Tag Archives: Ospreys

Checking in with the Australian Birds

Yesterday I waited until the trio at the Port Lincoln Osprey nest had their morning feast before I headed off to read and sleep. There was a smile on my face. The chicks had a huge fish to share with mum at 8:57:45. They looked like they were going to pop those crops! I did one last check and goodness gracious, one of them was having some extra bites at 10:20:16. I hope Mum got some good fish! Where in the world are these osplets putting all this food?

Here is an image of that breakfast fish. It is a nice one and all of the chicks ate well and behaved themselves.

Nice crops.

It’s clown feet time! Just look at how full Little Bob is – and the size of those feet.

Mum offering a chick some more bites. Just in case they might still be hungry. What a great Mum she is!

Dad made another delivery at 13:32:17. The chicks still have some crop left from the morning ‘whale’ of a fish.

Bigger crops. These three should sleep for the rest of the afternoon.

There is another small fish delivery at 17:00:36.

That little fish was gone very quickly.

And another fish was delivered at 18:18:57.

No one went to bed hungry.

It has been raining in Orange and Melbourne. There is no indication that there is a pip in any of the eggs at the 367 Collins Street scrape. That said it is really hard to see because the couple chose to use the scrape at the far end of the ledge away from the camera.

You can see the rain gathering in the gutter area. Stay dry falcons!

It is supposed to rain for the next couple of days. Maybe the eyases will wait. What lousy weather to hatch if you do not have any protection from the rain like the scrape box of Xavier and Diamond in Orange. It is about 8 days for hatch there.

Xavier arrived with a full crop and soaking wet to see if Diamond wanted him to take a turn incubating. While Diamond made up her mind, Xavier caught a little sleep. Oh, what a sweetie. Look at his crop – wow.

But look at how dry it is for these two. I wonder if anyone in Melbourne would consider putting some kind of a cover over those two scrapes for next year? Can’t do it now as it would stress out and disturb the birds but, maybe next.

Lady Hawk recorded WBSE 27 and 28 doing the morning duet with their parents. Oh, I remember when WBSE 26 sang with its parents. That was such a delight. Now we have these two joining in the family tradition. As you can see they are both doing fabulous.

There nest is quite dry. Sleeping duckling style!

That is the morning check in with our Australian nests and scrapes. Let’s hope that the forecast for rain in Melbourne is wrong! Otherwise, every bird is doing great. No worries here.

Thank you for joining me. It is another blue sky sunny day on the Canadian Prairies. We are blessed. Take care everyone. Stay safe.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: the Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Sea Eagle Cam @ Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, The Falcon Cam Charles Sturt University at Orange and Cilla Kinross, and 367 Collins Street Falcons by Mirvac.

Ospreyland with Telyn and the Port Lincoln Gang

This is just a glorious fall afternoon and with 27 and 28 degrees C, I have spent much of my time today outside.

Underneath all of these beautiful Creepers is a very ugly chain link fence.

‘Something’ decided to break the large cylinder suet holder. All the normal suspects eat without doing any damage. Little Woodpecker loved to hold on to the bars. So what was it? The obvious is the raccoon. But do raccoons eat bug and nut suet with fruit? Or maybe one of the well-fed domestic cats have reached up and pulled it down trying to get to the birds. The nuts and bolts were scattered and a piece broken. It is definitely a mystery. These incidents continually remind me that a feeder cam might come in handy.

Idris brings Telyn a fish after her commanding performance during Storm Hannah.

I have been meaning to share a video with you and until someone else mentioned it today on the PLO chat, I had forgotten. It is about Telyn. Telyn is the mate of Idris at the Dyfi Osprey Nest in Montgomeryshire, Wales. I think you will have a genuine appreciation of how protective and fierce these Osprey mothers can be!

This is the backstory. This is a weather warming that the BBC Weather Service issued on the 25th of April 2019 as the storm ravages.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-48050305

And here is the video of Telyn incubating her three eggs in 2019 during that monster of a storm:

Wasn’t that incredible?! She just hunkered down deep into that nest. Wow.

What a gorgeous sight – the sun coming up over the horizon full of energy, joy, and hope at Port Lincoln.

