Tag Archives: Pacific Black Duck

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 14

Daisy left for her break at 04:46:45 and returned at 06:08:22. Since then she has had visitors. The Noisy Miners came at 07:31 and the Rainbow Lorikeets arrived at 08:03 to say good morning to their favourite little duck.

The cam operator checked to see if the White-Bellied Sea Eagles were at the River Roost early this morning. No. They were not there!

You could hear them before they arrived. The Ravens cawed at 09:29:51. They flew by and then it sounded like they landed on an upper branch. They never landed on the tree. Made a small racket and flew off. Poof. They are smart. They know the eggs are there and they will continue to check hoping to catch Daisy off her nest!

Besides the visitors, the morning has been peaceful. Even the weather forecast changed to cloudy with no rain. Seriously, this is wonderful news. I am not sure it could be any better unless the Ravens went for a holiday to Singapore, the WBSE stayed at Goat Island til mid-January, and somehow we were able to make a bit of a ramp for those ducklings. “Hope for the best, stay positive but prepare for the worst.”

It is nearing 11:00 and all is well with our beautiful Daisy. She has the most fluffy nest – like laying on a cloud.

Other Bird World News: The Duke Farms Bald Eagle Cam went live today for their fans. Oh, last year, I ached for the Mum. She seemed to spend all her incubation duties buried under snow and ice. Here is your link to that cam:

The State of Pennsylvania has raised the fine from $200 to $2000 for killing a Bald Eagle. I might have added another zero on to that figure and included ‘any raptor’.

The Bald Eagles really need protecting but so do the other raptors whose body parts are considered trophies or good luck charms. Sadly to say that in the state where I grew up, Oklahoma, there is a reward out for any information leading to the arrest of the person who mutilated a Bald Eagle.

People are just beginning to understand the damage from the tornados last Friday. In Tennesse, the Bald Eagles have lost their homes in the 210 year old Cypress Trees that were ripped up.

Wisdom, the oldest living Albatross in the World at 70, has returned to Midway Island for another breeding season. Yahoo!

Gabby is still making us wait. No egg at the Northeast Florida Bald Eagle nest yet. Nine days to go til hatch watch for Harriet and M15 though! Yes.

Daisy’s day will be quiet providing the Sea Eagles do not arrive and make a ruckus. The Ravens will return at least once more to check Daisy is on the nest. So thankful for no rain and so far, everything is good. We just need some more leaves to fall. I will continue to monitor Daisy til she leaves for her evening break. If everything is quiet, you will not hear from me again til tomorrow.

Take care everyone. Stay safe. Thank you so much for joining me.

Thank you to the Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia for their streaming cam where I took my screen shots.

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 13-14

It is the middle of the afternoon in Sydney, Australia – Day 13. Daisy, the Pacific Black Duck who is incubating 8 eggs in a ‘borrowed’ nest from the White-Bellied Sea Eagles has had a quiet day.

Daisy still has a substantial amount of food left in that extended esophagus or crop. Just look at it. That is wonderful. She must take care of herself. It will give her the strength to take on the Ravens again if the pair of them should show up on the nest proper.

Daisy has removed a substantial amount of down in the last little while. That nest of hers is amazing. It is so beautiful.

Some down, a little wiggle and some egg rolling, and Daisy is settled in for more incubation and sleep.

I have just checked the weather and there is a 40% chance of rain at the nest at 19:00 and a 100% chance beginning at 20:00. That is the time that Daisy normally goes foraging. The rain is scheduled to continue throughout the night until 13:00 tomorrow afternoon. Why am I mentioning this? Well, it is important. Duck down shrinks or compacts. Daisy has had to rely on the duck down to not only insulate the eggs and make a nice comfy nest but she has also used it to cover the precious eggs. There are sadly not enough leaves on the nest to do that this clutch. Fingers crossed that Daisy is able to manage coming and going so that the down is not that impacted.

Gosh, she is a very special little duck – just beautiful. So sweet. The breeze continues to rock the old Ironbark Tree ever so gently.

That beautiful blue bill really sets Daisy apart from many ducks.

At 15:58 Daisy turned her head and listened. Something caught her attention. She was alert for a few minutes and then…nothing. She settled down and relaxed.

In a surprise move, Daisy flew off the nest at 18:36. Sunset is not until 20:02.

Oh, if the wind would only send some more leaves down right by those eggs!

