Tag Archives: Port Lincoln Osprey Project

Sadness on the WRDC Nest and other Bird World News

Yesterday we celebrated the arrival of R3 on the WRDC in Miami-Dade County. The third hatch of Ron and Rita did not make it and died. It would be seriously impossible to tell what caused the death. The nest cup is so deep and narrow that it might have just been suffocated. We will not know for sure. Rita removed its body from the nest cup at 11:18 this morning and placed it along the rim of the nest at 06:00. It will probably become part of the nest unless Rita or Ron remove the body completely from the nest.

R1 and R2 are healthy and growing. Let us celebrate that! As you know I had hoped that R3 would not even hatch. It is always better to have strong healthy eaglets, fewer of them, than more not so healthy.

It is also wonderful that the adults continue to work on this nest. Spanish Moss is coming in to fill up the nest cup and make everything soft while branches are going up on the side. I was a little worried about these curious Rs climbing on what appears to be chicken wire like construction. Yes, just another worried auntie!!!!

Rita looking lovingly at her two surviving chicks, R1 and R2 after R3 passed.

At the time, I actually thought that R2 might have been dying but it was only in a deep food coma. Seriously, I almost panicked. Thankfully, both chicks are fine as you can see from the time stamp above. They have been eating a green parrot and fish.

As the day progresses, the heat comes on the nest. Rita is busy helping R1 and R2 stay cool. As we know from the heat wave going through the Pacific Northwest in May and June of 2021, heat can cause bird deaths. In Canada, many jumped from their nests to avoid being ‘cooked to death’ during that heat wave. It is currently 27 degrees C in Miami with a chance or rain. These two little ones are unable to regulate their own temperatures so the parents must help them.

Here is the link to the WRDC nest:

Anna and Louis are approaching pip watch and official hatch watch (is there a difference?) tomorrow. The KNF Wildlife staff posted this notice on their FB page this morning. Steve and Cody, the Rangers who maintain the cam, appear to be super excited. So am I!

Here is the link to the KNF nest. There is one egg for Anna and Louis as the second egg was broken by accident when Anna landed one day. They fledged their first chick last year, Kisatchie. Kistachie was the first eaglet to hatch at this nest since 2013. Incredible. It is a beautiful nest close to Kincaid Lake in central Louisiana and belonged to an elderly Bald Eagle couple that quit using it in 2013. Louis and Anna arrived and then last breeding season returned to take over the nest and raise their family. Louis is an excellent fisher! No shortage of fish. Indeed, last year this pair could have started a fish exporting business to other eagle nests as they had way too much food!

Here is the link to their camera:

Well, gosh. There are going to be a lot of little eaglets hatching in the next week. I could not even begin to count them but we have Captiva and, of course, my faves, Samson and Gabby up at NEFlorida.

It is windy and there are showers near the Jacksonville nest of Samson and Gabby today. It is currently 15 degrees C – wow. That is a whole lot cooler than Miami or Fort Myers who are both reporting high 20s today.

Here is the link to Gabby and Samson up at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest near Jacksonville. They are a great couple to watch. I put them and Harriet and M15 right up at the top of the ‘do not worry’ list. For those of you that do not know, this was the adult male, Samson’s, natal nest. He has great DNA. His parents were Romeo and Juliet. Samson hatched 23 December 2013. He returned with his mate Gabby after the 2018-19 sadness with his parents. The American Eagle Federation gives this account, “However, the 2018-2019 season was very different, as several large mature eagles disturbed the peace and tranquility of this nest. The expectations of the season ended in heartache as Juliet returned to the nest with an injury and was subsequently driven from the nest by a rival just days before the eggs were to hatch, leaving Romeo to do the work of two. When an egg hatched on Christmas Day 2018, a female eagle following Romeo to the nest swooped down and took the hatchling. This was not A2.” The A2 they are referring to is Gabby who later partnered with Samson. Romeo and Juliet raised 19 eaglets to fledge in 10 seasons.

Gabby and Samson raised two their first season, Jules and Romey. They fledged Legacy – one spectacular juvenile – last breeding season. I am really looking forward to this year. Can you tell?

It is hot on the SWFlorida nest of Harriet and M15 today. All I can say about E19 and E20 is that they are absolutely precious. Harriet is keeping them cool.

You can see that Harriet is shading them but the two eaglets have moved into shady patches on the nest, too. They are older than Ron and Rita’s chicks and are moving quickly around this large nest.

