Tag Archives: Port Lincoln Osprey nest

Bird World Happenings

For those of you hoping for a second hatch at Diamond and Xavier’s scrape box, it is not to be. Either the eggs were not viable or the second chick died trying to hatch. What we have, however, is one really healthy eyas whose eyes will open in the next few days and what a delight that will be. One healthy baby is just fine!

A video was made of one of the chick’s feedings. I cannot wait til it can see its parents! How wonderful.

It is pitching down rain in Port Lincoln. Mum and the three osplets are absolutely soaked to the core.

Mum is the best. She is trying as hard as she can to keep her three babies from catching a chill. Sadly, Melbourne’s weather says it is to have rainy periods through Saturday. I do hope the nest gets a chance to dry out for this incredible Osprey family.

To my knowledge no breakfast has come in yet. Mum is really tired and would appreciate the sleep. She has a smelly wet pillow!

It is an hour later and Mum is beginning to dry out just a little. Hopefully Dad will be in with a fish soon.

The Melbourne Four have already had three meals today – before 8:30! These parents are working overtime. It has to be exhausting. Look how big that little one is and how big its crop is. These four are also healthy and strong. Well done Mum and Dad.

Skipping over to the US, those who fell in love with Anna and Louis during their first year as Bald Eagle parents will be excited to know that the streaming cam is up and running. Here is the link to that nest at Lake Kincaid in the Kisatachie National Forest. Last year, Anna and Louis had one eaglet fledge, Kisatachie. It was wonderful to watch the parents grow into their roles as parents. One time Louis was so eager to provide food early on that he had 18 fish in a pile. I can sure imagine quite a few nests that would have liked some of that! Kisatchie grew big and strong and honoured this old Bald Eagle nest that had not had an eaglet hatch or fledge in 13 years. Incredible.

Cody, Steve and the gang are handling the chat to answer any of your questions.

I have not checked on the Black Storks from Latvia and Estonia for some time. There is some troubling news, perhaps. regarding Julge. This latest report is on Birdmap.

“In the morning September 8, Julge crossed border between Germany and Belgium and from next overnight there was not long distance up to France border, anymore. 20-30 km, depends in what direction Julge continues migration. But perhaps, there is time to improve energy sources? Interesting, if quarry is good place to find food for stork…. Anyway, Julge flew south in September 12. That means France is next country Julge visits. And stayed in a village called Saint-Hilaire-le-Petit. Nor dare not fear the closeness of people. He could be seen picking up insects from the lawn in the parking lot of the nearby Pontfaverger supermarket … But on the afternoon of September 21, Julge flew some 30 km in direction of Paris. On 22 September, Julge reached a stopover between Paris and Reims, where the latest data were received on the morning of 25 September. Next behaviour of Julge is unknown. A local newspaper is also involved in the searches of Julge.”

You can check the migration status of the Ospreys, Black Storks, White-tailed Eagles, Eurasian Cranes, and the Lesser Spotted Eagles here:

http://birdmap.5dvision.ee/EN

I also wanted to check on Karl II and his three children and on their migration status.

First is Udu. This is from the Forum: “It is now becoming unlikely that Udu will find/follow the ‘usual’ eastern migration route, I fear. All other options to cross the Mediterranean Sea are far more complicated, difficult and dangerous. Unless Udu will winter in southern Italy, or in Greece?” Udu is now in Kosovo.

Here is the map showing the three members of the family: Karl II, his daughter, Pikne, and son, Udu . They are making wonderful progress!

You can follow the Black Stork family whose nest was in the Karula National Forest in Estonia here:

https://www.looduskalender.ee/forum/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=945&sid=673c2ebc36da17c5db1d7c393aeeb9f5&start=11960

This was just a quick check on the developments at the Orange Australian scrape box of Xavier and Diamond. I am certain that chatters and followers would loved to have seen two eyases hatch but, it was not to be. We can, however, wait with wonder to see the little one open its eyes and see its parents for the first time – and grow, thrive, and fledge. Send positive wishes for a fish to arrive at the PLO and for the rain to let up so the nest can dry.

Thank you for joining me. It will get chilly on the Canadian Prairies tonight – down to 4 C. It will certainly feel more seasonal. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or Forums where I took my screen shots: the Port Lincoln Osprey Project, 367 Collins Street Falcons by Mirvac, Charles Sturt University at Orange Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, the KNF Bald Eagle Cam, the Latvian Fund for Nature, the Estonian Eagle Club, and BirdMap.

