Tag Archives: Osoyoos Ospreys

Late Monday news in Bird World

25 July 2022

Oh, I hope that you had a good day wherever you are. Everything ‘seems’ to be fine in Bird World.

The rain has started pouring down – just a couple of minutes ago. Before that the three every-growing-larger Crow juveniles were having fun in the Bird Bath, eating their sandwiches and peanuts along with Dyson, the Blue Jays, and a host of sparrows. Dyson has to have a nest somewhere. She has a very short tail and I was told that she would line the nest with the fur. She is ‘quite large at the back end’ my daughter responded when she saw her. Baby squirrels soon? We hope. Lots and lots of peanuts were put out so everyone had plenty.

I just checked on the Osoyoos Osprey nest. I could not see the time stamps but Olsen apparently brought in at least one large fish to Soo today! There was an early one and one later and maybe some in between. The chatters were happy.

The smallest eaglet on the White-bellied Sea Eagles nest, SE30, needs a shampoo. There is fish juice stuck to all of the soft down on the top of its head. You can easily identify who is 30 and who is 29. 29 is also bigger. That extra day surely makes a difference at this stage. I stayed with the feeding to make sure that 30 got fish and it did! Lady tried 29 and its beak was closed and 30 moved to the other side for bites.

I am always asked if the female Ospreys bring fish to the nests. Oh, yes, they do! They normally do not do this until well after the chicks have fledged unless there is a need (for example, the male disappears or the fish deliveries are not enough). Rosie brought Brooks a nice piece of fish today. Brooks has been doing a lot of flight training.

Blue 33 landed at 17:52 with a really large fish – including the head. Two of the female fledglings had been on the nest fish calling to Dad when the third flew in wanting any leftovers on the Manton Bay nest.

It was delightful seeing all three girls on the nest and Dad. It is always nice to ‘see’ that everything is going to plan. It is not often you catch them on the nest and all seems well.

That is such a nice fish. I wish that Soo could have just one that size for her and the Osprey chicks in Osoyoos every day. What a difference it would make in their development.

Watching Osprey and Eagle families is very educational. You do not appreciate the necessity for good plentiful food until you have seen a nest suffer from lack of prey with stress lines in the feathers of the chicks and babies dying from starvation. It is the same with human animals.

There are so many Osprey nests and Daisy and Duke at the Barnegat Light nest have fallen off the radar. There the two surviving osplets are – goodness, full plumage – ready to go! (The third was accidentally pulled out of the nest cup at a very young age and died).

Every year I remember a friend telling me that if I really loved the plumage of the Red-tail hawk juveniles then just wait til I saw the fledgling Sea Eagles! But…I know we all have our favourites – there is nothing for me that can improve on the plumage of the fledgling Ospreys. I think they are much more beautiful than their parents! And wish they did not have to change. I would say the same for the Sea Eagles – juvenile sea eagles with their creams, golds, coppers, browns are smashingly beautiful.

The three osplets of Dory and Skiff are simpy adorable. They line up nicely for dinner and no one seems to want to cause the other any big problems. They are now standing and learning how to walk on their feet instead of their knees.

Oh, just look. Kissed by the peach at the nape of the neck and on the ends of the feathers with that dark eye line. How many young women wish they could get their eyeliner to look like that?

Dory did a great job – a big shout out – for this first time Mum. Skiff did, too!

The camera at Two Harbours in the Channel Islands panned around and caught one of the adults perched. Then they did nice close ups of Lancer waiting for a fish!

Lancer waiting patiently at time for a fish delivery – until she sees an adult and she really lets them know she is hungry!!!!!!!!!!

At the West End, Thunder was out on the Lookout Rock. Yesterday Akecheta brought Kana’kini a fish on the natal nest. I did not see any of the juveniles today. Did you?

At Fraser Point, Lilibet was on the perch and then on the nest eating a small piece of prey. Gosh, she’s gorgeous.

Ah, if you go to the Glacier Gardens Eagle nest and re-wind you can find spots where the camera does not have moisture on the lens. Peace and Love are getting big and they have been working their wings! I did notice that the rain has caused them to look a little ‘rough’. They will fluff back up quickly.

It is gently raining at the Big Bear Valley nest of Shadow and Jackie. Gosh it looks lonely without Spirit and her parents. Did you know that this is the one of the highest Bald Eagle nest in the US? The nest itself is 44 metres or 145 ‘ up in a Jeffrey Pine. The elevation is, however, 2164 metres or 7100 ft.

This is just a hop, skip, and jump through a small number of the nests we are watching. The nest of concern remains Osoyoos and it is doing well today. Fingers crossed and positive wishes for tomorrow and the next day. Thank you so much for joining me. It is such a nice change when the news is all good. Thank you so much for joining me. Please take care of yourselves. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their FB posts and streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Osoyoos Ospreys, SF Bay Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Friends of Big Bear Valley, Glacier Gardens, Explore.org and the IWS, Explore Audubon, Barnegat Light Ospreys, Sydney Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park, and LRWT.

Monday morning in Bird World

25 July 2022

Oh, good morning everyone! Still some fledging going on in the UK, osplets getting their ‘legs’ in the US, another video of Little Bit…it is starting off as a good week. Fingers and toes crossed.

At the Sea Eagles nest in the old Ironbark Tree, Lady seems to have gotten into a pattern of feeding SE 29 and 30 every hour. Lady’s job at this stage of the eaglet’s development is to brood and feed the chicks. Dad is in charge of hunting and guarding the nest. The chicks will grow quickly. When they are 3-4 weeks old, Lady will stop brooding them at night and sleep perched on the tree. Fledging takes place between 75-85 days, normally.

So,, we must enjoy every moment of these two little white snow balls. What can we expect in weeks 2 and 3? You will continue to notice how their beaks are growing longer. It is hard to imagine but they will start to crawl out of the nest cup during week 2. You will also notice they have started to squirt their ‘ps’ over the side of the nest. No potty training for these two – it is instinctual. By week 3 they will be double their size at hatch and they will become interested in things around them. They will be eating bigger flakes of fish and pieces of prey and, of course, they will have mastered getting those bites into their beak from Lady much better than in the early days.