It is 16 degrees C with 84% humidit. The weather network mentions the potential for rain and a thunderstorm. The wind is blowing at 13 km/h.

Mum and the babies are all sleeping with the gentle rock of the barge. Oh, just look at them! Old enough to regulate their own temperatures and too big to fit under mom. I bet if it rains she will quickly become the Mombrella! or she will stuff them under her. What do you think?

Sometimes breakfast is early but it seems the average is around often around 9:30 lately.

Mom is standing up looking for a fish delivery. Meanwhile, just look at those chicks and how dark they are today. Will we be able to tell who is Little Bob anymore?

Those feathers must be really itchy.

At 8:57:45 Dad brought in a whopper for Mum and the kids.

Everyone is going to be full. Great fish, Dad!

Little Bob is eating first (of course).

Oh, my gosh. I see food comas coming on quickly. Every chick ate. Every chick has an enormous tight crop. They were completely civilized. Mom and Dad PLO you are doing good!

That is Little Bob closest to the fish. So far I can identify him by his cere. Look at his crop. Do you think Ospreys ever get indigestion? And look at how much of that nice fish is left. Mom eat it up! There will be some left for Dad, too.

Oh, my. Itchy feathers and colossal crops. Time to snooze in the warm Australian sun while Mom has some nice fish for breakfast.

Every once in awhile I get little tears. They start and they must won’t stop. Not because I am sad. It is because I am so joyful and full of hope for this nest this year. Let’s keep up the momentum. Each chick will be rewarded with their very own sat-pak! We can follow them like we do Solly.

Speaking of Solly, she is a year old. Her tracker was out of sorts for a few days and had people worried but she was fine. Boots on the ground spotted her on her favourite tree at Eba Anchorage. Solly, you have done well! We are all so very pleased for you. Happy Birthday!

Just a peek at ‘not an Osprey’. Everyone seems to be fine eating in the beautiful warm sun at Port Lincoln, but in Melbourne, all eyes are on the Mum at 367 Collins Street. Will those four eggs start hatching at once? and how soon will that be?

Gosh, she’s beautiful!

That is it. I waited to make sure that everyone was fed and full at the PLO and they certainly are.

Thanks for joining me. Take care everyone. See you soon!!!!

Thank you to the Port Lincoln Osprey Project and FB page and the 367 Collins Street Falcons by Mirvac for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots.

Big crops at Port Lincoln

The sun is bright and it is another blue sky day on the Canadian prairies. By evening, the temperature will be the same as the islands in the Caribbean — 29 C. It is hard to even imagine it and yet, day after day, this has been the story of 2021.

Just as remarkable as my weather is the parenting on the Port Lincoln Osprey nest. The historical information only goes back to 2015 so we know the couple have been together for six seasons, at least. In that time, they have fledged 10 chicks. In 2015, the eldest killed the two younger ones and went on to fledge. In 2016, it was a repeat of 2015. In 2017, the eldest tossed the youngest from the nest. 2 fledged that year. In 2018, two fledged. In 2019, two fledged. They were Calypso and Star. In 2020, the eldest killed the youngest. Solly, the eldest and DEW, the middle, fledged.

2021 will be a record for this nest if all three survive and all three fledge. It is looking good but, anything can happen to change this.

Yesterday, there was a fish delivery at 9:37:58. That was the one where Little Bob was running to the table. Everyone was full after and as far as I could determine no fish was left. There were two other deliveries.

The second delivery came at 14:49:57. The angle of the camera meant that it was difficult to see the chicks being fed. That said, each and every one of them had enormous crops when the third fish arrives at 18:19:09.

Mom sees Dad coming with the fish and starts doing her calling. Look at how the trio blend in so well with the dark material that has been brought to the nest. Also notice that they are now beginning to appear like old charcoal coloured rugs with light grey stripes! These three are doing so well. It is glorious.

Thank you, Dad!

Mom reaches over, carefully, to get the fish without stepping on the chicks.

Look at all of them lined up so nicely. There is no nonsense. Each gets fed til they are full or there is no more fish. There is definitely food security going on and it is shown in the civil way that the chicks react to a fish arrival.

