After the death of the middle chick last night, Mrs G kept the wee one warm even though it could barely hold up its head. It died late this afternoon. There has been much speculation as to what happened on this nest but nothing will be known for sure without a post mortem. Did the chicks get a pneumonia from all the rain and the damp cold nest? was it some other avian disease associated with rain and cold? I saw some chatter on another nest’s streaming cam speculate that it was starvation. I cannot even imagine that anyone would say that. The quantity of the food brought to this nest is not an issue. They were fed well. Was it a matter that the chicks had no food for several days that caused this? We do not know if that interruption caused damage to their systems. The Ospreys have been eating and the little ones were eating well. Mrs G tried to feed the little one at 8:20 am this morning but it was just too weak. Another person mentioned the deadly bird flu that is currently in northern Europe. That was the virus, the deadly HPAI of the subtype H5N1. The chicks would have, like others, caught the HPAI by eating an infected wild bird. Dr Thijs Kuiken of Erasmus University is a Virologist who deals with deadly pathogens in birds. I have written to ask him but I suspect that he would say nothing is sure without a post-morten. I believe he might also say that the Ospreys at Glaslyn have only eaten fish and could not possibly have the deadly H5N1. I will let you know when I hear from him.
Mrs G understands that all of her chicks are now deceased. She stood over them for a very long time in the same way we have seen the Bald Eagles at the Captiva Nest and the White-tailed Eagle Nests in Latvia and Estonia when eaglets pass. She was disturbed in her mourning by the crows who were finally driven away by Aran.
Mrs G looks down at her chicks many times. What does she understand about their death that we might not?
In her 21 years, she has lost few chicks. So this is a great sadness for this well established and respected – iconic – Osprey family.
Mrs G flies to the perch where she can still protect her babies and the fish on the nest from the crows if it is necessary while she eats.
Mrs G was ravenous. She has laid eggs depleting her calcium, she has incubated the eggs, and brooded her chicks during the most dire weather. Force 11 winds and steady rain came right when they were hatching. To add to that, Aran, her mate was injured by intruders and could not fish.
The volunteers and staff at Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife set up a fish table for the Ospreys. They placed large quantities fish there from dusk to dawn so that Aran and Mrs G could take them to the nest and so that the Crows would not get the fish (they would be sleeping).
More fish are brought to the nest after Mrs G finishes eating.
Mrs G is not ready to say goodbye to her three babies yet and she is brooding them another night.
Mrs G and Aran will be back to the nest next year. Aran needs to mourn and to heal and grow in his flight feathers and Mrs G needs to mourn and restore her health. It is a very sad occasion indeed but it is hoped that both of the adults will recover fully.
Thank you for joining me on this quick posting. I appreciate the streaming cam set up by the Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife Center. It is where I obtained my screen shots.
The weather has calmed down in the United Kingdom. The birds are getting a break from those Force 11 winds and the heavy rains that caused flooding in several areas. The sun must feel really good on those feathers!
My focus today is on the Osprey Nest at Foulshaw Moss in Cumbria. Foulshaw Moss is one of the rarest and most threatened habitats in all of the United Kingdom and Europe. It is a raised bog. What is a bog? why is it so rare? and why do Ospreys and other wetland birds love this area in Cumbria so much?
Raised bogs are rare in lowland Britain because 94% of them have been drained so that trees could be planted. By planting the trees, which require water to grow, these former wetlands are anything but wet! The Foulshaw Moss raised bog is unique because of its peat. A Google search tells me that peat is “a brown deposit resembling soil, formed by the partial decomposition of vegetable matter in the wet acidic conditions of bogs and fens, and often cut out and dried for use as fuel and in gardening.” Peat was cut at the Cumbria site but the area still has a ‘dome’ of peat that is higher than the surrounding area.
In 1998, the Cumbria Wildlife Trust purchased the property. Their goal was to reverse the damage caused by drainage and afforestation. It is now designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is highly protected. Natural England has provided funds for the Cumbria Wildlife Trust and the British Dragonfly Society to reintroduce the White-faced Darter, an extremely rare species of dragonfly.
The acid pools, the mosses and the bog grasses are home to many other species of bird and insects. It is a very unique area that includes the rare Emperor Dragonfly, seen in the image below.
The moss and pools are perfect places for nests and feeding for many wetland birds including the moorhen, snipe and water rail. The area is also home to many birds of prey such as Peregrine falcons, Sparrowhawks, and Buzzards.
It is also home to Ospreys – and that is what this blog is about – The Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest! They live in an incredible environment and grateful thanks to all those who made this raised bogland possible! Here is a short introduction to the conservation of the area and the Ospreys.
Ospreys have been at the mossy bog since 2008 but it appears that they have only been nesting there and breeding since 2014. Like all other UK Ospreys, the couple migrate. They return to Foulshaw Moss in late March or April and leave for Africa or Southern Spain in August and September. The resident couple are White YW (male) born at Bassenthwaite in 2008. The female is Blue 35 and she was born in Kielder Forest in 2010. Both of them returned to the nest at Foulshaw Moss on the same day – 26 March 2021 -within hours of one another. So this begs a question.
