Tag Archives: Moorings Park

Osprey eggs, DH18 update…Tuesday in Bird World

2 May 2023

Good Morning!

The sky is blue, and the sun is bright this Tuesday morning on the Canadian Prairies. By tea time it will be 15 degrees C. This should really bring on the budding of the leaves and hopefully, we will be seeing some green shortly. Everyone in the City is preparing for the arrival of the Baltimore Orioles – stocking up on grape jelly (they like any flavour, actually) and oranges to help them after their long journey. They fly what is known as an ‘ancestral route’ through the Central Plains of the US down to Florida, the Antilles, and then to their final destination in the marshes of Southern Brazil returning to us in May. It is a long journey, 8-11,000 km (5-6800 miles). They are meeting many challenges due to the changing patterns in agricultural production and irrigation, loss of habitat, and climate changes. These guests will be a welcome addition to the garden family. They stay for about 8 or 9 days and fly north to their breeding grounds for the summer.

Your first smile for the day is brought to you by the students of the Hurst Lodge School in Montana – we missed Osprey Week but we can still enjoy their performance!

Monday evening a moth has gotten into the house. This gobsmacks Missy and Lewis. Lewis got so tired of jumping up and down chasing it that he had to nap…all stretched out. Earlier in the day, Missy and Lewis had also been napping in their Big Dog Bed..always together except in the ‘cat tree’ house. There is no longer room for both of them inside!

First, the latest update on DH18. I am so saddened to hear that an infection has been found but, glad it was and is being treated. We wait to see how our warrior is doing in a couple of days. I know that none of us will give up on DH18. His young life was full of tragedy that none of us would want to go through – lost his dad, lost his sibling, was beaked and starving at times, and then trapped with monofilament line cutting through its legs and causing tremendous pain.

If you see wildlife whose lives are endangered by monofilament lines or baling twine, you must contact the proper authorities immediately. Do not hesitate. We will never know why those watching at DH denied that the fishing line injured the eaglets. All we know is that through dedicated hard work and the efforts of hundreds of people, these two eaglets have a chance – one on the nest with River and the other with the AEF. We hope that DH18 will be released and live in the wild…along with its sibling DH17.

We all know the captivating story of Murphy and the Eaglet. ‘B’ sent me an article out of The New York Times today and it is a good one about Murphy. It isn’t long and I urge you to read it til the end. I can gift articles so please copy and paste the link. The author says, “We fail to understand the creatures who share our ecosystems because we assume they are nothing but bundles of instincts.” I wish more humans understood that all living things are sentient beings. The world would be very different, indeed.

tps://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/opinion/murphy-eagle-rock-baby.html?unlocked_article_code=C0NC7KXrItFJ3nP31LqrjicRndEnDVp9sfIua3biiLRQ155Rauw3gBdy1rU7V-QZkhEcamsCx3ZwdP6fAzngaXNAqQcdoRgVQw-hS306a1NHlys2x1G0uDsqatuHWANg2d4qxWknvedOg8DX3sE26d1_z4FvKEZr2pxrFPwmlvhMk9AEauVyVVxlwUBIH4zXJTmn93T3r-STgABY8WCnRb2PlXZi1HWWiEqepcHNNR-Jjijq12d4eMXSHMbEo1vMGm7KlarRk39uWdanOOPk8bcrtI2GB4P1YeIUZBl97r29_4hKZ-brILDoG4nxglajP7u9fvF8UdCyoR0_8KkIeQ&giftCopy=0_NoCopy&smid=em-share

Thanks to those great BOGs we still get to see what E22 is up to around the Fort Myers Bald Eagle nest on the Pritchett Property. The departure of E22 will be so bittersweet.

Bella and Smitty’s only eaglet is doing fine. Smitty brought in four big fish for them on Monday.

‘H’ reports that Kent Island has its first Osprey egg of the season!

‘H’ also reports that Dory up at the Boathouse might be sitting on her first egg. This is exciting! And there is that egg.

Over in the UK, the third egg has arrived at Loch Garten.

Aran continues to deliver his huge fish to Elen at Glaslyn. Oh, you are so handsome, Aran – but, what is important is that you can catch big fish!

Sasha Dench and her team from Flight of the Osprey have been in The Gambia and are driving through Morocco trying to find Blue 4K. He was located earlier and should now be in the UK breeding but where is he?

‘A’ remarks about Tom and the new baby…”Tom returns to the nest around 2.06 pm this afternoon (1 May) – check out the darling little baby from 2:04:12 onwards. Again, Angel is forced to leave the baby on its own. Tom later brought a small opossum to the nest and Angel made it very clear to him that he was not to touch the baby at this point, just bring it food! So Tom has done well today. He has managed not to kill or injure the hawklet and he has brought food. Now that’s what I call progress”. Let us all hope that this progress continues.

‘A’ continues: “Based on his actions this afternoon, I think Tom has got the message. He is delivering prey, and he has watched Angel feeding the baby. I think he is learning fast. And yes, it is a precious darling little thing (and so was its sibling). Angel is being super protective of her baby. When Tom brings the second opossum, she vocalises constantly until he leaves the nest. She remains firmly on top of the chick. She is teaching him. Gee that second opossum is huge. No wonder it provided four feedings and still there are nestovers. “

Excellent news. I am so glad there is food and that Angel is being super protective Mum although the possum family might not be happy about losing its babies. This single surviving hawk let deserves the best of care by Mum and Tom needs to keep that pantry filled – to try and ensure this one survives regardless of its DNA.

There were several fish brought to the nest at the Achieva Credit Union today. The one around 1800, which Diane brought in, was a blessing. Big Bob self-fed off another fish while Diane fed Middle. Oh, this is grand! Today was a good day on the Achieva Nest. With the drought, we can be grateful.

Harry is such a great provider and he also has the advantage of a stocked pond at his doorstep – compared to Achieva. Abby and Victor have been well cared for…is it possible they might never ever want to leave home?! It seriously feels that they are always eating fish! That pond is going to need a good restocking.

Talk about beautiful osplets. I wish the plumage would stay the same when they are adults.

Remember Friday, 5 May. The banding of the Cal Falcons. They are so cute and are getting pin feathers…flapping cotton balls. Thanks SK Hideaways.

At San Jose City Hall, Hartley found the leftover egg from last season and thinks maybe it should be incubated too – in addition to the four he is already incubating! Our giggle of the day. Thanks, Hartley and SK Hideaways.

Missy Berry flew to the nest with a fish for B16. She wasn’t there…they must have found one another because B16 returned to the nest with the fish. Well done! Lots of training going on out there for these fledgling Bald Eagles. Thanks Bel-A-Dona.

The DNA testing has returned for Ron and Rita’s eaglets at the WRDC. R4 is a male and the testing was inconclusive on R5 and will be re-done. Thanks, ‘H’.

Did anyone else notice Big Red looking down, listening, and moving slightly differently at 1838 Monday evening? Pip watch is coming!

Big Red got up and left the eggs around 2000. No pip yet.

This morning at the change over…I am getting excited.

And a bit of a giggle – Big Red getting that egg cup just right.

In Latvia, the two White-tail Eaglets of Milda and Voldis continue to thrive. Wonderful!

‘L’ sent me a photo of the Canada Goose family that lives hear her in the Carolinas. Look how protective they are. Geese are amazing parents. Thank you, L.