The sun will be going down soon and these chicks are going to sleep with huge crops. They look like they could pop! Dad will have to go and get another fish for him and Mum.

Dad is spending a bit more time on the nest when he delivers a fish. Has this been a tactic by him and Mum to keep the kids lined up like a choir eating and not fighting? Whatever they are doing, it has been a couple of days since Big Bob tried to reinforce its dominance. Indeed, it has been a wonderful Osprey nest to watch!

One other check in. The two adults at the 367 Collins Street Peregrine Falcon scrape are going to be busy soon. They are incubating four eggs and the first one laid is now 38 days old. It is definitely hatch watch for this couple!

Thank you for joining me and checking in on the Osprey chicks. It is so nice to have you with me. Enjoy your day. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: 367 Collins Street Falcon Cam and the Port Lincoln Osprey Project.

Dad Delivers for the PLO

My goodness. Mom was anticipating a fish drop and Dad delivered at 9:37:58.

Little Bob is looking out of the top of the nest and Middle and Bib are kind of snoozing in the sun. Mom is, of course, delighted. The nest has been quiet – not misbehaving. I am hoping that Big Bob has just given up. There is lots of food and Mom feeds fair.

I started to say ‘If you snooze you lose’. Look at Little Bob. He has done a right turn and is racing to get to that fish. Notice how Little Bob has his head leaning way out in front. Go Little Bob!!!!!!!!!!

One big sib is down duckling style and the other turns around to see what all the fuss is about.

Mom is already feeding Little Bob by the time both of the big siblings are turning their heads.

It is only a few seconds but neither has made much of a move. Little Bob has already had a few good bites. This kid is so clever and brave. This third hatch is a survivor.

Little still eating.

Big sibs are starting to turn. Look at the clown feet that have arrived. Oh, my goodness these osplets are growing fast. Someone needs to revive the development chart a bit.

I would love to know what Big and Middle were thinking. We all know what Dad was thinking: will there be any fish left or should I go out and find another? There will not be a bite left, Dad. Go fishing! Mom needs to eat, too.

Meanwhile Little is more than a dozen bites ahead of the other two.

Ah, good. Everyone is up for breakfast.

I believe that patch of black and green organic material is seaweed. I don’t know if it was brought to the nest on purpose or Dad just spotted it and liked it. The thing is that it serves as great help to camouflage the chicks.

Nice crops. But hardly any fish left. Sorry, Dad! We know you need to eat, too but I think you got the head.

The babies are full. You can see the crops better in this last image.

I always like to remind myself that a week ago, a big fish would have lasted all day. This was only a medium one but it is gone. We are in the high growth phase.

Ah, the morning has started off grand. I just had to tell you. This Osprey nest is putting smiles on lots of faces this year and giving us each hope that the curse of the nest will be gone.

Thank you so, so much for joining me.

Thank you to the Port Lincoln Osprey Project for their streaming cam where I took my screen shots.

Port Lincoln Osprey check in

The Port Lincoln Osplets had a good fish day yesterday and I am expecting the same once Dad moves off the ropes and goes fishing.

After I finished my blog yesterday another fish landed on the nest at 12:47. It was a nice one and everyone of the osplets had a really good feed.

Can you tell which is which? From left to right: Middle, Little, and Big Bob. Middle and Big have more peach on the back of their head and neck and those feathers are slightly longer than Little’s (yesterday).

As is the tradition, Little Bob ate first with Big and Middle waiting their turns.

Last evening Dad delivered a fish at 18:41:15. The kids were sleeping and despite waking and having a look at a fish that close, they were not interested but Mum was. She ate and then Dad took the rest and was eating it on the ropes at 19:10:02.

It’s a new day. Mom has been fish calling and I presume that once Dad gets tired of listening, he will fly off and bring in breakfast.

Everyone is waiting patiently. One of the things I have noticed is that despite the books saying the chicks get interested in what is happening off the nest at four weeks, Middle Bob has certainly been doing some looking around.

There is he is looking off while Little and Big wait for the delivery that Mom believes is coming.

Fingers crossed. I will update your later but for now, everyone is behaving themselves.

A new book just arrived. It is my much anticipated Chris Packham, Back to nature. How to love life – and save it. Will give you a synopsis when I have finished it.