UK Ospreys normally travel to either The Gambia or Senegal for winter; some stay in Southern Spain. This is a trip of 4000 km there and 4000 km back. It has always been assumed that the Ospreys do not stay in the same spot together. The females normally leave a few weeks earlier while the males remain at the nest feeding the fledglings only departing in September when the chicks are gone. Maya and Blue 33 (11) adore one another. Blue 33 often spends time in the nest with Maya. They simply like to be around one another and they, too, arrive – this year – within half an hour of one another. What if they do stay together in Africa? what if they travel together? I wish these couples had satellite trackers!!!!!!! Besides Foulshaw Moss, Rutland Manton Bay, two other UK Osprey couples arrived back at their nest within hours of one another and they were the resident pair at Bassenthwaite and Loch Doon.
Blue 35 and White YW’s first egg was laid on 10 April, the second on the 13th, and the last on the 16th. Hatches were 21 May, 23 May, and 25 May. There was some concern about the little one but here they are all thriving and loving their fish. Blue 35 always makes sure the little one gets fed.
Indeed, in 2015, Blue 35 worked hard to ensure that another little chick, Blue V4 always had food and fledged. She kept a close eye on the older siblings. Fantastic mother this Blue 35.
@ Cumbria Wildlife Trust
Blue 35 (f) and White YW (m) appear to have hatched twenty-two chicks since 2014. Here is the information:
2014 – 3 chicks (Blue 5A f, Blue 6A f, Blue 7A m)
2015 – 3 chicks (Blue V2 f, Blue V3 f, Blue V4 m)
2016- 3 chicks (Blue V8 f, Blue V9 m, third died after 3 days)
2017 – 3 chicks (Blue U9 m, Blue V0 f, Blue N0 m)
2018- 3 chicks (Blue 5N m, Blue 9N f, Blue 7N m)
2019 – 2 chicks out of 3 eggs (Blue 3N f, Blue 2N m). Note: Blue 3N was the largest chick they had ever seen. At six weeks when she was banded she weighed 1810 grams. Known as ‘Biggie’ no one thought she would be able to fledge she was so large but she did!
2020-2 chicks out of 3 eggs (Blue 410 f, Blue 411 f)
2021 – 3 chicks
So why do I include all of these coloured ring numbers? Numbered rings can immediately tell you where a bird is from. They are coloured. In Scotland, the coloured bands are on the left leg while in England and Wales, the Darvic ring is on the right leg. The chicks are normally ringed at around six weeks of age when their leg is fully grown. Without satellite trackers which are expensive, we cannot possibly know where the birds travel. Even if ringed, you still have to be able to read the numbers which is not always easy. Those pesky Osprey like to hide them for some reason!
Right now, there have been confirmed sightings or images of six of the nineteen fledges from Foulshaw Moss. One, Male Blue 7A (14) is mated with an unringed female at Esthwaite in the Lake District and they have three eggs ready to hatch in 2021. They have been breading there since 2017. Male Blue N0 (17) is at an unmonitored nest in Wales; he was seen at Montgomeryshire in Wales in May 2020. Male Blue V8 (16) was seen in January 2021 in The Gambia and also at Leighton Moss. Female Blue V3 was seen at a Kielder Nest in 2017. The two males from 2018, 5N and 7N (the tiny one) were seen in The Gambia and Spain, respectively. Not all sightings are recorded and I am still trying to see if there is a comprehensive listing. Tiger Mozone’s website has a list of returning two year olds and it is helpful. It is interesting, also, that of the six sightings, five were for male fledges. I wish I had more data (yes, I am a data nut!). Does this mean that males are more likely to survive the first migration? and if so, why? Why does one answer always lead to ten more questions???!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is the link to the Cumbria Osprey Cam. You will not find it on YouTube. I personally think cam 2 is the best. There is no rewind feature.
I would like to close with the latest news from Glaslyn:
“We would like to say thank you to each and every one of you for your support since we shared yesterday evening’s update from the Glaslyn Nest. It means a lot to us. Aran has been looking stronger again today, taking longer flights around the nest area and making more of an attempt at chasing away persistent intruding ospreys. Mrs G has been bothered much less by the crows and both chicks have fed well. We know how much you miss watching the Glaslyn family online and we are happy to announce that Live Streaming will return tomorrow morning. We will be live streaming from the nest between 8am-8pm for the time being. We can’t wait to ‘chat’ with you all again!”
That is just the best news that I can imagine on a late Wednesday afternoon on the Canadian prairies. Take care everyone. Thanks so much for joining me today!
I went to sleep Monday night, 24 May, afraid to wake up for fear that the two remaining chicks on the Glaslyn Osprey Nest of Mrs G and Aran would have perished. Tuesday morning there was still no news. But no news is good news, right? Late Tuesday there was an announcement. The staff and volunteers at the Glaslyn Wildlife Centre had sought advice from Dr Tim Mackirill and had set up a fish table (see blog, The Miracle at Glaslyn). They provide fish for Mrs G, Aran, and the two chicks from dusk to dawn because that is when the crows are sleeping. Otherwise, the crows would take the food for the Osprey family.
It is a huge effort and it has paid off -Aran and Mrs G are regaining their strength and the two Bobs (2 and 3) are alive. Indeed, they are doing very well. The Osprey adults have no problem taking the fish from the feeding table. This is really important. I am hopeful that when the urgency has passed that the staff will give details so that other communities can use their methods if it is ever needed.