Checking on Chicks

There was a lot of chatter over the Melbourne Peregrine Falcon scrape at 367 Collins. The concern was because the Mum had not been ‘seen’ since 19:06:24 when she left the little ones after feeding them.

The chicks at Melbourne are enormous! I honestly can’t even find the small one anymore. Underneath the fluffy down that remains there are pin feathers coming in and if you look closely, those sweet pink little beaks are turning into a rather adult looking beak.

There is no need for concern for Mum. The problem is that the eyases are simply too big for her to brood anymore because there are four of them. Can you see where Mum is?

The image on the left is a week ago. The one on the right was yesterday.

I haven’t reported on Port Lincoln Ospreys for a day. These were the feeding times for yesterday: 6:52, 10:02:43 (small), 10:43:15, 14:43:39, 14:55:50, 16:11:51, 16:23 (mum caught this one), and another fish delivery somewhere around 17:59:58. It was hard to differentiate when the osplets started eating one fish and began on another during the afternoon.

The Mullet that came on the nest at 10:43:15 was still alive and Mum flew off with it, killed it, and returned at 10:44:30. When Mum brought the 16:23 fish onto the nest, part of the fish that dad had brought earlier was still there. This could have been the 17:59 feed. It is not clear. What is certain is that the chicks had massive crops throughout the day. With Mum fishing – and she seems to catch the bigger fish these days – the nest is eating well. The supplementary fish she brings in is making a huge difference to all including Mum who also needs to eat. And Dad.

One thing that I found very interesting was our dear Little Bob. Later in the evening on the 10th, the Middle sibling had caused a bit of a spat between Big Bob and Little Bob. Middle Bob seems to do this and then it ducks to get out of the way. Little Bob was not having any of it and well, we might begin to believe that Little Bob is the ‘boss’ of the nest. This was the second time that I have seen Little thwart any attempts by Big to be the dominant one in the nest. (The other was awhile ago0. I say this because Little Bob took the fish tail at 10:02 yesterday and ate it with no problem. The fish tail is a bit of a prize in an Osprey nest.

These are just some shots from the various feedings. Notice that they all line up and eat very civil!

Little Bob has the fish tail!

Little Bob had no difficulty eating the fish tail. Well done, number 3.

By the time the last fish arrived, many were so full they couldn’t even think of eating much more. Mum had a really nice feed. How grand!

Diamond and Xavier’s Only is growing well.

Today will sort out if there was a pip or not in one of the eggs. It is simply not clear. For the chick to survive, it would need to hatch today. Diamond rested better last night and wasn’t shuffling the eggs around so much. Perhaps we will have another Only Bob like Izzi last year and that is just fine. Cilla Kinross says they have never had three hatch at this nest despite three eggs being laid. In many ways raising one is so much less stressful than four. The Melbourne parents have to be worn out!

Everything is fine for the nest and the two scrape boxes. I will check in with the White-Bellied Sea Eagles later today. I understand that they are fine but that the Pied Currawong continues to be a nuisance. The Bald Eagle couples are restoring nests from last season and the Albatross for the upcoming breeding season are landing on Taiaroa Head. The world is working as it should be.

Thank you so much for joining me this morning. Take care. See you soon.

Thanks to the following for their streaming cam where I took my screen shots: 367 Collins Street Falcons by Mirvac, the Port Lincoln Osprey Cam, and Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam at Orange and Cilla Kinross.

Mom landed a whopper for the PLO chicks

The female at the Port Lincoln Osprey nest was not gone two minutes before she landed back at the nest. She was wet. It was 16:30:28. She had caught a massive Leather Back for her and the chicks.

The Leather Back has many names including Brown-striped Leatherjacket, Donovan’s Leatherjacket, Southern Leatherjacket, and the White-banded Leatherjacket. They have very small mouths with beak-like teeth. Their skin is often rough feeling – a bit like sandpaper, they say. There is a single serrated spine. There are 20 separate species of Leather Backs in Australia ranging in size from less than 1 kg to 3 kg.

“Leather Jacket” by Anna Barnett is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Here is Mum landing back on the nest with her catch. Two of the chicks are watching her.

They put their heads down as Mum finishes the landing. It seems to be an automatic response – heads down when someone approaches the nest. You can just see the head of the fish she has in her talons at the bottom right.

