All of the Ks at the Red-tail Hawk nest on the Fernow Light Tower on the campus of Cornell University have hatched. Big Red and Arthur welcomed K3 sometime in the wee hours of the morning. K3 has its big sibs for bookends today. Arthur is prepared. There is lots of prey of all kinds around the nest. I promise you those furry creatures will grow in dimension to line the nest bowl and fill the pantry at the same time!
K1 is wanting to make sure that the other two siblings know it is the oldest. Big Red has her own way of dealing with this. If the eyasses don’t line up nice and eat quietly, she will sit on them! Normally she feeds the biggest and loudest first but in a week you will begin to see K3 figure out how to get up to the front of the line. So nice to see some sun coming out in Ithaca, NY.
Kistachie, the sole occupant of the Bald Eagle nest in the Kistachie National Forest in Central Louisiana branched this morning. The official time was 6:08:12. Anna and Louis are his parents and he was rewarded with a nice fish from Kincaid Lake.
Boy those talons sure can grip! He is going straight up! WowKisatchie can really climb that straight branch! 6 May 2021Kisatachie has a nice fish breakfastKincaid Lake where Louis fishes
Legacy really enjoyed the squirrel that Samson brought in around 5:30 last evening, 5 May.
Legacy is staying really close to the nest tree but it doesn’t mean she is out of danger. At 6:44:29 this morning Legacy was knocked off her branch by a hawk! Yes, she recovered and it is one of the issues of being at the top of the food chain. Crows, Blue Jays, Hawks – all want the big birds out and away. Go!
Thank goodness Legacy was alright. She got back up on her look out branch. Let’s see if Samson brings her dinner around 5:30 again. I think that they are training her to come to the nest tree for food and also because she has no sibling, Gabby is being a surrogate sibling – as is Samson – trying to train Legacy to survive in that big world out there.
Legacy is simply stunning. She is such a beautiful juvenile Bald Eagle.
The news from the UK Osprey nests is all about the weather. The rain is still pitching it down in Wales and Telyn, Mrs G, and all the other females are simply soaked to the bone. At the Loch Garten nest there is snow!
This is the scene just the day before. The male is AX6. The female is unringed. Oh, these poor birds. What a freak snow storm they are having today!
It is a little dreary in Estonia for the White-tail Eagles, Eve and Eerik and their two little ones. Still, look closely. Eerik has the nest full of fish for these two who are moving into a fast growth phase. Oh, they are doing so well!
Tiny ‘Biggie’ Tot is soooooo beautiful. This afternoon he has busied himself watching the traffic below the nest tower.
Yesterday afternoon, Tiny took the opportunity of an empty nest to really flap his wings and get those wing muscles strong. Look at that tail. Those feathers are really coming in nicely. So happy for this little one to get to live and be a fish eagle!
Tiny has not been hungry for a couple of weeks now and the energy from that food is really showing in its feather growth and the body fattening up. I no longer log every bite that Tiny Tot takes but suffice it to say that he had at least two fish yesterday in total. Not bad! Diane brought in a catfish late – in fact she brought in two fish in the evening. Both Tiny and #2 were full and Diane also go to enjoy some fish.
Thank you for being with me today. That is a quick check in with some of our favourites in Bird World. Stay safe!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams. I get my screen shots from those. They are: Achieva Credit Union, NE Florida Bald Eagle nest and the AEF, KNF, Friends of Loch Garten, Scottish Wildlife Trust, The Eagle Club of Estonia, and the Cornell Bird Lab RTH.
One of the individuals watching the Achieva Osprey Nest in St Petersburg, Florida said that the worry over Tiny Tot caused them to age ten years. There are so many people that probably feel the same way. We ached when Tiny Tot did not have food for one, two, and even three days and cried with joy when its crop was full. We had visions of helicopters dropping fish from the sky or setting up a food table. There were times when I went to sleep and thought that I would wake up and Tiny Tot would be dead. How could this little one survive on so little in that exhausting Florida heat?