The two books I am currently reading are about geese, particularly Pink-footed Geese, Barnacle Geese, Greylags, Brants, and Bean Geese. They are The Meaning of Geese. A thousand miles in search of Home by Nick Acheson and Wintering. A Season with Geese by Stephen Rutt. I must admit that I find Wintering quite a delight to read. Rutt’s writing style sucks you into his burgeoning love for these large flying creatures. It is his discovery and fascination that keeps you turning the pages. Acheson’s book is excellent, too. It is a diary of his year spent with the geese weaving in their history, the science, the challenges of climate change for our feathered friends. Both, however, deal with the migration from the Siberian Tundra or Iceland and Greenland of these beautiful creatures who land in Scotland or Norfolk beginning in September to spend their winters in the UK. Highly recommended.

“grey lag and pink footed geese” by Nick Goodrum Photography is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, pictures, videos, posts, tweets, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog this morning: ‘B’, ‘L’, ‘H’, ‘A’, ‘S’, Geemeff, Hurst Lodge School, AEF, The New York Times, SW Florida Eagle Cam, NCTC, Explore.org, RSPB Loch Garten, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Conservation without Borders, Geemeff and Conservation without Borders, Window to Wildlife, Achieva Credit Union, Moorings Park Ospreys, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and San Jose City Hall, Bel-A-Dona and Berry College Eagle Cam, WRDC, Cornell RTH, Latvian Fund for Nature, and Openverse.

Sunday in Bird World

16 April 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

On Saturday, a grey day in Manitoba started drizzly and cold. The birds were at the garden feeders an hour early. It was pretty interesting. There were more Black-capped chickadees and woodpeckers today than in previous days. The conservatory has genuinely been a blessing. It is like sitting with them in the middle of the garden but separate, not bothering them. They seem unaware of my presence, looking out the windows, often with my camera. Thankfully, the sun is up, and it is a bright day in Manitoba this morning.

Missy has taken to enjoying looking out the window from inside a large ceramic platter that has become a new sleeping spot!

Lewis is such an ‘angel’ when he is sleeping.

Our continuing good news story comes from the World Bird Sanctuary. Murphy and his Eaglet are doing well. The folks at World Bird Sanctuary are working hard to get some images out. These are screen captures from a short FB video they posted. Things look good. Just look at Murphy, 31 years old, wanting to be a Dad, sitting by his eaglet. Does it get any better?

In the images below, Murphy is teaching the eaglet what to do.

Murphy and his eaglet made the news – well, they are making the news around the world. We are so in need of joyful happenings and this is certainly one of those.

Other happiness comes from the Achieva Osprey nest and San Jose City Hall. I received word from ‘H’ of the two big celebratory occasions. First up, there was fear for Middle Bob at Achieva. He has not eaten much for at least two days. On Saturday at 16:44, a big fish landed on the nest, and Middle Bob was fed for 25 minutes. Today, Middle managed to get to a place where he could get fed and be protected from the aggressive older sibling. It was a relief to all watching. It is one day at a time on this nest. It is an extremely difficult Osprey platform to watch – and it isn’t any easier this year than it was in 2021.

At Dale Hollow, DH18 stole the fish and had a good feed. Again, River is doing her best with all the intruders in dire circumstances. She has been feeding them every day. Perhaps not nearly as much as she would like or they need but, they are being fed. We have to remember that River also needs to eat. It is extremely difficult for single-parent raptor nests. We send her and DH17 and DH18 our most positive wishes.

Do you recall the year-old falcon, the San Jose City Hall male who tried to feed his first egg? Well, as of Saturday, he has four eggs that he will have to feed in a little over a month! They will need a full pantry!

‘H’ also sent me a link to a tribute to Connie-Clive-Connick. Nice one! Connick is healing. His blood is coagulating and CROW is attempting to find out what impacted his primaries.

Anna and Louis are taking very good care of Trey as her leg injury heals. Mum Raptors love to fill those babies up to the top of their crop to keep them on the nest. Trey, you need to rest your leg not be flying all over the tree!

In Latvia, Milda and Voldis now have two little White-tail eaglets. It is so hard to see them in that deep nest bowl.

Saturday is the day for Ferris Akel’s tour and there was plenty of waterfowl today including a Wilson’s Snipe. Oh, I love shore birds and am so looking forward to seeing some ‘live’ here in Manitoba this summer. I did not know that the female Wilson Snipe tends the eggs and nestlings. Once the chicks are ready to fledge, the adults split them up. The male takes the two oldest and the female takes the two youngest.” Separate training!

Ferris checked on one of the Bald Eagle nests and to everyone’s surprise there were eaglets – at least two – their heads poking above the rim. Adorable.

The highlight of the tour today was the Great Blue Heron Rookery at Montezuma.

Sunset at Montezuma.

Iris brought in a whopper to the owl pole and had a really good feed. Then she spent time sitting in her nest watching the activities in the parking lot. I have not noticed Louis being over yet and my friend, ‘T’ says he will wait until Star has eggs under her and she can’t check on him! Too funny. Ospreys have such interesting behaviours.

Iris is great at catching whoppers.

Just look at the size of that fish. She could easily take first prize in the local fishing contests.

There are now three eggs at the Patuxent River Park Osprey platform #1.

The Glaslyn Valley is waiting for a new Queen. It looks like Aran might have one!

The unringed female is a natural beauty. Those intense eyes remind me of Mrs G.

Aran preparing a fish for his beautiful female.

She is waiting in the nest when Aran brings it to the rim.

She accepts!

Good night, Aran. You might have a formidable new mate who will protect your chicks against anything!

There is no rewind on the Foulshaw Moss camera in Cumbria. Polly Turner caught Blue 35 laying the season’s first egg for her and White YW. I am incredibly fond of this female and how she was able to ‘trick’ her two much larger by a long shot osplets so that she could feed the tiny third, Blue 464 two years ago.

The first egg was laid at the Dahlgren Osprey Platform in Virginia on 11 April. Jack has been filing the nest with plastic objects, not toys, but, junk. There was concern for the egg. ‘H’ notes that it is now four days since the first egg and no second one. We wait.

‘H’ reports this morning that 4 days and 16 hours after the first egg, Harriet at Dahlgren laid her second egg.

M15 continues to be rather amazing, as are his two fledglings. The female intruder wanted a fish M had brought to 21 and 22. She landed in the nest, trying to take in. E21 flew in to help dad – he was fearless. Then 22 came in to assist. What a team they made. The female still made off with the fish, but seeing those three work together cooperatively was remarkable.

A must watch. M15 defends the nest from the female intruder! Fish goes over board.

It is just so much calmer within the scrape at Cal Falcons. Lou really wants to feed his trio.

More of Lou – and Annie – and the trio from SK Hideaways.

It seems that each of us has, at one time or another, yelled – loudly or silently – at the GHOs on the Pritchett property that continually hit and harassed M15 and the Es. At the same time, we look at Bonnie and Clyde’s two owlets and want to ‘cuddle’ with them. They really are quite adorable.

The three eaglets at Dulles-Greenway had big crops throughout the day. The plastic bags on the nest have multiplied. There are now two. Hopefully, the wind will blow them from the nest before any eaglet gets tangled. You might remember that nests have been cleaned when too much human debris could endanger the nestlings.

‘A’ notes that it was Rosa that brought in the squirrel that has been feeding the little ones. Martin arrived in the nest empty taloned yesterday to Rosa’s dismay. So far this nest has done well with the three. We do not need any intermittent lags in prey delivery right at this stage!

Wet little munchkins.

I have lost track of when the goslings are due to hatch in Decorah. Do you know? It will be grand to see them all take that leap of faith again this year.

Just down the road is the Decorah Hatchery nest with its cute little eaglet. It started raining late in the day and HM is keeping baby warm and dry.

Abby and Victor are 44 days old today. Stunning. Their juvenile plumage is nothing short of gorgeous.

