Tag Archives: rodenticide

Pip at Manton Bay for Blue 33 and Maya…late Monday in Bird World

11 May 2026

Greetings Everyone,

It was a very sad day in the garden today.

We wake up, and over our morning cuppa, we count the animals at the feeders. There are always four grey squirrels, one red squirrel, two Blue Jays, and two Crows. The number of Starlings, Sparrows, Juncos, and others varies during the day. But, for two days, there have only been three grey squirrels. Thankfully, the elderly Dyson, the matriarch of all the grey squirrels, is one of those. But where is the other one?

On our walk with Toby, we passed by the house that had burned down at the corner some time ago. There on the boulevard was the grey squirrel. It had no visible signs of being hit by a car, and there were no wires for it to fall from its position. A friend of Don’s was here for lunch, and we determined with some minor science that it had probably been poisoned. Its body was brought back to the garden where it had played in the lilacs and filled its belly for several years with peanuts. I buried it between two trees. Will find a beautiful stone to sit on top – incense lifted its spirit into the wind.

My concern now turns to who is using rodenticide and why. Yes, there are mice. Most of us feed the birds, and where there is seed, there are mice. I have been told that using only Black Oil Seed and peanuts will not attract the mice as the grains do. The Crows and the Hawks catch mice; we don’t have to do anything. Owls, of course, are another great way to rid an area of rats and mice. But with rodenticide use, nothing is safe. What if the Crows had eaten the carcass? Or a pet dog? Toby? One of the feral cats? Brock? It makes my mind go crazy thinking about poisoning our world.

Luckily, our lovely company kept my mind off of rodenticide and I needed to check the ospreys while Don was busy with his friend.

I had a look, and, surprise, surprise, there is the first UK pip at Maya and Blue 33’s nest at Rutland’s Manton Bay!

It is such a deep nest. We need an overhead cam!!!!!!!!!

A close-up of a large bird's nest made of twigs and branches, set against a river landscape with trees and a cloudy sky above.

All is well with the trio at Big Red and Arthur’s Red-tail Hawk nest on the Cornell Campus. Yes, P3 is being fed!!!!!!!!!!!! No one is left out. We are too conditioned by the osprey and eagle nests!!!!!!!! Hawks and Falcons are notorious for making sure everyone is fed. There is no shortage of prey.

A red-tailed hawk perched on a nest with several fluffy chicks. The nest is made of twigs and is situated on a balcony or ledge, with greenery and a street visible in the background.

Cornell Bird Lab has one of Monday’s feedings on video! https://youtu.be/tveeiZRM8r4?

The first failed osprey nest in Maryland was in Severna Park. Was it before those failing in Virginia? It is not clear. I am receiving notes today that several other nests where Omega Protein fishes a mile off the coast of Nassawadox Creek are seeing the adults abandon their eggs. Nassawadox Creek is a tidal waterway in Northampton County, Virginia, on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. There will be more, and we must prepare ourselves. If you have not figured it out, the decline in osprey numbers is worse than the DDT crisis of the 1970s. Someone needs to do something about this!

Sad news coming out of Scotland over the use of an illegal trap.

Sparrowhawk euthanised in Scottish Highlands after illegal trap caused ‘catastrophic’ leg injury – RDownload

Border Ospreys is live and you can watch Samson and Augusta!

WE ARE LIVEDownload

There is really great news coming out of Glaslyn. Aran and Elen’s two year old chick has touched down for all to see! What a wonderful migration and so happy that one of their babies has been seen in Wales.

Facebook post from Dyfi Osprey Project discussing the Osprey 6M9, the youngest member of the 2024 Glaslyn brood, and its recent behavior.
Close-up of a bird perched on a green pipe, with another bird in the background on a wooden branch.

This is a reason to ring every osplet on every osprey nest – which is attempted in the UK but not in North America.

Everything is going well at Achieva Osprey Platform.

Social media post discussing fishing experiences by Pam Breci, detailing the catches by Jack and Jill, including ladyfish and catfish.
A collage of images showing an osprey nest with two chicks and an adult bird. One adult is seen flying near the nest, while the chicks are perched inside, surrounded by twigs and foliage.

