arthur is constantly doing aerial demonstrations. Big Red has been showing them how to hunt and together, once they have fledged, both Big Red and Arthur will be out actively hunting with them. The adults will continue to do prey drops until such time as the Ks can catch enough prey of their own or until they leave the parental territory.

Thank you to the Cornell Bird Lab for their streaming cam where I grab my screen shots. You can watch the adorable Ks and and their parents, Big Red and Arthur, here:

Thank you for joining me tonight. It is always a pleasure to hear from you. Have a good weekend and send your warm wishes to the Cowlitz kids and to Tiny Tot so that they may get some fish.

The featured image is the wall mural to Monty in the Dyfi Wildlife Center. It i by Maria Hayes. Thank you to the Dyfi Osprey Project and their FB Page where I took the screen shot of the mural.

Excitement in Osprey Land

There is a lot of excitement today in Wales. First up it is the tenth anniversary of the very first hatch at Dyfi in almost 400 years. At the time people were getting in their cars and driving as fast as they could to get there to see the historic birth.

The parents were the infamous Monty and White 03/08, a Rutland hatch, who was called ‘Nora’. Monty is named after the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust. Monty arrived at the newly erected platforms on the western coast of mid-Wales in 2008 but he did not breed until 2011. This historic hatch, the first of many future ones, turns out to be Einon (Blue DH), the second egg. The first egg hatched second andit was Dulas (Blue 99) followed by Leri (Blue DJ).

They were all fitted with satellite trackers and this is what they looked like at the time:

Here is an image of that historic hatch. Monty is unringed and he was incubating the eggs at the time. Nora looks on. Monty’s first hatch!

And here is the video. The camera work is a little grainy but it is a historic document and how wonderful. The reintroduction of Ospreys to Wales was on its way. Many of Monty’s chicks now have their own nest and there are, of course, Monty’s grandchildren.

Today, Monty’s last mate, Telyn, is on the Dyfi Nest with Idris. Telyn picked a good mate to try and fill Monty’s shoes. Here they are today with their two Bobs, a big fish, and a worrisome piece of netting. Idris is standing on the fish he just brought in and Telyn has the blue Darvin ring, 3J.

One of my favourites out of Monty’s and Glasni’s (before Telyn) chicks is one that my friend ‘T’ introduced me to – Z1 or Tegid of the ‘white egg’. He was a tiny scrapper who survived his migrations and has been breeding on an unmonitored nest in Wales for the past two years. He hatched in 2016. Tegid is one of the little third hatches that I am acquiring information on – you see I don’t always buy the fact that the idea of the survival of the fittest always means the big bully sibling. It is like Tiny Tot, the third hatch on the Achieva Osprey nest in 2021. He almost starved to death and today, through being clever, tenacious, persistent and having a strong urge to live, Tiny Tot has been protecting his natal nest from intruders. I hope one day it is his! (if he is really a he).

Z1 is really a handsome bird. My goodness. I wonder if his sibling, Z2 Aeron on the PC nest near Dyfi this year, is as good looking.

Just stopping in to catch up a couple of other nests. Only one egg out of the three hatched for Dylan and Seren at the Clywedog Nest this year. That Bob is really spoiled!

Everything is fine up at the Loch of the Lowes. Both of the chicks are really in the reptileian phase of their plumage. They are so dark!

I love the image below – little Bob staring Big Bog straight in the eyes like he is telling her not to mess with him!

NC0 filled both of them up and they went into food comas. She had some fish and a nap herself.

The two remaining osplets on the Urdaibai Biosphere Osprey nest appear to be fine. There is some concern about their eyes but, hopefully it will prove to be just an irritant.

Landa removed the body of sweet little Zuri from the nest where she had buried it at 17:31:03.

The three Bobs at the Foulshaw Moss nest in Cumbria had a nice big feed by mom today. It was especially nice to see the smallest Bob get its fill. Sometimes it is hard to be the smallest one but, again, look at Z1 Tegid or Tiny Tot. These little ones can do great things. Little Bob is two weeks old today and its two bigger siblings are entering their biggest growth spurt where they will gain 40g a day. That is the equivalent, Foulshaw Moss says, of a human gaining 2kg a day! Wow.

There is lots more news but one event that also got everyone cheering today was the skycalling of Poole Harbour translocated Blue 019 and her landing on the Glaslyn Nest. She was last seen in January 2020 when she was photographed in the Gunjur Quarry in The Gambia. No one knew if she survived. She put on a good show for everyone today surprising them since normally it is the males that do the skycalling. Skycalling is a high pitched peeep-peeep-peeep sound. She is gorgeous.