It is the most beautiful golden morning in Finland at the Janakkalan Osprey nest. The two chicks are sound asleep.

It is an equally beautiful morning in Mlade Buky, The Czech Republic as the sun comes over the distant hills. You can see the four storklets on the natal nest in the foreground. Now look carefully at the top image. In the middle ground, there is the finished ‘home’ that Bukacek was building for him and Betty. The storklets can flap all they want — and they are beginning to work those wings. It would be a little crowded there with six on that nest!

Sorry. It is so dark there but look carefully and you will see the adults in their own private space!

All four storklets at the nest of Karl II and Kaia in the Karula National Forest in Estonia are doing splendid. Like the White Storks above, these four are starting to work their wings as well.

There were only 2 feedings for the storklets on 24 July. From the discussion forum, it appears that the fish baskets need filling or some other bird species is eating them. It also appears that there is not enough fish in the natural sources… let us all hope that the baskets are filled and Karl II and Kaia find all that food and eat themselves and feed their four very large storklets.

The three fledglings of Ivo and Iiris are doing well although some of their take offs and landings need a little adjustment. Ivo is delivering really nice size fish to the nest and each waits their turn for another delivery if they missed an earlier one. The nest is located in Southern Estonia near Tartumaa. Nearby is a fish farm as well as a river and some ponds. It would appear from the deliveries that there is plenty of fish for this family of 5.

Ivo has enjoyed the head of this fish. He has a very nice crop. Thanks, Dad.

Another video of the area of the Notre-Dame Eagles – and a most welcome one. It shows where they are and where you can ‘view’ them without doing harm. The individual filming will point the camera to the trees. Squint – look hard. There is at least one fledgling on a branch. They say it is ND17! I sure hope so. It was great to see the three yesterday for the simple reason that 17 is eating somewhere…and flying around watching and learning from the parents …or there would not have been three. So very grateful. Thank you!

Carol Mandis-Beatle posted some images of the three ND eaglets on FB. I hope she does not mind if I share one of them. They were so cute..and they grow so fast!

Speaking of ‘baby pictures’. How many of you remember J3? He falls right up there with L4 for me — cutie pies – Big Red and Arthur’s kids at Cornell. Gosh, I would love to know the dispersal area of their eyases and would especially like to know how they are. You get attached and poof – gone.

J2 and J3 (J1 will be killed flying into the glass at the Weil Building) were best mates. They soared in the sky protecting their sister J1 when she was bathing in a puddle. They also soared together until one morning…J3 got into a thermal, soared high and was gone- out of sight forever. Then J2.

The pressure on BC Hydro to do something to help the Bald Eagles continues – and I am so glad that it is not losing traction. Two articles – one in the Times Colonist and the other in the Vancouver Sun.

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/gabriola-island-bald-eagle-dies-electrocution?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1S65oxSzU2cC4AkKDINd2pkIy-C9MFsQpi-jcgTd_bD0XhdcLSlwdksk4#Echobox=1658447885

https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/eaglet-from-blended-raptor-family-dies-from-electrocution-5618079?fbclid=IwAR1rliqQwaRn6rVhdPyYF0mpEMqg8fRzL5Dr0K1PNQpqYbmmqzIOCbsiyQk

Malala has been coming and going from the nest. To check out her images please go to GROWLS FB page. You do not have to be a member of FB or their group to see the images.

‘H’ caught the trio at the Boathouse ‘Waddling’ this morning and made a YouTube clip. It is short and ever so cute…all are standing. Thank you ‘H’. That nest is getting rather small…

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxtoqfzEvKNx_o0JQzGRwo4EMvhHpGn5WQ

In Poole Harbour, there was a moment when the nest was empty. Both chicks of CJ7 and Blue 022 have fledged!!!!!!!! 5H2 fledged this morning. Celebration Time. Like all others, they will, of course, chase the parents back and forth for food for a bit building up their flying skills. Hopefully we will have a few more weeks with the family before CJ7 heads south for her winter break.

5H2 has returned to claim a fish on the nest. What a lovely sight she is. Always good to see them return the first few times! Congratulations to everyone at Poole Harbour.

Skipping way across the pond, the sun made the nest golden at Osoyoos this morning. The chicks were beautiful! Olsen brought in a small fish at 07:16, the first of the day unless I missed something quite a bit earlier.

Alden has found a new loafing spot. He may have to change often if those two fledglings – and Grinnell, Jr in particular – continue to find him. It seems that all the nooks and corners of the Campanile at Berkeley are being visited by Lindsay and Grinnell Jr looking for Mum or Dad or both! Not much peace and quiet…it is beautiful, isn’t it?

Can you spot Alden?

Thank you so much for joining me this morning. It is hazy here this morning The garden birds have been awake for ever so long. The Crows have been at the bird bath cawing their heads off for more peanuts. They was them…and leave the shells in the water for their human servants to clean up! It is so funny to watch. I will try and catch some images for you today. Take care everyone. I hope that your start to the week is a good one. Hoping that we get another update on Victor’s progress soon!!!!

Thank you to the following for their FB posts, videos, and streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Cal Falcons, Osoyoos Ospreys, Poole Harbour Ospreys, GROWLS, Cornell Bird Lab RTH Cam, ND-LEEF, Eagle Club of Estonia and Looduskalender, Mlade Buky, Finnish Osprey Foundation, and Sydney Sea-eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park.

Little Bit with sibs in the forest and other brief news in Bird World

24 July 2022

What promised to be a lovely day at the nature centre doing the 4.5 km walk and checking on some little Coots turned out to be a run flat tire shredded by the time I got to a place where I could get a new one! Can you hear me growling??? As I waited for my new tire, I noticed something and it made me mad. In Winnipeg, glue traps were outlawed as of 1 July 2022. So why am I seeing stacks of these horrible killers on the shelves??? Letters have already gone out to the company and to several municipal offices. The products should be removed and destroyed responsibly. This is a plea by a raptor group that shows what glue traps do to birds – and other animals that get on them. It is horrible. Please do not use these.