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Monday 11th May 2026

Another routine day, it started and ended with a little rain, and in between were lots of fish deliveries – both males brought three fish each, although one of Louis’ was so tiny, it needed a close up to see it was actually a whole fish and not just a scrap, and Garry LV0 also brought a tiny fish – his was still flapping. The Nest Two tally rises to fifty six, and Garry’s rises to fifty eight. It’s great to see both males supplying a steady stream of fish as hatching day starts getting nearer when it will be paramount. As the day ends, Dorcha and Aurora 536 are tucked up sitting on eggs on their respective nests, protecting them from the sporadic light rain which is set to continue through the night and most of tomorrow, with an overnight low of 6°c and a high of 13°c tomorrow afternoon.

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/OZXF99LjQ3Y N2 Breakfast arrives, headless trout 07.11.55

https://youtu.be/IzUaE12sGWA N1 Fresh flapping fish for Aurora 13.53.35

https://youtu.be/WVa1ZepkIzE N2 Dorcha’s very happy to see a second fish arriving 14.51.02

https://youtu.be/Ddut0wN0hRQ N1 Aurora demolishes fish two and returns to egg-sit 16.23.02

https://youtu.be/9aExCQ6TCjc N1 Aurora tugs the third fish away from Garry 18.41.13

https://youtu.be/rE6rVOwW4XU N2 Dorcha nibbles the tiny third fish before leaving with it 21.00.33

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/IhjvqpMq1S4   N1 Intruder Osprey flies right over the nest 2020 (slo-mo)

https://youtu.be/WW7IBGOOjLU  N1 Preparing the nest ready for the first hatch 2020

https://youtu.be/-v6-w-_3oDM   N1 Aila does a mid air transfer 2020 (slo-mo)

https://youtu.be/BsF44kBqGG0  N1 A close shave for Louis – Aila nearly takes his head off! 2020

https://youtu.be/wqUvCjMwwio  N1 Mumbrella: Aila protects her eggs during snow flurries 2020

https://youtu.be/yZkcVaa9o-A   N1 Affric (Blue 152) and The Stranger return 2021

https://youtu.be/UiJihpt7uEs  N2 Dorcha ignores the second fish and leaves without it 2023

https://youtu.be/fwGRG7NNI4o  N1 A Jay visits 2024

https://youtu.be/_xdZMQaEYA4  N2 Very late breakfast – fish number one 2024

https://youtu.be/L7wUZ2nkFqk  N1 Dawn tryst – successful mating for Garry and Aurora 2025

https://youtu.be/XEuoQfpCuVM N2 Dorcha leaves with fish number two in a beak-hold 2025

Everyone’s welcome at the Woodland Trust Osprey forum, whatever your level of Osprey knowledge – come and join our lively community:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam

Virus-free.www.avast.com

There is so much going on. Iris’s new mate kept her company at the nest. This lad really does like to incubate, but I wish he would fish a bit more!

Two ospreys perched on a large nest made of sticks, overlooking a parking lot and landscaped area in the background.
An osprey sitting in its nest made of twigs, overlooking a parking lot with trees and a train passing in the background.

I love Iris and New Guy 2 watching their trains!

Thank you so much for being with me this evening. Take care! See you soon.

The two besties – Toby and Hugo Yugo – wish you a great week.

A sleeping orange tabby cat curled up on a cat tree, next to a black and white Cavalier King Charles Spaniel wearing an orange harness, both resting indoors.

Thank you to Geemeff for all things Loch Arkaig, to ‘PB’ and Heidi for counting and identifying fish, to everyone who posts on FB with images and news updates, to Raptor Persecution for always reporting what is truly going on without any prejudice, and to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to watch these amazing families.

Branching…Lots going on in Bird World

26 February 2026

Hello Everyone,

I am taking a moment while Miyoung cuts Don’s hair to try to post some of the latest bird news. Missey is watching from the table, and Toby is on the sofa in the conservatory, wishing for an extra walk, not Dad getting a haircut!