Maybe this Poole Harbour girl will find her a Welsh mate!

And for me, Tiny Tot has had at least two deliveries today. Diane brought him a breakfish at 8:37:17 and there was another delivery at 2:50:14. Maybe he will get an evening one, too! He certainly deserves it.

Thanks for joining me. What a fabulous day in the history of the reintroduction of Ospreys in Wales. Take care. Stay well and cool if you are in the area of the heat wave.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife, Urdaibai Biosphere Park, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Loch of the Lowes, Dyfi Osprey Project and Carnyx Wild.

First egg for Idris and Telyn!

It might have started out like any other day on the Dyfi nest in Wales but it wasn’t long until Blue 3J Telyn was telling unringed Idris that the first egg had arrived. That was at 9:55 on 12 April. Isn’t that a beautiful egg?

Isn’t it beautiful Idris? 9:55 am. 12 April 2021

Idris is ready to take over some incubating duties while Telyn has a break.

Telyn arrived on the 26th of March from her migration with Idris following on 29 March. While we know of Telyn’s origins, little is known about Idris.

Telyn was a Rutland Osprey. She hatched in 2013 and is the daughter of male Green 5R (2004) and mother, Maya. She first tried breeding with a male at Rutland in 2016 but that was unsuccessful. She shows up in Wales in 2017 as an intruder on the Dyfi Nest. The following year she is bonded with Monty. That very first season, 2018, Telyn laid three eggs and raised three very successful and strong chicks. The following year, 2019, was the same – three eggs and three strong chicks to fledge. What an incredible record! Monty did not return in 2020 and a new male shows up at the nest on 5 April. It is Idris. The couple raised two healthy chicks to fledge. In total, in three years, Telyn has raised to fledge 5 male Osprey and 3 female Osprey. Oh, we are looking forward to all the excitement of 2021!

The nest of Idris and Telyn is at the Cors Dyfi Reserve near Machynlleth on the west coast of Wales, pretty much right in the centre.

I am inspired by the United Kingdom Ospreys. Look at this record of raising three chicks to fledge by a young female. And I am remembering Louis and Aila last year with the three. There were other successful couples that raised three to fledge. A good example is in 2011 when Monty and his mate, Nora, raised three who were fitted with satellite trackers.

One day I am going to begin the effort to locate every Osprey nest in the United Kingdom that had three eggs hatch and three fledge. While I might be dwelling on the tragedy that could be happening at the Achieva Osprey nest with Tiny Tot, I am reminded of the deaths of the third born in other nests and I must beg the question: why are the Ospreys in the United States more aggressive? or is this an incorrect perception? This aggression – the high level of it – was also seen in Solly at the Port Lincoln Osprey Nest. Articles on siblicide indicate that it occurs not just when food is in short supply but also when it isn’t. So what is the motivator and why do the UK nests seem not to have this problem? Is it contaminants in the fish? pharmaceuticals in the water? heavy metals? other toxins? Or am I just stabbing at straws? The problem is this. I have been trained to ask questions and when I see successful fledglings of three across the board in Wales, in England, and in Scotland (there are no Osprey nests in Ireland), it just makes me wonder.

Thank you for joining me today. For now the snow has stopped on the Canadian prairies and the song birds are busy trying to find seed in my garden. Seven Grackles are on the large suet cylinder. It is a hilarious site. One day there will be a camera!

Thank you to Dyfi Osprey Project and Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust for the streaming cam at the Dyfi Osprey Nest where I took my screen shots.

World Osprey Week 22-26 March 2021

What is World Osprey Week? It is when the world joins with all our friends in the United Kingdom to celebrate the return of the Ospreys from their winter migration. It is a time for celebration, educational fun, and competitions – especially for children. There will also be a lot of videos for those of us who do not live in the UK. Congratulations to the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust who are celebrating the 25th anniversary of Osprey Week!

Ospreys are large ‘fish hawks’. In fact, they used to be included with all species of hawk but, now, they have their own category among avians. They live near water. It can be either fresh water or salt water – rivers like the one show in the image below or coastal estuaries, lakes, reservoirs, or fish hatching ponds. You will find them anywhere there are large numbers of fish. They are known for their ability to hover, like a helicopter. They do this often when landing at their nest or when fishing where they will hover over the fish until they plunge into catch that fish – feet first!