Here is a quick video capturing one of the feedings on Tuesday:
If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I am a promoter of feeding tables in situations like this. Feeding tables work if they are done correctly. The fish that is being provided while Aran’s right wing heals will save all four members of this Osprey family. I also get very upset when people shy away from the work involved in helping non-humans when we have the ability to do so. “Oh, we can’t intervene. They are wild animals.” Yes, of course, but we have already intervened in their lives. We have robbed them of their habitat, we have poisoned the rivers and oceans where they get their fish, we have changed the climate – the list is long. And because humans cut down the beautiful old growth forests, we have also had to provide platforms so they can nest. Cheers and tears for the efforts coming out of Glaslyn.
No more than I had posted my blog on the miracle happening at Glaslyn, than my friend ‘T’ from Strasbourg reached out to me to tell me about a village taking care of a family of storks. The mother was electrocuted when she stepped on the power lines providing electricity to the homes. The villagers felt responsible and so, the community of Mlade Buky took on the task of providing food for the father and the chicks. Are they called storklets? Mlade Buky is in Czechoslovakia. It is east of the Great Mountains and is home to several ski resorts. 2300 souls live there.
The villagers donate 4-6 cm fish, hamsters, squirrels – whatever food the storks will eat. The chicks and the dad are fed three times a day. Fresh straw is also provided to keep the little ones dry. It is spring and rain is frequent. The father is not able to fish for his youngsters as he now has to protect and brood them. You will see him flying over the rooftops as fish is put on the nest. Please take the time to watch the storks being fed. It will warm your heart.
I sat and reflected on these two examples – Glaslyn and Mlade Buky. Each is different. Glaslyn supplies a fish table where the adults retrieve the food and take it to the nest. I do not know the specifics. Are the food alive? are they inside some kind of tank? etc. In Mlade Buky, the donated food is placed directly on the nest by climbing up to it. What if the species is not an Osprey (used to living around humans more) or a stork? What if it were a Golden Eagle? Is intervention different by species? I would like to find out because I began immediately to remember the situation with Spilve and her son, Klints. Klints was near to fledging in 2020 from the Golden Eagle Nest in Spilve, Latvia. Spilve was a single parent like the male stork in Mlade Buky. Her mate had not returned and it was impossible for her to protect Klints and travel the distance necessary to get large prey. Klints starved to death on the nest. I have read academic papers about the removal of older chicks who can self-feed to allow the younger to thrive. Could Klints have been removed to a wildlife rehabilitation centre and given prey til such time he would fledge? Do wildlife laws in Latvia prevent intervention?
The list of interventions to help birds on artificial platforms or nests where there are streaming cams for research or public education, or both, is limited. There must be others. As I was searching, I remembered a story of a man saving another stork family.
The couple are Klepetan and Malena and they are a bonded pair of storks from Croatia. Hunters shot and damaged Malena’s wing in 2002. She cannot fly. Her mate is Klepetan. Every year he migrates to South Africa, a distance of 14,000 km returning in the spring. He flies straight to Malena and their nest where they raise their chicks with the help of Stjepan Vokić, a former school janitor. The couple made their nest in his chimney!
Here is a lovely short video. There are others on YouTube. And if you are wondering, Klepatan returned to Malena on 14 April 2021 to start their 19th year together! Talk about a happy story!
We are fifteen or sixteen months in to the pandemic and right at this very moment the city I live in is the hotspot in North American for Covid. It is really nice to have some positive news and certainly these people helping the birds is a cause for celebration!
Thank you so much for joining me. If you happen to know of an instance when a community or wildlife group has set up a feeding table for the birds, please get in touch with me.
I will be checking in on all the nests for a late Wednesday hop through Bird World later. Stay safe. See you soon!
The credit for the feature image is: “File:Pentowo – European stork village – 25.jpg” by Jolanta Dyr is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
The wonderful staff at the Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife Centre have just posted a lengthy document describing all of their efforts to help Aran, Mrs G, and the chicks. It also includes the challenges they have had with the crow threat and also with the female Osprey, KS8, who had been at the nest previously wanting fish.
The staff contacted an Osprey expert, Dr Tim Mackrill, when they realized that Aran was not only fatigued but had lost two primary feathers from his right wing and simply could not fish. At one time they thought it was because of the area being flooded but another male, Aeron (Z2) had been successful so they knew it wasn’t that. Mackrill advised that a feeding table be set up for Aran, Mrs G and the chicks until such time Aran was able to resume his fishing. That is precisely what the staff did. Recognizing that they had to provide the food when the crows were asleep, the fish table was set up from dusk to dawn.
On Sunday Mrs G fed the chicks including the oldest Bob 1. Aran ate some of the fish innards and then tucked into a trout. All of the chicks looked healthy. As we know, the eldest died late Sunday afternoon but the cause is unknown. Everyone ate well and there was a fish on the nest. Mrs G fed the chicks early Monday morning from that fish and at 7am KS8 came and stole the remainder. The staff were concerned about the chicks not getting food all day but there was nothing they could do but wait til dusk.
Here is the video of KS8 stealing the nice fish on the nest. This video allows you to see Mrs G and the chicks. It is extremely short. Have a look. The two wee ones are looking great.