Tiny Tot is a survivor. He is clever, determined, and willing to eat scraps and chew on catfish bones if it means he lives another day. Tiny Tot watches and listens. So often he was the first to grab the fish on arrival, mantling -only to have the parent take it to feed the two older siblings and, if there was anything left, he was fed. If I heard the phrase ‘natural selection’ or ‘survival of the fittest’ one more time I was going to blow up. What appeared to be happening was the survival of the not so clever bully bird. And then something happened.
Precisely when did mum decide that her third chick was going to survive despite everything it had been through? Diane observes those three chicks of hers. She monitors the time they spend self-feeding and when she sees they have had about 1/3 to a 1/2 of the fish – depending on who is in the nest – she takes the fish and shares it with the other one. What was it that turned this nest around? We might never know. For the past 3 or 4 nights I have slept well with the knowledge that Tiny was alright.
The problem is ‘the’ name now. #3 has been called 3, Tumbles, Braveheart, Lionheart, etc. I gave it the moniker, Tiny Tot. Tiny isn’t actually ‘tiny’ anymore. If he continues to eat and grow like he is doing then by Monday he could be twice as big as he is now. So, moving forward, no more Tiny Tot for me. #3 is now Biggie Tot the Raptor.
Indeed, every time I checked on the nest today, Biggie Tot was eating exactly like he is in the image below. Every time! How is that possible? As long as nothing bizarre happens – and in Bird World anything can change in a blink – Diane and Jack will be celebrating the fledging of not two but three ospreys this year. Well done you two. Jack, you surprised me and came through with 5 or 6 fish sometimes.
Good night Biggie Tot! Sleep well on your full tummy.
29 April 2021
I kept a close watch on the NEFlorida Bald Eagle Nest of Samson and Gabrielle and their fledgling, Legacy today. I briefly stopped in to see a couple of others but my energy and focus was on Legacy.
The last official sighting of Legacy was at 9:53:51 EDT on 28 April.
Legacy and Gabby. They spent the morning together before Legacy flew off. 28 April 2021
What a beauty!
Some think that there could have been a possible flyby at 8:41:16 on the morning of 29 April. It was caught on the tree cam.
Is it Legacy? 29 April 2021
On Thursday, the 29th of April, Samson brought a fish to the nest to try and entice Legacy to come to the nest tree. That didn’t work and Samson wound up eating it. Earlier yesterday, Gabby was with Samson at 11:37:35.
Today, Samson spent the majority of the day – more than eight hours – on the branch looking and listening for Legacy.
29 April 2021
I am not an expert on Bald Eagles but I have trusted acquaintances who are and they shared their knowledge with me today as I searched for some answers. I will share with you everything that I learned as I try to make sense out of what is happening.
First, Bald Eagles do not directly teach the young to hunt prey. I am used to falcons and hawks literally taking their clutch after they have fledged and having ‘hunting parties’ with them. It was not unusual to have Big Red and Arthur showing their juveniles how to catch a squirrel by taking them out and doing just that! A fledgling eagle might make its way to the river and observe their parents catching fish just as WBSE 23 did with Lady and Dad according to one of my trusted sources. The parents and other eagles taught by example.
Secondly, what is typical for a fledgling Bald Eagle is what is happening on the nest of Harriet and M15 in Fort Myers. There E17 and E18 are becoming stronger fliers – going for a flight and then returning to the nest. The parents bring food to the nest for each of them. It is more normal for the fledgling Bald Eagles to stay at the nest for 4-6 weeks doing precisely what E17 and E18 are doing. My trusted sources, who have more than 35 years experience with Bald Eagles together, say it is definitely not typical for a Bald Eagle to fledge one day, take a couple of flights the next, and then leave – poof. I will never sugarcoat anything and neither do the individuals who advised me today. Bald Eagle fledglings are not capable of taking care of themselves in such circumstances. They are still not strong fliers and they do not have the hunting skills required. ‘It normally does not end well’ is what one of them said and that stuck in my head.
