The severe weather that was heading to the Collins Marsh Osprey nest in Wisconsin swerved and headed SE away from the nest. There was rain but the winds never got to the speed in the severe areas. The lightning kept the chick hunkered down in its comfy spot on the nest.
The little one woke up and was self feeding on a fish delivery.
Then mom arrived and fed the chick. They had no more than finished than dad delivered another fish! These two parents must be proud of their wee one making it through that storm all alone.
It is so wonderful to wake up this morning and see this chick in the nest. Indeed, it was quite a relief in the week hours of the morning nest time when the lightning cam less frequently and the storm cells were out of the area. Relief.
WBSE hatched at 4:57 pm nest time. Here is that video:
Here is the link to the live stream of the Sydney Sea Eagle Cam:
It would have been a perfect 3 for 3 if Tiny Little had been on the nest feeding off a big fish but it is only 16:15 and isn’t quite tea time for the fledglings.
This is a really quick update so that you know the little chick on Collins Marsh was really, really lucky. Everyone is so glad this baby is safe and well. Thank you for joining me. I am hoping to have some local bird images for you tomorrow. Take care!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Collins Marsh Osprey Nest and Cumbrian Wildlife Trust and the Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest.
There is this overwhelming sinking feeling in your throat and the tears begin to swell up in your eyes when you know something horrible is going to happen to someone or some animal or bird and you can do absolutely nothing but sit, watch, pray, and wait. That is what is happening with a few of us as the storms move into the area of the Collins Marsh Osprey Nest. The weather forecast is for severe thunderstorms, heavy winds up to 75mph, hail, and tornadoes.
The mother is not on the nest with her chick. There are seemingly no tall sides to the nest, nothing for the chick to cling to but scattered non-secured twigs.
This is the chick earlier in the day waiting for a fish to arrive.
From the angle of the camera it is extremely difficult to understand if these twigs are level or if there are sides. When the chick has looked below at activity around the tower, it appears that there are not high sides.
There are many Ospreys who build their nests in trees. Year after year they add twigs and sticks. There are artificial platforms built for the birds. Is there a standard? would walls help in times of high winds?
Notice the amount of twigs interwoven together on the Osprey nest below. You can see the metal disk that holds them. That looks similar to what the Collins Nest is on but then it is attached to the top of a retired wild fire tower. In New York City, to secure the nest of Pale Male and his mate, Octavia, spikes were installed to hold the nest in place.
It is very difficult to see what is happening at the nest at this time. There is no moon and even if there were the cloud cover could block that light out.
This is not the first night that this wee babe has been alone. That in itself is unheard of. I used to give out ‘beefs’ to the ‘dead beat dads’ of the Osprey world but this mother beats them all. It could possibly be the first night it has been alone with a major thunderstorm system passing through the area. Right now there is lightning overhead and a system heading SE towards the area of the nest that is coloured mostly red with yellow meaning high winds, hail, possible tornadoes. The lightning is now illuminating the sky. You can see the chick hunkered down below and slightly to the left of that light in the centre top.
This baby has to be terrified.
The lightning is now so steady that the nest is illuminated as if it is daytime.
This is the current system heading to this nest. I am going to try and watch the sticks to see what the winds are like. Right now there is lightening and maybe rain. The nest is just to the right of Chilton on this map.
I hope when I wake up that this chick is wet but safe. Wonder if there is drainage for this nest?
WBSE 27 is making great progress on getting out of its shell. That egg tooth is really tapping away at that hard shell.
I suspect by the time I wake up in the morning that WBSE 27 will be a bobble head trying to eat fish and I hope, beyond hope, that our wee Osprey chick will be alive.
Thank you for joining me. I wish that this were a more optimistic blog today. The lightening is intensifying at the nest. The winds are only 11 mph right now according to ‘S’ who seems to find this information so quickly. I am so grateful to her. Some of us are staying awake with the little one.
Chicks in nests with their parents protecting them have survived gale force winds in Wales. Those nests had rather deeper sides. But let us just continue to hope that there is a good ending in the morning. The weather says two more hours and the storms will pass this area.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: the Collins Marsh Osprey Nest, the Sydney Sea Eagles, Birdlife Australia, and Discovery Centre WBSE Cam. I also took screen shots from the channel 12 news in Wisconsin.
UPDATE: It is 12:41 am nest time at Collins Marsh. We are holding our breath but it does appear that the most severe of the storm swerved SE and will not hit the Collins Marsh Nest. Let us hope that this is the case. Severe weather warning until 2am continues. The chick continues to hunker down in its safe spot on the nest and it has to be terrified but we remain hopeful that it will be alive and well in the morning.
The weather service in Wisconsin is telling everyone that they are not joking. It is going to be a terrible night. They need to get everything loose out of their yard and get to safety.
The Collins Marsh Osprey Nest is in the red zone. The nest is north of Milwaukee and south of Green Bay near to the Great Lake shore.
The wildlife rehabber, Patricia Fisher, was out checking the Osprey nests in her area this morning. And, this time of year, it is not just the Ospreys but all of the birds nesting. My focus is on one nest in particular. It is on top of a 110 foot retired wildfire tower at the Collins Marsh Nature Centre.