Down in Port Lincoln, Australia, there are wee showers. It looks like Falky did have the nest reservation. He spent the afternoon, all evening on the nest, and he will be there, hopefully, to get the morning breakfast fish in about 3 or 4 hours.

Falky and Ervie had quite the dust up yesterday. Falky might have thought Ervie was not going to honour his reservation departure time!

Falky decided to lay down duckling style late in the day.

It is hard to see him but he is on the nest, nearly in the same spot. For some reason they all stand or sleep there. Must be something magical about that space.

Just look at this beautiful fledgling. Se McGregor posted a recent image taken of WBSE 27 by the National Parks and Wildlife Services of NSW. Gorgeous. She is doing well. Let us all send warm wishes for continual improvement. Many rehabbers believe it takes two years to fully train an eagle that has not been trained by its parents. I wonder how long they will keep 27? I hope a long time til this bird is confident and strong.

Annie and Grinnell continue to bond and have total control of their territory. Cal Falcons posted an image of Grinnell with a large crop on the ledge on National Bird Day.

Other than the death of R3, things in Bird World are looking pretty good at noon on a Friday. It is -27 C on the Canadian Prairies dropping to -32 later today. That is exactly 54 degrees C different than the temperatures Harriet and M15 and Ron and Rita are experiencing in southern Florida today. That is a 129.5 degrees F difference! Whew. Temperature extremes.

Thank you for joining me this morning. I will continue to monitor the reservation rota at Port Lincoln! Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: WRDC Eagle Nest, SWFlorida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, NEFlorida Eagle Cam and the AEF, KNF Eagle Cam, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Center FB Page, and Cal Falcons Twitter Page.

National Bird Day

Today is 5 January and in North America this marks National Bird Day. As all of you are aware, our feathered friends have many challenges. Climate change, warming oceans, loss of habitat, hydro pole electrocution, window strike, disease, rodenticide secondary poisoning, lead poisoning, illegal pet trade, and many more are threats. This is a day to raise awareness. For me, it is also a day to contemplate the joy the birds bring to my life and all their teachings.

Well, I truly messed up. When I was writing about the National Arboretum Nest, I said The First Lady. This lovely couple is Mr President and Lotus – not The First Lady. Apparently, TFL left and this young lady showed up and Mr President took a liking to her. Wow. I missed that!

This is the new couple at The National Arboretum in Washington, DC Bald Eagle Nest. I checked on the American Eagle Foundation and they still have TFL listed for this nest but, that is not TFL, it is Lotus.

Two things happened in our birding community yesterday. One of them is important to everyone. It concerns photographing birds. One of the members of the Manitoba Birding and Photography group was out taking photos of Snowy Owls in rural Manitoba, about an hour outside of our main city, Winnipeg. He was on a public gravel road and had pulled over to eat his sandwich and drink the tea in his thermos. He was not trespassing. Without warning, two pick up trucks with three men blocked his car. They accused him of being an environmental spy on their hog operation. He showed them his camera and told him he was taking pictures of Snowy Owls. They did not believe him. They told him others had said the same thing. He knew that it would only be members of our group but, he just kept his mouth shut. He felt threatened. He was finally able to get out of the situation but, when he returned he gave some advice to all of us which I am passing on to you. He advised anyone going out birding and taking photographs to make sure their cell phone is charged and that they have cell service. He suggested not stopping in areas of no cell service. Apparently he had neither. I am going to go a little further and suggest that 1) you have a charger for your phone in your car; 2) you make sure you have cell service; 3) if possible have another person with you; 4) make sure you have lots of petrol; 5) know where you are located; and 6) tell someone where you are going!

I also want to add a little something to this. I lived near to where this man might have been photographing owls for a long time. People used to stop and take photographs of the animals. It did not bother me. That said, the world has changed and people are more fearful than the days when we didn’t lock our doors and left the keys in our vehicles. Exercise caution. Someone might really be afraid that you are taking photos of their property for other reasons.

The other thing was a listing of things you can use to feed birds that was being circulated on FB. if you didn’t see it, I am posting it below. This might come in handy if you run out of birdseed and suet. I note that Crows like other items such as hard boiled eggs and hamburger meat. They sometimes will eat fruit.

The two eaglets of Harriet and M15 have been both naughty and nice this morning. Both are well feed and thank goodness they have had a quiet sleep. They keep those adults on their toes!

Port Lincoln posted several photographs of Mum on their FB page. She was having a bit of a spa day. How gorgeous! You can check out Ervie’s progress and any postings about the family by searching for Port Lincoln Osprey on FB. You do not have to be a member of the group to look at the media, the discussions, or to make comments.