The weather is warming up before it gets a bit nippy again. Tomorrow is going to be plus 2 C. Ann and Don are going to go out for a walk – we are going to do as much walking outside with him as we can as his condition is changing and we are starting to see a few Parkinson’s tremors. That is signalling the potential need for a walker sooner than expected. But, we will see!

So many of you have asked about the little squirrel with the mange. He has overcome his exposure to rodenticide, and his fur is about half grown back in. We are astonished and so happy. I want to attribute this to his being in good condition. It is a bit like Brock. Jane and I, along with some others, keep him well fed, and he stays on Jane’s porch much of the time. His fur is glossy – he does not look like a feral cat living outside, but he is.

The whiter fur is the new.

Branching. When an eaglet officially flies to a branch from the nest bowl. We have two today!

Quinn at the Captiva nest of Connie and Clive has branched.

70 day old E26 at the SW Florida nest of M15 and F23 has branched at 0913 local time. S/he flew to the veranda. Here is the video: https://youtu.be/hG3QdbKOQL4?

Well done. I am expecting Eve and Kai at the NE Florida nest along with Dade County eaglets to be on that list any time!

More eggs are being laid!

Ma Vrain and her mate number 3??? Identified as Pa3 has laid her first egg at the Ft St Vrain Bald Eagle nest in Colorado.

Cruz and Andor have their third eagle egg at Fraser’s Point.

At Decorah North, the drama is seemingly coming to a close. Mr North, the long-time male resident of the nest, has been injured and has been MIA.

On the 17th: “The Decorah North eagle nest turned into the scene of a fast and fierce showdown on the morning of February 17, 2026. After being gone for almost a week, Mr. North had just recently returned to the area. During his absence, an unidentified male eagle had been hanging around DNF and testing the boundaries of the territory. Viewers watching the Decorah North live cam could feel the tension building. Then it happened. The intruder didn’t just perch nearby. He actually landed right inside the nest.” Mr North engaged with the intruder. “As soon as the intruder landed, Mr. North took off, circled back, and attempted to strike from behind before the intruder turned to face him.”

Mr North had been missing for a week. He has now been seen around the nest with what some are calling a wing injury. I will not give up on him just yet. The intruder is being called UM (unidentified male).

Mrs DNF has not accepted the UM as I understand it. There have been boots on the ground looking for Mr North.

I would like to introduce you to Condor 470 Fuego – please read more in the file below. To get you started: “His plucky spirit and spectacular flying skills make him a wonderful addition to the Big Sur flock. Fuego (470) has also been a member of not one, but two different trios! Along with his foster father, Amigo (204), he first paired with Condor (534). The trio was successfully able to raise their chick, Laura’s Bird (842). Unfortunately shortly after Laura’s Bird (842) fledged, Condor (534) went missing. The following breeding season Fuego (470) and his foster father added another female to their group, Kodama (646). They successfully raised their chick, Katie’s Bird (1003)​, but Fuego (470) has since left the trio and paired with Sottow (962). During the 2024 nesting season, they hatched Condor (1318) who fledged in late November of 2024. We are thrilled that Fuego (470) and this first-time-condor-mom have been successful so far!”

Fuego (470) – VENTANA WILDLIFE SOCIETYDownload

Audubon Florida sends out its first statewide newsletter on wildlife for the year.

(FL) Statewide eNews 1282026Download

I could not close without checking on our only eaglet at Duke Farms. It is doing very well with an enthusiastic dad who has a buffet on that nest for his mate and baby.

I am really getting itchy feet for those ospreys to start arriving in the UK!

In the meantime, I want to mention something to all of you. There is no person who reads my blog who is unaware of the challenges everyone is facing amid escalating inflation, the high cost of healthcare premiums, medicines, and food for us and our beloved pets. Many who used to donate cash to their favourite wildlife rehabilitation centre, or even to a streaming cam, are unable to do so. I do not want you to feel bad about yourself. There are other ways to help – I will continue to remind you that the vet clinics, the wildlife rehabilitation centres all need clean used towels, rags, gently used pet crates and carriers. You can help and not have to spend a cent, and it will really help them. So look at those piles in the attic, the garage, the basement and see if there is anything that might be needed – and that even includes tools!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for being with us today. Please take care of yourself. We will be with you again soon – probably at the weekend unless we have a fledge.