Mum returns to the nest wet. Dad never appeared on the nest so it is clear she is the one who caught that nice big fish. Yeah for Mum!

In the image below, the chicks have been eating for 23 minutes. There is still lots of fish left.

Little Bob is the one up at Mom’s beak. Big Bob has eaten and is already passed out.

Just look at that crop! And, of course, you know who is still up there even though his crop is popping. Yes, it is Little Bob!

Mum and the chicks ate from 16:33 to 18:05:25. It was a glorious feast that Mum provided. She certainly got to eat her fill along with the three babies.

I was reminded of the Mum at the Achieva Osprey nest in St Petersburg, Florida. Diane started fishing. Those actions saved the life of Tiny Tot Tumbles. Diane was an expert at catching catfish. There was no threat to the life of Little Bob here. These three have been doing very well. They are now 27 days old (Big and Middle) and 25 days old for Little Bob.

Many times the female does not provide food for the nest until after the osplets have fledged but more and more I am seeing them going off and topping up the day’s deliveries. Blue NC0 at the Loch of the Lowes is a really good example. Iris demonstrated she could really catch fish, big ones and haul them in to the nest. Louis was often hoping she would share!

I wonder if Mum will continue to bring fish to the nest? or did this Leather Back just catch her eye or should I say talon?

It is a grey cold rainy day on the Canadian prairies. We need the rain! The Dark-eyed Juncos are eating the millet seed regardless and this morning there was a group of Starlings in the yard. I won’t be going out to check on the Wood Ducks today!

Thank you so much for joining me. Have a fantastic Sunday. See you soon.

I am grateful to the Port Lincoln Osprey Project and their streaming cam where I took my screen shots.

First Feeding at Orange

Diamond brought part of a pigeon into the scrape box at 13:37 to see if the eyas was ready for its first feeding. It was not. The little fluff ball continued to sleep, all tired out. The egg was full of nutrients and the chick does not need a feeding til tomorrow morning. Still, Diamond will continually check and when the chick sits and opens its beak by instinct to be fed, she will know it is ready for food.

Diamond first went to the corner in the image below where she considered leaving the pigeon. Then she went to the other corner.

Eventually she decided to fly out with it.

She returned in ten seconds and immediately went over to brood the chick and incubate the two remaining eggs. The eggs were laid on 31 August at 10:40, 2 September at 20:55, and the last on 4 September 6:28. Diamond started incubation with second egg and then hard incubated with the third.

Last year Diamond and Xavier also had three eggs. One did not hatch. The second hatchling was not strong and died and Izzi, that beautiful character, was their only fledge. Xavier is an amazing hunter and this family can certainly provide for three.

Half an hour later, Diamond decides to try and feed the eyas again. She gathers the prey from the left corner pantry. I have taped a portion of that first feeding for you. This chick is very strong. It is approximately 7 hours old. It fell over and lifted itself back up. I was amazed at how long it held its head relatively still and its beak open. This first hatch definitely had some nice bites of the prey.

Just look at that little one. So happy for Xavier and Diamond.

Over in Port Lincoln, Dad brought a fish in at 10:05:13. All three osplets lined up to eat. I noticed several times that Mum fed them in sitting order. It was quite interesting. Food security remains in the positive. It is simply grand. Little Bob is now 22 days old. The other two are 24 days old.

In the image below, the chick at the back has a nice crop from the earlier feed. You can see it clearly.

It is definitely getting difficult to tell who is who unless you can get a glimpse of their beak. Little Bob has on the left side of the cere a kind of white netting pattern.

Dad brought in another fish at 14:17.

Now looking carefully, see the little osprey’s head in the middle of the image below. That is Little Bob. I want to point him out to you because you can clearly see that whitish netting on his cere. It sometimes looks like someone took a white paint brush and went over the cere and under the eye of this third hatch. You will also notice that Little Bob is being himself – getting to the front of the table where Mum is feeding and never taking his eyes off that fish until he is full.

Little Bob is in a very good position to get a lot of fish.

You might also notice that spot in the feathers between Little Bob’s eyes. That pattern might not stay there but for now, it is also helpful in finding him in the group.

In the image below you can see those two indicators clearly.

Little Bob has quit eating. There you can see him on the far right. Just look at that crop. Talking about ready to pop. I think that Mum fed Little Bob most of the fish in the beginning. He should really sleep well. Dad should be in with another fish in a couple of hours! Oh, these three are so well fed and behaving so nicely.