A portion of England’s wetlands seek UNESCO heritage status. Wetlands. How often do you think about them? They are critical during migration, and they are essential for the ducks and waterfowl or the raptors that hunt them. We need more wetlands across the globe. Many regions are working to increase theirs. What is happening where you live?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/15/avian-super-highway-uks-pitstop-for-migrating-birds-seeks-unesco-status-aoe?CMP=share_btn_link

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. Hope to see you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, observations, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, Australia Raptor Care and Conservation, World Bird Sanctuary, Achieva Credit Union, Heidi McGru and Achieva Ospreys with Jack and Diane, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, San Jose City Hall, Onabebe and Captiva Eagle Cam, Tonya Irwin and KNF Eagle Cam Fans, Looduskalender Forum and Latvian Fund for Nature, Ferris Akel, Montana Osprey Project, Ashley Wilson and Patuxent River Park Osprey Nest, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Polly Turner and Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys, Dahlgren Ospreys, Sw Florida Eagle Cam, Cal Falcons, SK Hideways and Cal Falcons, Farmer Derek, Dulles Greenaway, Decorah Goose Cam, Moorings Park Ospreys, and The Guardian.

Aran arrives, NC0 lays first UK Osprey egg, E22 at the pond with Dad…Tuesday in Bird World

4 April 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Oh, this report was very long and I have cut it down. There is simply too many things happening and I decided not to make your eyes sore. LOL. If there is sadness or worry at some of the nests, the first story should make up for all of that!

There simply are no words to describe the feeling when we see an image like the one below. It is remarkable. What a magnificent day that began with M15 coaxing 22 so he could eat and they wind up in the pond together having their evening bath. Remarkable isn’t even the right word. After all the devastation from the supercells, this melts my heart.

D Morningstar shows us 22’s first bath. Wait to see M15 turn around and look at his fledgling. Priceless. Jumping for joy at 5:28. Gulping water. Learning.

Are you exhausted from all the drama and trauma at the nests? This morning (Monday), I just wanted to pick up squeeing E22 and tell him it is alright. ‘You are a bird. You can do this!’ M15 is one super dad. We have seen just how hard adult eagles work to get their fledglings where they want them so they can feed them if those little Butcher Birds would take a holiday.

There was a lot of debate about whether it would be Maya or Blue NC0 that laid the first Osprey egg in the UK to kick off the season. Congratulations Laddie and Blue NC0! You get the honour in 2023!

The folks at Glaslyn are cheering. One of their couple is home safely. Oh, it is so nice to see you, Aran. Now we wait for Mrs G, the oldest osprey in the UK.

My goodness, Aran, you are handsome!

It did not take Aran long to get a fish on the nest branch!

Geemeff caught his arrival for us! Sure is a nice fish. Was he looking for Mrs G to come and grab it? Let us hope she is home soon.

More on SW Florida. It was quite the morning at the Pritchett Property with M15 doing everything he could possibly think of to get 22 to either get to the nest to eat a fish, eat it at the snag tree, or down by the pond. What a Dad. He never gave up. Victory!

‘A’ sent us the video link for yet another GHO strike caught by Lady Hawk on 22 during the night. Those owls are persistent. E22 do not let that owl daunt your staying home with Dad at the pasture, the pond, and in the trees!

At 0926, Little Bitty 22 (s/he is not so little) continued to enjoy being at the pond and having a bath. What a beautiful sight. There is no word on 21 so far.

Valentine are both back at the KNF-E3 nest in the Kistachie National Forest. Thanks Rhonda A for the video!

It is Monday morning, and it looks like there is a pip at Decorah!

Jackie and Shadow have been mating and Shadow has made sure Jackie is eating well. They were at the nest very early this morning.

The pair spent a lot of time at the nest until the ice pellets and wind picked up in the afternoon on Monday.

I really wish that Shadow could lay those eggs.

After their evening meal on Monday, Duke Farm Dad settled down with the family for a bit. Beautiful

They are soooooooo cute. Just love H19 and H20 at Pittsburgh-Hays.

Second hatch for Bald Canyon Eagles. That first one is just a little fluff ball darling.

Waiting for a pip – while hoping the egg is viable at Sauces Canyon. You send all. your good vibes to Jak and Audacity. This is egg 7 and it is intact. They sure deserve a healthy hatch.

Two eggs have hatched at the Bartlesville Oklahoma Bald Eagle nest. Congratulations. One more to go, maybe.

Dulles-Greenway. Martin and Rosa are doing great with their three eaglets. Oh, please just send some good love to them. It is hard with three and I really do not want anything to happen to either parent!

Oh, my goodness. Ron and Rose’s two eaglets have beautiful white Mohawks and gorgeous thermal down. They had excellent crops when Ron came in with another big fish after 1600 on Monday. Rose did a great job feeding the pair.

Every female adult eagle has ‘that look’. There is no way I would want to mess with Rose!

Just pause and look at those Mohawks. It looks like they have just returned from a luxury salon! I have never seen anything like it. Have you? Normally there are a few dandelions. This is incredible.

Quite the egg cup that Laddie and Blue NC0 have going at Loch of the Lowes. Will they beat Maya at Manton Bay with the first egg to officially kick off the UK Osprey season?

Beautiful CJ7 at her nest at Poole Harbour.

So you have found a baby bird. What do you do? Audubon tells us how we should behave:

https://www.audubon.org/news/when-you-should-and-should-not-rescue-baby-bird

Waiting for Iris? Here is her past schedule.

Harriet is home at Dunrovin and Star is at the Baseball Park. Come on Iris!

Moorings Park. Abby and Victor might like an earlier breakfast, but Dad seems to like to bring in a late fish. They are both well-nourished. No perceivable problems at this nest.

I do wish they would not get so close to the edge!

Victor still protects his head in case Abby wants to take a peck.

Angus and Florence continue to incubate their three eggs at Captiva. Gosh, these chicks are going to hatch late. Wonder what the heat and humidity will be like? Sure hope the fishing is good for Angus if they have three lively osplets to feed.

There were storms in Iowa. Mother Goose seems to be fine in her nest at Decorah.

Arthur and Big Red have quite a ways to go before hatch. I am so very grateful that there nest is up on that light stand!

Do you watch the Great Spirit Bluff Peregrine Falcons? If you do, Savannah just laid her third egg of the season!———— We are one week away from pip watch at Annie and Lou’s at Cal Falcons. Are you getting excited?

As I close the blog for today, I am reminded that there is a concern for the three eaglets at Dale Hollow and the three osplets at Achieva. The fish deliveries dropped off at Dale Hollow over the weekend, possibly due to the fishing tournament held at the lake. River has brought in a nice fish, and the three will go to bed with very full crops. River, you are doing great. It is not easy while you grieve your missing Obey.

DH19 had a good feed but, throughout the feeding, River was distracted with the intruder. It was a lot of work for the little one to get that crop. Please, go away intruder and let River get on with what she needs to do. It would be grand if the same success came to this nest as SW Florida.

Fish deliveries have dropped off at Achieva as noticed by chatters. ‘H’ tells me that the little one has little to nothing to eat. In fact, I believe that all three of the osplets are quite hungry especially in the heat. They need their hydration. Send your best wishes to these two nests, please.

All chicks at Achieva are so ravenous. The third hatch is very tiny. The problem is that Diane simply will not stay the course and feed the little one and often sends fish back when Jack arrives. I am not hopeful this morning.