So what might have happened? To return to the example of the Sea Eagles, WBSE 26 was chased out of the parent’s territory in the forest of the Sydney Olympic Park by several Pied Currawong. Perhaps Legacy got too far away to return at night. That is a possibility. Legacy might be ‘downed’ and is unable to get up and fly to the nest. That could be a huge problem depending on what other wildlife is in the area. The other possibility, as one of the experts noted, is that Legacy is a single child and it is easier for the parent to feed them off nest. So Gabby could be feeding Legacy while Samson is trying to coax her back to the nest. The other possibilities for this situation are more dire. Many fly into power lines while others get their wings caught up in branches. Fighting to get free they rip their wings. She could have tried to get carrion off the highway and gotten hit by a car. Those are just some of the many possibilities. There could be people out looking for Legacy during the daylight hours – something that we might not ever know. Still, I hope like I did for Tiny now Biggie Tot that everything turns around for the best and we see Legacy or have a positive sighting of her soon and that she is well.
It was a miserable rainy day for Big Red and Arthur at the Cornell Fernow light tower. Everyone is getting excited for a possible hatch watch. It would appear that the oldest egg is 34 days and Big Red’s statistics indicate hatches between 38 and 41 days, longer than normal for other RTHs. So I am not going to start getting excited until next week. Knowing Big Red she will surprise all of us!
A rather soggy Big Red. 29 April 2021
Lunch ‘looks’ reasonably peaceful at ‘The Landings’ Skidaway Island Osprey nest. I use the term ‘looks’ because we all know that looks can be deceiving. The eldest still asserts its dominance but, so far, the younger one is alright. Dad just brought in a fish and already both of the little ones have crops. Their plumage is really changing. It looks like the one to the top has a mask on today.
Lunch is on. 29 April 2021Playing nice. 29 April 2021
Isn’t this just a cute little cuddle puddle? It is hard to believe that before the next academic term begins at Berkeley, these three will be flying at stealth speeds and catching prey in mid-air.
Such sweeties. Cuddled together in the shade to avoid the hot sunlight. 29 April 2021
It is clearly easier to get dirty when eating if you are white. The falcon parents have a particular call they make when they arrive with the food and it is time to eat. The little ones stand in a group and grab or the parent hangs the food above their beak. They want the chicks to stretch their necks so that they become strong. When there are no more chirping eyasses and no more wide open mouths, feeding is over. No bonking. Just nice full crops and food comas.
Feed me, feed me! 29 April 2021
The nest cup in the White-tailed Eagle nest in Estonia is very deep. It really protects the little one from the cold winds. The temperature at the nest continues to be about 1 degree C. This picture was taken after 5pm in the evening. Look at that wonderful sunshine and blue sky – what a change from the frosty morning they had. You can just see the little bobble head reaching up to get its evening meal. There is another egg in this nest and if it is viable, it should be hatching tomorrow.
Eve feeding her first hatch. 29 April 2021
Louis continues to be attentive to Iris at the Hellgate Osprey Nest – visiting and mating more often since the banded intruder showed up in Louis’s territory. So far there are no eggs in Iris’s nest!
One of several reasons cited for the female raptors being 33-50% larger than the males (dimorphism) can be seen below. The male osprey flies in and lands on the female. If the weight distribution were the opposite, the female could be crushed.
Louis landing on Iris for a mating attempt. 29 April 202129 April 2021. Louis and Iris mating (or not?)
I want to leave you with a bit of a smile or maybe a horrible nightmare. I simply cannot imagine Osprey chicks wandering around in all of the stuff that Jack brings to this nest. The stuffed shark and a brown teddy bear are still there along with some hats and sweaters and other toys. Harriet has to be so patient! I just want to go out there and tidy it up for her before the babies hatch at this nest near King George, Virginia. Don’t you?
The hoarde of objects that Jack brings to Harriet as gifts at the Dahlgren Osprey Nest. 29 April 2021
Thank you so much for joining me. Take care of yourselves, stay safe. I will continue to monitor the Bald Eagle nest in Jacksonville for any news of Legacy along with the Big Sur California Condor nest for hatch. Thank you to those who have taken the time to send me a note or ask a question. I am glad you are enjoying my blog. It is so nice to hear from other bird lovers!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams – that is where I grab my screen shots: Dahlgren Osprey Nest, Cornell Bird Lab and RTH, Achieva Credit Union, UC Falcon Cam, Cornell Bird Lab and Skidaway Audubon, NEFlorida Bald Eagle Cam and the AEF, Eagle Club Estonia, and Cornell Bird Lab and Montana Osprey Project.