Mrs G fed the chicks throughout Tuesday and Aran was also eating and getting stronger. The staff will continue to provide food for the family until such time that Aran is able to once again provide for them himself.
Here is a very short feeding for today. Have a look. You can see the fish on the nest.
Human intervention in this situation – quick action by the staff – and a clear understanding of what was required – has saved this Osprey family. What a remarkable turn around for a situation that could have been most dire. They will continue to provide updates and if you want to read the entire report here is the link.
Tears are rolling down my cheeks. Thank you for joining me. Send out a huge thank you and applause to these wonderful people who stepped in and helped when it was most needed.
There is something very comforting about seeing a fish delivered first thing in the morning to the female and little ones. The weather has really been awful in the United Kingdom. The rain appears to have mostly stopped but there seems to be some lingering wind at various nests.
Blue 33 flew in with a fish and Maya was ready. So were the Two Bobs.
Laddie had a nice big fish on the nest for NC0, Nessie, for the Three Bobs. Let us hope that the wee one figures out how to get up front. The two older siblings are at least 3 or 4 times its size. I really feel for the last hatch. If they survive they often become clever, persistent, and tenacious. Like Tiny Tot at the Achieva Osprey Nest in St Petersburg. Fingers crossed for this little one.
I have just received word that sadly the youngest Bob, Little Bob, at the Loch of the Lowes Nest has died. It had struggled since hatch. Fly high, little one.
I went back and checked on Bob 1 and 2 and they are fine. They will survive NC0! She has not quite figured out the feeding and still thinks that taking her beak and stuffing theirs is the proper way! Still, Laddie is getting nice fish on the nest and these two look like they are doing OK.
If the bad weather of last week was not enough and the death of the last hatch, NC0 is now having to deal with a hail storm! The challenges that these birds have is enormous.
I am sorry you cannot see it but this is a huge hail storm.
The same thing is going on at the Dfyi Nest of Idris and Telyn in Wales. A nice big fish on the nest for Bob 1 and Bob 2. Looks like they are doing pretty well. Telyn had some of the worst rain drenching her and the nest for days.
Of course, it helps if the little one knows which way to face to get some of those delicious morsels of fish and if it is out of the way of a flipping fish tail! It is amazing how quickly they do figure this out but it seems that Ospreys hatch with their mouths open ready for fish!
Idris has just brought a mullet onto the nest and it was so big that it almost wiped out both Bobs at once!
And then to the shock of Telyn, Idris insisted on feeding the chicks!
Oh, look at that wee one on the Llyn Clywedog Nest of Dylan and Seren. That is a really beautiful fish for mom and the wee one. Like all the other Welsh nests, Seren had a lot of rain and wind to contend with while this wee Bob was wanting to join us in this world outside that shell.
There has been no news from the Glaslyn Wildlife Centre on the state of the Glaslyn Nest of Aran and Mrs G. The last report was two days ago. The weather was improving but Aran was missing secondary flight feathers and was only able to protect the nest, not fish. It has now been five days without fish on that nest. This can only go one of two ways – there is either a miracle happening at Glaslyn or a potential one and fish has come to the nest or the situation is so devastatingly dire. Mrs G has to be weak herself. She has potentially not eaten since last Wednesday evening, giving the two Bobs the small fish tail she had kept under her. Our warm thoughts go out to those whose lives are devoted to this Osprey Nest – Mrs G, the oldest Osprey in the UK.
What we do know is that a chick has been lost on the Loch of the Lowes, the Dyfi, and the Glaslyn nest so far this year.
Thank you for joining me for this quick check in on a few of the Osprey Nests in the UK. Take care everyone. Happy Tuesday wherever you are.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams. This is where I grab my screen shots: the Dyfi Osprey Project, Carnyx Wildlife, LRWT, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Loch of the Lowes.
The staff at the Glaslyn Osprey Nest in Wales are issuing statements on their FB page about the situation at the nest of Mrs G, Aran, and their three little ones. Aran has returned to the nest without any fish. The three little ones are still alive but for how long without food, no one knows. The weather in the area is not improving.
The Raven attack on the Glaslyn Nest can be seen here:
Watchers of Tiny Tot cried and cheered this morning when the third hatch of the Achieva Credit Union Osprey nest in St Petersburg, Florida fledged. It was 9:52:24. Everyone is hoping to catch more glimpses of Tiny as he returns to the nest for fish dinner. Fingers crossed.
Tiny Tot grew up to be a magnificient Osprey. We wish him a life full of fish and no drama! Oh, how I would like to know where you go and what you do, Tiny Tot. You are such an example of a survivor.
From the moment that E24 hatched, he has brought us great joy. That was the 8th of February. The little one was strong and survived an irritation of the eye as well as a bout of Avian Flu. The popular choice for a name was Legacy and it was very fitting.
Tears rolled down everyone’s face when Legacy left the nest and was missing in action for three days. She found her way home on 1 May and stayed with us for more than three weeks. She flew off the nest tree yesterday, 22 May 2021, at 11:31. It feels like this is goodbye. Samson bought in a fish to try and lure him back to the nest but, Legacy did not come for it.
Legacy’s father, Samson, returned to this very nest, the nest where he hatched, to raise his family. Because of the dire circumstances that happened to Romeo and Juliet, Samson really did create a legacy to his dad at this nest. Last year him and Gabby fledged Jules and Romy and this year, Legacy (such a great choice of name). Maybe Legacy will return in four years time and raise his family, if dad is retired!