What might impact Jack’s hunting abilities besides his fish being stolen by other birds? Avian Report says, “Osprey hunting times vary with locality and are influenced by weather conditions, particularly wind speed and tide schedules, where tides occur. A study of foraging Ospreys found that birds tend to hunt more often at dawn and dusk. However, Ospreys concentrated their hunting efforts and were more successful during mid-tide regardless of the direction to low or high tide. An Osprey’s hunting schedule and success are affected by wind speed. According to field observations, ospreys were more successful in catching fish during calm wind hours. As the wind speed increases, the water becomes choppier, and Ospreys have less success catching fish. Consequently, Ospreys tend to avoid hunting during high winds. The hunting success rate of Ospreys is not affected by overcast or bright days or even rain.” We do not know all the obstacles Jack faces getting fish to the nest.

It feels like a roller coaster for all of us. So many things are happening – many are joyful, and others are tragic. When it gets too much, go outside and listen to the birds in your neighbourhood (I hope there are some), take a short walk and breathe in the spring air. Look at the flowers. Then breathe again. Call a friend and step back from a nest. One of the difficulties is feeling helpless. Then pause…and find the joy because it is there. The glass is more than half full.

Cherry blossoms are such a joy. They remind us that spring has arrived while at the same time, they bud, bloom, and fall to the ground symbolising that life is fleeting. ‘A’ sent me some beautiful images from Tokyo yesterday. With some sadness, we must continue to remind ourselves that nature brings us joy. I know she will not mind if I share one of those with you. How gorgeous. Thank you, ‘A’.

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

Thank you to the following for the notes, posts, videos, tweets, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘A’, ‘Geemeff’, Betty Weeks and SW Florida Eagle Cam, D Morningstar and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Geemeff and Scottish Wildlife Trust, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Geemeff and Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Eagle Goddess, Rhonda A and KNF-E3, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, FOBBV, Duke Farms, PIX Cams, IWS and Explore.org, Gracie Shepherd and Raptors of the World, Paul Kolnik and Bald Eagles 101, Dulles Greenway, WRDC, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke, Audubon.org, Lin Lawson and Osprey Friends, Moorings Park Ospreys, Window to Wildlife, Decorah Goose Cam, Cornell RTH, Dale Hollow Eagles, Achieva Credit Union, and Avian Report.

E on fence, Nests Devastated…Monday in Bird World

3 April 2023

Good Morning,

What a horrible horrible weekend it was. There is some good news and before I even say anything else, we will get right to it. M15 watched and saw 22 fly to the ridge of a nearby roof yesterday. 22, then flew back to the branch below the nest. The Real Saunders Photography caught the difficulty E22 had in trying to get up to the nest from the branch below but, applaud, the effort that M15 made to try and get him there!

On Sunday, one of the local photographers has caught M15 feeding 22 on that roof. While there is debate over whether or not it is 22, there is no reason to believe that it is not 22. Eaglets remember have longer wing and tail feathers than their parents until their first moult. That is where M15 fed his fledgling! He may be also feeding 21 off camera but no one has seen that happen as far as I know. I hope that the address is not divulged so that the public will keep away and let M15 finish the task he began with Harriet when they had their first egg for this season. He is doing brilliantly and this story is one of the bright stars in a bleak world.

The confirmation needed:

One of the fledglings at SW Florida on the pasture fence around 0920.

The rural bird watchers in my province were having a field day on Sunday. There is a ridge of hills – not mountains – where the thermals are pretty good. eBirders report 102 Bald Eagles, 72 Red-tail Hawks, 4 Golden Eagles, 4 Rough Legged Hawks, and many smaller birds: migration and spring. After the loss of so many – and the little eaglet at MN-DNR was found and confirmed dead – it was a hard week in Bird World. The arrival of the migrants gives me some hope. Must begin to compare these arrival statistics with last year.

After a short drive checking on geese arrivals – and they are coming – poor things. Some are here already walking on the snow and ice while others fly overhead. Snow is predicted for today through Wednesday when it turns to rain. They might wish they had waited although if I had been in the northern part of the central US I would get out of town, too. There is more severe weather predicted for them. We get the odd little tornado but nothing like those storm cells covering half the eastern part of the US that are destroying raptor nests!

Junior was here. In fact, every one began to arrive in the garden around 1530 trying to fill up before the snow begins. So nice to see him. He is looking very well, indeed.

Mrs Downy is a regular visitor to the garden. She comes several times a day keeping me on my toes to fill that log with suet!

One of 35 or 40 House Sparrows. You can see the buds on the lilacs coming along nicely. The flowers are usually here by May.

The raccoons are busy early and have seen on at least two nests in the last day or two- Redding and Golden Gate. You might recall that they captured and killed an eaglet at Fort St Vrain in Colorado this year. I do not like them around the nests. They love to eat eggs too.

Oh, I sound like a broken record but when eaglets fledge, we want them to return to the nest. We have all seen M15 trying to coax 22 up to the nest. Well, congratulations to Trey, the only eaglet of Anna and Louis this year, who has flown back to the nest after fledging. This is precisely what we want to see.

Trey fledged on Friday, returned to the nest for a feeding on Sunday. Way to go Trey!

At the Webster, Texas Bald Eagle nest, Ringo has branched!

More news is coming in from the MN-DNR nest and its failure and the death of that much-loved eaglet of Nancy and Beau. The report below was updated. The crew returned to clear out the nest of all the food to try and find the baby to see if it was alive. Sadly, the eaglet was found some ten feet from the nest. How it got there is not known. So very, very sad.

Nancy and Beau continue to grieve. Beau doesn’t know what to do and continues to bring prey to the nest to feed Nancy and the baby. So sad.

Starr is mourning the loss of her nest at The Trio, Mississippi Flyway, Fulton, Illinois. Dennis Brecht has confirmed that Starr and her new mate, Tarek, had two little ones in the nest that perished. Brecht confirmed that the tree snapped about 2 or 3 feet above the ground and that many more trees were down and twisted around one another. Starr was looking at her loss from the Lookout Tree, soaring and returning to the lookout tree. I was hoping her mate was nearby. We are waiting for news from Brecht. As you might remember, Starr was with Valor I and II – the trio. She lost Valor 1 to Jolene, but Valor II stayed with her and disappeared. She has had a rough few years from the days of The Love Trio that raised all those babies in that nest.

The very sad thing is that the eagles are facing not only a huge decline in the population due to deaths from nest collapse but also, we continue to have warnings of active cases of Avian Flu. This is just the beginning of storm season.

Here is yet another nest collapse. This time one of the eaglets survived! Isn’t he a little cutie? Send you best wishes!

Big Red and Arthur have their second egg of the ‘M’ season. Their nest was shaking and rattling yesterday due to the high winds. It would be nice if they had a break. Big Red has a nice crop on her return to the nest from her break. It feels like she is giving Arthur much more incubation time this year.

Angel and her mate, Tom, have eggs they are incubating. Their tree is holding.

I am hoping that the camera angle is causing the distortion of the nest for Mother Goose at Decorah.

‘A’ sent me a great report on Dulles-Greenway.

“At Dulles Greenway, lunch at around 13:04 was probably a possum (opossum?) as it had a long thin tail and was way too large to be any sort of rat. Again, all three sat up nicely to the table, with the two youngest in front and the oldest at the back, waiting for their siblings to feed! Perhaps we have a rare male first/male second/female third in this nest. Otherwise, it’s three boys, I would say. I did see one single beaking at this morning’s breakfast – but I’m pretty sure that was the youngest (if not the second youngest). The oldest sibling is very relaxed, usually last to the table and never getting pushy when it misses out on getting enough food (which it does more often than the younger ones).” 

Pittsburgh-Hayes is doing good. Five feedings already this morning and it isn’t even mid-morning!