Right now this sweet little one is home alone.
This chick could literally been blow off this nest and land in Green Bay. It is very difficult to understand how deep this nest is and what there is to cling to. I am mostly seeing loose sticks scattered about.
The mother has returned to feed the chick which was a concern this afternoon but, she has left again and not returned.
The storms are expected to move into the area of the nest around 9pm nest time. Please send warm wishes towards this wee one.
In other news the egg tooth of WBSE 27 is visible as it chips away at its eggshell. The eggtooth hammers away at the hard shell. It will eventually disappear but it is a perfect tool for hatching. It has been 12 hours since the first little pip was noticed.
It was drizzling. Tiny Little waited patiently for big sibling blue 462 to finish with the fish and she was rewarded. It is nice to know that this wee babe will have a warm tummy and be safe and sound with its family in the parent tree tonight.
Thank you for stopping in for this quick news update. Send your thoughts and prayers to the humans and non-humans in the area of that heavy storm. Let us hope that the camera does not get blown off and that we wake up to see the wee one on the nest crying for food. Take care everyone.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Sea Eagles, Birdlife Australia, and the Discovery Center, the CumbrianWildlife Trust and the Foulshaw Moss Osprey, and the Collins Marsh Nature Reserve Osprey Cam.
Oh, so many of us are having Empty Nest Syndrome. It is that time of year. You go and check to see if there are any Osprey fledglings on the nest – and no. Poof. Gone. It suddenly sets in that those precious little fluff balls have grown up. They have fledged and are gaining their flying skills for migration. Osprey breeding season is almost over. There are a chicks few trailing behind – Collins Marsh and Chesapeake Bay to name a couple in North America. There are still chicks on the nest in Manitoba but there are no streaming cameras. The Port Lincoln couple on the barge are only ‘thinking’ about eggs. Those will come mid-August most likely. So what does one do?
One of the first things is to treasure the moments we got to spend with these bird families. It is a privilege to see them living their daily lives. There is a saying in Japanese – Ichigo ichie. It was coined by the great tea master, Sen-no Rikyu. His meaning focused on the sharing of the tea ceremony and the realization that you can repeat the ritual but you can never re-create that moment with the same person ever again. You must live it to the fullest with the deepest respect. In terms of our birds, I would like to think that we must treasure every moment that we can share with them and give them our attention. It truly is a once in a life time encounter. Tiny Little will never again receive a huge fish and fend off its sibling with that same sibling later getting a little tiddler from dad. Those were two precious moments that will never again be repeated. Indeed, I wonder if we will ever see Tiny Little again before her migration. That nest has been awfully empty today.
Some of us began to focus on the few nests that do have chicks. My attention has been on the Collins Marsh Osprey Nest in Wisconsin. It is easy to notice the very odd behaviour of the bonded pair at the Collins Marsh Osprey Nest. It truly is strange. The female disappears for 21 hours! That was when ‘S’ and I began to find other strange tidbits about this nest. The female returns on Sunday morning and Dad spends the day bringing in several fish deliveries. Then on Monday the male brings in the first fish and we don’t see him anymore. It is the female catching the fish and bringing them to the nest. So is there a pattern here? or are we just losing our minds? The female brought in two fish today in the afternoon. One was cream coloured with gold scales but the last one was pink inside and out with gold scales. Any help on IDing these would be much appreciated.
In the image below, it looks like a salmon-red colour. Needless to say the chick went to bed quite full. Every time it started chirping mum was offering fish. She has been very devoted since she returned.
Thanks S for this great screen capture.
A couple of hours earlier Mum brought in this fish. I could not readily identify it either. Regardless of the species, the chick is delighted with the arrival! The faces this chick makes are incredible. Very animated.
This is the approach to the nature centre that is near the Collins Marsh Reservoir and the Mud River in Wisconsin. Look at the left and you will see the ‘retired’ fire tower which is now home to the Osprey nest on the very top of the glass enclosed space that appears above the ‘red’ in the image. Snowy Owls inhabit the nest in the winter. The tower is 33.5 metres or 110 feet tall. The staff of the Osprey centre access the camera within the glass enclosed area. At one time it was thought that there was a portal from the glassed area to the nesting platform but it turns out that is not correct. There is no ‘easy’ access to the Osprey nest. Getting to the nest physically to do a wellness check on the chick, right now, would mean finding a person with particular skills and then being certain that it was safe for them.
courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
You can see that the nest is slightly off centre and is situated on a sort of cone hat with the camera on the pole at the corner.