Remember when you went to YouTube to check on a nest and you could always count on the beautiful bird and its family being there? It was so comforting. And remember the day you checked and that nest was empty? That is what happened to me today when I went back to check on Legacy. She was on the branch at 9:17.
And then she was gone.
Legacy hatched on 8 February. She fledged on the 26th of April. The other egg in the clutch was unviable. Officially she is N24 but a contest was held by the AEF for a name. Legacy is so appropriate. The nest in this tree is where Legacy’s grandparents, Romeo and Juliet, raised their family. Then, after a tragedy, Legacy’s father, Samson, who was born in this very tree on 23 December 2013, returned to raise his family with his mate, Gabrielle.
Legacy has been returning to the nest tree. But today, for some reason, ‘something’ feels different. I hope it is just me out of tune with the world.
Samson thought he might lure her back to the nest with a nice fish around 3:30pm today, the 28th. Legacy was believed to be flying around the nest around 2:45 and Samson thought his little one would be hungry – but she didn’t stop to land on the tree! Flying is such fun.
Samson wound up eating that beautiful fish.
Samson and Gabrielle will stay at the nest, just like Samson’s parents, Romeo and Juliet did, for about 30-45 days after their eaglet fledges before going to cooler climates. They will return in September to begin nestorations for the next breeding season.
It would be grand to see Legacy for another week or more. S/he needs to learn to fly and to hone her hunting skills. S/he is not banded. Will we recognize her/him if they return to the nest area in four or five years like her father Samson did? Oh, how I wish Legacy had a Darvin band!
You brought us such joy, Legacy, watching you change from a little ball of grey fuzz to a magnificent black plumed Juvenile. You took care of ‘eggie’ and were an excellent incubator. You helped with nest repairs, always returning to roll your egg and pick up pinecone. At one time we imagined that you would need a little backpack for ‘Eggie and Pinecone’ when you fledged.
You are Samson’s delight.
Fly high little one. Be safe. You beat Avian Pox and grew to be so very, very beautiful and strong. Go out into the world and beat the odds!
Thanks for joining me. I cannot tell you what joy Legacy brought to so many lives. I hope to see her one more time before she begins her big journey of discovery. In the meantime, I hope that all of you will join with me to help Legacy and all the wildlife by writing to anyone who has influence and who will listen – stop the use of lead in fishing and hunting equipment and ban the use of rodenticide. It does make a difference! Give back to these beautiful creatures the joy they have given to us.
Thank you to the NEFlorida Eagle Cam and the AEF for their streaming cam. That is where I get my screen captures.
Note: Samson and Gabby have been up at the tree – it is nearly 7pm and the sun is going down. Like all of us, they hope Legacy will return to the nest tonight.
8:30 am 28 April 2021. Legacy8:30 am. 28 April 2021. Legacy
Wow. What a day! I could not keep up with the notifications coming in of eggs being laid, beaks pipping eggs, and owlets grabbing and eating entire mice. And then there was Tiny Tot on the Achieva Nest simply losing it and attacking its much larger old siblings today. It felt like someone put my head on a turntable and set it at high speed.
Richmond and Rosie have an egg. It is their first egg of the year and after a six minute labour, Rosie laid it at 19:12 on 25 March. Richmond was right by her side. This is the delightful couple that have their nest on the Whirley Crane in San Francisco Bay. Richmond is notorious for bringing toys to the nest. They are a great couple and there is never a dull moment! They often fledge three a year so be prepared. It is a wonderful nest to watch. Links to nests will be posted at the end today.
Surprise Richmond! Here is number 1. 25 March 2021. Osprey eggs range in colour from a cream to this beautiful mottled red. And don’t worry. These shells are tough.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Eagle nest (MNDNR) has a new couple, Nancy and Harry. The male is only four years old and has not yet fully acquired all of his adult plumage. Their first egg was laid on 17 February and the second was on 20 February. The pair have had a lot of bad weather to deal with so it is especially exciting that at 6:27 there was a pip and at 6:29:52 a beak poked itself out of the shell. Hatch is under way!