Lou finally got some incubation time. ‘B’ sent me the following note: “Mary Malec of Cal Falcons was reported as having said that in the recent storm Annie did not get off the eggs from 1 pm one afternoon until 7 am the next morning, the longest continuous incubating she had seen from Annie.” Lou really does want to stay a little longer. Thanks SK Hideaways for the video.

Looks like we have lift off at Ithaca for the Peregrine Falcons. Egg 1!

We can’t see them but Pip, Tootsie, and Hoot are about a metre above the nest bowl according to the chat moderator. Fantastic.

Abby and Victor continue to thrive under the care of Sally and Harry at Moorings Park. Harry brought in a fish at 2000!

The Montana Ospreys are arriving at their spring and summer breeding grounds. Harriet arrived at Dunrovin and Starr arrived at the Baseball Park on Sunday. Iris is always about a week after Star. Let us all hope the matriarch, the Queen, survived the winter and her return home.

There is a hatch at Bald Canyon, the three eaglets at Tobacco Creek of Chandler and Hope are doing well, and today is pip watch for Jak and Audacity at Sauces. Oh, goodness. Now that hatch, a healthy eaglet, would sure get our spirits up. And then if Jackie lays an egg- well, the sun would be shining bright.

Hatch at Bald Canyon:

Chandler feeding the 20, 18, and 16 day old Ps.

Meanwhile, Shadow is filling Jackie with fish and they have been mating often…hoping for one viable egg! Baiba brings us the action in images.

The egg at Sauces Canyon is 35 days old today. We wait! Best wishes for Jak and Audacity.

There is also one egg at US Steel and we are on pip watch today, too!

Things have deteriorated over the weekend at Dale Hollow. This could, in part, be due to the fishing tournament at the lake and the intruder. Little third hatch was afraid to eat and had nothing of the last two fish brought in. Things were going well. Send good wishes. Note: River has just brought in a nice fish around 0800 Monday. Let us hope there is enough to go around. DH19 in submission and you can see how small it is. Oh, goodness.

I am so sorry to bring such sad news today. Let us hope this is the tragedy’s end as more bad weather and supercells head east. When trees are checked, like the nest at MN-DNR, and the arborist says they are dead, would it not then be of some help to try and lessen the load of the heavy eagle nest by removing some material during the off-season when the eagles are not there and by doing some human intervention on the tree to support it? With all the loss of trees and the number of eagles, thoughtful designs for artificial nests should be considered and implemented.

Thank you for being with me. Take care all. See you soon. Feel free to hit the share button for FB and Twitter!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, photographs, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, Real Saunders Photo, Brittany Laurie and NEFL and SWFL Eaglecam Watcher’s Club, Nancy Babineau and SWFL Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, SF Bay Ospreys, KNF-E1, Paul White and the Webster Texas Eagle Cam, Terry Carman and Bald Eagles Live Nests and Cams, Lady Hawk and MN-DNR, Dennis Brecht and Trio Eagle Nest Lovers Group, Cornell RTH, Angel the Leucistic RTH, Decorah Goose Cam, Dulles-Greenaway, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Melissa Richards, Corona Owl Cam, Moorings Park Ospreys, Sheila Staley and Osprey Friends, IWS, PA Farm Country, FOBBV, PIX Cam, and Lolita Ozolina and Baltgalvas ergo ASV.

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

30 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

https://www.facebook.com/mindyourline

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

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

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

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

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

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

E22 made it to the attic, Karl II and Kaia on the move…Wednesday in Bird World

29 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Tuesday was a very long day, with Victor having a monofilament line wrapped around his tarsus. The ordeal began during the night when it was pitching down rain. ‘A’ gives us a great narrative of Sally’s reactions after she discovered the line: “Fingers crossed that you are right, and the line is a long one that extends across the nest, so whether an eaglet is currently entangled or not, it does definitely need to be removed. So yes, I hope they go ahead and remove it regardless. You should have seen Sally in the middle of the night, digging and working so hard to free the pair. She got Abby free, and she got Victor partly free, at least to the point where he can move around the nest relatively freely. She is such a wonderful mother. She tried so hard and so long. And watching her analysing what to do and where to dig was amazing. They teach us more about themselves every day.”

These things always take longer than we would like! This is the latest news:

Moorings Park management have lined up a 60 foot man lift with flotation tires for Thursday morning sometime between 7 and 9 AM. The Country Club of Naples has granted us access thru their property. To free the nestling from the fishing line it’s entangled with. Unfortunately, this is the earliest this highly specialized equipment is available.

Victor, Moorings Park Osprey chat moderator, 28 March

‘H’ has been monitoring Victor’s leg closely, and it might just be that the line wrapped around the tarsus has come off by itself. This would be fantastic, even though it often doesn’t happen. Indeed, because the machinery arrival would be so long, it would now be desirable, very desirable, if the line came off but if they would still clean the nest.

At 1651:

Victor has been fed all day. Sally is keeping them full and calm. She has been on the nest almost the entire time shading and caring for the babies.

Around 1842 a fish came on the nest. Our eagle-eyed ‘H’ noticed that Victor got up, walked around Abby, and went up to get his fill. It would appear that he is no longer tethered to that monofilament line. Still, it is a worry and should be removed.

Just look at that crop – both have one. Just hard to see the second chick. Sally and Harry are amazing. Victor zoomed the camera in and will do so again tomorrow morning to see if any monofilament line can still be seen. Sunnie Day thinks it is under the nesting material. I do hope that they can come and clean the nest while there is no threat of the osplets flying off the nest.

‘A’ believes that line could still be attached to Victor. Help will come on Thursday. We wait.

So sad for Liberty and Guardian. Their second egg that was nearing hatch has broken. It appears that it did not develop normally.

Dr Sharpe is back to the rescue! We now have a camera on Chase & Cholyn at Two Harbours!

Blue KW0 will continue to cause an interest for a long time. Early this morning, Tim Mackrill was on the BBC. If you have an iPlayer you can go back and listen to the programme (I understand).

Michael St John has sent a link that is apparently good for 24 hours to watch/listen to the programme. Thanks, Michael!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006v5tb

Falcon season is on us! Annie and Lou will be looking forward to hatch in a fortnight while the Manchester NH falcons now have two eggs!

I have received so many notes about the third hatch at the Achieva Osprey nest. This little tyke isn’t afraid to get itself right up there in front to get some fish. Gosh, I sure hope it stays that way! Reminds me of L4 at the nest of Big Red and Arthur last year.

They are sure working to get that nest finished at Patuxent!

Sassa Bird and Terry Carmen remind us of the sadness that swept through the Iowa nests last year when Avian Flu hit.

Both eggs have now hatched at the Pittsburgh-Hayes Bald Eagle nest. Welcome H19 and H20! Just look at those cuties having a meal.

It appears that the fourth egg at PA Country Farms will not hatch. That is just fine. There are three energetic eaglets in that nest and that is quite enough for Oliver and Lisa to handle!

There is confirmation of at least one eaglet for Mr President and Lotus at their new nest in the National Arboretum. There could possibly be a second.

It is quite impossible to even begin to imagine how much we will miss M15 and the Es after the eaglets have fledged. They are so close. 22 was up on the attic branch today!

They shared.

Lady Hawk has 22 branching to the attic on video! — Now I know I must record E22 squeeing to hear it after he is far away. What a familiar sound we have grown accustomed to.

‘H’ just wrote and Duke has landed right on the Barnegat Light Osprey Platform in New Jersey. Thanks for the images, ‘H’. Now we wait for Daisy.