This note is also from Port Lincoln: “Ervie had watchers worried a couple of days ago when he took over Bazza’s spot on the nest and didn’t move but today he has really spread his wings and crossed the Peninsula to Proper Bay. This is a favoured fishing location for Mum and Dad so it certainly looks as though they are showing him the ropes.”

Ervie is growing up and maybe, just maybe, he was saying goodbye to all the other day. Mum and Dad did well this year with the three boys. It was simply a great Osprey nest to watch.

If you are a fan of Pale Male, Bruce Yolton has posted some lovely images of him. I want to also note that Pale Male and Octavia were seen in Central Park the other day hunting as well. I believe this Red-tail Hawk is 32 years old. Amazing.

If you cannot open some of the things I post and they have that little sideways ‘V’ on the bottom right, if you click on it you will find the link and you can cut and paste.

Pale Male

I will be checking on all the nests throughout the day. There are intruders hanging around the Achieva Osprey nest. One of them is the one that Tiny Tot Tumbles battled several times. I can see no action on the third egg at Miami-Dade but it is hard to see in that nest. There was supposed to be signs of a pip yesterday morning. It is getting busy, thankfully. And on a personal note, the repairman is returning to put a part on my furnace within the hour – thank goodness for small miracles as our temperatures begin to plummet again to -32 C.

Take care everyone. It is wonderful to have you with me. Be safe, stay well.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Osprey FB Page, National Arboretum Eagle Cam and the AEF, SWFlorida Bald Eagle Cam and the D Pritchett Family.

Late Monday and early Tuesday in Bird World

Oh, goodness. Bazza spent the night on the nest in the same spot as Ervie did. Bazza has been there all day waiting for a fish delivery. No one thinks this is unusual – it is Bazza! But, when Ervie did the same thing, we worried. It was out of character for him.

It is windy and the water is choppy today, too. Falky and Ervie are no where in sight. It is Mum and Bazza on the barge. Maybe Ervie and Falky are out trying their luck fishing with Dad.

Ervie will eat that fish tail that he left last night when he wakes up.

Bazza is certainly a handsome Osprey.

Sometimes Bazza hunkers down duckling style on the nest when it is windy or he is tired of standing up. You can just see Mum on the ropes at the right near the bottom of the image.

No fish deliveries so far despite Bazza’s fish calling.

In the video clip below, Xavier calls Diamond up to their scrape box on the water tower at Charles Sturt University at Orange today. Their bonding ritual with its bowing and eh-chupping is fascinating. It took place a few minutes ago. What a beautiful couple they are!

Right now OGK, the male Royal Cam Albatross parent, is incubating his egg for a straight 13 days, 14 tomorrow. His mate YRK has not returned. There are two possibilities: she has had to travel so far to find enough food to eat to sustain her on incubation duties or she has been caught and killed by the long lines on the fishing trawlers. As we are aware, the oceans are warming. At the same time there are countries who have huge trawlers scooping up the fish 24/7. Each are causing havoc for our sea birds and it will get worse. Let us all hope that YRK is alright. The NZ DOC rangers have already removed the fertile egg from under OGK and put it in the incubator. OGK is incubating a dummy egg in case he has to leave to save his life before YRK returns, if she does. The rangers are also prepared to give OGK supplementary feedings. In terms of their birds, NZ is enlightened. They recognize what climate change and humans have done to destroy the environment for the animals and the birds and they are doing something positive for them. I hope that YRK shows up while I am writing this. It would be the best thing!

I have been trying to find live bird cams in Japan for one of my readers, ‘A’. I found this one that has three different cameras for three different wildlife or bird boxes. The boxes are located at the base of Mount Lizuna which is northwest of Tokyo. One is for Mandarin Ducks, another is for Ural Owls, and another is a wild bird feeding station. Please enjoy and if you know of other streaming cams in Japan, please let me know so I can spread the news!

It is the beginning of a new year for all of us and what could be a better time than now to reflect on the beauty, the inspiration, and the sheer joy that our feathered friends brought to us over the past year. They taught us so much. How many times would we be able to see a Peregrine falcon couple bonding? or a Bald Eagle tenderly feeding its chick? or a third hatch be clever and courageous? We are so blessed. I am starting to make a short list of resolutions for this year and they include writing to everyone I know to try and end the harm that longline fishing is doing. I also want to work towards a ban on the manufacture of rodenticide, which causes secondary poisoning to birds, and lead in hunting and fishing equipment. All of those require persistent e-mail mails. Protective covers for power poles need to be put in place and there needs to be awareness of the dangers of monofilament line and a clean up of the shores of lakes and rivers. That is a start! I am certain that you can think of many more ways to make the lives of our birds better. Maybe you have made some resolutions, too. I would love to hear about them!