Thank you to Ventana Wildlife, SPO, Audubon Florida, and the owners of the streaming cams that let us into the lives of our feathered families.

Help coming to Captiva nest and What does Rodenticide have to do with Dyson’s kits?

13 February 2026

Good Late Afternoon Everyone,

It is stunningly beautiful here today. Toby and I had a 45 minute walk while Ann and Don went to the nature centre. Our walk was filled with flitting chickadees…we left a trail o Black-Oil seed for them while Brock lounged on my neighbour’s chair after filling up at her feeder! Glorious and Happy. Two good words.

‘J’ sent me a posting from ‘Annette’. This could not have come at a more appropriate time. Let me explain after you read it:

“https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1334445735376985&set=pb.100064347147336.-2207520000

My can of worms:

A follower asked me to talk about the use of rodenticide increasing mange in wildlife. Sure! Good topic, but the subject of toxins in our environment opens a very personal can of worms for me. 

Toxins in our environment weaken immunity. I realize the particular study on the increase of mange in the wild is focused on the use of rodenticides suppressing and damaging immune systems in wildlife causing mange to be on the rise which is absolutely possible and even probable, but the bigger picture here is all toxins in all our environments weaken all our immune systems. When the body is constantly battling a toxin, the immune system can overload if something else is introduced, or in the case of demodectic mange which is naturally present in canids, (just kept in check by the immune system), it can overgrow and take over. 
Long term exposure to toxins can permanently damage the immune system causing chronic inflammation and shrinking of the thymus resulting in reduction of T cells. At that point the immune system is impaired.
Toxins can also lead to confusion of the immune system, causing auto-immune disorders. The body attacks itself rather than the problem, often without a problem. Now the immune system is misfiring and can even become dangerous. 

Exposure to microorganisms in safe doses has the opposite effect. Like our muscle mass, we have to use our immune system for it to be strengthened. You can’t focus on avoiding microorganisms and ignore toxins. It’s a trap. Get my logic here?

I have one young mom in my “friends that are my family” circle that has figured it out. She doesn’t freak out when her kids ‘eat dirt’ (that’s a euphemism) but she doesn’t store or microwave food in plastic, reads every label and researches every ingredient or chemical she doesn’t know. I tease her constantly but she is protecting her children at the very core of their biology. She’s my hero. What happened to me and my siblings won’t happen to her babies. 

I grew up In Blackwell Oklahoma from 1969 to 1981-ish. Our house was the closest house to the zinc smelter and my bedroom window faced the stacks. With no central air conditioning in our home, windows were always open in mild and hot weather and the smoke from the foundry (Sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid mist, and zinc fumes) blew freely into my room day and night for most of the year until the smelter closed in 1974, but the closing did not eliminate the danger. 

Our streets were paved with red brick on a bed of the tailings that the smelter “donated” to the town for it’s use. We played in those tailings, and when it rained, we were barefoot in the toxic puddles for hours. (Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, Mercury, Manganese, Chromium, and Zinc). We swam and played in the Chikaskia River, just down from the plant. (chromium, zinc oxides, and zinc sulfate) The mountains of tailings at the plant property were our jungle gyms. (Yes, we trespassed, but their fence was lame and we were unsupervised Gen X kids) The list of exposures goes on and on. 

My oldest brother died of two cancers 4 years ago at age 59, my younger sister barely survived two cancers and we both have polycystic liver and kidney disease though my sister’s is way advanced (we speculate due to her previous chemo). Our youngest brother is healthy but the smelter closed before he was born and we moved before he was old enough to play outside on his own. Believe it or not, I am pretty healthy other than I have hormonal imbalances that keep me fat no matter what I eat or how active I am, and I have severe and bizarre reactions to antibiotics and battle full body chronic inflammation for no apparent reason. I manage the pain and inflammation with Chaga and Noni juice (I shouldn’t take NSAIDs or acetaminophen -liver and kidneys) and keep my immune system strong by doing what I do every day, exposing myself to plenty of microorganisms. (POOP BONUS!) 🙂 Stress is my enemy, but I can’t get away from it and still do what I love to do, so I try (often futilely) to manage it. 