The public attitude towards wildlife – including our fearless raptors – has changed over the decades. Perhaps it has not been as fast as some of us would want but, there is a growing awareness that we live in a world that is ‘connected’. The balance that we need to exist means that all living things have rights and are to be respected. It is no longer acceptable to shoot raptors and it is definitely no longer acceptable, as it was in the 1950s and mid-1960s, to shoot Bald Eagles for the $2 bounty. Cut their legs off, tie them up, you get $2! That would outrage us if we saw buckets of our beloved eagle’s legs on a dock! It is also no longer acceptable to tear down nests to build parking lots for stores. The more we learn and study and watch our beautiful feathered friends the more we understand that they are not so different as us as families. What is different is that their lives have been compromised by humans. In 2022, we know that we need to fix that but…we need everyone to understand and care for wildlife, to demand that utility companies and businesses who make huge profits undertake to be responsible stewards of our planet. That is why I am always happy to see a news story about the birds!

It is always good when stories about our beloved raptors make it into the news. California really is the gold star for keeping wildlife and their stories in the public.

One of the most loved nests is that of Louis – Lonesome Louis he was called before Aila came to Loch Arkaig. Now he is with Dorcha for their second year and the two surviving osplets were named by their fans – Willow and Sarafina. That made the news!

https://news.stv.tv/highlands-islands/loch-arkaig-osprey-chicks-named-willow-and-sarafina-after-thousands-respond-to-online-poll?fbclid=IwAR0Hj816uXXGaIuKAGMCrpgiMB4Am-lquafaz7UZVyyS4dbcroN7h2BJCow

Continuing on with birds in the news and birds in the news who are making history is the story of the first fledge out of Dorset and Poole Harbour in over 200 years! Once again our hats are taken off in great respect to the team that worked on this translocation project. It worked thanks to CJ7 waiting for a mate and Blue 022 falling in love with her and returning this year to start a family!

Harbour Update – posted 23/07/22

To put a smile on everyone’s face, Kennth Kujawski filmed the 3 juveniles at the Notre-Dame nest. Here it is and it feels wonderful to see them all! Little Bit 17 is identified first – but all three are there. ND17 must be eating — and that puts tears on my cheeks.

There have been three fish deliveries so far to the Osoyoos Osprey nest today in British Columbia. Soo is trying to keep the babies cool.

Lady and SE29 and 30 are just waking up in the forest of the Sydney Olympic Park. Dad has lots of fish on the nest and the two are just cute little fluffy snow people with wings!

I am continually checking on the two osplets in Finland at the Janakkalan Nest. They are either sleeping or eating – good things to do as they prepare to fledge and fatten up for migration. Dad is doing a great job. I have not caught the intruder on the nest, have you?

These two look great!

Ever want a list of the names and images of all the eaglets at the nests in the Channel Islands but were afraid to ask? Here you go.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/chil_eaglecam/meet-the-class-of-2022-t13084.html?fbclid=IwAR2a6B-K1vNfkgcu51Bu10nJYonvMwP0pdppzoiMFAPu2BdSoT6ox51e5cQ

Last but never least, Annie and Alden whose scrape is in UC-Berkeley’s Campanile, finally got some quiet time to bond in the scrape!

Continue to send warm wishes to the Osoyoos Nest. We want Soo to have so much fish that she cannot believe her eyes! OK. Maybe I am not being realistic. How about one large headless fish?

I will write more about BC Hydro but if you want to send a letter about how outraged you are that they do not take their responsibilities to the wildlife seriously, you can e-mail them at: connectwithus@bchydro.com

Chris O’Riley is the CEO! What we want is an immediate start to using poles with a clearance of a little more than 7′ on all new poles between the wires. They can retrofit the existing poles. They are a public company that needs to be mindful of their powerful and thus responsible position as a public utility funded by the taxpayers ——-who demand that they take seriously their role and protect wildlife that are injured by their poles.

Thank you for joining me today. All the nests seem fine as do the Crows, the Blue Jays, Dyson, and the rabbits in the garden right now. It is the flurry of eating before bedtime for all of them. Take care of yourself. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their FB posts and their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: The Raptor Trust, Osoyoos Ospreys, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Channel Islands Eagle Lovers, Cal Falcons, and Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park.

Ervie went fishing and other early Sunday news in Bird World

24 July 2022

We are all starting to get ’empty nest’ syndrome as the Bald Eagle fledglings make their way into the world and the Osprey fledglings in the Northern Hemisphere begin flying, returning to the nest less regularly unless they are being fed by their parents there. Migration begins within a fortnight in the UK, some females leaving early while others hold on a little longer. The female Ospreys are out fishing – bringing whoppers to the nest larger than the males – feeding the chicks and themselves. Dad, of course, will continue to feed the fledglings after the Mums leave staying at the nest until the fledglings depart and then he will leave. For White YW at the Foulshaw Moss Nest in Cumbria last year, he continued to feed Blue 463 into September!

The three daughters of Idris and Telyn have been flying about. Paith has been spending time on a perch by the river while the other two come and go from the nest. Telyn brought her first post-fledge fish onto the nest today. It was a fantastic catch.

The Glaslyn Nest of Aran and Mrs G is empty as well…chicks will fly in if they see Dad coming with a meal.

The chicks of Louis and Dorcha, Willow and Sarafin, have yet to fledge. If you haven’t found this nest I would certainly put it on your list for next year. Great parenting but the weather is often dire at this alternate nest. When Louis’s mate, Aila, did not return last year – and all of our hearts were broken – he picked Dorcha and they took a nest out of view of the camera. This year the Woodland Trust put cameras on both nests. Maybe a new couple will take the old nest next year. If you look to the top right you can see the loch where Louis fishes.

This is the link to Louis and Dorcha’s streaming cam:

Yesterday was a great day for Olsen at the Osoyoos Osprey platform. They may not have been huge fish but there were lots of them. It is now 0900 and only one small fish has come on the nest at 0518. Let us hope the fishing luck improves!