Thank you so much for joining me. It is always a pleasure to have you with me. Take care everyone!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures and video clips: Port Lincoln Osprey Project, the Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, and Cornell Bird Lab and the NZ DOC.

New Year’s Eve in Bird World

The Audubon Society has posted a list of five rules when photographing Bald Eagles. I think that they apply to every bird. Be respectful. Prey is often scarce and if you see a raptor hunting food don’t disturb it, please. Their life could depend on it!

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/winter-2017/five-rules-photographing-bald-eagle-nests?fbclid=IwAR0rgIDuOUG1oXKaHil_H4B_mFz6TF6JzcL-1fuIpMJG8Hgw4Smxbh_02BE

The other day I called E19 and E20 little stinkers. What a pair! One of them was even beaking an adult this morning! E20 holds its own – it just makes everyone a little anxious. They are strong and healthy. The images are a little fuzzy as I tried to crop them so you could see the little ones better.

Here they are going at it first thing while Mum tries to get over to feed them breakfast. Both had huge crops and at the second feeding weren’t interested in eating just dusting it up.

This cheeky eaglet facing Mum was beaking at her feathers!

Even with all the action, they are both adorable with their spiky tops.

Harriet has just finished feeding the pair some nice fresh fish.

Harriet is so experienced. It is often one bite for you and then a bite for your sibling.

Here is a video showing Dad, M15 giving E19 and E20 the last meal of the day yesterday!

It was a gorgeous morning at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest of Gabby and Samson.

Gabby is having a break looking over their territory in the morning mist.

Samson always enjoys getting some time with the eggs. Oh, so handsome.

Anna and Louis seem to have perfected transitioning incubation duties while protecting that one precious egg of theirs.

It is a beautiful nest full of pinecones for this little eaglet to use to learn how to grip with its talons.

It is already New Year’s Day in Australia and the Port Lincoln Lads were up early trying to get the first fish from Dad. It was 06:23 and Falky was on the nest!

Dad didn’t even eat the head!

Well done, Falky.

Diamond does not seem to have spent the night in the scrape box on the water tower at Charles Sturt University but she did arrive early. There was a lot of eee-chupping. It sounded like she was calling Xavier to come and join her. Xavier might have been off hunting for breakfast. It was a beautiful morning.

You are so beautiful, Diamond.

Everyone in Bird World seems to be doing just fine today. Big Red and Arthur have been spotted hunting together over by the power plant. It is comforting that all are doing well. We hope that all of the 2021 fledges fly safe, stay healthy, and have lots of prey items.

Thank you so much for joining me. Wishing you all a healthy and happy start to 2022. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: SWFlorida Bald Eagle Nest and D Pritchett Family, KNF Bald Eagle Nest, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, and NE Florida Bald Eagle Nest and the AEF.

Thursday in Bird World

The camera for Daisy’s nest is offline. This is the last image and it was raining at the time. Daisy will come to the nest just as she has done for the first 7 days to lay egg 8 today. It will become increasingly difficult for Daisy to cover the eggs as the number increases unless there is a miracle on the nest and a bunch of leaves fall for her to gather. As I pointed out in an earlier blog, Daisy had much more down last year and this was helpful but – it is not helpful in the rain as it shrinks and is for naught. We can only hope that Daisy’s luck continues but we must be prepared that it is a long slog for our little duck until these eggs hatch. Anything and everything can happen.

I will bring a brief update on Daisy later this evening if the camera starts streaming. Just wish our little duck all the luck you can.

There are wonderful reports coming from Jean-Marie Dupart in Senegal. The Osprey count is more than he would have imagined and he is having to report early. Dupart believes, by the end of the month, that he might have counted 1000 individual Ospreys!

At the Kalissaye Reserve, there were 127 for the entire month of November. Already in December for one week, the count is 160. Saloum Park had 64 birds for all of November and now already there are 90. Dupart is overjoyed.

The Kalissaye Reserve is a small nature centre or reserve near the Casamance River. The Casamance Region is know as ‘The Green Garden of Senegal’.