Legacy will be 15 weeks old on 24 May. She is right in the sweet spot of the average fledge.
This little one brought us great joy – seeing her fight with her parents who were being surrogate siblings. I enjoyed particularly her interactions with Samson who is just the most amazing dad. Fly high Legacy! Take care. Return to us one day.
22 May 2021. Legacy leaves nest tree in Jacksonville, Florida.
Legacy is a week younger than E17 and E18 over at the Southwest Florida Bald Eagle Nest in Fort Myers. Talk about tears. These two were bonking maniacs. Then they got Conjunctivitis. And despite all the pecks, E18 protected E17 when danger came to the nest. They have grown to be best buddies – the twins that they are. They have played in the water in the ponds, caught prey on their own, returned to be fed by Harriet and M15. Here they are today sitting by one another on the branch. They haven’t left permanently. The time is, however, coming when that could be a reality. Buckets of tears will fall not only because that event will mark the end of a very successful season for Harriet and M15 but because it might mean that these two are separated. Each to their own territory. I wish, like Legacy and Tiny Tot, that they had a tracker.
There is an interesting story coming out of the United Kingdom of a brother and sister duo like these two actually setting up a nest together. (We do not know the gender of E17/18). The scientists have indicated that they are not concerned. So we wait but we might never know, sadly, the fate of E17 and E18. Whenever that last day arrives, they are ready to survive and we wish them boy voyage.
There was enough of a break in the weather at the Dyfi Nest of Telyn and Idris that Big Bob got to have two feeds. One of mullet and another of trout. A big crack has been noted in egg 3. Sadly, Bob 2 suffocated about eight hours after it was born. It was at a time when Telyn was desperately trying to keep the chicks dry and warm.
Here is Big Bob enjoying his trout dinner! Let us hope that this dire weather over in Wales settles down so that Little Bob will not have any difficulties. It has to be a worrisome time for all.
The miserable weather has continued over in Rutland where Blue 33 has been very fortunate in his fishing. The water has been choppy and murky. You can see how windy it is by the new punk hair styles of Blue 33 and Maya.
The Two Bobs are fine. Their plumage has changed and they truly look like their ancient relatives.
The same cold rain is still up at the Loch of the Lowes. Laddie and Nessie (NC0) are doing the best they can to both feed and keep the three little ones dry.
The cold rainy weather continues in Missoula, Montana. It was 4 degrees C. Iris returned to her nest with a nice crop at 10:17:42. She had not spent the night there and she has not, so far, gotten on to the nest with the eggs. The lingering cold and wet have insured that the eggs are not viable. So Iris will not have to go through the tragedies of past years. For now, I am simply glad that she visits the nest so that we can see she is alright! That is the main thing, isn’t it? Iris is, after all, the oldest Osprey in the world and we should enjoy every minute that we can with her. She is truly a survivor and when she doesn’t return from her migration, it will be the end of an era. Buckets of tears will flow. But for now, let us be joyful in her presence.
We know that Osprey fish for their food but Iris is starting to look particularly miserable with all the rain and cold weather. This is supposed to be her summer holiday!
For the lovers of Grinnell and Annie’s little falcons, this week is going to fly by fast. We could be on fledge watch in five days! How quickly they have grown. Today, the white dandelions have almost disappeared on the two oldest. You can see that the juvenile plumage is coming in nicely.
It is a damp day on the Canadian prairies. We have had that much needed rain and sun would be welcome. Outside my window Mr Crow is being difficult. The neighbours have been leaving kibble for a stray kitten. Instead of the kitten eating it, Mr Crow has been enjoying the crunchy bits. The dish is empty!
A friend of mine who lives in Maine says that this has been a different year for her watching the birds. This year she is more aware of the challenges that they face in their daily lives than she was last year. It is so true. They have brought much joy to us, now it is time for us to optimistically step forward and figure out ways to turn their world around.
Thank you for joining me today. I want to leave you with an image of a truly great bird mom, Big Red. I cannot even begin to imagine the mourning that will go on when she is no longer with us. She is eighteen this year. Every minute is precious. Here she is checking out the chicks as they sleep. She sees some things she doesn’t like and starts being the great mom she is – she is preening!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams. This is where I get my scaps: Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Achieva Credit Union St. Petersburg, NE Florida Bald Eagle Cam and the AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, LRWT, UC Falcon Cam, Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Loch of the Lowes, Dyfi Osprey Project, and the Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife.
It was after 18:00 and there were 308 persons staring at the streaming cam images coming from the Glaslyn Osprey Nest in Wales. It is the nest of Mrs G, the oldest UK Osprey, and her partner, Aran. Why was everyone staring? The weather in Wales has been dire for the past two days. Force 11 winds tore through the region along with what many called a perfect ‘Welsh rain’ – meaning that it was hard and heavy. The first casualty was the second hatch at the Dyfi Nest of Telyn and Idris. The wee one perished from suffocation, purely accidental, about eight hours after being born. Indeed, the rain was coming down so hard that these Osprey females in Wales had to really hunker down on those nests. Even then there were hardly any breaks to feed the babies if they had fish on the nest.