Thank you so much for joining me. Take care everyone!

Thank you to the Port Lincoln Osprey Project for their streaming cam where I took my screen shots.

Big Bob’s intimidation didn’t work

It was not my intention to send out another newsletter so quickly on the heels of the last one but, I think that this is a joyful event to celebrate. I have seen it several times in the past few days but this is the clearest example I can muster up.

Big Bob on the Port Lincoln Osprey nest has, for the past few days, been trying to establish its dominance on the nest. It spent some time pecking at Little Bob’s neck the other day and a couple of people wondered if Little Bob’s neck was OK. It was.

Today is 27 September. These are the hatch times.

  • Big Bob hatched on 13 September at 22:03
  • Middle Bob hatched on 14 September at 02:30
  • Little Bob hatched on 16 September at 00:51

There is only 5 hours and 45 minutes between Big and Little Bob in terms of hatch times. There is 51 hours (roughly) between the hatch times of Big and Little Bob. Those close hatch times should give the chicks an edge in survival.

The osplets are eating more fish at a meal and the meal times now last for an hour (or close to it) or til the fish is almost totally consumed. So this morning the osplets were hungry.

Dad delivered a fish to the nest at 8:52:42 following much fish calling by Mum. It was not a huge fish but it is a pretty nice fish to start the day.

In the line up below, are Little Bob on the left, Middle in the middle, and Big Bob on the right. Little still looks lighter in this light.

Despite the fish being on the nest, Big Bob went after Little Bob several times until 8:56:45. Middle Bob just tries to get out of the way after staring at Big Bob in the image below.

Little moved and Big followed but, it didn’t work! Right after the 8:56:45 incident, all three are lined up to eat breakfast.

And by now you should know who ate first —– if you said Little Bob you are 100% correct. The older two are waiting their turn.

The feeding was stopped by Mum at 9:21:00. The remaining fish was still on the nest.

If Ospreys can ‘feel silly’ like humans, Big Bob wasted precious feeding time while Mum stood on the fish. What if she had eaten it? or flown off with it? I suppose she wouldn’t. Mum is hardwired to feed these chicks and brood them.

What is interesting to me is that Little Bob would not be intimidated by Big Bob. Little went right up there and took its place at the table eating first. Indeed, I did not count the bites but Little got more food than Big. That might account for its growth. Indeed, some of the chatters could not tell Little from Big today. If you look at the back of the three necks, the peachy-copper feathers coming in on Little are slightly shorter than those of Big and Middle. At a certain angle, the overall plumage of Little looks lighter.

Will we be able to tell them apart tomorrow? That is the 64 million dollar question.

Dad brings in another fish at 10:12:28. Mum takes it – it is relatively small.

The osplets are sleeping, sort of. They raise their heads but their crops are still full from the earlier feeding.

Mom offers a piece of fish to Middle Bob at 10:12:45. Middle raises its head and takes it but it is still like a duck and not standing.

Big and Little are still sleepy. Big gets up and starts being fed at 10:13:33.

Middle stops eating and Little does some clever moves to get over by Big and get some bites. I wonder if Little didn’t want Big to notice?

At 10:14:48 Little is being fed.

The feeding ends at 10:22:46. Everyone is full.

The cam operator moved in close. This is Little Bob. Notice that the coppery-peach feathers are very short. Take a good look. Tomorrow they will be longer. These chicks are all in the reptile stage.

Many books will state that the reptile stage begins at week 3 but these osplets are early. Little Bob is only eleven days old – hatched 00:51 16 September. Their pin feathers are definitely developing. You can see those in the close up images below. They are still able to fit under Mum so she can brood them but often you will see their heads sticking out. Big Bob actually slept out from under Mom for awhile. They still mostly sleep and eat. Soon they will become interested in the world beyond the nest — and they are going to spend a lot of time preening! Those pin feathers are itchy or so humans say. I have never had a chat with an Osprey about them!

Enjoy the close ups. Thanks cam op!

What a beautiful Babe. There is still the hint of the egg tooth at the end of the beak. In the image below you can see that the feathers on the neck at the back of the head are longer on the sibling facing away from us. Compare those with Little Bob’s who is in the middle.