We were forever damaged from early exposure to toxins, but it didn’t show up until later in life. We were not included in the later lawsuits. We missed the deadlines as all our health issues surfaced afterward, and none of this can be fixed by money anyway. I need health not wealth. 

The warnings were out there as we lived and played in danger, but getting people to heed them and companies to bend takes time. People believe what they choose to believe and that is fine. There are far more knowledgeable people out there than I am, and I am sharing what I know and believe from personal experience, research, trial and error, worry and tragedy. I am, like everyone else reading this, some more than others, fighting to survive and have a quality life while I do. 

The wildlife are the “canaries in the mine” for Nature. If we are doing anything that creates damage to them, know without a doubt, it will likely hurt the rest of us eventually, and the practices we ignore and accept now can harm generations to come. 

Do your own research, make better choices for you and yours and don’t count on someone else to protect you. Most toxin using companies don’t care about you if there is money to be made, and because of liability, they certainly won’t admit they were ever doing anything harmful, even if they are busted. That is why we have lawyers. 

It’s supply and demand people! If we stop using the weapons, they will stop making the ammo. (another euphemism)

And STOP using lead in the wild and shooting it into your food. It’s so stupid. 

Annette”

About a week ago, an individual living in my neighbourhood had to take their dog to the vet. The dog almost died of pancreatitis due to rodenticide poisoning. It is believed that the dog ate the faeces of a rabbit that had eaten the poison. Imagine how little it took for this tragedy.

Well, two days ago I noticed that one of Dyson’s kits ‘looked strange’. I took out the longer lens camera and yesterday got images. Dyson’s kit also has mange. It is believed, after talking to the DOC officer, that the kit’s issue is also linked to individuals using rodenticide in my neighbourhood.

I am furious. Annette is correct. There are many useless things in our world, and two of them are lead – that we see impacting our raptors each day – and rodenticide, which also has impacted raptors. I continue to speak of Joe and Connie’s Peace and Love on Captiva. The perfect example of how a toxin can destroy a family.

Please, please spread the word. Let the owls do their job. The feral cats. The hawks. They love nice ‘healthy NOT poisoned’ rats and mice and they do a far better job of killing them than a toxin.

Isn’t this sad? If I could get to the squirrel, I could put coconut oil on her skin to help her, but alas, she is wild! She is eating, and I want to be hopeful that she will survive.

Before I leave just a couple of nest notes:

The human debris on the Captiva Bald Eagle nest is being removed today. They will turn the cameras off at 1700 local time after determining that the danger to the eagles and Quinn was enough to warrant getting up there and getting that mess off. Thank you to everyone who helped.

Quinn is about the age of the Dale Hollow eagles that were tangled in fishing line. Things should go smoothly at this nest. CROW is right there on Sanibel and they are incredible (I am making an assumption that it will be CROW that facilitates this removal).

Hatch watch is the 15th for the first Kakapo egg. Now you must go and watch this little one – these flightless parrots are so rare and this is such an opportunity. Egg count for today also sent by ‘J’.

Winter Park Bald Eagle nest: Name the eaglets: Here is the info from the chat: “​Hello, if you’d like to submit names for the eaglets, please see this link: https://forms.gle/7vYPwneMakwbaw3T7 The landowners will be selecting a pair of names that has been submitted. Ending Feb 17″

They must not like that Gar! Tiny Tim has a nice big crop after a feeding. No worries here.

SK Hideaways gives us a giggle at the Fraser Point nest of Andor and Cruz: https://youtu.be/zhDZeyBXIq4?

There are eggs being laid and all is well but for me the best thing that happened today was that for the first time (to my knowledge) Big Red and Arthur were both on the Cornell Campus Fernow nest together preparing for a new breeding season. Our Red-tail Hawk Queen will be 23 this year and she’s still going strong.