Did Daisy leave because she needed to so that she could return before the rain begins? Did she need a comfort break after all the foraging before sunrise? Will the Ravens come while she is away?

The camera went offline and it is unclear to me when Daisy returned to her eggs. But at 02:02, her and her eggs are fine. Fantastic.

Daisy, you really are amazing –and we worry so much about you!

Daisy has been able to leave the nest untended during the evening/night with no worries. The cam operator caught a visitor to the nest that has the potential to cause our Daisy some serious problems, Boo-Book Owl and his mate! This was taken the night prior to this posting so all is well with the eggs.

I have not been able to determine if Boo and his mate actually eat eggs. The Duck eggs are quite large. While they might not, they could definitely wreck havoc by pecking at them or removing down which, at this time, is precious as it really is covering everything. Ah, I wish they had not noticed. These little owls cause such mischief when they fly through hitting Lady on the head or the nestling sea eagles.

The forecast for Day 14, 16 December 2021, is for it to be 22 degrees C and cloudy with a 40% chance of rain around 09:00. I wonder if Daisy is going to go on a break? It is getting close to when she should leave. Sunrise is at 05:39.

Daisy continues to wait to leave for her break. I wonder if those pesky possums are running around on that tree?

Daisy finally left for her break at 04:46:45. You can see her preparing to leave in the image below. She has pulled some more down off her breast and will be covering the eggs with the rest of the down and a few leaves.

There she is plucking off that down.

With the eggs covered as best she could, Daisy leaves to go and get some food.

Daisy returned to the nest at 06:08:22. You can just see her wings fluttering to the right of the rim of the big Sea Eagle nest.

Daisy is all settled and at this moment, everything is alright with the world. Take a deep breath everyone. Send all your good energy.

I will monitor Daisy through the rest of the day providing an update in about six or seven hours. Fingers crossed! We are on Day 14. Daisy has been incubating her eggs now for 7-8 days depending on how you want to count. This means that with the hatch watch from 26-30 days, we continue to look around the 4-6th of January, possibly as early as the 3rd. She is doing so well.

Thank you so much for joining me and for sending all your very best wishes to this little Pacific Black Duck who dared to make her nest in the big Sea Eagle tree nest. Stay safe. Be careful. See you soon.

Thank you to the Sea Eagles @Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 13

Ever since Daisy landed back on the nest this morning, I have been more than curious. Her neck was ‘huge’. This image is later but squint and see that floppy large ‘crop’! It is so big that it is catching the light and looks like a shiny ball almost in the centre of the picture. She looks like she is sleeping on a puff pillow.

Over the time Daisy has been on the nest, I have had conflicting reports about whether or not ducks have crops. I was told that they have an expanded esophagus as well as a gizzard.

I continued to research this because I was completely dumbfounded about Daisy. She has obviously foraged very well during the three hours she was away before dawn. That bulge looks like a crop – a term used with raptors – for a place to store food before it goes to the main stomach. So I found this image by Murray State University. The vet students were dissecting a wild duck. Do you see what I see? The arrows for the Empty Crop and the Esophagus point to the same place. If we look at our live duck, Daisy, I think it is safe to say that an extended esophagus is also a crop. Mystery solved. Daisy is literally ‘full to the brim’. Hopefully she will be quite content to wait til sunset not have to leave. It seems that the Ravens check at least twice a day to see if she is on the nest.

So far, it has been another wonderfully uneventful morning on Daisy’s nest. I just want to pinch myself. Could our little duck actually fledge those 8 ducklings to be?

A Noisy Miner came to visit. It is right on the branch that is illuminated – look right above Daisy. This bird will not harm Daisy – it doesn’t have the nicest voice but it will not hurt our Duck or her eggs!

Last clutch, everyone wished that Daisy had come to the nest earlier – in December – because that is when Lady and Dad seem to spend the most time on Goat Island. Lady loves Goat Island. Dad’s former mate liked a different location after fledging the eaglets. No sign of Dad or Lady at the River Roost so far today.

Daisy is just sleeping away with the warm sun shining down on her and her 8 eggs. Oh, what a little sweetheart.

It is after noon for Daisy. I cannot tell you how quiet the forest has been. It is positively wonderful. There is a gentle wind that rocks Daisy and her eggs. You can hear a plane fly over once in awhile. Blissful.

Here are some images that I enlarged so we can see Daisy better. She is so camouflaged in those images above that you can hardly make her out from the sticks.