Pat Burke took this image and put that nice star there so we could all see the pip on the FB Page.
The Love Trio over near Fulton, Illinois on the Mississippi River seem to have had a hatch today. The nest is the home of Starr (female) and the two Valors, I and II. Yes, it is a ‘love’ trio. No one knows precisely the time. Their nest with the camera was blown down last year and they built a new one in a place where a camera cannot be attached. So news comes from eyes on the ground. Today they noticed the movements of an eagle feeding a little one. And we don’t know how many eggs were laid. But for now, congratulations to the Trio!
The Ospreys are really beginning to arrive in the UK. Tomorrow is the last day of World Osprey Week and there are still many more to come. There were three arrivals today and one last evening, on the 24th. Others with trackers are on the move out of Africa. Check my earlier posting today for details.
I am not even scratching the surface of all that is happening today. If I did, I would bore you to death with long lists of hatch or eggs laid times. I don’t want to do that but I do want to close with a few images of nests that might have been lost in the cracks during Osprey Week.
The first is actually an Osprey nest – too funny. Jack and Harriet are the Ospreys at Machodoc Creek, King Georg, Virginia. Jack is one of the ones that loves to bring toys and other items to the nest. Poor Harriet laid her first egg two days ago and her second today at 20:57:04. Sadly, the first egg might be lost under all of Jack’s presents. Jack has brought in lettuce, someone’s mail, several toys, and fall decorations to add to his earlier treasures this week. What was a nest is starting to look very much like things that have been brought in during high tide!
Jack is in a real decorating mode. There is an egg under there somewhere!
And the next image is Legacy, N24. Legacy overcame eye irritant issues and the Avian Pox and look at how gorgeous she is today. There are only a couple of pieces of baby down left on the top of her head. It has been raining at her Jacksonville nest with parents, Samson and Gabrielle, for the last week. Tornadoes were in the area and the nest was soaked. Gabby stayed on the nest with Legacy when the weather was really bad. Legacy is now self-feeding exclusively. What a beautiful eagle she is.
Legacy has grown into a beautiful eaglet. 25 March 2021
This is Legacy with her mother Gabby on 21 March. They are both stunning.
Legacy and Gabby, 21 March 2021.
This is one of the most touching images I have ever seen of any birds. Yesterday, a sub-adult eagle, an intruder, landed on the branches of Harriet and M15’s nest tree on the D Pritchett property in Fort Myers. Immediately, E18 (the youngest by a few hours) mantled over its slightly older sibling, E17 to protect it. If you are scratching your head trying to remember these beautiful eaglets, think back to the two little ones who had Conjunctivitis and had to removed from the nest. CROW took them off the nest with a cherry picker for treatment. While in care, E17 was so aggressive to E18 that 17 had to be put in time out during feedings. My how the tables have turned and here we have 18 taking good protective care of 17. Amazing.
E18 mantles to protect its older sibling, E18 when an intruder lands on nest tree. 24 March 2021.
Look out for pictures of the new hatch on the MN DNR nest tomorrow. In the meantime, thank you for joining me. Take care.
Thank you to all the streaming cams: SF Bay Ospreys and Audubon, Dahlgren Osprey Nest, NEFL and AEF Eagle Cam, SWFL Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, and the MN DNR. These are where I obtained my scaps.
Avian Pox is a virus that effects any number of birds. It is actually widespread throughout North America. Where do the birds get the Avian Pox? There are various ways. One is through mosquitoes or other biting insects. Anyone watching the nest will have noticed mosquitoes. Other ways of catching the disease is being fed an infected bird or animal or even in nesting material. Sadly it is highly contagious and does not degrade for several years. The virus is often found in hot and humid areas such as N24’s natal nest in St Augustine, Florida.