You can also see their nice crops. These osplets have been well fed this morning.

There is still some fish from the first feeding on the nest at 2 o’clock. The rest of the second fish is at 8 o’clock.

It has been a good morning on the Port Lincoln Osprey Nest. It is thrilling to see Little Bob thwart Big’s efforts to control the nest. It will be even more intriguing as this next week goes by as to the similarities that come between the three of them.

Thank you for stopping in again and indulging me in my love of Ospreys. I so want this family to succeed this year – and I want another third hatch to be clever and thrive. Take care everyone. Stay safe!

Thank you to the Port Lincoln Osprey for their streaming cam where I took my screen shots.

Featured Image: A close up of Little Bob.

Eagle Season is coming!

It is almost Bald Eagle breeding season in some parts of the United States. as more and more people and governmental agencies focus on the environment, there are studies from around the world trying to make wind farms more safe for our beautiful raptors.

The University of Minnesota has been doing just that. They discovered some interesting things when trying to use sound —– Bald Eagles just have normal hearing, nothing special. So as many begin talking about floating platforms in the ocean to generate renewable power, what can help the birds?

https://www.startribune.com/university-of-minnesota-researchers-protect-eagles-wind-farms-airspace/600100175/?fbclid=IwAR1ctzmnP07P3o5wb8IKkL0j35KkO33jluna8B38ge4CnZm2J-DTiqvhpeI

The sun is just rising over the Northeast Florida Bald Eagle nest near Jacksonville, Florida. It is the home of Samson and Gabrielle (Gabby). This is their third season together. They have hatched Romy and Jules (2020) and Legacy (2021).

If you have forgotten, this is the nest that Samson hatched at. It belonged to his parents, Romeo and Juliet. Tragedy struck the pair in 2019. The story and video of it is here:

https://www.eagles.org/2018-2019-nefl-nesting-season/

This is the beginning of the 2021-22 season. It is a new day with wonderful prospects for the fall and spring! I so look forward to their little ones. Legacy pulled at all my heart strings as she did thousands of others. What a grand juvenile she grew into. So, lots to look forward to.

Samson and Gabby had spent the night on the branches of the natal tree. It is just turning 07:00 and Samson is fishing. Gabby is down working on the walls of the nest getting it ready.

She looks all over trying to decide what to move and where the new branches should go. Typically, the male brings in the branches and the female positions them.

It will not be long til Gabby has this nest worked into her liking. It is high up on a pine tree and everything has to be perfect to protect the eggs and the eaglets.

She waits for Samson to arrive. You will notice that he has brought a big stick onto the nest. Now he has left again.

Now he is back! They are having a conversation about what to do during the day.

I have to admit that I really enjoy this Bald Eagle nest near Jacksonville. Legacy was just a joy last year as she navigated life with ‘Eggie’ and ‘Pinecone’ as an only child. Here is the link to their streaming cam 1 (they have 3):

There are two other streaming cams to watch and both couples have arrived. One of the most famous is the nest of Harriet and M15 on the land of the Pritchett Family in Fort Myers. Both eagles have returned to the nest and have been seen working on it.

The third is the Captiva Eagle Nest on Santibel Island. It is the home of Connie and her new mate, Martin. Both have arrived at the nest this afternoon. One was seen earlier in the day.

Last year, the two eaglets named Peace and Hope died of rodenticide poisoning. The male Joe – well, I would argue that he reacted the same way that Romeo did when he could not care for the eaglets in 2018-19 – and well, Joe is gone.

Let us hope that Connie and her new mate have a fabulous year and that the folks using these designer poisons have stopped and cleaned up the area for these beautiful birds.

There are so many Bald Eagle nests it is hard to keep up with them. At the same time, there are the beautiful White-tailed and Golden Eagles in Europe. The Latvian Fund for Nature runs a host of eagle cams and I will be bringing you information as it becomes relevant. I am hoping that Matilde will have a new mate and that this will be successful! Spring is going to be busy!

The female at the Port Lincoln Osprey Nest is yelling to Dad to get a fish on the deck for the osplets!