Looking at this got me to thinking about access. It is quite true that there are raptor nests that can never be accessed. Eagles and Ospreys love to make their nests in extremely high places away from us! That said I have known or witnessed ‘tree climbers’ in Germany whose skill set is such that no tree defies them unless the tree itself is unsafe. This is an interesting situation at Collins Marsh. The Wisconsin DNR Biologist and the Wildlife Rehabilitator continue to monitor the chick in terms of feather growth, etc. That is great news. The question then arises: if the chick displays in another week or ten days problematic feather growth, what can be done? With the access so difficult, it would seem nothing. So let’s keep our fingers and toes crossed that nothing is wrong with the feathers! It would, however, seem prudent to explore the possibility of a portal access to the nest once the Ospreys have migrated and before the Snowy Owls take over. I hope that it is never needed but, if it were, it would be a win-win for everyone. All of that said, it would require the services of a structural engineer to figure out the best way to do this. Maybe there is someone who is qualified and loves the raptors that might, at least, consider if this was possible and do it as a donation of time to the centre. That would be grand.
Tuesday morning at Collins Marsh Osprey Nest: The day began with rain and then wind.
Mum left later and returned with a small fish/ a twiddler.
Mum leaves the nest three times after this. Very different behaviour than Monday. Dad does come to the nest and delivers a piece of fish. The chick winds up with a bit of a crop.
At the moment, the chick is on the nest alone. It is windy and the temperature is currently 24 degrees C going up to a scorching 30 degrees.
Mum returns and the chick joins her in fish calling to Dad. Oh, I hope the fish arrives and mum stays to shade the baby today.
The Cornell University Red tail hawks are still putting smiles on everyone’s faces. Suzanne Horning was out yesterday evening checking on them. I remain ever so grateful that she lets me share her images with you.
K3 and those beautiful celadon eyes just strikes right at my heart. This little one has, according to the boots on the ground, turned into a magnificent flyer.
K3 sees Arthur and immediately starts calling for food. You will notice that when the chicks do not see an adult they generally do not food call but when they do see someone who might bring ‘a food delivery’ you can hear them crying several blocks away!
K1 had a nice spot on top of one of the light stands. These stands have been, in past years, great places for the chicks to eat their prey. They are nice and flat on top.
If you cannot see their tails it takes a few moments to sit and figure out which K you are looking at. In this instance, the belly band has more red than the chick in the image above.
This is such a beautiful close up of K1. Look carefully at that beak – that very sharp point for tearing the food – and then look at how clean it is. You will see the chicks cleaning their beaks on all manner of things – sticks, tree bark, grass. At the same time they are also sharpening them. Like their feathers they need this ‘tool’ of theirs clean and sharp.
Here is a great little article that goes into more depth on the reason you see birds rubbing their beaks. It is short and very informative!
Big Red is doing a kind of hawk walk while she is looking for prey. She is our gorgeous matriarch and every second seeing her reminds us how precious she is.
The Hornings did see Arthur but I don’t have an image for him. Both adults are moulting now and look a little scruffy.
Some of you have been asking about Arnold. Well, look at that picture of Arnold with his mate, Amelia. His wounds have healed enough that he now has a waterproof bootie and can spend some outdoor time with Amelia. If Arnold continues to improve – and why wouldn’t he with Amelia there cheering him on? – he could be released in a couple of weeks. That is wonderful!
@ Cape Wildlife Center
A few nest checks for the UK Ospreys and wow, lucky was with me.
There is one very loud food crying fledgling on the Loch of the Lowes nest. Looks like it is LR2. He wants his breakfast ‘now’!
Telyn is on the perch of the Dyfi Nest in Wales and Ystywth is eating her breakfast. How lucky she is. LR2 is so unhappy. I wonder if his big sister, LR1, took the first fish?
Ystwyth eating a fish on the Dyfi Osprey Nest in Wales. Telyn is o the perch.
One of the reasons for the big smile on my face is that when I checked the Glaslyn Nest of Aran and Mrs G someone was on the perch! And it is Mrs G. The timing could not have been better.
There she sits – the oldest Osprey in all of the United Kingdom – looking out over the territory that she shares with Aran.
Mrs G on the perch at Glaslyn.
Perhaps if I took one more peek at the Foulshaw Moss nest someone might be there having breakfast. Let’s see!
Well, not only is there no one on the nest but there is not an Osprey to be seen on the parent’s tree in the distance. I wonder if White YW and Blue 35 have taken everyone to the reservoir to try some fishing?
It is now 17:00 on the Foulshaw Moss nest and there are two fledglings hunkered down because of an intruder. “Hello, Tiny Little!”
Ah, maybe there isn’t much of an intruder. Wonder what Blue 464 is hiding? It is a big fish! No wonder Tiny Little is there. I will try and check back later to see if he gets some of it. The fish looks large enough for both as long as 464 doesn’t fly away with it. You can see its tail extending out to the left of the log. Hopefully 462 won’t come around!
Oh, Tiny Little is wanting that fish! She is up to her old tricks. It is a huge fish. Blue 464 will get tired of working at the mouth and walk away if Tiny Little can be patient.
Tiny Little has stepped back. She caused Blue 464 to move the fish a bit and she might be remembering that he did fly away with part of a fish the other day. Just wait, Tiny Little. There will be fish left!
But life throws birds wrenches and today, Blue 464 flew away with that huge fish! Tiny Little is yelling at White YW to go and get another one. Poor Tiny Little!
This is a good overview of what is going on at the nests today. So happy to catch Tiny Little. These moments are very precious.