Over the moon. Satellite tracking of Karl II and Kaia indicates that Karl is moving northward out of Turkey! Kaia is in Israel. Send them your warmest wishes for safe passage to their home in the Karula National Forest in Estonia. Waba continues to forage in the Sudan!

Karl II and Kaia could be home by the weekend.

Is this Betty returning to the nest she shares with her mate Bukachek in Mlade Bury, The Czech Republic?

It is snowing on the White Stork nest on the chimney of a restaurant in Pribor, The Czech Republic. The snow is quite beautiful but the storks might like to return to nicer weather! Here is the link to their camera if you do not know this nest.

https://www.youtube.com/live/yfEUXXtyGFc?feature=share

Incredible news coming out of the UK. It is amazing what we can do together when we try!

News has come that Aaron Z2 is at Port Cresor in Wales and confirmation of Dylan at home with Seren at Clywedog. Excellent!

Thank you so very much for being with me this morning. We continue to watch and hope Big Red will lay an egg on the Cornell Campus. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, tweets, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: ‘H’, ‘A’, Michael St John, Moorings Park Ospreys, Sassa Bird and Bald Eagles in the US, Jan Gallivan and CIEL, IWS, @TimMackrill, BBC, Manchester NH Falcon Fans, Achieva Credit Union, Ashley Wilson and the Putuxent River Park Osprey Nest, Sassa Bird and Terry Carman and Denton Homes, Pix Cams, Lisa Yen and Bald Eagles Live Nests and Cams, NADC-AEF, SW Florida Bald Eagles and D Pritchett, Lady Hawk and SW Florida and D Pritchett, Barnegat Light, Looduskalender Forum, Blade Buky White Stork Cam, Skarab, s.r.o., and @Wildmoors.

Victor caught in fishing line…Tuesday in Bird World

28 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Spring ‘decided’ to turn a little nippy on Monday. The sky was blue and the House Finches returned to the feeders along with a few more Dark-eyed Juncos, Mr and Mrs Woodpecker, and an assortment of Chickadees and Sparrows. I hope to have decent images for you sometimes this week.

The kittens and I cannot take our eyes off the SW Florida nest. E22 is going to fly soon!!!!! Very soon. The other nests are doing fine. I am a little nervous about a couple with three osplets or eaglets where the size is vastly different from the first to the third, but we wait. So far, so good. Knock on wood, as they say! Or don’t worry about something until there is something to worry about! We wait to see if the single egg at the Redding California nest of Liberty and Guardian is viable. Otherwise, we can look for several more hatches along with Osprey arrivals and fledges in the coming days.

Will the spill in Poole Harbour harm all the wildlife?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/28/weve-seen-oiled-birds-fears-for-protected-wetlands-after-poole-harbour-spill?CMP=share_btn_link

A very good article about the restoration of the Peregrine Falcons on the University of California Campus at Berkeley. It is in the most recent Alumni news, The California Magazine.

https://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/online/berkeleys-high-flying-falcons-rebounded-from-the-brink/

Big Red could have fooled us all today. She has spent a lot of time at the nest on the Cornell campus.

Is it just me, but does Big Red look ‘tired’ in her eyes this year? I hope this is just the camera angle.

Jackie has patiently sat on the branch letting Shadow have a fun day with his sticks on the nest. ‘B’ reports that the nest could be in for some more bad weather on Wednesday. Thanks for the head’s up, ‘B’.

They are three cute osplets. I so hope they all play nice at Achieva. Just look at the size difference.

Not ospreys but three little eaglets. Hoping for them, too! This is PA Country Farm and they have one more egg to possibly hatch.

At the beginning of February, when Harriet disappeared, no one imagined that M15 could raise the Es to fledge. It just seemed like such an insurmountable challenge but, we knew it had been done before. He rose to the occasion and here we are today preparing with him for the last two eaglets he will have with Harriet to fly and eventually make their way into the world. What an amazing journey it had been. Better than the afternoon soap operas my grandmother used to watch!

On Monday, M15 brought at least three prey items to the Es today. Everyone ate.

E22 is sure beautiful. Missy and Lewis think that our feisty Bitty is going to fledge first!

As dusk settled over the pastures, E22 was squeezing, flapping, and going from branch to branch. As many of you might be aware, fledging often occurs in the early morning or the hour before dusk. Missy and Lewis were watching the computer, and I could tell something was going to happen. We are so close to fledging at SW Florida.

M15 with his eagle eyes keeping an eye from above. As so many have said, Harriet would be so proud of how he has taken care of these last two eaglets of theirs.

Finally, asleep on the rim. Flying can wait til Tuesday.

Lady Hawk shows M15 delivering two fish, one each, in less than two minutes. Did we say incredible in describing our Dad at this nest?

Pittsburgh-Hays had their first hatch on the 26th and there is a pip in the second egg. Congratulations!

We watched as Audacity laid eight eggs hoping to have eaglets this year with her mate, Jak at Sauces Canyon in the Channel Islands. It looks like that egg continues to hold. Let us hope for a successful hatch.

If you like the sound of frogs, visit Jak and Audacity’s streaming cam at night. Audacity in her nest listening to the serenade and protecting her precious egg.

There is a pip at the Denton Homes Bald Eagle nest in Decorah, Iowa!

Smitty feeds his little eaglet for the first time at the NCTC nest! After no chicks last year – you may remember that Bella was attacked by an intruder and MIA for three weeks, it is fantastic to see these two be parenting a wee one again.

Then Bella and Smitty do a tandem feeding. They are so happy to have an eaglet to care for this year.

Isn’t this just the sweetest little eaglet? It looks like it is smiling. Congratulations Bella and Smitty!

The Live Owl Cam GHOs are really growing. Caught Owlvira bringing in some prey – a mouse? – for Tootsie, Pip, and Hoot tonight.

One of my favourite Osprey nests in the UK is the Foulshaw Moss nest of White YW and Blue 35 in Cumbria. Today, White YW returned home after his winter migration. Just waiting for Mum. I will tell you more about this amazing nest in days to come.

Victor and Abby had another good day. Victor is so very clever. As ‘A’ has observed if Abby is giving him grief and keeping him from fish, then he gets under Sally’s bottom or under her wing and she feeds him. Sally loves to stuff these two full to the brim and then asks if they want more. If they say no, she feeds them more anyway! Too funny. What a glorious nest to watch.

Abby and Victor have huge crops. Sally is such a devoted mother.

Victor could hardly hold his crop up but Sally insisted that he have more fish…so he ate while on his belly. Too funny.

There is a problem with fishing line on the Moorings Park nest. ‘A’ writes, “It is 4.34am at The Moorings and it sounds as though it is raining heavily. We have a problem with one or both osplets caught up in nesting material for over four hours and unable to move about freely. In trying to free itself, Abby has got very close to the edge, which is concerning Sally greatly. I am not sure how Victor is going, as he has been making quite a bit of noise, chattering, but he too was entangled earlier. At least he is under mum, between her and Abby, so he is getting some shelter from the weather and is further from the edge. His right foot appears to be caught under nesting material and he is unable to get it out. Sally is trying to dig at the nesting material to loosen it perhaps and free Victor’s foot. I am unsure how this happened but it is not a good situation.”

The rain has stopped. Thankfully. The line has been seen at 1000 on the nest, but it may be off Victor’s leg. In situations like this (human-caused), wildlife rehabbers get permission and can remove the line from the nest. Victor and Abby are too small to worry about a forced fledge. — Let us hope that Sally takes care of it! I did notify Moorings and the local wildlife conservancy in case the line continues to be an issue.

Victor still had line pulling on him at 11:02.