Other Bird World News: Wow. Ervie, that incredible third hatch at Port Lincoln Osprey barge, is really flying. Fran Solly, Take2Photography, reports that Ervie’s tracker shows he is following Dad to go out when he goes fishing. ​Solly says that “He (Ervie) went around the corner to the main Bay and along the wharf. I’ve seen Mum and Dad both fish there.” Oh, Ervie, you are a survivor! At the Kisatachie National Forest Bald Eagle Nest, Anna broke one of the two eggs while landing today. While that is very sad, hopefully the other one will stay safe and hatch. One healthy eaglet is good! Last I checked there was not an egg on Samson and Gabby’s Bald Eagle nest in Jacksonville, Florida. We wait. Anxiously.

Oh, I wish the NE Florida nest used a 24 hour clock!

Ferris Akel has cut down his streaming tour of last Saturday to show the Snowy Owls. For the people around the Finger Lakes of NY, Snowy Owls were a rarity. In Manitoba, you can often see 25 or 30 within a short distance during the winter. If you want to see these fluffy owls, here is the link:

Everything is alright in the world of Daisy. This is so wonderful. I will continue to monitor her until she leaves for her evening foraging. I hope this time is as quiet as the morning has been!

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

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Sea Eagles@ Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, NE Florida Bald Eagles and the AEF, and Murray State University.

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 12-13

The Sydney Olympic Forest is quiet. The wind is rocking Daisy and her eggs as she gets some sleep in the quiet of the afternoon. By the time she leaves her nest for her break to eat and go to the bathroom, she will have been on the nest for almost a solid 22 hours. Without a break. Not one. I think the possum frightened Daisy this morning right when she should have left for foraging. I hope that it doesn’t happen again.

By normal calculations this is day 6 of hard incubation. Duck eggs take from 26-30 days. This means Daisy has three more weeks to thwart all that would wish to eat those eggs or get her off their nest. Those bookmakers that take bets on almost anything probably have the odds flat against our little duck. I don’t want to get my hopes up – it is true that everything seems like it is against her but, just in case, I think I am going to dream up something nice to have on hand ‘just in case’. As I said in my earlier blog, seeing Daisy and her ducklings leap off that nest would really start 2022 off right.

I am very anxious for Daisy today. It is all because she did not go off the nest to forage before sunrise. It is now 16:21 and she has three and a half hours until sunset. I think that she would be safe to leave a wee bit before then. I notice that the birds in our garden have left the lilac bushes and feeders about an hour to an hour and a half before sunset each day. Maybe the Ravens do that as well?

Every time Daisy starts gathering leaves or moving about as she did about ten minutes ago, I think she is going to leave. The Ravens are smart. They haven’t come on the nest after Daisy fearlessly protected her eggs but they have been around several times to check to see if she is there. They know those eggs are in that nest and they would not hesitate if our little duck was away.

The light changes on the nest continually. Half an hour ago Daisy was hidden in the shadow of the branches and now she is fully illuminated. It is now three hours until sunset. This feels like the slowest day of the week.

This is the forecast for the Sydney Olympic Park for tomorrow and Thursday.

Daisy waited as long as she could waiting til the sounds of the forest told her the others were roosting. She flew off at 19:10. She returned at 20:42:42 so she was off the eggs for about an hour and a half.

I love this view of Daisy and the nest tree. There she is ready to take off.

Off our darling Daisy goes to a well earned meal and break!

Daisy returned refreshed and hopefully a little full.

Daisy did not leave the nest for a morning break on Day 12 but she prepares her nest and flies off at 02:23:38. I am so glad that Daisy has taken this break. The forecast for rain still stands and Daisy will be on the down so that it does not get wet.

Today the weather will be moving from the 16 degrees C to 29 degrees C right before the rains are expected at 17:00. The morning light is starting to filter through the forest and sunrise is at 05:39. Daisy has not returned from her break. She has been away for three hours.

As the birds start to wake up in the forest I am starting to wish that Daisy would hurry back to the nest.

Daisy arrived back at the nest right around 05:59:28. She was followed by a Noisy Miner. Not taking any chances, Daisy went up to the parent branch until it left.

Once the Noisy Miner leaves, Daisy carefully walks over to the egg cup and starts incubating those precious 8 eggs.

Gosh, Daisy just looks so tiny.