Last year he seemed to ignore her but this year Dad has been, for the most part, on the ball. Sometimes he has to come to the nest to get his earful orders but then he goes fishing. Let us keep our fingers crossed for a very large fish like the one delivered yesterday. These kids are growing and they need more bigger fish. Less feedings but a lot of fish.

It is now 08:30 at the White-Bellied Sea Eagle Nest in Sydney’s Olympic Forest and WBSE 27 and 28 are waiting for a breakfast delivery, too.

This pair have done well this year. WBSE 27 has the darker head at the back with 28 here at the front. Both are healthy and there are no obvious physical difficulties like 26 had last year.

The problem that they do have are feathers and the two are constantly preening.

Both can stand and walk well.

Here they are watching for the parents to make a delivery! Waiting must be very hard when you are hungry. How dependent these birds are on the good health of their parents, too.

Food deliveries will be coming. The nestlings wait at both Port Lincoln and Sydney.

Thanks for joining me. I will bring you an update on the PLO nest first thing tomorrow. Take care everyone.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: The NE Florida Cam and the AEF, Captiva and the AEF, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Sea Eagles @ Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre.

Checking in on the PLO

Sometimes it is good to remember and compare. The little Osplets at Port Lincoln have grown so quickly that is seemingly unfathomable that they were like this only a week ago!

There is Little Bob in front the same way that he has been all along. Yesterday Big and Middle Bob waited patiently for their turns while he ate.

Yesterday a very large fish came on the nest at 12:44:16. mom was still feeding and eating at 13:38:39.

This is the beginning of the feeding. You can see the fish. Notice the two older Bobs – Big and Middle – waiting for Little to eat. Then they can have their turns. Little ate a lot and went to sleep. Food coma!

Mom continues to feed Little Bob.

Look at how close in size Big and Middle Bob are to one another!

Little Bob is out for the count and now Mom is feeding one of the older siblings. They waited nicely. No pecking. Just patience. Wow.

You can see how much is left of that big fish – the tail and a bit. Little Bob has woken up and Mum is feeding him again! They will eat the entire fish.

That will give you an idea as to how much has changed regarding their consumption. A week ago that fish would have lasted all day. Now it is only one meal. The osplets are able to eat lots more at a sitting.

Awww. Mum is checking with Little Bob to see if he wants some more bites before she eats. And, yes, of course he does. Why am I surprised? This little one is an endless pit.

They have all passed out and now Mom can eat the last of the fish and the tail. She needs food, too!

At 16:02 they are still asleep or just waking and continue to have large crops.

The cam operator pulls the image out and you can see that the Mom must have had a small piece of that earlier fish hidden. She is topping off the little ones. Remember. They will double their size in four days!!!!!!! Wow.

The golden glow of the sun setting is kissing the Port Lincoln Nest. Everyone is full and happy. It has been a civilized day. All of the chicks are now into their extreme growth period with their reptilian plumage (or lack of).

Did you know that a group of Ospreys is called a ‘duet’? I didn’t. Hawks Aloft published that fact today. They said it is because Ospreys are solitary. They only pair up for breeding season. They also said that it was because the pitch of the male and female is different so when they are calling, it sounds like a duet. Interesting.

I do think that David Gessner and others Osprey watchers in Cuba would disagree with the statement that they only pair up for breeding seasons. The reason I say that is when I first read it, I went ‘wait’. Large flocks of Ospreys have gathered together to fly over the Sierra Maestra Mountains in Cuba. Gessner wrote about this in his book, Soaring with Fidel. So do Ospreys gather together when it helps the group? only in pairs for breeding? and are solitary when it comes to fishing? They certainly don’t seem to help one another like the American White Pelicans who, together, get the fish to swim to a certain shallow spot so they can all feed. It is all curious.

Yesterday Tiger Mozone and I questioned why certain Ospreys are violent. The comment was related to the Port Lincoln Ospreys. Is it in the DNA? is it a result of toxins in the water that have concentrated in the fish and then in the Ospreys? Dr Greene at the University of Montana has studied heavy metals. Is anyone studying the toxins in Australian waters? I have not had time to look into this but will as well as the suggestion of the DNA connection.

It is now 04:49 in Port Lincoln. Mom is trying to sleep. Let us all wish them a great fish day. I will bring updates later tonight.