The chicks at the Fortis Exshaw nest in Canmore Alberta are really getting big and they are wanting to start self-feeding. One tried this morning and caused a bit of chaos. Mum took over and all is well except for the camera which continues to have issues – it needs a good rain to wash it off – or is it condensation again?

Freedom and Liberty at the Glacier Gardens nest in Juneau, Alaska might want the rain to stop for a bit. Eaglets Love and Peace have scrambled to get under Mum to keep their heads dry!

The fox cub has been back sniffing for food on Andor and Mama Cruz’s nest at Two Harbours in the Channel Islands. I wonder where Lilibet is? She isn’t squeeeewing away at the visitor.

Lancer was on the natal nest at Two Harbours for about five minutes this morning arriving around 0822. One of the adults was on the nest around 0702.

As streaming cam bird watchers begin to turn their attention to nests elsewhere, if you love Peregrine Falcons, there are two in Australia. The scrape of Xavier and Diamond on the water tower on the grounds of Charles Sturt University in Orange and the family on the ledge of the CBD at 367 Collins Street. The streaming cams – three of them – at Orange operate year round. The Collins Street cam will come on once eggs are laid near hatching time.

Little Xavier is so cute..for those of you that do not know this nest, Xavier means Saviour and, like Alden who came in to help Annie when Grinnell was killed, Xavier helped Diamond. He is adorable and ever so funny with his prey deliveries. Sometimes Diamond reminds me of a ‘stern matron’ – she is also gorgeous but Xavier is just funny. They are bonding and courting now. Eggs the end of August or beginning of September.

Xavier brought Diamond a tasty treat today. Diamond does not like Starlings but they are plentiful. You will also see a variety of parrots brought into the nest – I am told by a good source that parrots are like sparrows around Orange. Too plentiful. Could this be a parrot of some type? Not many pigeons at Orange but lots and lots of them at the Melbourne scrape on Collins Street are brought in as prey items for the chicks.

Diamond was extremely happy and even ate the food gift in the scrape box!

This is the link to the box cam:

At the Sydney Sea Eagle nest, Lady has the two little eaglets tucked in but they continue to wiggle about.

Mum and Dad are sleeping on the perch at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge.

But where is Ervie you ask???????? Our beautiful lad is out catching his own fish!!!!!!!! Isn’t he handsome? I cannot think of anything nicer than being able to sit and watch Ervie catch and eat a fish. But, gosh, golly, I wish they would remove those spikes.

It is a great day when we get to see Ervie. He is looking fantastic. That satellite tracker doesn’t seem to bother him one little bit and it sure helps us keep track of his movements.

GROWLS has posted the simple fix that BC Hydro can make so that no bird is ever killed again. In the scheme of things, my expert in BC tells me that it will only cost pennies to make the poles a little larger so that the spread between the phases or phases and grounds is wider than 7′.

There is much more to say about BC Hydro and the urgent need for them to undertake a change in their construction methods. I have lots of information and am trying to put it together in a logical way for tomorrow or Tuesday. In the meantime, educate yourself. BC Hydro is a public company and the public want wildlife protected — things have changed and our public utlities companies need to change, too.

It is a hazy hot Sunday on the Canadian Prairies. The Blue Jays are getting peanuts off the deck, the Crows have been flapping about demanding their sandwiches and the Cooper’s Hawk has been hiding in the neighbour’s lilac bushes hoping to get its lunch. Both Hedwig and Little Hedwig have been to the garden and have escaped the eye of the hawk..in fact, my garden is so lush right now that the hawk doesn’t seem to bother checking out the feeders. All are hidden! I hope to get some good images for all of us but, first, I have to remove the screens from the new sunroom. They do not allow any decent images to be taken!

Thank you so much for joining me this morning. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday wherever you are. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their FB pages and their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: GROWLS, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Charles Sturt University at Orange Falcon Cam, Sydney Sea Eagles @Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park, Explore.org and IWS, Glacier Gardens, Fortis ExShaw, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, and the Dyfi Osprey Project.

Not our Spirit! and other late Saturday news

23 July 2022

A Correction. Ah, I got caught ‘off guard’. The Spirit at the Avon Lake School was not ‘our’ Spirit! Thank you, ‘B’. I hope that our Spirit is flying free and chasing Jackie and Shadow around Big Bear while the other Spirit, in Ohio, stays out of trouble!!!!! Sorry for the confusion…

Good news coming out of Osoyoos. Olsen has been working around the clock to bring fish to Soo and the two chicks on the Osoyoos Osprey platform. Even in the heat, he really broke through and found lots of fish — some twiddlers and some nice sized ones. There were no less than seven deliveries (according to the list on chat by ‘H’) with the first at 0502 and the last at 18:42. There could be another before night falls.

A short time ago I wrote about the male Osprey in Montana being shot. (I will not get started on how crazy this makes me!) The news is that the female has been able to carry on delivering fish to the nest where there is at least one chick. Send good wishes to her and to the female at Kielder 1A nest as well. Normally, the females leave the nest before the fledglings and the male. I wonder what we will learn from these two nests in that regard? Will the female feed the chicks til they depart the territory and start their migration to the southern parts of Texas, Mexico, or Central America? or will she wait til they have left and spend 2 weeks getting into condition so that she will have a successful flight to her winter home? We wait to find the answer.

Ferris Akel caught the four Red-tail Hawks on the grounds of Cornell University during his tour today. He had some incredible images of L2 and L4. Here is a number of them. It will also not be long until they depart to find their way in the world so, every minute is precious. They were both hunting. Such wonderful images – love the close ups. Thank you, Ferris!

L2 you are a beauty.

L4 decided that being in one of the pines after a squirrel was the most fun. Good luck!

Many of you watch the Southern Royal Albatross at Taiaroa Head in New Zealand. We have all marvelled at the care and attention the albatross chicks get especially if their parents cannot supply them with enough food. It has been an anxious year with a number of chicks requiring supplementary feeding including the Royal Cam Chick, QT. Her mother YRK has been doing the best job she can with the male, OGK, missing for over two months now.