Whew. Daisy is still a little wet. You can see the feathers on the top of her head. I hope that the time she spent foraging and paddling in the water will energize our beautiful little duck. No one knows what the day will bring but fingers crossed that it is as uneventful as yesterday. Keep sending your best wishes to her. Just because it is quiet does not mean that something horrific could happen any moment. She needs all the positive energy she can get.

I will monitor Daisy during the day and send an update this evening. All eyes are on the Northeast Bald Eagle Nest of Gabby and Samson. In fact, while I have been waiting for Daisy, Gabby might have laid her first egg. She has not left the nest for a long time. Take care everyone. Thank you so much for stopping by to check on this marvellous Pacific Black Duck, Daisy.

Thank you to the Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 12

Daisy has not taken a break since Day 12 began at midnight on 14 December in Australia. She had a short break after sunset on Day 11.

This morning Daisy did have a number of visitors. The first was a Galah and then some Rainbow Lorikeets arrived. At one time the Galah screeched and it woke up the Ringtail Possum who came out of its nest.

The Galah flew away and the Lorikeets stopped chattering.

The Ravens flew around the tree making noise checking on whether anyone was sitting on those eggs. Daisy was there and they left – just stirring up a little anxiety. It is interesting that they have not landed on the nest the last few days. Maybe that little duck scared them enough that they will never come if she is there.

Once the Ravens left, the Lorikeets came back up on the nest.

It is nearing noon. It has been so quiet that it is almost eerie.

The cam operator must have left as we have had a wide shot most of the day. I scrolled back through the footage and found a few close ups for us to enjoy.

Look at all that lovely down!

Don’t you love how the golden light of the sun falls on our beautiful duck?

Daisy must be very tired and hungry.

Daisy is going to have to take a break. Let us all hope that she can wait until sunset.

It has been so quiet on Daisy’s nest the past couple of days. I would love for it to stay this way but anything can happen in a second. There is rain forecast for tomorrow. If Daisy goes out foraging at sunset – which she has to do (or go before) and if she does the same before sunrise, she might be on those eggs to protect that down when the rain comes. That down is precious because it is making up for a lack of leaves.

It is after lunch on the nest and everything is so quiet. It is like all of the other birds were boxed up and sent out of the forest. I can hear the hum of the streaming cam and about every half hour a bird. So strange. Maybe it is siesta time.

Can you see Daisy?

That said…I do wish it would be his way til about the 6th of January when those ducklings leap off that nest. If Daisy does manage to get those eggs to hatch – against every obstacle she could have – I think we should each toast her with whatever your favourite beverage is when Daisy and her babies leap. My goodness I cannot think of a better way to enter into 2022.

I have the sound turned up way too loud. If anything happens on this nest I will be alerted. For now, I am going to go and look through a book on raptors and have some nice green tea.

Take care everyone. Thank you so much for joining me and Daisy. She is so hidden in the shade of that big tree – she blends in perfectly with the nest. See you soon!

Thank you to the Sea Eagles@ BirdLife Australia Discovery Centre for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.

Bird World 13 December 2021

Samson and Gabby, the resident Bald Eagles on the nest in ‘The Hamlet’ near Jacksonville, Florida have been working on their nest all day. Yesterday, Samson brought in a really nice meal for Gabby – an American Coot. While they are a large waterbird breeding in the shallow marshes, ponds, and wetlands of my province and others in Canada, they are also what is called an ‘all terrain bird’. They are equally at home grazing in water or on the land looking for small fish, aquatic invertebrates, and plants. They can reach 40 cm in length and 70 cm wide. They are black with a white bill, red eyes, and yellow green-blue legs. Notice their lobed feet in the image below. Wow, those are different than Daisy’s!

“American Coot Feet 2” by bruce_fulton is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Here is a video of that breakfast delivery:

I have been spending so much time with Daisy that I have neglected all those other amazing birds that we all love.

Gabby and Samson continue to work on their nest. They have been mating and many hope that eggs will be laid today or tomorrow. Gabby continues to tease everyone!

Samson is delivering another large stick for the walls of the nest.

What a gorgeous couple. Gabby is on the left and Samson is on the right.

The Mississippi River is home to many species of birds. Did you know that there is a live camera? The types of birds vary by the season, the day, and the time of day. Right now there are loads of Sandhill Cranes!