The Big Bird Count began today – please go to the Cornell Bird Lab and participate!

Junior filling up on peanuts.

Mrs Junior

Dyson is healthy.

The new Hedwig:

Baby Hope wishes everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day.

Thank you so much for being with us for this quick tirade on rodentcides and a check in on a few nests. Take care everyone!

Thank you to ‘J’ and ‘Annette’ for the rodenticide news, SK Hideaways for their video, and the owners of the video cameras that allow us into the lives of our dear birds.

Late Wednesday in Bird World

11 May 2022

It is really sad when a ‘bird Mum’ seems to consistently favour one healthy chick over another especially when the eldest has already killed the third hatch. Today, at the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest, this preference for the dominant one over a healthy chick crying for food was so evident despite Middle making every effort to get around to the beak to eat even after being intimidated. Yes, Middle held back for his own survival. But it is ever so sad. He is a big healthy osplet! A fish came in at 18:24. Big did the dominance stance and Middle pulled back. By the time Middle got around on the rim to Mum’s beak, she had already given Big part of the tail. Big ate the entire fish! At 18:37 Mum find a few little scraps on a bone and gives it to Middle. At 18:38 Middle takes the bone to self feed trying to find any meat no matter how dry to eat. Middle has not had much food today but he has had some. Yesterday he ate well so we are still good.

Middle will be a survivor if he does not fall off or get shoved from the nest – he reminds me so much of Tiny Tot Tumbles at Achieva last year. She dug around in the nest eating very old, very dry leather hard pieces of fish. They kept her alive. She was self-feeding proficiently before the two older siblings. TTT became the dominant bird on the nest and if any of those three chicks were to survive their first year, my money would be on her. In fact, this winter Tiny Tot Tumbles was photographed at least once on the Achieva nest so she is still alive. That is wonderful and it will be the same for Middle. I just wish these osplets were banded.

It is worth noting that Big already had a ‘big’ crop before the last feeding of the day ever took place! There she is in the middle of the nest standing proudly with all the commotion going on around her. Middle is trying to get to the fish.

Sadly, all Big has to do is raise her head and walk towards Middle and he cowers. This behaviour was noted to have changed over the weekend by ‘R’. Prior to Friday, Middle had been getting up to the fish faster and, therefore, getting more food. The assumption is that food was scarce over the weekend when there was a big storm and the camera kept cutting in and out. It is also believed that Big took this out on Middle.

Middle is watching Big and trying to move up to get some food. If Mum would just turn herself 45 degrees both chicks could eat. It is very frustrating.

Mum found a few bites for Middle. Just think. Big ate an entire fish and Middle got a few bites.

Middle is continuing to chew on the fish bone to try and find some food.

Is there enough food coming on the nest for Mum and the two chicks? There was yesterday and with Big having a crop before she ate this entire last fish today, I would say yes. Certainly 50% of the fish could have gone to Big with 25% each to Mum and Middle and everyone would have been fine. It is not a case of everyone starving. It is sad.

This female is not the only one that has favoured one chick over another. I am certain that you can think of several instances if you have been watching streaming bird cams for awhile. One thing I have noticed – at least in Bald Eagles – is that the Dad will often step in and feed the ‘left out’ sibling. I know it sounds crazy but some of those males that are now Dads would have had big sisters who demanded and took everything. Do the males remember?

The two eyases at the CalFalcons scrape do not have the problems Middle has at UFlorida. Alden caught a pigeon today and I am absolutely certain Annie was delighted. Everyone can fill up and there will be leftovers in the pantry.

Precious.

Look at those two. Talk about a different atmosphere in a nest! I will take a falcon any day.

Bursting little crops. These two will cuddle up under Annie and sleep well.

Cal Falcons put this feeding into a short video clip.

So happy to see the promotion of the Peregrine Falcons and their chicks on The Campanile. Anything that will bring awareness to the raptors so that we can help make their lives a little better is welcome – and one way is to educate people.

https://www.dailycal.org/2022/05/09/unique-and-interesting-peregrine-chicks-born-atop-campanile-on-mothers-day-weekend/

It is so far, so good at the Manton Bay nest. Both chicks have eaten and it appears that the third chick is hatching. It will be a relief for Mum to be only brooding instead of brooding and incubating. I really hope that chick is doing just fine in the morning – the one that was exposed. It looks good so fingers crossed.