YRK visits Taiaroa Head on 24 July and gives Quarry Track (QT) chick a feeding.

Additional chicks like the one in the posting below are missing both parents and have to be fed by the rangers. Without the supplementary feedings, the chicks would have perished —including QT. This is the first time that I have seen a request for donations to purchase fish for the chicks come from the Rangers.

Disappearing Gun Chick

‘H’ sent a really cute photo of the two fledglings at Mispillion Harbour Osprey platform. Remember this Mum loves yellow! She has kept this yellow mat on the nest. Once it flew off and Mum retrieved it and put it back. Then it got hidden under other nest material. Today, one of the fledglings pulled it up to the top when it got stuck on its talon. Thankfully, it came off. Mum will be so happy! Thank you ‘H’ for this great capture with the two fledglings on the nest at the same time!

Ah, this is just a quick check in to correct the issue of ‘Spirit’. Thank you so much for joining me. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen shots: Osoyoos Ospreys, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and the DDNR, The Albatross Centre, Ferris Akel Tours, and Montana Ospreys at Hellgate.

Late Saturday in Bird World

23 July 2022

Oh, it turned out to be a cracker of a day in Winnipeg. Everyone woke to a forecast of rain and then the skies cleared. The paths at the nature centre were packed with smiling faces and everyone saying ‘hello’ or talking about the teenage goslings. It was fantastic.

Sleepy babies.

Teenagers – long necks and legs. Paying close attention to the adult’s instructions!

One lone America White Pelican in the middle of the lake — image cropped a great deal!

It continues to be quiet in Bird World. Seriously this is such a good thing.

Good news has come from the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails Ospreys. You will remember that the two gorgeous and almost fully feathered osplets on the nest were pulled off when Mum got her talon caught in monofilament line and nesting material. One died when it hit the ground but the other was saved by a passerby who knew what to do – and got immediate help! That chick was in very guarded condition at the time. This is today’s update and it is a little better.

5H1 made history today as the first fledgling Osprey in Poole Harbour, UK,, for 200 years. CJ7 and Blue 022’s chick really does love to fly. Here is a video of her landing on a subsequent flight….gosh, she is pretty steady on those legs.

The names of Louis and Dorcha’s two surviving osplets for the 2022 season have been released by the Woodland Trust. There were 2674 votes cast. The winning names are Willow for LW5 with 22.7% and Sarafina for LW6 with 20.5%. That was an amazing voting turnout. Thank you to everyone that took part.

That is Willow standing up. My goodness she is going to be dark like Dorcha. Stunning plumage.

Olsen had delivered several twiddler size fish and one nice one by 10:48 at the Osoyoos Osprey platform. He brought in another fish at 12:49. Thanks Olsen! Olsen appears to have a wee crop so he is eating. Remember it is like the directions for the oxygen masks in planes – put yours own and then help your child. Olsen and Soo have to eat in order to care for the chicks and keep their health up as good as they can in the circumstances of extreme heat. Soo immediately started feeding the two chicks. The rest of the day she has kept them covered when the sun was at its hottest.

Just a quick check on a couple of other nests. The juveniles have not been seen at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta but, there was a fly by this morning in the distance. Those nests sure do get lonely if you have been watching intently for months and then — everyone fledges, returns to the nest for prey drops after flying, and then…poof. Gone. Turn that love into making their world better! So instead of wondering if they survived, we can say with certainty that we have made improvements and a greater percentage lives to see their first birthday.

At the Two Harbours nest, you could hear Lancer squeeeeing at 14:47 as she flew onto the nest. She was so right. The adult flew in with a fish and got out of there really quick without getting its talons trapped. So nice to see you, Lancer.

I have been following the social media posts about the electrocution of Junior on Gabriola Island just off the coast of Vancouver Island in my country, Canada. The world watched the graciousness and the love that flourished on the Bald Eagle nest and their adoption of Malala, the Red-tail Hawk as a member of their family not as lunch. It touched the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

The tragic death of Junior, the fledgling eaglet, Malala’s friend and nest companion, shattered us.

I have noticed that some FB groups are no longer going to post any news about Junior. Of course, that is their choice but, please understand that this issue is not small and isolated. British Columbia has the largest population of Bald Eagles in the world. We are not talking about just ‘fixing’ one pole on Gabriola Island, what we want is an undertaking by BC Hydro to amend the way they construct the hydro poles immediately so that the space between the wires is wider than 7′, the length of a Bald Eagle’s wing. No bird would ever die again.

Make BC Hydro live up to what they say – words mean nothing without action behind them.

Of course, retrofitting those on Gabriola Island is paramount. More about this tomorrow but, please don’t let the story of Junior and Malala pass when something else comes in the news. We have a chance to make progress and — let’s do it. Do not let this opportunity slip through our fingers.

I am trying to find out the time of Christian Sasse’s talk on the electrocution of birds. It is possible that it will be on Wednesday afternoon at 1300 or 1330 Pacific time but, I am not certain. If we want to help the eagles we need to arm ourselves with an understanding of the problem and the solution! Thank you, Christian, for educating us!

Here is the contact information for BC Hydro:

Images on the Notre-Dame FB page show 3 juveniles flying around the nest and landing on a tree near to the nest tree. It has been really stormy there and some branches have broken. It is shocking that anything is left of that old Eagle nest!

Thank you so very much for being with us today. Please take care of yourself. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their FB postings and streaming cameras where I took my screen captures: Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, Bald Eagles 101, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Osoyoos Ospreys, Explore.org and IWS, GROWLS, and ND-LEEF.