Thank you so much for joining me today. It is so nice to be with fellow bird lovers. Just a reminder. If you live in a place where it is hot please, if you can, leave out bowls of water for the birds. Old ceramic serving bowls work great. The clay does not get as hot as metal containers. If you leave water for the hummers, make your own. It is 4 cups of water to 1 cup of sugar. Make sure the sugar is dissolved. You can heat it and allow it to cool before putting in the container. Do not use the red commercial hummer food. It actually kills the birds! How sad is that? A company allowed to make a product that actually kills the thing it is supposed to help! OK. It happens with humans, too. Terrible.
Thank you to Suzanne Arnold Horning for allowing me to use her images of Big Red and her family in my blog. Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I get my screen captures: Cumbrian Wildlife Trust and the Foulshaw Moss Osprey nest, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Friends of the Loch of the Lowes, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Carnyx Wild and Llyn Clywedog Osprey Nest, and Collins Marsh Nature Centre. A big shout out to the Cape Wildlife Centre who is caring for Arnold. You are fantastic!
There have been dark clouds over our City since the morning. I think everyone I know was hoping for some heavy rain – gutter gushers are what I think they call it in some places in the southern United States. But, no. Enough to water the flowers for the hummingbirds and then stop. No more than four minutes of rain. So what do you do? Well, you go and check on Tiny Little at the Foulshaw Nest. No one was there this morning and guess what? No one is there tonight!
It is the time of year when we have to loosen the apron strings and begin to say farewell to all these beautiful bobbleheads that have grown into amazing birds. Their journey is just beginning as the cameras are shut down. There is at least a 4000 mile trip to Africa or Central America, or Brazil depending on where the birds begin their long, arduous flight. We wish them all well and hope to see Tiny Little in two years flying around, causing mischief.
Earlier, both of the chicks on the Loch of the Lowes Nest were home waiting for a fish drop from either Laddie or NC0 or both.
Feeling lucky after catching these two and watching them in that gorgeous setting, I decided to check on some of the other nests. Some luck at the Llyn Clywedog Nest, where Seren 5F had delivered a Mullet to Blue 496. That is one big baby. He has already been seen carrying a good size piece of fish on his talons to the trees.
No one visited Poole Harbour when I checked, but all of the chatter says that sky dancing continues to take place between CJ7 and the two-year-old fledgling Blue 022.
Blue 096 on the Rutland Manton Bay nest has been missing from sight since last Thursday. He turned up on the nest today for a few minutes, and his sister, Blue 095, sent him packing. He has a crop, so he is getting fish somewhere else. No worries with that chick! Alive and well.
And now for something completely different. Remember the small white storks that the people of Mlade Buky saved from starvation along with Father Stork?
The female has fledged, and I suspect the males have too (but I have not seen this information). They still return to the nest to be fed by Father Stork. Their animation and the sounds they make are incredible. Have a look, and a listen:
The little chick on the Collins Marsh Nest has had three feedings today. Mom flew in not that long ago with what looks like a Small Mouth Bass (feel free to correct me) for the wee one. That chick was excited to see that fish land on the nest. It remains warm up on that tower, 110 feet off the ground!
Look at the chick’s expression.
It is so exciting when food lands for everyone! Indeed, the parents simply become Door Dash – or other food delivery services. There are a lot of people looking out for this little one – at the Wisconsin DNR (Stephen), at the Collins Marsh Nature Center (James) and at the local wildlife rehabilitation clinic (Patricia). Their attention to the mother missing and the feather issues with the chick are so appreciated.
The nests are slowing down and I will also be slowing down with my postings. You can expect one posting a day in the late afternoon or early evening. Thank you so much for joining me. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots or my video clips: Mlade Buky White Stork Nest, Collins Marsh Osprey Nest, Poole Harbour Osprey Project, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Friends of Loch of the Lowes, Carnyx Wild and Llyn Clywedog Osprey Nest, and Cumbrian Wildlife Trust and Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest.
The female Osprey with a chick on the Collins Marsh Reservoir nest in Wisconsin was away from the nest for 21 hours. This is most unusual. At this time, no one is clear about what happened to her or where she was. She remained on the nest all Sunday, without leaving once and Sunday night. She returned Sunday morning around 9:40 and began feeding the chick. She has already fed the chick this morning. There remain concerns for the condition/growth of the chick’s feathers, particularly those on the wings.
Update: I have just heard from Stephen Easterly, the DNR Biologist for the area, and he feels that the chick is progressing fine. It is walking, self-feeding and we will all now look towards a successful fledge. Thanks to everyone in Collins Marsh for their concern for this chick and their quick response to viewer’s calls.
Sadly, it is going to be another scorcher in Wisconsin today.
Did you watch the Barlineck Osprey Nest in Poland? That nest is on top of a 35-meter pine tree with an artificial platform. There were four eggs laid, but only two hatched – the first on 25 May and the second on 31 May. There was a huge size difference (of course) between the two. Despite that, I received word from Michael Zygmunt of the Polish Eagle Committee in Poland this morning that both chicks fledged successfully. Their camera is out of operation. They replaced the router but discovered that the cable connecting the camera and box is damaged. They will not repair it while the nest is active. So please don’t forget about this wonderful Osprey nest next year. And so happy that both of those babies are flying.