Ferris Akel has a pair of Red-tail Hawks near to where he lives and today he has discovered that Betty and Barney have three chicks!

Two Habours 1 is doing just fine. She looks out on that gorgeous cobalt coloured water that surrounds her nest in the Channel Islands.

The winds are really gusting at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta not far from Chase and Cholyn’s nest at Two Harbours. Let us all hope that the eaglets do not want to stand up and get near that ledge. Hunker down.

There are big storms about and it is very, very gusty at the MN-DNR nest of Nancy and E1 Harriet, too.

Harriet has brought in a really nice fish. You can see it in the image above. She is trying to stand in the violent wind gusts and feed Harriet. Sweet. These two are doing well under the circumstances.

We have another storm coming that is predicted to drop 40 mm of rain in a short period of time tomorrow. I wonder if this same system will hit the MN-DNR nest?

Those same winds are blowing at the Osprey platform at the Arboretum on the grounds of the University of Minnesota. The couple have one egg so far. Last year they fledged one chick.

Here is the link to their streaming cam:

The prey that is brought to the urban nests versus those in rural areas can be very different. In New York City, the Red-tail Hawks seem to live on pigeons and rats. Today a rat was delivered to the Presidio Red-tail Hawk nest in San Francisco. It makes me nervous. I am very much against the use of rodenticide and when the rodents are slow and easy catches they are often poisoned. The hawks thus die of secondary poisoning. It is tragic and unnecessary!

Fingers Crossed!

All White-bellied Sea Eagle fans should be checking in on the nest around the beginning to mid-June. Lady and Dad have been making nestorations and mating.

Of course, we will also be gearing up for the CBD Peregrine Falcons in Melbourne (late August or September for the cam to return), Xavier and Diamond at their scrape in Orange, and of course, the Ospreys at Port Lincoln. It is mid-May now. Time is passing.

Thank you for joining me this evening. Hopefully we will wake up to three healthy chicks at the Manton Bay platform tomorrow and several more fish for UFlorida-Gainesville! Tomorrow is pip watch for Richmond and Rosie. Take care everyone.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Sea Eagles@BirdLife Australia Discovery Centre, Cal Falcons, Presidio RTH, Ferris Akel, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Osprey Cam, Explore.org, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, MN-DNR, and LRWT Manton Bay.

Late Sunday in Bird World

02.27.2022

The Captiva trio are in food coma after their second big feed for the day. It is 16:56 nest time. Little Bob got his tiny but chubby bottom up to that table just like our dear Ervie. This little one loves to eat that fish! Little and Middle Bobs fell asleep at the table. Big Bob had left earlier and passed out on the other side of the nest.

That fish delivery came at 16:00:35. This time Andy ate the head so he had some nourishment, too.

One of my friends, ‘B’ suggested that it is the recreational vehicles at the weekend causing fishing difficulty for Andy. ‘B’ commented that it was the same issue at the Redding nest last season. Tomorrow is Monday. I hope Andy’s fishing returns to 3 or 4 fish. The adults need to eat as well too. It is like the oxygen instructions in a plane. The responsible party needs to put theirs on first and then take care of the others. Same for eating with Ospreys.

We will not worry about these three until tomorrow. Thanks Andy and Lena!

Window to Wildlife, the group affiliated with the cam and the chat, posted a short video of Little Bob hatching today.

I am just so impressed with the tenderness of some of the males. At the Dale Hollow nest today, Obey was clearing out some of the pantry items to see what he needs to bring in. All the while he was feeding River who was brooding the twins and keeping their pipping egg 3 nice and warm.

At the same time, River and Obey do another tandem feeding for the twins this afternoon.

I am so glad that I found this nest! They are an incredible family that is working so well together. Experience can do that!