Saturday Morning in Bird World

23 July 2022

Oh, good morning everyone. I hope that your Saturday is starting off nicely. It is a day that my mother would call ‘sultry’ – high humidity and it feels like it could rain. The sky is a light grey with whisps of blue. Already the small songbirds are in the bird bath – enjoying the deck while the Crows are away! The three juveniles seem to have claimed two houses – ours and the one next – as ‘their’ territory. I continue to be fascinated by the fact that they are large in size but are just ‘babies’ learning to not stand on the hot metal and what is food and what isn’t. Of course, our dear Little Bit 17 is – I so hope – learning the same way. The juvenile Blue Jays are also here collecting peanuts under the watchful eye of Junior and Mrs Junior. They are now mantling their peanuts and beginning to learn ‘competition’ in an interesting way directed by Junior. That is, of course, another thing that happens after fledging. We saw it clearly at Port Lincoln Osprey barge last year. The three lads were as good as gold in the nest. Everyone marvelled and wondered why? Well, it was three males. But, oh, once they fledged- after a couple of weeks passed – and the competition for prey items intensified. I learned what the Australian term ‘dust up’ meant – a nicer term for a big brawl. Do you remember? This is Ervie and Bazza having one of their battles.

The little Merlin taken into out wildlife rehab centre and who had a successful surgery has made the news. It is a big thing -our wildlife centre doesn’t always make the news with its patients. Hopefully people will spread the word about ‘not’ shooting the raptors (or other birds and waterfowl).

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/merlin-pellet-surgrical-removal-1.6529811?fbclid=IwAR136exwIos-dkNBrk_TnmX3cDMlC7hnRnfNgy0Y5Swt0PZg8XKboL_utKM

It is thankfully pretty quiet in Bird World today. Big Red and Arthur watch over L2 and L4 from the light stands – a rare moment caught on the streaming cam as it surveyed the area around the nest.

Big Red is on the left and Arthur is on the right

The first of the historic osplets to hatch at Poole Harbour has fledged. 5H1 took to the skies this morning. It happened at 11:54. 5H1 flew for 15 minutes before landing perfectly next to Dad, Blue 022, on the nest rim.

The oldest chick, 5H1, is on the perch to the right. You can barely make out a feather of her tail.

She lands! H51 has been on and off the nest ever since having a good old time being a bird! Oh, do you ever wish you could fly?

The story of Junior’s tragic death is hitting other newspapers. https://www.cheknews.ca/gabriola-island-eagle-that-shared-nest-with-hawk-found-electrocuted-1064590/

The story of the nest and the untimely killing of Junior needs to be kept alive. The e-mails to BC Hydro need to flood their inbox in order for this human caused tragedy to be fixed so that it does not happen again. It is the only way that change will happen.

Christian Sasse will be giving a special YouTube talk – in his capacity as an electric engineer -on avian electrocutions. He does not mention the time. If you go to YouTube and search for Christian Sasse you can subscribe to his channel. In theory, you should get a notification of the talk. This does not always work but Christian archives the discussions also and that is much appreciated. We should all educate ourselves on these dangers so that you speak and write to authorities with knowledge and facts.

The news of the rescue of the osplet from the Delaware River in Pennsylvania has been all over the social media platforms. It is one of those great stories. The PA Game Commission got a call of a juvenile osprey in trouble. It had fallen into the water. They immediately act to save its life! The ranger found it sitting on a wall and returned the chick to its nest That is a story that each of us would welcome every day — action! Thank you!

There have been several twiddler deliveries to the Osoyoos nest this morning (it is now 0900 there). Twiddlers at 05:53, 06:11, and 07:44. Two fish of reasonable size landed at 07:40 and 08:09. That is a good start to the day. The high will be 33 C. Hot.

I am always amazed at how quickly the little black beaks of the White-bellied sea eagles grow. The two chicks are doing fine. Dad continues to have lots of fish on the nest and both are eating well! You can certainly tell by the fish juice that has rained down on their little heads!

Lady checks on them just as the IR camera comes on.

Plenty of fish – big fish -continue to come on the Jannakkala Osprey nest in Finland. No sign of the intruder wanna-bee Mum that was around the nest a couple of days ago. Dad must be grateful – he doesn’t have to supply fish for her anymore, just his kids. I have not heard if the Mum’s body was found. I will check for us.

I did not find any more information but I could be looking in the wrong place. I will continue to search out any news. What I did find was a very informative paragraph about the banding and nests of the birds in Finland. I was particularly drawn to the fact that platforms were placed in good environments for the Ospreys. Indeed, the available fish for this nest is remarkable.

You will recall that the Balgravies Osprey nest – a natural one – collapsed with a chick. That chick was saved and placed onto an artificial platform. This is the latest ‘great’ news:

Things are quiet and that is a great way to start the weekend. Victor is working hard and standing on his own. Don’t forget to send him all your positive wishes. If you are able, a $5 donation helps – small amounts grow into big ones. That is the Ojai Raptor Centre. They also have some amazing tote bags and t-shirts which sadly do not ship to Canada! (I am going to write and ask them about this). Lots of people are watching the Notre Dame nest for any sign of Little Bit 17. Send him all your love — we want so much for this worthy eaglet to survive. The only nest needing our love is Osoyoos – we need this heat spell to break for Olsen, Soo and the kids.

Thank you so much for joining me today. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their FB posts, Twitter feeds, and streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Cornell Bird Lab, Poole Harbour Ospreys, GROWLS, PA Game Commission, Osoyoos Ospreys, Sea Eagles @Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, James Silvie, and the Finnish Osprey Foundation.

Victor is standing, Malala chasing Mum,Lady gives a great feeding, and happiness when there is fish

22 July 2022

Thank you to everyone who sent a note saying that they are ‘fed up’ with the electrocutions and want to help. It is much appreciated. People underestimate their own power. Send those-mails to BC Hydro.

But it is Friday evening and it is time for some good news.

First up is Victor. Victor is able to stand without assistance! and flap his wings…and joy oh joy.

Here is Victor talking and flapping his wings! Tears. Get the tissues out now! And if you can afford it, please help with Victor’s medical bills. Ridding a raptor of metal toxicity is very expensive.

Second, if you have wondered about Malala, you can see her chasing Mum behind the nest tree in the 35 second video clip below. Watch carefully. They will fly from left to right near the bottom. Malala has also been seen on the top branches of the nest and the adults still bring prey to the nest.

Malala later came to the nest to eat the fish brought earlier. Oh, was she hungry. And this is my point about Little Bit ND17. Some raptor parents only feed on the nest. It would be good to see Little Bit get some prey!