Tragedy may, however, be looming at the Glaslyn nest of Mrs G and Aran. The last feeding was at noon on 21 May nest time. The third chick hatched after. The seas were too rough and stirred up but today the rains stop and even the sun came out. Everyone believed that if anyone could catch a fish it could be Aran. Mrs G was calling out and calling out. The nest was also having trouble with Covids, the crows. Aran has not brought a fish to the nest and people were beginning to wonder if something dire had happened to him. It is simply unlike Aran. He is known for being a great provider. Indeed, loyal fans realize that if Aran can’t catch a fish none of the other males could either. Clearly something is not right. Even the streaming cam has been disabled as concern grows for the welfare of the twenty-one year old Mrs G and her three chicks.
So far the only known casualty of the storms has been the second hatch of Telyn at the Dyfi Nest. All we can do is hope that a miracle happens on the Glaslyn Nest. The image below are the three little ones of Mrs G and Aran who are waiting for a fish delivery.
The third hatch was at 8:05 am 22 May 2021 (nest time).
I will bring you any updates as they are available. Send all your most positive energy towards this nest – it sure worked for Tiny Tot. Maybe it can work for those three wee ones above. Thank you!
Thank you to the Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife streaming cam where I took the image of the three 2021 hatches of Mrs G and Aran.
The fall out from the force 11 winds and heavy rain in the UK continues to take its toll on the Osprey nests in the UK. Is the unseasonal weather a symptom of the climate changing? And how do the Ospreys cope when there is so much rain that the water is murky and the males cannot fish?
It has now been no less than 24 hours since Mrs G and the two osplets on the Glaslyn Nest had any food. The nest has been besieged by crows and Aran, the male, is protecting Mrs G and the babies.
Mrs G is screaming at Aran to get food for her and now three Bobs! It is now past 18:00 in Wales. Aran is hopefully off fishing. Mrs G cannot do anything because of the Crows. Send your warm wishes to them.
In many instances, the water has been so murky that the males cannot see to fish. Yesterday, Laddie (LM12) was only able to bring in a twiddler of a fish to the nest. Many feared that the two little ones would not survive the night. Laddie made up for it this morning by delivering a whopper to Nessie, Blue NC0 and the Two Bobs.
The third egg is due to hatch. A shell from an earlier hatch has slipped over the third egg – but that is on the small end it is believed. Most chicks begin pipping through the bigger end of the egg.
This nest is set for awhile. This is an enormous relief. Nessie is a first time mom.
Wow. I am so glad that I checked on Nessie and the Bobs at Loch of the Lowes before I closed. Bob 3 is hatching!
Laddie stayed on the nest so that Nessie could have a break and also eat some fish. You are doing a great job! Nessie has handled the weather and the Bobs just like she is an old timer at raising osplets not a first time mom.
One of the tragedies has been the death of chick 2 at the Dyfi Nest. You may recall that Telyn really had received some of the worst rain and wind. Idris brought in a fish and Telyn was feeding Bob 1 as Bob 2 was hatching. Sadly, it appears that chick 2 suffocated about eight hours after it was born. Meanwhile, E3 is set to hatch tomorrow.
The weather has calmed at Rutland and Blue 33 landed a big one for the Two Bobs this morning. Everything is fine or should I say, super fine, on that nest.
Now that the weather has calmed in Wales, Seren and Dylan at the Clywedog nest have had to content with human intruders in the nest area! Seren took a very short break while Dylan incubated the eggs. She returned in about three minutes! Hatch is coming.
I really feel for the Ospreys – the weather has been highly problematic for the past 48 hours. In Scotland, they said they felt they had returned to winter without having much of a spring, summer, or fall!
Thank you for joining me this morning. I will be keeping an eye on the Glaslyn Nest and Mrs G and Aran. I hope he brings in a whopper giving some hope for the Bob’s survival.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I get my screen shots: The Dfyi Osprey Project, Llyn Clywedog Osprey and CarnyxWild Wales, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Loch of the Lowes, LRWT, and Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife.
Ospreys do not shy away from water. Indeed, they embrace it whenever they are fishing for themselves or their families. The 12,000 or so feathers helps to keep them dry. But what about all those new mothers? They not only have to keep the wee ones dry but they also have to feed them – which means that the dads have to go out and fish.
Nessie is a first time Osprey mom. You can see the rain on her feathers as it pools. She is nice and dry but her nest at Loch of the Lowes is getting quite wet and damp.
Underneath her are two wee ones. One is not even 24 hours old but both are hoping for some fish and Laddie does not disappoint. Laddie comes in to check on Nessie and to see the babies – and he brings a fish!
The rains get heavier as the day progresses and Nessie hunkers down so those two Bobs do not get wet. She might have also noticed that there is a pip in the third egg. It shows up around 16:07.
Mrs G at the Glaslyn nest has had her second hatch and she is soaked to the core. The third hatch is expected Saturday. Aran was right there by her side today bringing a fish in when there was a wee bit of a break in the downpour to feed the two Bobs.
Mrs G is a very experienced mom – the opposite of Nessie who has just hatched her first two. Mrs G has had 46 hatch and 41 fledge making these two her 47th and 48th chicks to hatch. Wow! That would really help when the weather is so dire.