Thanks for stopping by. These little ones are growing fast and behaving themselves. Thank goodness. Take care everyone.

Thank you to the Port Lincoln Osprey Project for their streaming cam where I took these screen shots.

Sea change for Little Bob

People were thinking that Little Bob was days behind Big and Middle Bob. It was only 51 hours hatch difference between Big and Little. Today, it is hard to tell them apart. They are a pile of black reptilian creatures. Precious still.

Yesterday there were six feedings on the Port Lincoln Osprey Nest: 06:10, 08:39, 12:25, 16:20 17:03, and 18:25. Everyone had crops.

All are doing fine. Yes, Big Bob does want to try to throw her weight around on occasion but, so far Mum has sat on them before it could get bad. I just hope Little Bob learns to protect its neck!

Today, the first feeding is just finishing. The golden rays of the sun fall on Mum and Dad as he delivers the fish at 6:37:35. Thanks, Dad! This is the best way to start off the day!!!

It is 11 degrees C and the wind is blowing at 19 kph. That is up 8 from yesterday. I do wonder if Dad fishes better in choppy weather???? It doesn’t make sense but, hey…he brought in lots of fish when there were white caps and the winds hit 34 kph and less when the wind is below 11 kph. I wonder what is up with all of that??

You can, for the moment, still recognize him a bit. Little Bob is lighter and he is turned around ready to jump over Big Bob to get to be first in line.

Now notice Little Bob’s crop. It is very big this morning but he is going to drop it. The food that he was holding in store will now be processed making room for his breakfast.

With all of the talk and the reactions of Big Bob wanting to dominate, Little Bob got to eat first.

And Little bob is still eating! This little osplet is not shy when it comes to fish.

It is such a relief to see a fish land on the nest so early in the morning. Hopefully this will set the tone for the entire day. All of the chicks are entering the rapid growth period. They will double their size – and by tomorrow, Little Bob will be black. You will really have to look hard to tell which one he is. I don’t know about you but Little Bob looks almost as big as the chick on the right. Maybe it is the camera playing tricks on us. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping in today. Everything seems to be on hold. The Bald Eagles in Florida are working on their nests, 367 Collins Street falcons are still incubating eggs as are Diamond and Xavier. The WBSE 27 and 28 are growing and growing and seem to be getting along fine. Tiaki has fledged. Birds are migrating all over the world. It was a really beautiful day on the prairies.

Take care. See you soon.

Thanks to the Port Lincoln Osprey Project for their streaming cam where I took my screen shots.

Late Friday in Bird World

It is 10:16 in Australia as I begin this short newsletter.

The osplets on the Port Lincoln barge had a small fish between them around 06:15. They have had nothing since and Big Bob is getting a bit restless. Sadly, he has been pecking Little Bob’s neck and Little Bob is going to have to learn to use his backside to protect himself when this happens. So far the beaking has not been too bad but, as all of you know – this Osprey nest makes me nervous. I will not be able to relax until Little Bob is a little older. It seems that Big Bob is trying to establish nest domination. Tiger Mozone wondered on the chat about DNA causing excessive aggressiveness in the chicks. Certainly this nest has a history of that type of behaviour. I also wonder about toxins in the water that enter the fish and stay in the tissue of the Ospreys.

Mom was hopeful around 09:45 and the chicks were in line to eat. Their crops have dropped from the small fish three and a half hours earlier.

The chicks are being fed more fish and for a longer period. What was six minutes a week ago has stretched into 45 minutes at the table. And these chicks will be fine today if a big fish does not come on the nest for a few more hours. The issue is Big Bob who seems to want to press his authority by fighting with the other two. Middle Bob is the clever one (so far) and seems to be able to stay out of the way but Little Bob still needs to learn how to protect itself.

The two older chicks are moving straight into the rapid growth period where they need lots of fish. Little Bob is following as quickly as he can. You can see that he is moving into the reptile phase himself. The dark feathers are coming in and he is losing the down on his head. Big Bob is awfully dark and a bit scary looking! He is the one holding his head the highest and looking towards you.