There is nothing nicer than seeing a nest full of fish – and I do mean full! Dad struck gold in his fishing and has left Lady a pile of nice fish for Lady and for SE 29 and 30. Watch carefully. SE30 can be a little stinker pecking its big sibling. Not a smart thing to do, 30.

The intervention is now in his 23rd day at the Karula National Forest nest of Karl II and Kaia. Bonus is doing great and the family is doing very well. Karl II did 3 feedings today and Kaia did 2 for a total of 5. In one Karl II brought in lots of nice fish! So proud of Urmas and Dr Madis giving Bonus a second chance at life.

Earlier Bonus in the front at the left is casting a pellet. Pellets are compressed food items that cannot be digested by the stomach and are thrown out (cast). You can see the pellet. It looks like a barbecue briquette. Researchers study the pellets to tell them what the birds have been eating!

Gosh, it is lonely turning on a streaming cam and seeing an empty nest. It is even more frustrating to find that you have checked 18 odd times with no fledglings and you missed them by 20 seconds! The oldest fledgling on the Mispillion Harbour Osprey nest paid a visit today. Thanks, ‘H’ for the identification. The fledgling looks well and must see parents somewhere close as it is madly prey calling.

There were 3 fish brought to the Osoyoos Nest this morning. One small one and two good size ones. Those deliveries came at 0452, 0530, and 0754. Thank you for the time stamps, Burky 4. I need to go and check to see if anything came after – and no, I do not see any other fish. Olsen is smart to do the fishing early with the continuing heat wave in the region. Hopefully something will come during the evening.

It has been a good day on the nests. We must celebrate every possible minute because we know how quickly something can happen. Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care of yourselves. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their FB postings and/or videos or streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Ojai Raptor Rehabilitation Centre, GROWLS, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, Eagle Club of Estonia and Looduskalender, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and the DDNR.

Has Little Bit 17 eaten?…and other news in Bird World on Friday

22 July 2022

It is 0751 in British Columbia and Olsen, the male at the Osoyoos Osprey nest, is taking advantage of the cooler morning temperatures to get fish for him and his family. Already he has brought in two fish to Soo and the kids. Lovely start to the day and it will certainly help them when it gets hot.

The male at the Jannakkalan Osprey nest in Finland was just delivering another big fish to the nest the instant I went to check on the chicks. Of course, there are other big hunks of fish on the nest already. No one will go hungry. The female has been added to the growing list of ‘the remembered’ and the intruder female has not returned – a good thing. The chicks are big. I don’t believe they could be predated now. Dad will feed them and they will fledge. I wonder if they found the body of the mother? and if they will release their findings on what happened to her if they did find it?

At the ND-LEEF nest, a prey item was delivered to the nest by an adult at 0652. I do not know which of the fledglings got the drop but another flew in to the nest. The park staff say that Little Bit 17 was seen flying over the area at 0652:08 on the wide cam.

You can see the wing tip on the branch above the nest of the other fledgling.

The time that 17 was believed to have flown by is 0652:08. Here is a short clip covering the entire time period. It has to be viewed in conjunction with the images above. Sadly the cameras are not synched with one another.

The driving question is this – and nothing else matters — has Little Bit 17 had anything to eat since he was released at the park? Anything? Just ‘seeing’ him does not mean he has eaten! It has been more than 48 hours and it is clear that 15 and 16 know to follow the parent and go to the nest.

Junior’s electrocution by power poles owned and operated by BC Hydro made the news in Vancouver.

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/gabriola-island-bald-eagle-dies-electrocution?fbclid=IwAR13R_89H6w7K9Q7ivniSQVRdGylGUAah-EU-NO26ZBEgwRUKSyAR5I6Ch4

Is BC Hydro the agency that actually kills more eagles in British Columbia than anything else? Many think that is the case. It will take a raging public outcry and actions that will bring them to their knees. So if Junior’s life is to be meaningful cry but get mad! Bring BC Hydro to an agreement to get all of the poles on the island made safe for birds. — Then let’s move to the other hot spots where the eagles are killed on their poles.

The streaming cam is once again working at the Boat House Osprey nest on Hog Island. The chicks are doing well! Yippeee.

The Mispillion Osprey nest is vacant this morning. Are the fledglings and the parents down by the harbour?

There is a lovely video that has been compiled about Sky at the West End nest. Have a look…beautiful Sky.

As I sit and watch the three juvenile Crows fly about my garden, get their sandwiches, and bathe in the water, here is a smile from a wildlife rehabber about a female crow that broke her beak. Kindness. Everyone needs it.

Suzanne Arnold Horning caught up with the Ls and Big Red last night. Here are some of her great images.

Can you follow instructions? do Laundry? clean? make a specific lunch? Your local wildlife rehabilitation clinic might be looking for volunteers. It is normally a commitment of 4 hours every week or fortnight for a period of 6 months. Have some time? want to do something for wildlife? Give them a call or check their website. They might be taking applications.

That is a quick check this morning on some of the nests we have been watching. I hope that you have a lovely Friday wherever you are. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Fellowship of the Crow, Explore.org and IWS, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and the DDNR, Audubon Explore, GROWLS, ND-LEEF, Osoyoos Ospreys, Finnish Osprey Foundation, and Suzanne Arnold Horning.

Thursday in Bird World

21 July 2023

Oh, it feels like another scorcher. Clear beautiful blue skies, not a cloud in sight, no rain, and 27 degrees C. It is a cooker. There are no birds flitting about – they are all being still in the shade.

I want to thank ‘B’ for alerting me to Little Bit’s release. I failed to do so in that posting and I am very grateful. Thank you ‘B’.

There is hardly anything left of the old Notre Dame nest in the park. It is going to be 33 in the area today. Let us all hope that Little Bit 17 – who was released back into the area yesterday – finds his family and is learning how to locate prey and eating well. Anything short of that would just be tragic.