Telyn and Idris had their first hatch at the Dyfi Nest in Wales and they, too, are having issues with rain. Gosh, it is sort of raining on the Canadian prairies but, we sure could use a big downpour like Mrs G is having! Telyn is having much more wind than Mrs G. Wow!
Idris comes to the nest with a really fine fish for Telyn and little Bob. I am thinking Nessie wouldn’t mind a fish that size.
Idris stays to help Telyn with the little one while she is trying to feed it. It was blowing so hard little Bob could have been blown off that nest! What a cute little osplet – so strong! This kid has great DNA.
Oh, and no one is getting a break. At the Llyn Clywedog nest of Dylan and Seren, it is blowing and blowing with heavy rain. The nest is really exposed and Seren does not look impressed. Her first egg was laid on the 16th of April. Let’s all hope her little one can wait. Someone said she is getting a proper ‘Welsh rain’. Seren might be wishing she was back in The Gambia.
The winds, heavy rain, and the choppy water that is impacting all of the Welsh and Scottish nests also hit the Manton Bay nest of Blue 33 (11) and Maya at Rutland.
The Two Bobs are doing great. Look at the wee ones on the Loch of the Lowe nest and then look here. These two are entering their reptilian phase – just look at those feathers coming in! Oh, baby dinosaurs.
It is still raining on Iris at the Hellgate Osprey nest in Missoula, Montana. It is currently 6 degrees C dropping to 2 degrees C with drizzle – 35.6 degrees F. If anyone is wondering, the eggs are almost certainly not going to hatch.
Iris returned to her nest at 13:15:10. She aerated the nest a bit and might have rolled the eggs a bit but it was not clearly evident.
Iris settled down to incubate the eggs.
At 13:49:42, Iris flew over to her perch. She incubated the eggs a total of 34 minutes and 2 seconds. At this point in time, Iris is just going through the motions. As I said earlier, I don’t think there is any osprey expert in the world that thinks any of the eggs are viable.
That said, the eggs were destroyed by the Raven last year and this year, I have not seen it about. As long as the eggs are there, I don’t mind Iris coming to the nest – we get to see her then! Otherwise we would not and seriously, seeing Iris live her life (regardless of the circumstances) is a real joy.
Iris was really floofing trying to get the water off her feathers.
At 14:20:31, she flew off the perch! Aren’t those wings amazing? This is one beautiful osprey!
It truly isn’t easy for the Ospreys. The lochs are very choppy and it is difficult to fish. Keeping the babies warm and dry plus fed is a big challenge. A friend of mine in Scotland says it is like they skipped summer and fall and it is winter again. Clearly there could be snow in Montana, too. Oh, my. Let’s hope they get some sun and can dry out.
Thank you for joining me today. I have checked on our other nests. Tiny Tot has not fledged but has eaten well. He had a bit tug of war over a fish yesterday with sibling 2. It was fantastic to watch. Tiny lost but he didn’t. He waited til #2 had eaten about half the fish and then rushed at sibling 2 and she flew off. Tiny ate that fish and two others after before lunch! Tiny isn’t Tiny anymore. Legacy had a nice big fish this morning from Samson. Big Red and Arthur are keeping the Ks full and E17 and E18 were down at the pond playing in the water with Harriet. Everyone seems fine.
Take care everyone!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I grab my screen shots: Cornell Bird Lab and the Montana Osprey Project, Llyn Clywedog Osprey Nest, Carnyx Wild Wildlife on the Web, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru National Resources, Dyfi Osprey Cam, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Loch of the Lowes, and LRWT.
Blue 3J, fondly called Telyn, allowed Idris to incubate the three eggs this morning for a short time. As the first hatch is close, she will more and more take sole responsibility for those duties. It wasn’t clear if Idris wanted to get up this afternoon! Some of the dads really enjoy being on the nest. For me, these two are among the power couples of the Welsh Osprey.
There is, indeed, a tiny pip in one of their eggs which was seen at 15:31. In the egg near the top you can see ‘white’ instead of the rust or cream. Hatch is coming at Dyfi!
You can watch Idris and Telyn here:
Mrs G was a little tired after the second hatch and Aran had a nice fish on the nest which she used for a pillow!
Aran is a great dad and provider. Mrs G picked a good one. I love seeing both of them on the nest with the two little ones. It reminds me of Blue 33 (11) and Maya.
Just imagine. Those two little ones in the image above will be the size of Maya and Blue 33 (11)’s babies in a week!
Here is the link to Aran and Mrs G:
Maya is still being careful with the fish that are coming in but Little Bob doesn’t care, he just wants fish! He has scrambled out of the nest cup up to mom and is whispering “Fish, please”. Maya is listening carefully.
It wasn’t long until Dad had a nice big one on the nest for all three to enjoy. Little Bob got his ‘fish wish’.
You can watch Maya and Blue 33 (11) and the Two Bobs here:
Blue NC0 or Nessie has gotten the hang of feeding. I still have to giggle. She has decided that it is best if she sticks her entire beak into the little one’s mouth to make certain it gets the food.
That little one’s down looks like it would be super soft to the touch. Nessie has done a splendid job of keeping the wee one warm and dry with all the rain they are having up at Loch of the Lowes.