“One More Shot of the Wales Countryside” by Monkey Boson is licensed under CC BY 2.0

The history of Ospreys in the United Kingdom is a sad one. By the middle of World War I (1916), they were almost extinct. The demise of the Ospreys was due to shootings and egg collecting. Later, in the twentieth century, more were dying because of pesticides like DDT. Indeed, the Ospreys were one of the first of the large birds to alert the world to the threat of these harmful chemicals. Electricity is something that each of us use daily. My laptop computer is plugged in right now recharging as I write. The lamp to my right allows me to see. But this modern convenience – electricity – is a real threat to raptors such as the Osprey. Indeed, the main threats today are loss of habitat, power line collisions, and electrocution.

“Ospreys Mean Spring” by Me in ME is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Operation Jimmy honours Blue CU2 ‘Jimmy’ an Osprey born in Scotland. On his migration home, Jimmy stopped in Wales and continued to return. Jimmy was very popular. Sadly, he was electrocuted on a killer pole on a windy rainy day after he had caught his last fish. People were sad and angry. But they got to work. In an effort to stop birds from landing on these electrical poles and being killed, artificial nests started being constructed for the Osprey. In this video you can see one being installed. With the addition of natural perches, it is hoped that there will not be another electrocution.

Last year there were four breeding pairs in Wales. Today I will take a quick peek at two of those nests: Glaslyn and Dyfi. The streaming cam links are posted so you can join in the fun welcoming back these very famous Osprey.

Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife (BGGW) started when the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) ended his stewardship program of the Glaslyn Ospreys in 2013. BGGW is a small community not-for-profit group that is dedicated to the care of the wildlife in the Glaslyn Valley including the current resident pair of Ospreys, Mrs G and Aran (since 2015).

What a gorgeous place for an Osprey nest!

“Llyn Gwynant” by Joe Dunckley is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Mrs G is the oldest breeding female Osprey in Wales. She has been breeding at the Glaslyn nest since 2004. She is estimated to be nineteen or twenty years old. Mrs G has laid at least fifty-one known eggs to date. Forty-one of those hatched and thirty-eight fledged. Mrs G has at least eight-five grandchildren – some have revised this figure to 100. Whew! Those are the ones they know about. What a legacy! Here is the link to their live streaming cam:

Another nest in Wales is the Dyfi Ospreys near Machynlleth. The current resident pair are Idris and Telyn and they are passionately adored by their followers. This project began in 2009 with the erection of artificial nest and perches. The first breeding pair were Monty and Nora. Nora, however, did not return from the winter migration. A new female Blue 12/10 took Nora’s place and was subsequently named Glensi. The couple fledged thirteen chicks between 2009 and including 2017. Glensi did not return to the nest in 2018. Did I say that migrating back and forth from the United Kingdom to Africa is dangerous? That spring Monty bonded with Blue 3J/13 named Telyn. Together the pair have raised six to fledge – three females and three males in the 2018 and 2019 season. Monty did not return after the 2019 season.

“Storm clouds over the Dyfi estuary” by Ruth and Dave is licensed under CC BY 2.0

I love seeing Osprey catch fish to feed their little ones. Here is a look at Monty and Telyn in 2019 when there were three hungry mouths. Sadly, this will be Monty’s last clutch. He was an incredible provider:

We are related to dinosaurs, can you tell?

Here is the link to the Dyfi Osprey Project and its streaming cam:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk70QelhKG9mVuj7jN4I5Cg

All over the United Kingdom individuals are posting their sightings of returning Ospreys. There are currently contests at many nests to predict when the resident pair will land. One of those is Loch Arkaig and I will be taking a look at that nest tomorrow.

————————————————————————————-

I have not checked in on Solly lately and it is time. Solly, the Eastern Osprey born on the barge in Port Lincoln is 172 days old today. She has been moving between the Streaky Bay area and Eba Anchorage with a couple of flights to Haslam for several weeks. Today she is back in Streaky Bay! These satellite trackers are really quite amazing.

These three images show her movements for today (the top one) and yesterday (the bottom one). This girl loves to fly around.

It is unclear if there have been any sightings of her sibling, DEW.

————————————————————————————-

Thank you so much for joining me today. Stay safe!

Thank you to the Port Lincoln Osprey Project for the satellite tracking imagery of Solly.