Everyone at our local wildlife rehabilitation Centre was thrilled when a Bald Eagle that came into care was ready to be released today. This was an adult eagle and did not need to be taught to hunt prey but they did have to master the Flyway!

There he goes! Congratulations.

Sadly, a Merlin came into care after being shot in its shoulder yesterday. The vet at Wildlife Haven and the team worked tirelessly to try and give that little raptor a second chance.

I received word this morning that the Merlin is doing very well and the surgery to save its life was a success. It will now begin the long process of recovery thanks to all the volunteers, the donors who immediately chipped in for the costs of the antibiotics, etc. that will help this raptor recover. The wildlife rehabbers, vets, students, and volunteers as well as donors continue to be real ‘angels’ for all the injured birds. They do amazing things each and every day out of love – not our of any financial gain – because there isn’t any! I had a chat with one wildlife rehabilitation officer and she said that if everyone would take the funds they would spend for one coffee or one treat and put it in a jar and at the end of the month donate that money – every clinic would be able to do wonders towards helping centres across North America be able to help all the patients that come into their care even better.

Just when we thought that Avian Flu was waning, news from the UK and now from the province of Newfoundland in Canada says otherwise. Seabirds are dying by the thousands in eastern Canada. No doubt we will see a rise elsewhere. So very, very tragic.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-seabirds-dying-avian-flu-1.6525180?fbclid=IwAR2qxyrUa7YAamJOmchw6xru2qdPes-2mJBDDAo60QQqZp8nOow2E6bq7F8

Mr Crow is training the three fledglings on what foods to eat – in our garden! We put out the makings of the sandwich and one took a leaf and dipped it in the water which got a frightful cry from Dad. They are making quite the ruckus. They are also ‘playing’ flying from chimney to chimney and back again. They look big and they are but their minds are ‘little fledglings’. Yesterday they were on top of the glass roof of the sunroom pecking away trying to get in. —–Of course my point is this. The male is actively teaching the three what to eat and where to find food!

This guy decided to dip his peanut in the bird bath. So cute.

Looking at me.

All three flew up to the neighbour’s chimney. (She puts out cat kibble for the feral cats but doesn’t realize it is the Crows that are eating it!) One stood on the metal top til its feet got hot. Mr Crow told them to stay put and they did – for about 10 minutes in the heat. I think they are now having a good old rest.

I wonder if the parents of Little Bit 17 will undertake this level of training? They have had all this time to work with ND15 and 16. Big Red and Arthur certainly spent weeks impressing on the hawklets where to catch voles and how to catch the squirrels. Oh, gosh, let us hope so and – let’s pray for good food sources for them.

At the Osoyoos Osprey nest where temperatures have been in the mid 30 degree C at ground level, Olsen has brought in one fish this morning. Mum Soo fed both chicks equally and had some herself. It is a good start to the day but it has to be difficult fishing for it is now 0936 at the nest. That first fish and feeding were 0816. It will be another extreme heat day at the nest. Keep your positive wishes going out to them.

The osplets are standing and look at the nice juvenile feathers coming in.

The fish has arrived.

Soo made sure that each got equal so no one is left out. Good for Mum. Her crop is sunken in – everyone really needs one good fish to land on this nest today along with a few small ones. Or could I wish for 2 big fish?

We are only 27 degrees C but, in the shade of the lilacs, the temperature is 18. There are dozens and dozens of small songbirds in there, sitting quiet, saving their resources and staying cool. Thinking of planting? Think of the birds. Plant native trees that will provide shade and maybe even some seeds for the birds and squirrels.

Poor Alden! Will Grinnell Jr find him hiding in the shade of the scrape?

Dad has two nice fish on the Sydney Sea Eagles nest for when Lady and SE29 and 30 wake up and want their breakfast fish.

The news out of Balgavies Ospreys is that the chick that was on the nest that collapsed, Blue 640, was placed on a new high platform and has fledged. How grand. No injuries from the nest collapsing — and immediately taken into care to see if all was alright. Parents are around. All is good.

At the Glaslyn nest of Aran and Mrs G, the last of the 2022 chicks, Blue 499, has fledged! Congratulations everyone. He flew back to the perch and slowly made his way down to the nest.

Dory keeping her three osplets cool today. It is currently 24 degrees C – not bad! Osoyoos would certainly take those cooler temperatures.

Fish continue to land on the nest at Jannakkalan Osprey nest in Finland. No shortage! Both chicks self-feeding – one continues to be better than the other but it will soon catch up. They need to get their technique down and hold the fish and pull up…it will come! The possible step-mum began to peck at the chicks again and has not been seen today. Both chicks are 46 days old today so close to fledging. A statement will be released about the Mum, Yellow ring band NTF after a search around the nest for her shortly.

Iris hasn’t been on her nest for some time. This morning at 0721 she paid a visit! Good Morning, Iris. Iris appeared to be looking around at someone or for someone while she was on the nest. She eventually goes to the perch and looks and then preens.

The one thing I did notice was that it was early in the morning. Iris normally fishes well before 0700. Why doesn’t she have a nice big crop? How is the fishing in the river lately? They are having the same heat as everyone else. 34 C for Iris today. Is she able to get fish?

Junior and Malala together on the nest. The female Bald Eagle has brought fish to the nest today and waited for her kids to show up. We know what has happened to Junior but where is Malala?

A letter has gone out to BC Hydro about the electrocution of Junior on one of their power poles. If you want to help, I urge you to write a letter in support. I could not find an e-mail contact on their site. If you stumble across it, please let me know. This is a great letter – have a read. Thank you, Anna Brooks!

I went to check on Soo and the chicks at Osyoos. She is desperate to try and shade them from the heat. She lost all of her chicks last year because of the heat wave. Send her your most positive wishes.

Thank you so much for joining me. People are working hard to try and help our raptors and all of the other species of birds and wildlife. Remember to leave water outside for them. It could save their lives. Please take care of yourselves. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their FB posts or their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: GROWLS, ND-LEEF, Audubon Explore, Osoyoos Ospreys, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Montana Ospreys, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney, Bwywd Gwyllt Glaslyn, and Cal Falcons.