So far, the feedings at Port Lincoln have been at 07:49, 10:05:13, 11:26, and 14:17. That is four and it is only the middle of the afternoon. Well done, Dad.

It is time to call it a night. So happy for Xavier and Diamond that their first hatch is so strong. It ate so well and so did our little Ospreys at Port Lincoln. As I sign off the day continues to look good in Australia. Oh, and I almost forgot. The Superb Fairy Wren was voted Australia’s Bird of 2021. That is an image of a male Superb Fairy Wren below. That plumage is amazing. During breeding season, the electric blue plumage becomes iridescent. They are common across Southeast Australia and are known to sing to the chicks when they are in the egg – the chicks recognize the parents by their voice when they hatch.

“superb fairy wren male” by Ralph Green is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Over 400,000 votes were cast this year. The Guardian said, “The superb fairywren has been voted bird of the year for 2021, narrowly defeating the tawny frogmouth in a nail-biting finish.” Here is the story:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/08/superb-fairywren-crowned-2021-australian-bird-of-the-year-winner-in-hotly-contested-vote#:~:text=The%20superb%20fairywren%20has%20been,during%20the%2010%2Dday%20competition.

Take care everyone!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots and video clips: The Port Lincoln Osprey Barge and Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.

Waiting for hatch at Orange

We are all waiting with Xavier and Diamond for the first (or all) of the eyases to hatch in the scrape box at Orange, Australia. There is, perhaps, a pip. Fingers crossed. BTW. The Peregrine Falcons made it to the final vote in the Australian Bird of the Year. We now wait to see who wins.

The chicks on the Port Lincoln Osprey nest certainly did get another big feed at 16:28. A small fish tail was brought on the nest at 19:57 but everyone had a big crop. Mum got off the nest for a bit a little later. Everyone is great. As I continue to say, all three chicks are doing well and I sure haven’t seen any of the rivalry of past years.

The chicks are still eating the whopper of a fish brought in at 14:49. This is going to really fill them up. It is also late in the day.

Some are still eating at 15:23.

Dad is still on the nest after delivering the 16:28 fish. You can see that the chicks still have large crops from the feeding they just finished.

This fish will really top them off.

There was certainly not a lot of fish left on that tail that Dad brought in. It does not matter. I hope that Mum got some of it. The chicks are definitely full and will be fine til tomorrow.

I am always looking for great videos by the people that advertise for the various camera companies. The reason? Their footage is simply the very, very best. So when I spotted Mark Smith’s video about the migration of the mullet off Florida, I knew there would be some great Osprey images. I would also like to think that our very own Tiny Tot, Achieva Osprey’s miracle third hatch survivor in 2021, might be out there during that annual mullet run filling her crop. Here is the link. It is about 8 minutes long and worth all of it.

Enjoy those wonderful shots of Mark’s.

Thank you for joining me this morning. All of the nestlings in Australia are doing great. I have one last image to leave with you. One of the FB members posted this gorgeous screen shot of the 367 Collins Street Falcon faily. I am reposting it here because it is priceless and a lovely way to leave our blog. Take care everyone.

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

Checking on the Aussie Birds

Everyone is still waiting for any sign of a pip or a hatch with Xavier and Diamond’s eggs at their scrape box on the water tower on Charles Sturt University at Orange. It is now mid-afternoon on the 7th of October. Diamond has been restless but she sure is not revealing anything to anyone!

Meanwhile the week-old chicks at 367 Collins Street are growing by leaps and bounds. It was really hot today and Mum was a great ‘Mumbrella’ to keep the heat off their pink skin underneath all that white fluffy down. Mom was panting, too.

Those four are really getting stronger too. Each of them can easily sit with their neck held relatively still. It is so much easier for the parents to feed them.

This is Mom feeding.

The baby or the 4th hatch is doing great too. There it is on the right. Their eyes are open wide. Such cuties. Just notice how much of the scrape box they take up today. We will compare this with them next week. It should be interesting.

This is Dad feeding. If you have trouble recognizing them, one of the best ways is to look behind the legs and between the tail. Mum has lots of long dirty feathers from brooding the chicks. Dad doesn’t. Dad has more yellow on the eyes and is, of course, much smaller. But the feathers behind the legs are a giveaway that it is Mum.

The Port Lincoln Osprey Cam was offline for a good part of the early morning. I do not know when the three osplets were fed but each had large crops when the stream returned. I think they must have had a really good feed.