Wet lands and the Casamance River in the background. This is the area of the Ospreys. Wikimedia Commons.

This is Saloum Park or Delta in Sengegal. These look like perfect places for our Osprey to over winter.

Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons

The Port Lincoln Lads had plenty of fish yesterday. Ervie had the first two fish at 06:19 and 08:39. Bazza had the next four deliveries! At 14:22, 15:58, 17:33, and 20:40. Falky did steal one of Bazza’s fish so he did get something to eat yesterday. Mum delivered the 14:22 fish to Bazza – she even looked like she might have even fed her big boy! I think Bazza is indeed Mum’s ‘baby’ despite the fact that he was the first hatch.

The Captiva Osprey Pair, Andy and Lena, arrived back at their nest early.

I will give you this link to watch this nest but there is a word of caution. Andy and Lena have had many successful hatchlings but have never fledged any Osprey. The reason is that the Crows come and eat the chicks. That is so sad. Maybe this year Andy and Lena will have good luck like Port Lincoln.

The Kakapo Recovery has announced that 2021 adoptions are closing today – that is the 10th of December in New Zealand. If you are a supporter of the Kakapo Recovery, you might wish to adopt one of the non-flying parrots as a holiday gift to all your family.

There are two eggs at the Captiva Bald Eagle nest with Connie and Clive and two eggs with Anna and Louis at the KNF nest in central Louisiana.

Connie’s new mate, Clive, looks at the two eggs.

You can watch Connie and Clive here:

Louis is just a great dad down at the KNF Bald Eagle nest. Last year he was so excited when Kisatchie hatched that there were 18 fish on the nest for the eaglet and Mum. There was no way they could eat all of them. This year he is really helping to build up a really cosy nest!

This is Anna and Louis’s second breeding attempt. Last year they fledged Kisatchie. They are in a very old nest in the Kisatchie National Forest. It had belonged to another Bald Eagle couple who had fledglings up to 2013. Kisatchie, last spring, was the first eaglet to fledge from the nest in 8 years. It was a wonderful event.

Here is the link to Anna and Louis’s nest. I promise they are a fun couple.

Thank you for joining me today. It is so nice to have you stopping in to check on the birds. Isn’t that a great count of Ospreys in Senegal? Wow. I am hoping that Blue 463 might be spotted — our very own Tiny Little Bob from the Foulshaw Moss nest in Cumbria. Take care everyone.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or their FB Pages where I took my screen shots: the Kakapo Recovery, the KNF Bald Eagle Cam, the Captiva Bald Eagle Cam, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Sea Eagles @Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Wikimedia Commons, Captiva Osprey Cam, and Jean-Marie Dupart for his report on the Ospreys in Senegal.

Wednesday in Bird World

Daisy has laid her 7th egg in the nest of the White-Bellied Sea Eagles in Sydney’s Olympic Forest. She has spent the morning trying to get more down from her breasts and sides – without a lot of luck – and looking for more natural materials to cover her nest. She may have to dig around on the other side of the nest. She seems reluctant this year to cover the eggs and leave them to go over and root around.

So much down last year so little this year.

Here is a video of Dad, the WBSE that owns the nest, flying in at night. Oh, so lucky none of Daisy’s eggs were not broken.

The Port Lincoln Osprey fledglings have been neglected. It was so fantastic to go and check on them and have some great close-ups of Ervie! Oh, he is a handsome young man.

That is a gorgeous crest. That white V that we looked for when he was small is so prominent. He has a nice crop.

Janet Forster says that the trio have been flying circles around the barge. They have also been seen chasing the parents screaming for fish! Good lads.

Here is Janet waving to everyone on camera. She is on the shore with her long lens. You can just make her out about 3/4 of the way over in the background. Thanks Janet for all you do so we can enjoy the Ospreys!

So far everyone is doing fine including Daisy. It is a long haul for our little Duck compounded with the predators and the lack of material on the nest. Still, we hope. The three Osprey lads are magnificent. I am so proud of this nest. Bald Eagles continue to lay eggs and work on nests. And, of course, the Great Horned Owls are looking for nests. There is a pair on the Savannah Osprey nest thinking pretty hard about using it for their breeding season.

There are a lot of people waiting to see if the GHOWs will also use Farmer Derek’s Bald Eagle nest. Will keep you posted!

Take care. It is nearing noon on Daisy’s nest and so far all is well. Thank you for dropping by.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Sea Eagles@ Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, and Cornell Bird Lab and Savannah Ospreys.