There has been an update for WBSE 27. You might recall that 27 was taken into care twice. The Pied Currawongs were unmerciful to the beautiful fledgling. I am thrilled beyond words for the latest announcement. To my knowledge none of the fledglings over the past two years – 25, 26 (deceased), 27 (in care). and 28 have been trained by their parents to ‘be a sea eagle’ – in other words, how to hunt prey, fish, and have the time to hone their flying skills. Without these skills, they simply cannot survive. WBSE 27 will receive this training and hopefully will emerge a confident bird who can live in the wild.

I have seen no update on Annie and Grinnell and the interloper. We will wait until breeding season starts and see who Annie is with!

The Kakapo Recover posted a humorous cartoon about some of the male Kakapo. I needed a giggle. Maybe you do, too?

Sadly, the time to adopt a Kakapo is over. If you missed it, make a note for next year. Those Kakapo stuffies are really quite sweet and blend in with all your indoor plants.

Daisy has had a seemingly uneventful morning. Her first break of the day and foraging – before sunrise – did not happen because the Ring-tail Possums were crawling all over the nest. She has been sleeping most of the morning. There are lots of birds in the forest but I have not heard the Ravens yet and the cam operator did not find the WBSE on their River Roost earlier but she did capture several sea eagles flying. Fingers crossed. So far the WBSE have not been an issue. So all is well with our wonderful duck. It is 08:29. The Daisy update will be later this evening unless something untoward should happen.

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

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or their FB pages where I took my screen shots: Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, NEFlorida Eagle Cam and the AEF, Kakapo Recovery, and Explore.Org

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 11-12

It is 17:01 nest time on Day 11 as I begin writing. It has been a relative quiet afternoon for Daisy, the Pacific Black Duck incubating 8 eggs on the large White-Bellied Sea Eagle Nest in the Sydney Olympic Forest. Daisy alerted once and within a minute was relaxed again. The camera operator zoomed in on Daisy nestled over her eggs with the sun filtering through the canopy, she glowed.

I took way too many screen captures but who doesn’t love to look at Daisy? And I included some larger versions that are easier to see!

Sometimes, like in the bottom image, it is hard to make out where Daisy is. She is quite camouflaged at times. She spent much time rolling the eggs and plucking more down off her breast. She is a devoted little Mum.

If the pattern continues, Daisy will take her next break right after sunset returning in about two and a half hours. I wonder if she will do the same thing tomorrow morning? The noise in the forest will alert me to the arrival of predators but for now, it is past midnight on the Canadian Prairies, and I am blissfully tired. Oh, that the rest of Daisy’s day is simply uneventful.

Daisy left the nest at 19:48:59. There were no issues prior to her leaving to get a break and eat.

She carefully covered up her eggs with all that fluffy down and the few leaves she has.

There she is flying off to the right – a blur with that beautiful blue scapular showing.

Daisy was gone less than normal. She returned to the nest of 8 eggs at 21:24:44.

It is now 03:46:45 on day 12 and Daisy has not left the nest. I tried to figure out what was keeping her – she needs to eat and there it was – our old friend Ring-tail Possum. Oh, I hope he goes away! Daisy needs to leave so she can have enough food to keep her til sunset.

Daisy doesn’t realize that her eggs are too big for the little possum to carry. They normally eat fruits and flowers. But this possum could steal that lovely down and that would be tragic for Daisy as there are not enough leaves to cover the eggs. Too bad they can strike a deal – the little possum could send leaves falling from the branches above to Daisy in exchange for some of that soft down for its nest.

The problem with the possum is that it is infringing on Daisy’s need to forage so in that way it is troublesome. We don’t want Daisy to need to leave during the day to eat.

It appears that Daisy has chosen not to leave the nest and get food and take a break. Oh, I so wish that possum had not come. Daisy had a very good pattern going – being away during the dark when the predators were sleeping. Will she have to leave during the day and risk her eggs? We have to wait and see.

Dawn is at 05:38. You can see that the forest is getting lighter.

There is some very good weather news. It is to go up to 25 C in the Sydney Olympic Park today with no rain forecast until Thursday.

I will continue to monitor Daisy during the day. She had a good afternoon and evening yesterday. We will all hope for the same today — and that she does not have to leave the eggs til sunset, not even for a comfort break. Send all your positive messages to our favourite brave little duck – Daisy!

Thank you so much for joining me. I will have a Daisy update in 6 or 7 hours unless something untoward happens. Take care everyone. Keep smiling. So far everything is good with Daisy. She is a great little Mum.

Thank you to the Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre for their streaming cam where I took my screen shots.