Everyone loved Aila, Louis’s mate at Loch Arkaig, that did not, sadly, return this year from her migration. Louis has a new mate on a nest that has no camera. Today, a short video clip of the two chicks was put on YouTube when they were ringed. Both chicks are believed to be males, and their ring numbers are Blue LW3 and Blue LW4.
And, as the Osprey season dies down in the Northern Hemisphere with the chicks honing their flying skills and staying off-camera, things are about to pick up in Australia. The pip watch for the White-bellied Sea Eagles, Lady, and Dad, begins today, 27 July, in Australia.
The White-bellied or White-breasted Sea Eagle is the second largest bird of prey in Australia. They have a wingspan of 1.8-2.2 meters or 6-7 feet. There is the same reverse size-sex ratio in these birds as in other raptors meaning that the female is larger than the male. Sea-eagles, or Fish Hawks as they are called in some places, live along the coasts of Australia, Southeast Asia, and India. You can also see them in New Guinea, and there is quite a number around Singapore.
The adults have a white head and belly, underwing coverts, and tail. The upperparts are the most beautiful slate blue-grey. The juveniles change from a white fuzzy bobblehead to a bird with a light brown head and breast with underwing coverts of rust, a ginger red and dark brown mixed with white. Their tails are white with dark tips (only present in the first year). After several annual molts, the juveniles will change to adult plumage.
The breeding season is from June to January. A clutch of two off-white eggs is laid two to three days apart in a huge stick nest.
There is a nest cup in the middle. Both parents will incubate the eggs. As of 23 July, Lady has incubated the eggs for 215 hours, and Dad has incubated the eggs for 131 hours since the first egg was laid. Both parents feed the chicks, but, in general, the male brings in the prey, and the female at this nest feeds. The chicks will fledge at around 75-85 days. If all goes well, they will remain in the nest area for several months, being fed by the adults as they gain their flying skills.
Lady and Dad have their nest in an old Ironbark Tree in the forest of the Sydney Olympic Park. There is restricted access around the nest during the breeding season.
It isn’t just the Sea Eagles, though. Mom and Dad have been busy refurbishing the nest on the Port Lincoln Osprey Barge. In fact, Dad has been cleaning up the coastline, bringing several plastic bags lately to the nest. Hopefully, someone will remove them. Why do Osprey males like to bring non-bird items into the nest? I wonder if Mom likes the softness of the bags compared to the sticks?
Last year’s fledglings from this nest, Solly and DEW, made the news on Sunday in Australia. The picture is of
Solly has a satellite tracker, and it has really helped with our understanding of Osprey.
The lead researcher, Ian Falkenberg, commented: “Solly has so far traveled about 520km from Port Lincoln. We didn’t expect her to travel that distance because ospreys in Australia are non-migratory,” he said. “The second thing that surprised us was the distance flown inland. They live predominantly on fish so why she would spend time out there in those areas we’re not sure, other than taking exploratory trips.”
Solly has spent most of her time around Streaky Bay and Eba Anchorage. A few days ago, she moved to Smoky Bay, where the fishing is supposed to be very good.
The last check on Tiny Little at the Foulshaw Moss Nest revealed no one is on the nest in the late afternoon in Cumbria! Apparently, Tiny Little no only held off its big sibling from getting its fish yesterday but got upset with Blue 464 and pecked at its head rather hard! Now that is a first, too.
Thanks, everyone, for joining me on a partly cloudy morning on the Canadian prairies. See you soon! Take care.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I take my screenshots: WBSE Cam, Birdlife Australia, and the Sydney Discovery Center, Cumbrian Wildlife Trust and the Foulshaw Moss Nest, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, and the Collins Marsh Osprey Cam.
Well, it looked like Sunday in Ospreyland might have been off to a tricky start but so far, so good.
Tiny Little (Blue 463) of the Foulshaw Moss nest in Cumbria continues to get those street smarts. White YW flew in with a really large and fat fish at 17:11 and Tiny Little claimed it. Sibling 464 arrived too late. Tiny Little mantled that dinner and took it to the other side of the nest. I am so impressed with how this little one is doing. One of the FB chatters caught it and made a video so you can see the action. It is fantastic!
Tiny Little spent an hour eating and then 464 came in to eat the rest.
At the Collins Marsh Nest the mother showed up, after being away for nearly 21 hours, around 9:37 this morning. The chick was ‘starving’ – the little bit that it was able to self-feed just kept it hydrated. The mum seemed a bit strange but she began feeding the baby and has continued to do so. I asked the Wildlife Rehabber and bander, Patricia Fisher, if she had ever experienced a female Osprey being away this long and leaving their chick unattended overnight and she said, ‘no’. I continue to wonder if the mother is ill, was caught in something and couldn’t get away, etc. It is very unusual behaviour.
The male has brought in another fish. It is mid-afternoon in Wisconsin. The mother fed the chick for about eleven minutes before alerting. The chick flattened. It appears there is an intruder in the surrounding area.