If you are wondering how Little Bob is doing, well that ‘ps’ of his in the image below says it all.

Everyone is waiting for a fish, snoozing in the sunshine of a beautiful Australian afternoon. It is 17 degrees C and the winds are blowing at 16 kph.

The Sydney Sea Eagles are incredibly beautiful. We are getting near and nearer to branching. This nest has been full of wonderful surprises this year, just like the Port Lincoln Osprey Nest.

Lady Hawk did a 5 minute video of some of the cuteness that these two WBSE have gotten into. Have a look:

I took a drive on a very hot day to check out the number of Pelicans and Cormorants still around and to see the geese come into the fields. They begin around 15:00 and continue to dusk.

Manitoba has one-third of North America’s American White Pelicans during the summer season. There are often 100 or more on our Red River near the dam at Lockport Heritage Park. Today, there were only four Pelicans and two Cormorants. There were, however, quite a few Greater Yellow Legs. The birds were back lit and more than a football field away so the images are not as good as I had hoped.

This is a non-breeding immature Greater Yellowlegs.

The Double-crested Cormorant had just landed on the water and was drying off its wings. There were fish jumping and everyone will eat well today, if they already haven’t.

There are always lots of Ring-billed Gulls.

I have one last thing to share with you. Sandhill Cranes. I missed seeing the hundreds of them when they landed south of Winnipeg about a month ago as they began their migration. On Saturday, during Ferris Akel’s tour, he filmed a number of Sandhill Cranes at Montezuma. They are such beautiful birds. He has posted that edited video. Here is the link:

Thank you so much for joining me. I had hoped to have hatch news for you but we wait, just like Xavier does. Take care. See you soon.

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

Late night check in with the PLO and Collins Street kids

The males have been working overtime it seems making sure that there is food for all of the nestlings.

As many of you know, the weather in Port Lincoln has been anything but ideal. The winds were blowing from 40-50 kph and there were white caps on the water. At one time the barge and nest appeared to be rocking around quite a bit. Still, a miracle happened. Having been hunkered down, Dad brought in the first fish for the osplets at 8:37:58. It was truly remarkable. But what was more outstanding was that he delivered a second fish at 8:38:02, a third at 10:14:25, and a fourth at 13:53. It is just now turning 15:00 on the nest. This is simply joyous. Everyone has eaten, they have had crops, and there has been complete civility.

I put in the image below for two reasons. The crops of the two osplets on the front row are getting bigger. Secondly, because that is Little Bob who is on the front left. I want you to have a very good close look at his cere, the lighter bits below the beak and the black line through his eye. Look at its thickness. It is thinner than the other two. additionally, his head is just a wee bit lighter, for now.

I believe that it is Little Bob and Big Bob eating with Middle Bob holding back. It will get fed. Do not worry!

You can almost lose them on the nest these days. Little Bob has decided to flap his wings a bit while Middle Bob eats some fish.

Just look at Little Bob. Chubby tail, wings, fat little bottom and those soft pantaloons to go with the big white clown feet. They are so adorable. I never knew pin feathers could be so strikingly beautiful.

Oh, dear, watch out Mum!

Ah, look at those legs! These osplets are nice and healthy.

In Melbourne, the eyases are being fed just about every hour. Birds, mostly pigeon, arrived at 6:12:50, 7:10:34, 8:07:39, 9:12, 10:20:07, 12:42:14, 14:40, and 15:51:06. Everyone who was hungry got fed until they fell asleep. We will be seeing some remarkable growth for these little fluff balls. Tomorrow their eyes will be open wider, their necks will be getting more stronger and the amount of space they take up in the scrape box will be larger. Of course, we are only mid-afternoon, and already eight feedings. There will be quite a number before it is time for these wee ones to tuck it in for the night.

Oh, wonderful. They are ready for a snack.

Oh, relief. It is not a pigeon.

Here I come with another Melbourne Blue Plate Special kids.

Wake up everyone! It’s tea time!!!!!

Open wide!

Sleeping babies.

Let us all remember the great joy that the birds brought us last year and now. Hopefully you had an opportunity to take a deep breath. Maybe you were able to enjoy your garden or the wildlife in your area. Perhaps you came to love many of the bird and animal families on the streaming cams. I know that I felt more joyful just by becoming more connected with nature. So when someone asks you if you are ready for things to return to normal, think about your answer carefully.

Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin remark, “Under a dark cloud of fear and confusion people all over the world found solace and respite in nature; it improved the quality of their lives and their physical and mental health.” I believe that everyone reading my blog finds joy and inspiration in birds. You also do whatever you can to make their lives better. Each and every one of you has either aided or is aiding birds in one or in many ways. We all do what we can. The simple act of providing water during migration can be a huge help. Making sure your windows are left dirty or have deflectors so the there is no bird strike is another. Writing to people who can lobby for laws that ban lead in hunting and fishing equipment as well as the designer poisons such as rodenticide help tens of thousands a year. Educating people and working with your local parks authority to eliminate the feeding of bread to ducks can keep the waterfowl healthy. Donating even the smallest amount can keep the streaming cameras running for some not-for-profit nature centres and bring joy to hundreds of others. The list is endless.

Thank you for popping in to check on these two nests. Take care of yourself and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

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

Gold Star for PLO Dad!

I couldn’t wait to tell you!

The winds were blowing between 40 and 50 kph but the Dad at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge did what everyone thought was impossible. He went out in that storm and brought a fish in for his family. It arrived on the nest at 8:37:58.

The weather was so bad. Mom is wet and trying so hard to keep those babies dry.

It is simply unbelievable that Dad was able to go out in that weather and bring this nice fish in for the family. Tears of joy that the kids had breakfast. So happy!

Everyone ate. I hope that Mom got some too.

The kids behaved themselves, too. Brilliant!

Mom has them all tucked in again. So breakfast arrived earlier than some days. Maybe there will be other deliveries!

Compared to last year this is like an entirely different nest. These parents are working so well together for everyone in the family. Now that I have seen this I can believe that Dad can do anything. Gold stars today! Lots of them.

Oh, it is a great day. Thanks for stopping by for the good news.

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

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.

Fish delivery at PLO. Tears of joy.

It is 11:36 on the Port Lincoln Osprey Nest and Mom is still waiting for Dad to bring in a fish. I have peeked but, she is up and waiting and hopeful. The chicks are behaving themselves. That is a relief. I don’t know what will happen when the fish does arrive on the nest. Thinking positive!

What is very noticeable is the change in appearance of the two older osplets from yesterday. They have really lost that light down and are quickly transitioning to the reptile stage. That is part of the reason that they might have looked ‘skinny’ to some on those days when they were full with crops.

Hatch Information:

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

Little Bob still has the light down. It is difficult to distinguish between big and Middle sometimes but I believe that the chick on the left is Big Bob and the one on the right, Middle Bob.

Oh, joy. 11:44:35. It looks like the chicks are anticipating a feeding.

And it looked like shadows of parents moving. Sadly, the camera angle is focused here and we cannot see for sure. I really hope that there has been a fish delivery. These three are behaving themselves but they are really, really hungry ——– and so is Mom!

Waiting.

Fish? No Fish? I think that I am full of anxiety as I watch these three. They are not fighting. They are waiting. Is there food for them?

It is 12:13 on the nest. If a fish was caught, it has not come to the nest nor have the chicks been fed. Mom is calling loudly.

They are still waiting for lunch. Look at the image above and notice where Little Bob is. Now look at where he has gone in anticipation of a fish delivery.

The view from the nest.

Mom is working hard to keep them focused on her so they will not fight.

The real fish finally came in. 12:46:07. Mom does not need to do the fake feeding anymore!

Little Bob is curled up. No doubt they are hungry and their energy is depleted. There is enough fish for everyone. He can wait and let the others get theirs first.

This is very unusual for Little Bob. He is normally up at the table immediately. Big Bob has come up to eat. Wake up Little!

Little Bob came around! You can see his crop getting fuller through the sequence of images. Look at that crop on Middle Bob who is on the left. Then Big Bob and then Little Bob.

It is a nice fish. Mom really needs to eat too. I hope she fills these three up until they pop.

Everyone is happy and behaving themselves. That is also a relief after the earlier skirmishes around dawn.

One last image as those crops get fuller and fuller.

I am just so excited to tell you the good news. These little ones will be full for a bit. They can eat more and I hope that mom continues to feed them – like I said, til they popped. Continue to send warm wishes and positive thoughts to this nest. It is at such a vulnerable stage today.

I am sending this off toggled to my phone as our Internet is out. So thank you again. Take care everyone.

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