I observed Laddie bringing in three fish yesterday and there could have been more. NC0 is so funny. She is not so graceful on that wet nest and when she went to get the third fish her wing batted the little one. That didn’t hamper its appetite – it was right back up saying, “Fish, please!” You can see its tiny head sticking up amidst that beautiful rust coloured moss.
While we don’t see Laddie often, he is, in fact, perched on a tree to the left of the nest keeping guard on his family.
You can watch Laddie and Nessie and their wee ones here:
Darting across the pond, there are no food insecurity worries on The Landings Osprey Nest on Skidaway Island – commonly known as the Savannah Ospreys – anymore. The eldest was a bit of a beast the first week but wow, the crops of those two were bursting this morning.
That is the youngest one closest to the front. You can tell it because of its very dark chest feathers. These two have the most gorgeous plumage I have seen – there is peach bursting out everywhere!
Notice the oldest calling for another fish! It has a very nice crop. Wonder how much room is in there??????
You can watch Scarlett and Rhett and the two osplets here:
It looks like Diane and Tiny Tot are happy to have sibling 2 off the nest and back to their routine. Diane loves feeding Tiny Tot! —— and Tiny doesn’t mind either. He is strengthening his wings and hovering a bit more but Tiny doesn’t look like he is in a hurry to leave. I don’t blame him. Nature isn’t kind and it definitely isn’t Disneyland!
Pesky older sibling showed up later in the day getting another fish from Jack. Jack, Diane and Tiny need another fish! And he heard us. He brought in a really nice flounder and guess who claimed it? Tiny Tot!!!!!!!! Yippee. That’s Tiny with its wings up making the claim. Jack is in the front and there is sibling 2 who recently had a fish sneaking up the back.
You can connect with Jack, Diane, Tiny and elder sibling (2 probably) here:
Oh, those Ks are growing like bad weeds! K1 has discovered standing and is starting to figure out walking while K3 insisted on horking the leg of the Starling they had for late lunch.
Big Red kept trying to take that leg back but K3 was not going to give it up. Big Red watches as the little one gets the hang of horking. Horking has many meanings but with hawks it is getting an item of prey down whole (or almost whole) without chewing it. Is this a bit of a badge of honour for the youngest of the three?
You can see the little leg hanging out of K3’s beak. Big Red doesn’t know what to think.
K2 looks at K3 in disbelief as the last of the foot went down!
Little K3 is quite the character. It has seen K1 ‘walking’ – early stages – and it is even giving it a go. K3 held out its wings for balance and then started spinning and landed on its fat little bottom.
Kerplunk.
Big Red gathered up two Starlings and none of the Ks seemed interested in food. She looked over, saw the top of K3s head and started preening it. Oh, that must feel good. Maybe like getting a shampoo at the Salon! But, alas, it has been so long for so many of us maybe we have forgotten how nice that felt.
Big Red is one of the most beautiful Red-tail Hawks ever. Look at her gorgeous dark plumage! And that amazing red tail.
The link to Big Red, Arthur’s and the Ks camera is here:
There is absolutely no place like home if you are a juvenile eaglet and you fludged. Today, both of the eaglets were back on the nest at Duke Farms. What a relief.
I cannot promise how long they will be there but maybe they both won’t get on the same branch together any more! Be sure to look up if you go to this streaming cam. They are often on the branches like they are in the image below.
Here is the link to this nest in Hillsborough, New Jersey:
I will close with Iris. Iris, the oldest Osprey in the world, laid her third egg at the Hellgate Nest in Missoula, Montana, at dawn this morning. It has been 9 days since she laid her second egg. Eggs are normally laid every 3 days. If you have followed me, Iris has sporadically incubated the eggs. Her hormones require her to lay them but she seems personally not interested. She knows if they are viable or not – or so the experts tell me. Iris raised many ospreys with her partner Stanley – at least, you might think, 30-40. She has done her part. She deserves to have a summer of fishing and taking care of herself. People continue to think that a new mate might appear for her but that will not happen unless something happens to Louis. And then you still have the problem of the other female, Starr, in the same territory. Iris might think we were foolish for feeling sad for her – but, we are human and we do. We want happy endings.
It is 6 degrees C in Missoula and it is raining. Snow and 1 degree C is predicted for Friday.
I have tried to ascertain how long eggs can maintain their protective coating if exposed to continual rain. How much rain is enough to ruin the eggs? Do you know? Message me.
Maybe Iris has her own message to Louis. I wonder. If she does, it is a pretty loud one this year. “I might have to lay those eggs but I don’t have to take care of them”. Do birds think like that?
Here is the link to the camera for Iris’s nest:
We are still hoping for rain on the Canadian Prairies. Fingers crossed. Today the Brown Thrasher, only one, has been in the garden thumping the ground, eating off the cranberry suet cylinder, and having a lot of bird baths. He was joined by a couple of really beautiful Purple Finches and a single male Black-capped Chickadee.
I hope you are finding some enjoyment in your garden or in the local park. Thank you so much for joining me as we check in on with our friends in Bird World.
Thanks to the following for their streaming cams where I get my screen shots: Dyfi Osprey Project, Byweyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife, LRWT, Scottish Wildlife Loch of the Lowes, Cornell Bird Lab and Skidaway Audubon, Achieva Credit Union, Cornell Bird Lab and RTH, Duke Farms, Cornell Bird Lab and Montana Osprey Project.