Dad has made several deliveries today. This is good as it is hot in Wisconsin.
Mom and chick were both enjoying that nice fresh fish. Mom had fed the chick and herself every scrap on the nest. It makes me believe that something happened to her yesterday so she could not return to the nest and not eat. I wonder if she was tangled in something? While we will never know unless someone comes forward, it is good to have her on the nest and being attentive to the chick.
The chick has a nice crop. Shortly after the chick was down flat and mom was alerting. Stay safe!
Another Osprey caught in baling twine and another one released that had been caught in baling twine. Baling twine and hydro lines are showing up as two prominent dangers for juvenile Ospreys as this week begins.
It is a serene evening in Wales at the Glaslyn Nest of Aran and Mrs G. There continue to be sightings of the two of them on their favourite perches and Aran is improving in his flying and fishing all the time. He should be in tiptop shape for migration. That is good news.
Oh, what a treat to catch the two fledglings on the Loch of the Lowe Nest. One has the fish from the delivery and the other is food begging. There is still time for Laddie or NC0 to deliver another meal. NC0 is very good at fishing!
I can’t read the band numbers well enough to tell who has that fish but my goodness the one who is emptied taloned is awfully loud. You could hear it on the other side of the loch.
Looks like they all have the same tricks up their sleeve to try and get the fish from the sibling. This could have been Tiny Little a few days ago.
The sibling with the fish is finding the prey crying annoying. And now we can see the band. It is LR1 who has that fish. He is going to try and finish it.
What a beautiful setting for a nest. No baling twine. No monofilament fishing line. No boaters. The Scottish Wildlife Associations are making great headway in trying to protect their wildlife and their natural environment. It is refreshing to hear the efforts at restoring the Cairngorms National Park.
Around 1 August many of the streaming cameras on the Osprey nests in the UK will shut down for the season. Most of the activity is off camera. That is why it was such a wonderful surprise to find the two fledges of Laddie and NC0 on the Loch of the Lowes nest this evening. Look how big and healthy they are. Amazing.
I have had and seen questions about when the Osprey parents will teach their chicks to fish. The answer to that question is – Osprey parents do not teach their chicks to fish. Fishing is an instinct that has been developing in the Osprey for millions of years and it is programmed directly into their genetic makeup or their DNA. If they were to see a fish swimming in a lake or a stream, their ‘instinct’ would kick in and they would immediately respond. However, fishing takes practice and they will also learn by doing. Most of the chicks will not have caught a fish before their migration. There are always exceptions, however!
Thank you so much for joining me. Keep sending warm wishes to the Collins Marsh Nest. Hopefully whatever was wrong with the mum is now behind the family. I am very grateful to Patricia Fisher for answering all my questions and for her willingness to take this chick into rehab if it is necessary. I am also grateful to James Downey of the Collins Marsh Centre for his quick response to the concerns of many.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Collins Marsh Nature Park, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, and the Scottish Wildlife Trust and Friends of Loch of the Lowes.
It has been more than twelve hours since the mother of the only surviving chick on the Collins Marsh Nest in Wisconsin was with her chick. It is hot in Wisconsin. The chick is very hungry. The father has made two fish drops but he refuses to feed the chick. This is normal. Many of the males do not feed their chicks while some delight in it. Now anyone who knows the least amount about Ospreys knows that the father brings in the fish. The mother is either on the nest or arrives immediately, takes the fish, and feeds the chicks eating some of the fish herself. A female Osprey does not miss two fish drops unless there is something terribly wrong. She is either severely injured or dead.
You can clearly see the two pieces of fish. This wee one is trying to feed itself. It goes from the old dry fish to the newly brought in one trying to eat.
I was alarmed when the mother did not come to feed this little one who is obviously extremely hungry. Then when I saw the other piece of fish and realized that the parent had not been there to feed the chick earlier – well, my concern for the mother rose.
So there are now concerns over the chick’s welfare, the mother’s well being (she is injured or dead), and recently there is an issue with the chick’s feathers. There is something wrong with some of the primaries. They are either out of alignment or there are other issues.
It is hard to see in this image but there are spaces in between some of the flight feathers. I hope that the problem feathers do not break because if you look underneath you can still see they are blood feathers.
Several chicks have been placed successfully in foster homes in the past week by bander, Patricia Fisher.
If you watch this Osprey nest, then please consider phoning the Department of Natural Resources toll free emergency number. Tell them the mother is not on the nest tonight and has not been there since morning. She missed two fish drops to feed the chick. The chick tried to self-feed. Look at the images I have and if you watched the footage you should also address the issue of the feathers. That number is 1-800-847-9367. I have been told that if they get enough complaints they will have to act.
Of course the other concern is that this chick is open game for the Great Horned Owls who hunt at night or the Bald Eagles during the day. Let us hope that there is action tomorrow.
Thank you for stopping in and thank you for calling the emergency line if you watch this nest and are concerned for the welfare of this chick. Last week the chick that fell into the water at the Patuxent Osprey Nest 2 was saved because of citizen birders!