There are various strains and each will impact a specific species of birds differently. Lesions (white, pink, or yellow) develop slowly on various parts of the body but most often are on areas without feathers such as the eagle’s face, its feet, and its talons. The dry pox (Cutaneous type) is the most common in North American raptors and has been seen in Bald Eagles. The other form is the wet pox (Diphtheritic) and this impacts the mouth and the ability of the bird to breathe. The mortality level in Bald Eagles is, according to the University of Michigan Department of Natural Resources, ‘high’.
The cutaneous form of AP is characterized by proliferative wart-like lesions on the unfeathered parts of the bird, such as the beak, eyelids, nostrils and the legs and feet. Clinical signs start as a red swelling that eventually cracks to become raised lesions. These lesions are usually self limiting and may persist from 1 week up to 4. Many birds recover with few or no permanent defects; however, young birds are usually more severely affected than adults. In some instances the lesions can cause permanent damage to the affected areas including blindness, beak malformations and loss of toes and feet. Following infection, lifelong immunity is thought to occur to that strain of virus. Excerpt taken from Avian Pox, Virginia Wildlife Centre, https://www.wildlifecenter.org/avian-poxvirus
N24 had lesions on its beak area yesterday. This morning those lesions are beginning to show up on its talons.
27 February 2021
In a review of the literature, cases appear to range from mild to severe in intensity rarely causing death unless the virus impacts the mucous membranes in the mouth or the respiratory tract. There is, however, no treatment and the American Eagle Association cannot ask for an intervention because it is not directly caused by humans.
The camera screen is foggy today but you can clearly see the lesion. It has changed some from last night in my earlier posting.
N24 has a crop and was playing when I captured this image.
28 February 2021
I am, at this time, trying to ascertain whether or not N24 has the dry or wet form of the Avian Pox. He is young and this virus will substantially impact the little eaglet who is just three weeks old today. It might well impact both Samson and Gabrielle as well as the overall condition of the nest. I will provide updates as they are available twice daily. Please send positive thoughts to this little one, our little ‘cutie pie’.
This is the statement put out by the AEF: AEF cam staff diligently monitors and inspects the adults and eaglets through the season. On February 20th, our volunteer staff noticed the appearance of two lesions on NE24, after consultation with our veterinary staff, we believe the eaglet is showing symptoms of a potential Avipoxvirus (also known as Avian pox) infection. Avian Pox is common in warm, humid areas, and can be traced to seasonal mosquito increases. Avian Pox can range from mild to severe. In mild to moderate cases, it can cause permanent scarring, with more severe cases, fatalities can occur. The Northeast Florida (NEFL) Nest is a wild nest and infections such as Avian Pox can naturally take place. American Eagle Foundation policy, crafted in conjunction with USFWS guidelines, prohibits interference in a wild nest unless the situation can be directly linked to a man-made threat. As always, viewer discretion is advised. To learn more about avian pox, visit the links provided below. https://www.northeastwildlife.org/disease/avian-pox https://www.michigan.gov/…/0,4570,7-350-79136_79608… http://wildlifedisease.unbc.ca/avian_pox.htm
Thank you to the AEF for the streaming cam at the NEFL Eagle Nest where I took my scaps.
In the Gambia, there is a group of people who go to the beach several times during the day and cut the fishing line off the wildlife. It doesn’t just impact the birds – both land and sea – but also the beautiful animals that live in the sea and along the shore.
Below is a map showing you the location of the country, The Gambia. You will note that it is just south of Senegal. The Ospreys from the United Kingdom migrate to this area of Senegal and The Gambia for the winter.
It was not that long ago that Avian Flu killed over 350 sea birds in Senegal. It was tragic and many wondered how this would impact their favourite Ospreys from Wales and Scotland.
It seems that it is not only the Avian Flu that is the menace but also fishing equipment – nets, lines, hooks. It is wonderful that there are people who dedicate their life to going down to the beach and helping the sea birds and animals.
Updates on Everyone:
SWFL Eagle Cam at Fort Myers: Harriet and M15, E17 and E18. E17 continues to be a little brat. Sometimes I just want to put a small paper bag on that eaglet for a few minutes. Little E18 managed to get some food by walking over to his mother after E17 was so full it passed out. Even then E18 did the snatch and grab. I am hoping that M15 will be on the nest this evening.
For now, the eaglets are hot!