Oh, for the love of Ervie

It is no secret that my long-term research project on third hatch Ospreys that survive can cause a whole lot of heart ache. The opposite side of that is the sheer joy in watching these ‘thirds’ come into their own. Some suffer much more than others. In 2021, one of the worst was Tiny Tot Tumbles on the Achieva Osprey nest in Florida.

There is Tiny Tot Tumbles beside sibling 1. I often called her ‘Big Nasty Sister’. She is the reason that many people do not like to watch the Osprey nests. That said, sibling 1 stopped a lot of the beating on Tiny Tot because sibling 2 started. That nestling would purposefully eat and eat and eat so that Tiny Tot had no food.

Beaten and starved. It was hard for anyone to imagine Tiny Tot Tumbles surviving. There she is all submissive, literally starving, while the others eat.

What a beautiful bird Tiny Tot Tumbles became.

Elegant. Tiny Tot Tumbles is one of the most striking juvenile ospreys I have ever seen. Before she left the nest, her plumage was super espresso with only the thinest of white scallop revealing she was not an adult. She was smart. She remained on the nest honing her flying skills, getting stronger, learning how to fight off intruders. It is a shame she is not banded but she has a very distinctive pattern on her crown.

At Foulshaw Moss in Cumbria, no one expected Tiny Little Bob to survive more than a couple of days. The weather was miserable and the two older siblings were 4x her size.

The size difference increased. That is how she got the name ‘Tiny Little Bob’ because she was just so small.

I love this image. Tiny Little Bob really wants some of the flounder that Mum, Blue 35 has. She has watched and waited til the older siblings are full. Then she will make her move. She exhibits all of the hallmarks of a third hatch survivor – patience, fortitude, and ‘focused watching’. They can read the nest.

I wish I had this video recorder earlier so that I could have captures Tiny Tot Tumbles ousting the intruders from the nest! Or more of Tiny Little Bob. I did get it in time to show you Blue 463 in the nest. It is the third week in August. All three of the Foulshaw Moss chicks have fledged. White YW is an incredible provider and he will stay until Tiny Little Bob migrates before he leaves. She will be the last one to leave. Smart girl. She really fattened up for that migratory trip. I only hope that she survived. Few British Ospreys have been spotted in The Gambia and Senegal. There are lots without bands along the coast of West Africa but not the ringed British. Where are they?

Tiny Little Bob is banded as Blue 463. She is the bird on the back of the nest on the right. She is food calling. I want you simply to notice how big she is. Tiny Little Bob became the dominant bird on the Foulshaw Moss nest for 2021. She could fight for the fish with the best of them. Most of the time she used her patience and ‘snake eye’ to get the siblings off their lunch!

At Port Lincoln, Bazza aka Big Bob, tried several times to dominate but, Ervie aka Little Bob wasn’t having it. If you have been following me most of the time you will know that when the three males were banded, Little Bob got the sat-pak because he was the biggest of the three. Unlike Tiny Tot Tumbles who missed 12 full days of meals in the first five weeks of her life, Tiny Little Bob made sure he was right up front by Mum’s beak. I don’t think he ever missed a meal and he would certainly stay til he was full. On the morning of the banding, Little Bob had landed the breakfast fish. That probably helped a lot with that weight in!

There is Little Bob in front with his beak wide open. Just look at those little wings. Oh, my goodness is there anything cuter than a recently hatched osplet?

The thing about the third hatch survivors is that they have lived out of sheer willpower and cleverness. I can almost hear Ervie say, ‘I am not taking anything from you, Bazza!’ They become kinda’ street wise. They watch, assess, and attack. Does anyone remember Tiny Little Bob staring down both of her big siblings? They were not going to get anything by her. You might also remember that Tiny Tot Tumbles took on any intruder protecting the nest. She was fierce. That is how they survive — and I believe that they are actually better able to cope out in the world of Ospreys far away from the nest than their siblings.

Ervie sure showed us what he is made of today.

Bazza had the fish and had been eating. Ervie really likes the back portion and the tail. So he is watching Bazza. I could have made this into a video but what I want you to do is focus on the ‘look’ on Ervie’s face and his actions.

Ervie is the bird on the right. Bazza is in the middle with the fish tail. Falky is on the left and is not interested.

Look at Ervie’s eyes and his open beak as he lands on the nest. He is telling Bazza he wants that fish tail now. Ervie means business.

Ervie is twisting his body. He is not looking at Bazza’s face. He is looking at the fish tail.