Sweet baby sleeping alone under a full moon. Let us all hope that the Great Horned Owls are hunting in another direction.
Thank you to the Collins Marsh Reservoir Nature Centre for their camera where I took my screen shots.
It is really, really hot on the Canadian prairies today. There are dire warnings of water shortages in small towns southwest of Winnipeg. And there are birds in the wrong locations. I wonder if they are scouts sent to check out new locations? Like the Spoonbill on the river near Highway 89 around Montezuma or the Wood Stork? Ferris has his Saturday tour and there will be some images from that tour on Sunday. But, in Bird World, there are some exciting things happening.
First up, Tiny Little on the Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest successfully defended its fish twice against big sibling 462. I was shocked when Tiny Little used its wings to great effect to keep her from getting its late night meal. You would have thought it was the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ Heavyweight Boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. I say that because it was the strategy of Tiny Little. He put the fish (finally) in a place where it was secure. He could eat and 362 could not take it off the back by pulling. Then he fixed it so that he could eat fast and watch 362 out of his right eye. When 462 started coming close, Tiny Little just opened those great big wings of hers and started flapping. 462 backed off. This is a ‘big win’ for Tiny Little. She took a fish off dad to have it stolen but today she successfully defended her food until she was finished and walked away leaving a nice piece and tail for sibling 462. Tiny Little is getting the street smarts that Tiny Tot had earlier. Give her a round of applause. It is what is going to work in her favour and keep her alive. Well done, Tiny Little. So proud of you. Those big siblings will no longer intimidate you!
Sibling 462 staring down Tiny Little’s fish.
462 using some of Tiny Little’s early strategies: stare down the sibling, move in closer, create a distraction.
“Ah come on and let me just have a little bit. Oh, please. I am sorry for all the horrible things I did to you when you were a wee babe, Tiny Little.”
No!
I told you to get away! This is MY fish!
462 gives up and heads towards the perch.
Peace and quiet.
Tiny Little was able to eat comfortably after keeping sibling 362 at bay twice.
After eating for about forty minutes or longer, Tiny Little cleans her beak. 462 is watching and wondering if there is any fish left. Tiny Little did a great job self-feeding under that pressure. She left her big sibling a good portion of fish by the tail and the tail. It worked out well for both and both went to bed with fish in their crop.
At 20:12:26, 462 flies away with the piece of fish towards the parent tree. You can see her dark wings heading toward the tree between the nest and the tree. Looks like a black line on the fields. That took Tiny by surprise but no matter. You can see his crop is nicely full. You will have sweet dreams tonight Tiny Little. Congratulations. Every day you show us that you are learning to take care of yourself.
The second big event is that Zenit, the little Golden Eaglet, now a Big Golden Eaglet, has branched and fledged on the same day. This is so fantastic. I hope that its life is long and that it has a great nest to raise its own family near Bucovina. My concern is the prey and the spread of Avian Flu H5 N7. The Golden Eagles are opportunistic hunters and when prey is low they eat what is available to them including a domestic cat – which Zenit did on the 23rd of July. He has had fox, roe deer, buzzards, a kestrel, and other small birds along with a host of mammals and parts of other mammals.
Lady Hawk caught the branching and the fledge for us.
Now just to have you know how many fish a great Osprey dad brings in, Richmond had, as of yesterday, brought in 600 fish to the Whirley Crane Osprey Nest in San Francisco Bay. Rosie brought in a Halibut so big that it took the three 4.5 hours to finish it off! Today Richmond brought in a Golden Trout and one of the fledglings was on the nest and grabbed it and dad at the same time. This happened around 3:05 nest time.
Poor Richmond! My goodness. I never thought I would see a chick jump into the air to grab a fish out of the talons. Look at Richmond, how strong he is to hold the fish and the chick. Incredible. Richmond is holding them up with a couple of talons!
I understand from my virtual friend and reader ‘S’ that there have been two fledges at the Patuxent 2 nest – and she believes she got to see one of those happening live. Congratulations! Those chicks did really well. The rangers that decided to put two fosters on a nest with only one chick made a great decision. Everyone is thriving.
It is hot and smoky in Alberta. Mom is shading the two Bobs. Birds need clean air, too. I wonder just how much this impacts their lungs — the smoke from all those wildfires? We have some smoke in our city today but not nearly what it was a couple of days ago but it is hot. And the birds have been emptying the bowls that have been left in the shade and are just now coming to the ones on the deck. It is 5:30 and the shade is covering them now.
It is really hot down in Red Deer and Legacy has a hard time getting in the shade and being cool at all. She had a nice fish meal at 3pm nest time.
It is so nice to see fish on these nests on a hot, hot afternoon!
I am not so impressed with the Collins Marsh Nest. The little one has been on its own trying to find shade for what seems like most of the day. If there was a feeding earlier I have missed it. Sadly, over and over again, these nests remind me of Cowlitz. Now with the extreme heat and the drought and the height of this nest. Well, I wish for a good outcome.