I don’t know if Maya is still suspicious of Blue 33 and Blue 25. Both Maya and Blue 33 have been at the nest working on the egg bowl over Monday.

Michael St John just sent me a new article covering the exploits of Blue KW0. As I have mentioned earlier, Kirk, Tweed Valley 2022, fledgling Blue 707, might have been caught in the same winds and could also be out in the Caribbean. As I write this, I seek help from radar and meteorological specialists to try and establish the weather patterns that could have taken these UK birds to the Caribbean—more on that as information is discovered. I will put out a call for help with 707 that I hope everyone will send out to any and all in a few days. Who knows, we might get lucky and find this other osprey!

.https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-65089646

Colouring books are not just for children. This book arrived today in the post, and I wanted you to see it – especially since we will watch the White-bellied Sea Eagles in the Sydney Olympic Forest in a few months. The coloured images are superb and are the work of the famous Australian artist, Elizabeth Gould, whose work is being featured in a new book released in the fall.

In some places of the world – not on the Canadian Prairies – please remember – and thank you. Spread the world. Embrace dandelions!

One of the key individuals in the fight to protect wildlife and habitat in the UK is Chris Packham. I have written about the arson attack at his home. The threats to his life are growing simply because he calls out the gamekeepers and gun sports for their violence and illegal activities. What is happening now is frightening. How would we feel if we defended the right to life of foxes and came home fearing someone would be there to harm us?

Raptor Persecution UK covers the latest news.

Fieldsports Channel Ltd displays images of Chris Packham’s head on ‘trophy’ wall at national gun show

Thank you so much for being with me today. Coming up this week – a close look at Tweed Valley Osprey 707 Kirk and how he might have gotten blown off just like Blue KW0, Missey’s review of Waterbabies, and a surprise visit to a new site in my city. See you soon. Take care!

I want to thank the following for their notes, posts, announcements, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A’, Michael St John, The Guardian, The California Magazine, Cornell RTH, FOBBV, Achieva Credit Union, PA Farm Country, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Pix Cams, IWS and Explore.org, Paul Kolnik and Bald Eagles 101, Deb Stecyk and the NCTC, Live Cam Owl, Cumbria Wildlife, Moorings Park Ospreys, LRWT, BBC, Amazon, and Raptor Persecution UK.

Pips everywhere…Sunday in Bird World

26 March 2022

The sun is bright, and the temperature is only -2 C, but a 22 kph wind makes it chilly! I have not seen them, but others have witnessed 45 Bald Eagles and 1 Golden Eagle arriving from their winter migration. First American Robin seen, also. Amazing. Last year many of the eagles who make their nests on the ground and the ducks’ and geese’ nests were ruined by overland flooding. Hoping that does not happen this year!

For me, the delight of the day came when about half a dozen Dark-eyed Juncos landed in the lilac bushes at about 1630! They’re back. Mr and Mrs Downy had just departed when they arrived. Do you know what this means? A trip to the bird food store for millet tomorrow.

‘H’ reports that it was quite the day at the WRDC nest. There was a feast with Rose bringing in 2 fish and Ron delivering 7 fish and a duck. Goodness. There was even one feeding. Needless to say neither chick was hungry! Incredible.

Gosh, that fish on the Moorings Park Osprey Platform has been there a long time. Sally started feeding Abby and Victor and Abby took great exception to Victor wanting food. Not that behaviour is any surprise. Poor little Victor. He did wait it out and watched and got over and Mum Sally fed him until he had a nice crop. There is still fish left.

Little Victor finally getting some fish.

Around 1640 Sally ‘decided’ to feed Abby and Victor before they got ravenous. Great idea. They both ate little civilised cherubs. Each got fed a nice meal.

There was even fish left for Sally.

Victor had a nice crop as the sun was setting over the nest. Harry was not around much today. Chasing off intruders? Sally caught one fish herself. Saw it from the nest and went and got it. Don’t think she cared much for that other fish that Harry brought in. Perhaps it was too bony.

Sally and the osplets sound asleep…Victor tucked in under Mum.

There is fish hiding all over the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest. The triplets are doing just fine. Martin and Rosa seem to managing them well.

This is the listing of the UK Ospreys that have returned. Thanks, Mary Cheadle!

Seren Blue 5F is an amazing fisher. Here she is with a huge trout – too large to finish in one meal. She will have the rest for breakfast.

There is still some rumbling on FB about Gabby ‘being missing since Wednesday’. Gabby has returned from her spa days. The AEF has confirmed this with the following post on the 25th of March.

Here are some images:

Meanwhile Jackie and Shadow keep us guessing at Big Bear.

They certainly have been bringing in more railing!

Our big girl Jackie on the left and Shadow on the right. A great image to see the difference in scale between male and female Bald Eagles.

Shadow provided Jackie with several fish on the nest Saturday. The perfect gentleman…oh, Shadow, you really do want those eggs!

‘A’ sent news that all three GH owlets at the Corona California nest have now branched.

Bonnie and Clyde’s owlets on Farmer Derek’s property in Kansas are enjoying some sun and from being out from under Mum!

E21 is 79 days old today. The average age of fledge at South West Florida is 83 days. Oh, what a bittersweet moment this is all going to be.

Sometimes you can only see a few talons!

They track Dad when he is incoming with prey and get themselves in that nest!

On Saturday, M15 brought in no less than five fish for the Es.

M15 and the kids did defy the odds…fledge watch! We should all be jumping up and down with joy but, the moments are so bittersweet. What an amazing season and what a pleasure to watch M15 rise to every occasion. We do not know what his fate will be after the Es leave the area. Will M15 get a mate and keep the nest? Will he leave on his own for a more quiet life elsewhere after Harriet? We wait.

The miracle at the SW Florida nest this year has made the Naples news.

https://www.news-press.com/picture-gallery/news/2023/03/24/e-21-and-e-22-swfl-eagle-cam-defy-odds-they-prepare-fledge-harriet-missing-since-feb-2/11535484002/

Mum and Dad eating on the nest at Duke Farms along with the two eaglets. These two are so easy to watch!

Three eggs laid on February 20, 23, and 26 at Denton Homes. We will be on pip watch next week.

There is a possible pip at the NCTC nest of Bella and Smitty Saturday night.

There is a pip at Pittsburgh-Hayes, which was confirmed at 16:44 on Saturday. Hatch is now in progress. Oh, the wind is really blowing and it feels cold just watching Mum trying to get some sleep, hunkered down.

Did we not think everyone would have a hatch at the same time. Oh, goodness.

At the Webster, Texas Bald Eagle nest near Houston, Ringo has branched!

Beautiful Mama Goose and her two eggs at the Decorah Goose Cam in Iowa. The second laid on Saturday the 25th at 1000.

Eggs covered with nesting material and down while Mum has a break.

If you are into wading birds, do you know about the Alligator and Spoonbill Swamp Cam in St Augustine, Florida?

https://www.youtube.com/live/M4P_GzA6H80?feature=share

Ferris Akel had the most extraordinary images of the Sandhill Crane migration. These images were taken in Nebraska. Ferris said the tour was 1000% worth it! Even getting up at 0400 for the fly off.

Ferris Akel is a gem. He has a streaming tour of the Ithaca area every Saturday. You can see it later archived on YT. He also shares so much and taking us with him on this amazing tour was very special.

There are upwards of 400,000 Sandhill Cranes in this area migrating right now. They expect 600-650,000 at peak migration, according to Ferris.

This is a gathering place. They will gather around marshes often surrounded by prairie forest feeding and then flying off at dawn. Every crane set off at the same time to continue its travels north.

Those Sandhill Cranes will be flying into Southern Manitoba any day now!