These two still have crops but one of their parents is on watch while the other one is out fishing so they have a nice big meal at sunset to keep them full and quiet overnight.
NEFL Eagle Cam at St. Augustine: Samson and Gabrielle, E24 and unhatched/unviable egg
Oh, they are hot everywhere in Florida. Even the little one doesn’t need to be under its mother today. Sadly, Gabby still incubates that egg that is no longer viable. I don’t know how long it takes before the mothers give up on these eggs. But that little tiny E24 is sure a fluffy butterball. So cute.
Samson brought in a nice big fish for Gabby and E24 just a few minutes ago.
Samson has brought in some more fish. As the sun begins to get ready to set the little one, E24 is underneath Gabby keeping warm.
And speaking of Samson. The nest that we are looking at belongs to Gabby and Samson. Samson was born on this nest 8 years ago to Romeo and Juliet. Juliet was injured by an intruder and both her and Romeo disappeared. Their son now has their nest. Someone posted a picture of Samson on the nest with his mother, Juliet, today. He looked formidable back then. So happy he is on his parent’s nest!
Big Bear Eagle Cam, Big Bear California: Jackie, Shadow, and 2 eggs of second clutch
Shadow brought in a nice big fish for Jackie during the snow storm but hurrah – the snow and ice pellets have stopped. There is blue sky in the distance. He has now changed positions with her and he is incubating the eggs.
The Trio Love Nest, Fulton, Illinois: Starr, Valor I and II and we are awaiting eggs
The camera has been down and the weather has been extremely frigid in this area of the United States. It appears that the eagles are hunkered down somewhere else and not on the nest.
Duke Farms Eagle Nest, Hillsborough, NJ: Two adult eagles, three eggs
The snow has stopped and some of it on the nest is melting. We have three eggs under these tenacious beautiful birds.
Royal Albatross Cam, Taiaroa Head, NZ: Lime-Green-Lime and Lime-Green-Black and chick
Everything is fine down in New Zealand except — these parents simply cannot stay away from their chick. I just get used to one being on the nest and then, surprise, the other one returns from sea in twenty-four hours! The norm is about six or seven days during feeding periods. And if you think all birds are the same, they are not. I expected similar behaviour to the Royal Cam parents last year. OGK, the dad, was the light of little Pippa’s eyes (her Maori name is Atawhai). They would literally run to one another once she could walk. He would give her long feedings and sit next to her. The mother, on the other hand, would feed Pippa very quickly and leave. The two this year are, of course, very fond of one another preening and sky calling but they are both so devoted to this little one.
Port Lincoln Osprey: Solly
As you know, we can track Solly by her satellite transmitter. She was up at Streaky Bay yesterday (photos posted). Let us see if we can check in on her today.
Well, she has moved. Yesterday, Solly had been at Streaky Bay which is at the bottom of this map. Solly has continued to move north. She spent the night at Kiffin Island and is now at Eba Anchorage. No pictures yet but she is testing out all of the territory. Gosh, it is nice to have a tracker on these seabirds. In fact, for those of you that might just be joining us, Solly is breaking records for the Ospreys. She is now more than 220 kilometers away from her natal nest at Port Lincoln. She is 146 days old.
Let’s see where Eba Anchorage is.
She travelled about 18 kilometres (11.1 miles) heading north. And Solly continues to break records. I wonder if she will go all the way to Perth?
On the map below she is in the upper left quadrant past Streaky Bay.
Everyone that we are able to see on our ‘bird’ checklist is fine despite the either frigid cold and snow or the heat in Florida. And the tracking information is going to become invaluable. We are already learning so much from Solly. Now with the two trackers on the Royal Cam Albatross, LGL and LGK, we will get some idea where they are fishing so close to Taiaroa Head.
Thank you for joining us at the end of the week. Take care. Stay safe. We look forward to you joining us tomorrow.
Thank you to the Eagle cams at NEFL, SWFL including D Pritchett Real Estate, Cornell Ornithology Lab and the NZ DOC, Duke Farms, The Trio Love Nest Cam, and Big Bear Eagle Cam. Their streaming footage provides me with my screen captures.