The mother has shaded it a bit. I wonder if she is out fishing – that was what took the life of the last chick on the Cowlitz nest – heat stroke. It had a full crop. This chick, unfortunately, doesn’t have that.
Thank you so much for joining me. It is a hot day out in Bird World. I feel for these beautiful Ospreys as droughts set in areas where they have their nests. Let us hope that cool air will come! And rain.
Take care everyone!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I take my screen shots: Collins Marsh Osprey Nest, Fortis Alberta Red Deer Osprey Nest, Fortis Alberta Exshaw Osprey Nest, SF Bay Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Cumbrian Wildlife Trust and the Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest.
The Royal Albatross ‘Cam Princess’ for 2021, Taiki, was banded on Taiaroa Head, New Zealand on 22 July. Taiki is Maori and means ‘protector of the land and sea’. She now has a permanent metal band with a unique number to her and a white plastic band with the number 60 on it on the other leg. The white designates the chicks that were born this year. All 34 of them will get a white band. When they return to land, after being at sea from 4-6 years, they will receive the adult colour bands. For example, Taiki’s mother is Lime-Green-Lime (LGL). Can you imagine being at sea and only returning to walk on the ground after being away for all that time?
Here is an image of Ranger Sharyn putting on the bands.
And here is the video that the Cornell Labs did of the entire banding session.
It is unclear how many fish came up to the Collins Marsh Osprey Nest today. ‘S’ noted one medium fish. I did check in on the nest and caught the chick standing. That is very good. It is getting its juvenile feathers and it is beginning to get strength in its legs to walk and stand up. Excellent.
One of the most beautiful times of day at the White-Bellied Sea Eagle nest in the Old Ironbark Tree in Sydney is early morning. The forest is waking up. You can hear all the birds singing including the Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, the Noisy Miners, and the Currawongs. We are just getting a trade off on incubation duty (I believe) when I checked the nest. We should be on hatch alert in a couple of days!
It is so calm and peaceful in the forest. No one is allowed inside this restricted area other than the Rangers and specific staff of the Discovery Centre.
Here is another hand off around 13:30 this afternoon.
The adult plumage is this beautiful slate blue grey with a white head and underbelly. The juveniles are the most gorgeous rusty-espresso.
I want to give you the link to the Sea Eagle camera so that you can start watching. It is very exciting. The little ones are fuzzy white when they hatch. So cute.
It is 4:59 and Tiny Little has already flown off the Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest.
Just looking at that nest reminds me how grateful everyone was when Tiny Tot stayed around the Achieva Osprey nest for so long. In fact, for four months we got to enjoy seeing that wee one grow up. We saw her change from the beaten, pecked, and starved little one to a ferocious independent fledgling. What a gift we were given! We never know how long we are given with these ‘special survivors’ so we have to savour every minute. Tiny Little will, no doubt, return to the nest when there is a fish drop unless the parents begin to feed the fledglings off nest.
Ah, and before I stopped writing it seemed like a good time just to check on that Foulshaw Moss Nest again and guess what? Tiny Little is there with another sibling waiting for the breakfish drop!
Tiny Little, 463 on the left and 462 on the right.
And they both got their wish!
Some good news was posted today. Seventy eggs of the Black Foot Albatross from Midway Island were transported to Guadalope Island, Mexico. I mentioned this in an earlier blog last week. It has now been confirmed that all 70 of the eggs hatched and all 70 of the chicks have fledged. You can’t get any better than 100%.
One of my friends and readers lives on the Hawaiian Islands. She mentioned the colony of Albatross Hawaii they have. That reminded me to introduce you to a very special person who founded the Kauai Albatross Network.
Her name is Hob Osterlun. In this short clip, she is doing a one person play on her life as a nurse for nurses and doctors and she talks about how the albatross changed her life.
That short video, Kapuna Life, mentions Hob’s book, Holi Moli. I recall the first time I read it. I devoured the pages reading from late in the evening to the wee hours of the morning.
So many of you reading my blog have been moved by ‘the birds’. Whether it was during the pandemic or before, a two legged creature with feathers – that fly or not (we can’t forget about the Kakapo) – touched you in a way that is probably hard to describe. For Hob Osterlund, having that Laysan Albatross touch her foot was extremely powerful.
Here is a beautiful video about Hawaii and the Albatross. It is an hour long. Watch pieces of it or the whole thing when you have time. These are such beautiful birds. Hob never gets tired of talking about them!
It is a scorcher in southern Manitoba and Winnipeg today. Yesterday my daughter and her sons got to see an Osprey dive for its fish at Lake Winnipeg. She saw the nest using binoculars with its two chicks, too. We have a number of Osprey platforms placed by Manitoba Hydro around Victoria Beach, Grand Beach, Grand Marais and on the way to our Iceland city, Gimli. How lucky they were!
Thank you for joining me. Stay safe everyone! Stay cool. Remember to leave water out for the birds.
Thank you to the following whose streaming cams I use to get my screenshots: Cumbrian Wildlife Trust and the Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest, Collins Marsh Reservoir Osprey Cam, Cornell Bird Lab and NZ DOC, Sydney Sea Eagles, Australian Bird Life, and the Discovery Centre.