Ervie moves up and over pushing Bazza’s head. Ervie raises his wings.

Ervie is totally in front of Bazza. Notice that Bazza is not looking at the fish.

Ervie turns his head around. You can draw a line from his eye and beak to the fish. Ervie is completely focused.

He goes for it.

Ervie dives down to get the fish tail.

He has it. He turns his body and raises his wings. Bazza is being pushed out of the way so Ervie can turn.

He’s got it. Wow. Just look at the impressive wings of Ervie.

Ervie moves over to the other edge of the nest where he finishes the fish tail. The entire take over bid took 19 seconds.

Bazza does not seemed phased and Falky probably wishes he were somewhere else!

These three have just been a joy to watch. I wish each of them had been given a sat-pak so that we could watch their lives unfold. I hope that the hydro poles in South Australia have their protective covers placed on them just as quickly as it can happen. The loss of Solly was a tragedy in terms of understanding the dispersal and long term survival of these Eastern Osprey.

I hope that I have not bored you too much with these third hatches. Each is really a miracle and for me, remembering them helps honour the pain and suffering that they went through to live.

Thank you for joining me. Take care everyone. See you soon.,

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots or my video clips: Achieva Credit Union, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, and Cumbrian Wildlife Trust and Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest.

PLO lads are being lads

Oh, goodness. Things can get a little rowdy on the Port Lincoln Osprey nest. It is almost like the adrenalin is rushing at various times of the day. Today it hit mid-afternoon.

I first checked on the boys and they were still waiting for breakfast at 10:46. No doubt Mum and Dad are hoping that they will at least attempt getting their own fish. For the Western Ospreys that migrate, catching that first fish normally occurs after migration but with the Eastern Ospreys that do not migrate, the lads should be watching, learning, and trying. I know they are genetically hardwired to know precisely how to fish but it sure would help to follow dad and observe where he finds his good catches.

It is tiring just trying to keep up with what is going on so I just want to give you a snippet.

Bazza has a fish from dad at 14:37. At 15:16:36 Bazza thinks that Falky is getting too close to his meal and he shoves Falky off the nest. (Ervie is minding his own business out of the way).

I am thankful that they can all fly. Still a sudden plunge in the water could prove disastrous even now.

Bazza is quickly earning his nickname, ‘Big Bad Bazza.’ Bazza goes back to eating his fish after he gets rid of Falky.

At 15:18 Mum arrives with a fish. Bazza, not content to continue eating his own fish, decides that he wants Mum to feed him hers. Meanwhile, Falky who is looking on, has returned to the nest at 15:28. Mum is going to feed him, too!

Ervie is minding his own business eating a fish that Dad delivered at 15:23.

At some point, however, Ervie even crashed Mum’s party and wanted her to feed him! Then he went back to his own fish.

Poor Mum and Dad. Mum still wants to be motherly and they want to be mothered. Dad is just busy hauling in the fish. Indeed, the three are so loud with the fish calling that they might be heard all the way to Streaky Bay! I don’t believe that we have to worry about any of the boys. By the time they leave this nest for good, each will be more than capable of fending off any interlopers. I am just so glad they saved the rivalry til they were fledglings. It was that beautiful civil nest that allowed for each to thrive and fledge.

Thanks everyone for stopping in. This was just a quick check on this nest as it is one of the only ones with any action happening at the moment. Take care. See you soon.

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

Oh, Bazza Baby

The Port Lincoln Lads seem to always be up to something. This morning Falky was flying about and Bazza and Ervie were on the nest. They had to have been full because there was a lovely fish tail on the nest and neither one of them were paying any attention to it.

It was very windy and Bazza entertained Ervie for about half an hour trying to land and stay on the perch. Have a look.

Are you finding that sometimes you could just use a little bit of ‘cute’ as we wait for new bobble heads in the raptor families to be born? What about a Korora?

They used to be called Little Blue Penguins. They are the smallest of the New Zealand penguins. This little one will weigh about 1 kg and be about 25 cm tall when it is fully grown. Their population is in decline due to dog, cat, stoat, and ferret kills. This group of predators has arisen because of the destruction of the penguin’s natural nesting sites for development. Sad.

And I want to give a shout out to ‘TAS’ for introducing me to this cute little non-raptor!