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 11 continued

It is 13:14 in Sydney Australia’s Olympic Park Forest. Daisy, the Pacific Black Duck, has 8 eggs she is incubating in the White-Bellied Sea Eagles nest. So far today she has had a visit by three Ring-tail possums in the night and two Ravens. The possums did not bother Daisy’s eggs and the Ravens sitting and cawing in the upper branches of the tree did not cause any issues for Daisy. She seemed to ignore them completey – she kept her cool. They might well come back today and the sea eagles might show up but for now, our little duck is resting. She took 5 hours off -divided into two time periods – to go and forage. She has taken the opportunity to sleep while incubating.

Daisy seems to be developing a strategy to thwart both the Ravens and the sea eagles. She stays on the nest leaving right at sunset and then leaving again 2 or 3 hours before sunrise. That way she can eat while the others are sleeping and be on her eggs to protect them if the Ravens visit. Last year she played tag with Dad. So far they have not encountered one another. Dad did come one evening but Daisy was foraging.

Daisy is such a beautiful duck. I love how the down looks like it has little twinkle stars in it.

At 13:46 a visitor came to the nest – a quiet visitor. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a bird fly from the right to the left across the nest and land. My heart sank. I thought the Ravens had gone into stealth mode. But, no. It was a Pied Currwaong. You might recall that it is the Currawongs that chase the Sea Eagle fledglings out of the forest. Or you might recall that a group of them pecked at the head of WBSE 27 causing it to have to go into care (it was also hungry and dehydrated). They can be mean. Daisy kept her head down but keeping her eye on every movement the bird made.

In the top image, the Currawong is flying between the two branches on the left.

The Currawong has landed on the branch directly in front of Daisy. Daisy is watching with one eye and keeping still.

You can see it better in this image. It continues to fly around the tree. I can see its shadow. Perhaps it is more curious. It is unclear to me if the Currawongs are a threat to Daisy. I must check.

The first half of the day has not been totally uneventful. Ravens did land on the tree but did not go to the nest and Daisy ignored them. Now the Currawong. She seems nonplused so I am going to presume she is not taking the bird as a threat. Whew. Anxious for a moment there. In fact, I am certain that all of us are anxious and would like to grab Daisy and give her a safe nest box. Sometimes watching but not being able to do anything is extremely frustrating. I suspect you feel the same. I wonder how many of you are eating more cookies or candies watching Daisy to help with the stress???? I certainly am! The holiday baking is not going to last long at this rate.

Other Bird World News. The State of Illinois has passed a Bird Safe Buildings Act to eliminate the death of millions of migrating birds. Dallas has been turning off the lights to help during migration but Illinois is taking this to the actual construction of the building. This is a good thing!

I have found a new Bald Eagle Streaming Cam for you. There is a huge interest in birds where I grew up – Oklahoma. There are so many hawks and eagles. Bartlesville has set up a streaming cam for their Bald Eagle couple. I do not know anything about this nest but it has been recommended to me. Here is the link:

Live Eagle Camera

If you like images of beautiful birds, here are some amazing captures in super 8k resolution. Thanks ‘S’ for sending me this link. Some of these are simply stunning.

Speaking of beautiful bird images. Every year we travel to Toronto where the Royal Ontario Museum puts the winners of the international bird and wildlife photography contests – from youngsters to seniors, amateur to professional – on display. The results of one of the many photographic contests have been posted on the Internet. There were 22,000 entries for Bird Photographer of the Year. The prize went to an amazing image – you will have to go to the link to see it – I do not want to spoil the surprise. There are categories for young and old. You will not be disappointed and if you love them, there is a book with the 300 winning entries in all categories. Here is the link to this year’s winners:

https://www.birdpoty.com/2021-winners?fbclid=IwAR0GP7AE4gxcS3iREKgIYPmJViqp07iDOvsU9dUnFZGG_odSMvCarCIboLs

I will be monitoring Daisy throughout the rest of the day. Other than the Noisy Miners and horrific sounding Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, I hope to hear absolutely nothing more than the hum of the streaming cam. My next report on Daisy will be tomorrow (Monday the 13th) around 13:00. All of the other nests are doing just fine. I am hoping to see an egg on the nest of Gabby and Samson tomorrow or the next day. Fingers crossed. And mark your calendars because in less than two weeks – 12 days to be exact – we could have a hatch on Harriet and M15s nest in Fort Myers. Honestly, I can’t wait – it is called ‘Bobble head Withdrawal.’ The couple spent some time bonding today before they get busy with little ones. And YRK has flown in to relieve OGK after 8 days of incubating duties at the Royal Albatross Colony on Taiaroa Head, NZ.