It is nearing noon, nest time. Dad has come to the nest without a fish. Is there a predator in the area? I actually thought that this nest was relatively free from predators unlike those in Europe and the US that have to deal with Goshawks, Great Horned Owls, etc. Or has Dad arrived to get the meal order from mom?

I couldn’t help myself. I had to check. Dad must have been taking the fish order at 11:25 because he delivered a fish to the nest around 12:25. Thank goodness. Big Bob behaved himself and everyone is getting to eat.

Look at who has his little mouth open wide!

Little Bob ate first. You can see from the crops. Middle and Big will eat next and by the time they finish, Little Bob will be hungry again. I hope that fish is big enough!

The big news over in New Zealand is that Tiaki has fledged on 25 September. She was 244 days old. Both her and Plateau Chick left the headland but, it has not been completely determined when that was. By the sat-pak it seems that Tiaki might have fledged at night but sometimes that sat-pak GPS requires adjustment. We all wish her a wonderful safe life, full of fish, and a return to us in five years time.

You can follow her satellite GPS. I will put the link below the fledging video.

Cornell Bird Lab caught the moment:

Here is the link so that you can check on Tiaki. Her satellite tracker should continue working for a year until her first moult. You can follow her dad, LGK also. His tracker should be good til he moults – another couple of months. There are only six chicks remaining to fledge.

https://my.wildlifecomputers.com/data/map/?id=6008d9ba31af59139976bcfe

The migration continues in Manitoba with everyone is excited. There are dawn breakfasts and evening dinners celebrating the arrival and departure of the Canada Geese – and, of course, the swans and all the other ducks and birds. Today marked the return of the Dark Eyed Junco to Winnipeg. Oh, people are so happy to see these adorable little birds. There are several sub-species of Junco and the one that visits Manitoba in the summer to breed is called the Slate-coloured Junco.

The Juncos love my red outdoor carpet. Tomorrow or the next day there will be 50 or more hopping about on it and jumping in and out of the dill. They love it if we ‘intentionally’ spill some seeds on the carpet. They are better than a vacuum clearing them up if we do. They do not feed at the feeders but are also seen on the ground for invertebrates. Isn’t this a real cutie? It was definitely not shy. The image was shot through a triple pane of glass so as not to disturb the bird. It seemed to not notice me.

Today, Mr Blue Jay had two other Blue Jay male visitors that wanted to help him eat his cob of dried corn.

By the time dusk arrives, the Jays and the squirrels – both red and grey – had made a real mess of the seeds. I think one of the squirrels wanted some of that corn but the Blue Jays were not having it. They would eat 3 or 4 kernels and then take some away in their beak. It was fascinating watching them through the windows.

Little Red decided it was easier to get up in the lilac bushes and balance himself on the bird feeder and eat his dinner there. Contending with three male Blue Jays was not something he wanted to do. So he kept quiet and ate and ate. He also doesn’t get on with the Grey Squirrels. He has picked a good place to eat in peace and quiet.

Awwww. Look at those tiny little nails.

It was a good day. All of the garden wildlife save for the rabbit were accounted for. There were also several new species of sparrow in the lilac bushes eating seeds. There were Chipping sparrows as well as Clay Coloured Sparrows today.

Hatch watch is coming soon for the 367 Collins Street Peregrine Falcons. WBSE 27 and 28 are doing well. 28 actually managed to get a prey delivery today. Here is a short video showing 28 mantling the prey and then wanting to share it with his big sib. They have their beautiful juvenile plumage and are so adorable.

I also checked in on the Bald Eagles who are working on their nests. Will put in a report some time this weekend. I know that many of you are anxious for Samson and Gabby, Harriet and M15, as well as Jackie and Shadow to get those nests built and those eggs laid! And while the last of the Albatross are fledgling, it will not be that long til the other adults return to Taiaroa Head to make their nests and lay their eggs for the 2022 season. Sometimes time feels like it melts in front of our eyes.

Thank you for joining me. I have promised myself that I am not going to worry about the Port Lincoln Ospreys tonight. The crazy thing is that I wish the winds would pick up. Dad seems to be able to fish better when that is the case. Yes, I know. That is a crazy idea. Take care all of you. Stay safe. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Cornell Bird Lab and NZ DOC, and Wildlife Computers.