Ferris has this fantastic spectacle – with the sound of the cranes – now on YT. Thank you, Ferris Akel!

This is why we need everyone to stop using lead in hunting and fishing equipment (and military).

Conservation without Borders are heading back to West Africa to see if they can find Tweed Valley Osprey Glen whose tracker says he is still in Morocco. I hope he is there for their arrival and not on his way back to the UK. Go Sasha Dench and Crew!

Meanwhile, we are going to band together and try to locate Glen’s brother, Kirk 707 beginning this week!

Good Morning, gorgeous. Big Red and Arthur have sure been trying out that egg cup. All eyes are on the 20 year old Red tail Hawk, the Queen of the Cornell Campus.

On the Canadian Prairies, people are just getting ready for gardening season. With the high cost of food, many are converting lawns into gardens or, if they have a small space, container gardens. This article in The Guardian challenges us to reconsider our garden because it should be a vital place for wildlife. Have a read, get some ideas! Send me some pictures if you join in. I would love to see what you are doing to help everything from a small insect, songbirds, beavers, deer, and waterfowl!

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/mar/25/garden-multilayer-forest-biodiverse-tom-massey-rhs?CMP=share_btn_link

Missy is going to help us review a new book for next week. It is Water Babies. The Hidden Lives of Baby Wetland Birds by William Burt. Oh, just in time for the new season!

She has already started evaluating the images!

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. Remember to get outside and take in some fresh air, even if it is on your balcony or front step! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, streaming cams and videos that helped make up my blog today: ‘H’, ‘A’, Moorings Park Ospreys, Dulles-Greenway, Mary Cheadle, Carnyx Wild, AEF, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, Baiba and FOBBV, Corona Owl Cam, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Duke Farms, Denton Homes, Deb Stecyk and the NCTC Eagle Cam, Pix Cams, Paul White and Webster Texas Eagles, Decorah Goose Cam, Alligator and Spoonbill Swamp Cam, Ferris Akel Live Tour, Terry Carman Bald Eagle Live Nests and Cams, Conservation without Borders, Cornell RTH, and The Guardian.

2nd egg for Captiva, news on KW0?…Thursday in Bird World

23 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

So Tiger Mozone sends me a message saying, ‘Your bird has been identified’. Yes, Blue KW0 has been identified. The news is exciting. Tim Mackrill found the information on the ring number and the history of the bird. He has asked that this be kept confidential so as to publish it on the Roy Dennis Wildlife blog. When that happens, I will give you all the information. What I will say is that we were correct. It is a Scottish bird that was blown off course last summer and found itself in Barbados. Thank you to everyone who helped in this discovery.

Wednesday was one of the most beautiful days on the Canadian Prairies so far. Blue sky, little wind, -3. The first Canada Goose arriving in our City has been spotted. Mallards are coming in. Spring really might be coming…but, I will not say that too loudly. We have been known to have blizzards in May.

Lewis loves to pose! Today he got to help with more spring cleaning. How much fur can accumulate in corners when there are two large kittens? When do they stop being kittens and become cats? Lewis also believes that any surface in the house, especially in the conservatory, is his.

It is always nice to wake up to a good news story. Thank you, ‘MB’. Another osprey was saved after being tethered to its nest with a monofilament line. Can you imagine how that would cut through their legs and toes? Remember. Call your nearest wildlife rehabilitation centre if you see a raptor (or other bird species) tangled in a fishing line. Don’t know who they are? Take a few minutes to find out and put that information in your phone so that you can call them quickly! It could save a life.

https://fb.watch/jqQxC9cByH/

Congratulations to Angus and Florence who have their second egg at Captiva. 22 March 2023. Looks like it was around 11:13.

‘H’ reports that Rose is now doing approximately half of the daily feeds at the WRDC nest in Miami. She is gradually easing her way into being a confident mother. She is more patient and the prey items are better for the eaglets who can, now, eat bigger bites. Great news. Thanks, ‘H’.

Since last summer, I have received many letters wondering what happened to Malala, the Red-tailed Hawk raised by the Bald Eagles on Gabriola Island in British Columbia. I had a running list to respond to everyone on my old computer but sadly, that list went with the computer when it caught fire. So apologies. Here, however, is the news we have been waiting for. Yesterday I spotted a posting by the head of GROWLS, and in her list of items she addresses is Malala, who was seen with the Bald Eagle parents fishing and hunting. Terrific news.

It has been a tough time for GROWLS. They received donations for a new camera because of the attention paid to Junior and Malala. Then the property owners decided they did not want the camera on their land. People have that right, and I can only imagine the level of invasion they felt when the eagles adopting the RTH made the news. It is entirely understandable that they had enough. This has left GROWLS looking for another site. They cannot do anything until fall, so please have patience if you were one of the donors.

PA Farm Country has a second hatch on Tuesday.

The Salisbury Cathedral Peregrine Falcons now have three eggs. Way to go!

Speaking of falcons, news has come that Shasta, the mate of Sequoia, at San Jose City Hall did, indeed, have HPAI, when she died. I have changed this in the memorial wall. Thanks, ‘H’ for drawing my attention to the announcement.

I am also going to add Sequoia to the memorial board as MIA. Like Sue and Otto, the Syracuse University Red-tail Hawks, if one of a pair dies of HPAI, generally the second does, too. All we know is that Sequoia went missing after Shasta passed. Unless Sequoia is spotted and he does have a band, we might never know what happened. Hence, the MIA designation.

I have also decided to add Zoe to the memorial wall. We may never know what happened to the Port Lincoln first hatch and the only surviving osplet from the Port Lincoln barge 2022 season. Did she fly out to sea, get on a boat, and is in an exotic location? Did she land on a hydro pole and get electrocuted? Is she happily fishing? Without a transmission for some 2 months, we do not know. If she turns up, I will joyfully remove her.

Robert Wright took the following photo and posted it on Port Lincoln Ospreys. It is believed that it is Mum, Dad, and Ervie – yes, Ervie – in one of Ernie’s favourite trees waiting for the fish to run—an incredible image of the three of them. Great timing.

You can really see the change in the Duke Farms eaglets. They now have little dandelion Mohawks and a lot of dark thermal down on their bodies. They can now regulate their own temperatures but Mum and Dad will still brood them and keep them dry and warm if the weather turns.

So civilised. Will they band the pair? I will love to see if they are two little boys if they do DNA sampling.

Jackie and Shadow continue to come to the nest to have a meal and work on bringing in sticks despite the snow.

Even if they do not have a replacement clutch, Jackie and Shadow and their antics and behaviour towards one another will continue to melt our hearts as long as they are visiting the nest!

It was tough to gauge how much food Victor had today. Often Sally had her back to us, and you could not see any of the feedings. Still, both Abby and Victor had crops at various times of the day and nice long feedings. The osplets can now consume an entire fish without even thinking about it. They are in a period of great growth and change. Fewer feedings but more fish. It is an adjustment for everyone.

We can tell that both are progressing nicely and have been fed. Their eyes are clear and shiny and their plumage is developing as it should.

Our little E22 is coming into its own and as Lady Hawk says, he is having some revenge for all that previous beaking by 21!

E22 has been the bravest in terms of reaching higher branches. Let us just hope that he gets himself down in the nest so the GHO does not cause him to fledge early!

There is ‘branching’ at the Corona California GHO nest.

Pip, Tootsie, and Hoot cuddled up together in the nest.

Lou has joined a long line of fantastic male falcons that want to feed their eggs! Xavier and the male at 367 Collins Street in Melbourne come to mind.

We have covered the hatch days of the Kakapo so why not some of the California Condors?