Thank you so much for joining me and caring so much for Daisy. I believe that thousands of people sending love and positive wishes to Daisy and her precious eggs is nothing short of wonderful. If only she knew. Wow. I am blown away just thinking about it.

Take care everyone. Stay safe.

Thank you to the Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre for their streaming cam where I took my screen shots and to ‘S’ for sending me the link to those amazing bird images.

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 11

Daisy opted to take 2 breaks. One right after sunset on Day 10, returning about two and a half hours later. She then incubated until 03:08 when she left for a morning break and foraging.

While Day was away, the little Ring-tail Possum was climbing around the branches of the tree gathering leaves for its nest and showing some curiosity about Daisy’s spot. I was so glad that it did not get too close to that fluffy down covering the eggs. It might like some of that softness for its own nest!

Oh, but look. Isn’t it cute? It will not hurt Daisy or her eggs (unless it does take the down because that is what is covering the eggs!).

Daisy returned at 05:38:10. Literally 10 seconds after sunrise. Amazing inner clock this little duck uses.

The camera operator caught WBSE flying around the River but they did not come to the nest in the old Ironbark Tree in Sydney’s Olympic forest.

That is the Parramatta River and that white streak over the trees in the foreground is a WBSE. There are other WBSE nests around the area so it might not have even been Lady or Dad.

The two Ravens came to the tree cawing trying to scare Daisy at 07:40:37. They were in the branches up above (you could not see them when the cam operator pulled back). Daisy took no notice of them – she had no reaction and they left within 30 or 40 seconds. I find this behaviour very interesting. This little duck is really getting smart.

It is currently around 09:45 on the nest and so far it has been a relative peaceful morning. Here are some images of Daisy on the nest.

Daisy looks so peaceful sleeping in the middle of all that fluffy down.

All I can hear in the forest are the Noisy Miners and some Sulphur Crested Cockatoos. Hopefully our beautiful little Pacific Black Duck – Daisy – will have another peaceful day incubating her eggs. Fingers crossed.

Thank you for joining me to check in on Daisy. I will continue to monitor the nest from now (16:49 until the wee hours of tomorrow morning) and I will post a very late night notice. Take care everyone. Send all your positive wishes to Daisy – they are working!

Thank you to the Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 10 -11

Daisy has spent the day peacefully sleeping, pulling some down, and rolling eggs most of the day.

A Raven arrived on the nest at 16:40, cawed, and left by 16:41:43. Daisy did not seem agitated by its presence.

It is now 5 minutes since the Raven was at the nest, I heard it briefly further into the forest. Daisy continues to rest. She has been incubating the eggs since 21:55:42 last evening without a break. It is assumed that her strategy is to leave right after sunset, go to the river and forage. Last evening she covered her eggs well with the down but she needs more leaves. My eagle friend told me that the Ring-tail Possums were up in the tree getting leaves for their nest which is below Daisy’s. She wished they would drop some of their leaf load for Daisy. Wouldn’t that be splendid?!

Daisy took her first break at 20:01:33. Six minutes earlier than the day prior. She returns at 22:32:40.

Daisy decided to take another break in the middle of the night. She flew off at 03:08. Great idea. She is currently still away but she will return before dawn! What an intelligent young duck. She’s pretty much got it. By going foraging right after sunset and right before sunrise not having to leave during the day but having had two feedings herself, she just might do this!

It is such a privilege and a blessing to be able to watch this amazing and brave little duck try to have ‘a family.’ She is working so hard – so many of you have written wanting a miracle for our darling Daisy. It would seem that everyone is both excited and frightened at the prospects. So for now, let us just revel in the fact that so far today, on Day 10, that all is well. It has been relatively quiet. The Raven came once but Daisy didn’t even flinch. So far Dad and Lady have not shown up so that Daisy has to scramble off her eggs. There is much to be thankful for today.

It is 03:36:45. I am expecting Daisy to return in about an hour. My next report will come late today. There were few close ups of Daisy yesterday. I included the 2 during the time the cam operator zoomed in on Daisy at the end of the evening. Isn’t she just beautiful?

Thank you so much for stopping by and checking in on our favourite duck. It is now Day 11. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.