WBSE 27 has been observed being hounded by the Pied Currawong. This report comes from Cathy Cook on the ground:

As is usual in the Reserve, SE27 found herself being escorted & swooped by Noisy Miners, Magpies, Currawongs and Ravens, from the time she hopped out of the carrier. We saw her take 4 seperate flights, with her finally being observed (by credible people in the wharf cafe) to cross over the Parramatta River, just a little west of River Roost. The last picture shows SE27’s individual flights within the first 40 minutes after her release — at Newington Nature Reserve, Sydney Olympic Park.

Cathy posted pictures and a short video. I hope she does not mind my including one for you.

@ Cathy Cook

The saddest part about being a juvenile Sea Eagle is that for the rest of his life, 27 will be hounded by the smaller birds who, as you already know, are very effective in driving the juveniles out of the forest. I hope that Lady and Dad return to the River Roost on the Parramatta River to find 27 so they can feed her.

For all of you celebrating Thanksgiving with your friends, families and/or other loved ones in the USA, have a wonderful day. For those in Canada who celebrated in October, tomorrow is just another day. Take care. Always be thankful. See you soon.

Thank you to the Port Lincoln Osprey Project for its streaming cam where I video captured Bazza and to the Sea Eagles FB Page and Cathy Cook for the update on WBSE 27.

Updates from Bird World…or, oh, gosh…WBSE released 6 days ago!

Holly Parsons posted an update from Dr Cilla Kinross on the FB page for the Orange Peregrine Falcons. Thank you Holly!

(Nov 23):”I had a look at the eggs. One was clearly unfertilised. The other was, I think fertilised, but there was no chick inside. It exploded (big POP) all over me and it was just yellow liquid. No chick remains. I’ll do updates later. I’ll also try to get some confirmation from the museum where there are candling experts (I am not).”

One great report that was featured by Sunnie Day on FB is this. Just look at those numbers. Now how do we take care of these amazing birds – our Osprey?

Osprey Report for 2021, USA

The entire report on the Ospreys for the 2021 season can be read here:

https://www.ctaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Osprey-Nation-Report-for-the-2021-Season.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3gLbtstZokgb5Ii6EVTE6gj5_ifSVGCQQGaUiFUUmj61p3SMgUJy-WkUQ

If you want to protect our Ospreys, The Observer focuses on them this week. They say:

“A growing cause of death for ospreys is entanglement:  If adults incorporate monofilament or other discarded non-natural twine into their nests, these can end up wrapped around chicks’ feet, injuring or trapping them.  And, as food specialists, with one main food source, a grave threat to our osprey populations is contamination of their aquatic ecosystems; our Sarasota waterways.  As top predators, they’re exposed to the highest concentrations of toxins (such as mercury) in our environment. 

To protect these beautiful birds, who are key members of our ecosystem, we can keep toxins out of our waterways, and plastic litter, including twine and fishing-line, out of our environment.”

White Bellied Sea Eagles. 28 on the left and 27 on the right.
Is this WBSE 28 and not 27?

And great news coming out of Sydney, Australia. Someone let the cat out of the bag. The juvenile WBSE that was grounded by the Pied Currawongs was released six days ago on 18 November. I am using the term ‘juvenile WBSE’. There is no proof that it is either 27 or 28. It is a juvenile WBSE.

Just like we compared the Peregrine Falcons on the ledge yesterday, I want you to look carefully at the two images above. Someone that I trust very much indicated to me that the juvenile taken into care was not WBSE 27 but, rather, it was WBSE 28.

Dr Christian Sasse is one of my favourite people. He is so dedicated to the wildlife of British Columbia and in particular the Bald Eagles. Have a look at this beauty!

https://fb.watch/9t2vM9rY8t/

It is 14:47 and Harriet and M15 appear to still have one egg in the nest at Fort Myers, Florida on the Pritchett Farm.

Falky scored the 06:37 breakfast fish. At that point, Ervie took off flying behind Dad. Maybe Ervie is gonna go and see if he can get a fish himself.

The Eastern Osprey in Australia do not migrate. Unlike the Northern fish eagles that do shift to warmer climates during the winter and catch their first fish when they migrate, the Eastern Osprey will fish before they leave the parent’s territory.

There goes Ervie off the perch. I sure hope he learns to fish. He can get his own breakfast and eat it somewhere away from the brothers!!!

I have seen no further news coming out of UC-Berkeley on Grinnell and Annie.

It is not late in the day but it feels like it. It will be totally dark in less than an hour and a half. So I am off to clear up things outside.

Thank you for joining me. Take care!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures or for their FB Pages: Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Sea Eagles@ Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre and their FB Page, Sunnie Day and Holly Parsons.