The Port Lincoln Osprey nest is really lonely this morning in Australia. The pigeons are still doing clean up. I wish I could import them to clean up around my bird feeders! They look very thorough.

This is the latest tracking for Ervie posted yesterday on the Port Lincoln Osprey Project’s FB page. While he really did explore Port Boston to the right of the airport, Ervie continues to return to the area of the green pin to roost at night. The barge is the point right above the ‘t’ in Port at the bottom of the tracking image.

The juveniles, Jasper and NE27 on the Northeast Florida Bald Eagle nest are doing well. Here is a great image of NE27 standing tall this afternoon. Remember that this beautiful Bald Eagle will get a name based on the votes that the American Eagle Foundation receives of the five finalists. Jasper got her name because she was born when the named storm, Jasper, hit the area.

Message me through comments if you would like the information on voting.

The juveniles at the SWFlorida Bald Eagle nest in Fort Myers are several weeks older than those at NEFlorida. Harriet and M15’s E19 and E20 are really good at self feeding and they stand on the edge of nest rim and look about. Next stage is branching!

Big Red and Arthur have been working on their nest on the light stand. It looks so forlorn today with some snow and ice remaining.

I have not heard about a pip at the nest of Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear. When the pipping begins, the parent will hear the cheeping of the chick and can feel it moving about. You should notice the one on incubation duties looking down and listening.

I always hate to close with bad news. This are the two most recent postings for the Hilton Head eaglets. You will note that HH3 and HH4 are in critical condition. There is also information about the spread of avian flu and the deaths of other eagles. Anyone feeding birds needs to be vigilant in cleaning the feeders. If you were to find dead birds at the feeders and it is not the result of a cat or raptor, you might want to contact your local wildlife rehabber for advice. Do not handle the dead birds with your bare hands. You might want to do a major clean up as the lab results can take several days. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

Our thoughts go out to all of the bird families that have been impacted by this lethal disease. It is sobering to consider that an entire generation of eaglets (and other birds) could be wiped out.

I note that rodenticide poisoning also causes nestlings to literally fall out of the nest. One of my favourite wildlife rehabbers, A Place Called Hope, has admitted a Barred Owlet who fell out of the nest and is suffering from this poison. This is entirely avoidable. Everyone reading my blog knows rodenticide. Work hard to educate people so these beautiful raptors do not have to suffer.

Are you a falcon lover? The Peregrine Falcons are getting busy in Utica, New York. I am looking to find their streaming cam link and will post it tomorrow for everyone.

Tuesday, February 22, 2022 – Nine Matings, a Food Exchange & An Intruder

Thank you so much for joining me today as I did a hop, skip, and a jump checking on some of our nests. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Bald Eagles 101 FB, Dale Hollow Lake Bald Eagles, Captiva Ospreys and Window on the World, NEFlorida Bald Eagles and the AEF, SWFlorida Bald Eagles and D Pritchett, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Cornell Bird Labs RTH camera, and Friends of Big Bear Valley.

Saturday in Bird World

Good Afternoon Everyone. It looks pretty quiet out in Bird World this morning.

The two eaglets of Rita and Ron’s, R1 and R2, continue to sleep and eat without any observable ill effects from the rat dinner that they had yesterday. Fingers crossed. They are such beautiful and healthy little ones, curious about the world beyond the nest. Hopefully we can all go ‘whew’ after this fright is over – let’s celebrate on Monday.

They are very mobile, scooting around on the nest, balancing themselves with their wings.

This is Ron feeding the little ones. He isn’t as good as Rita but he tries.

There is an active pip watch at the Bald Eagle nest of Pa Berry and Missy in Georgia. B15 is doing well. Right now it also looks like Mt Berry could be in line for some of that winter weather making its way across parts of the United States. I really hope they get little or nothing. It isn’t nice to have a hatch when the snow and ice are coming down.

Pa Berry was on the nest with Missy on alert this morning.

B15 seems to have a good appetite.

Chatters are working on names for the little eaglet at the Kistachie National Forest (KNF) Bald Eagle Nest. The deadline for submissions is 30 January. Late this morning Louis flew in with a Coot to add to the 4 or 5 fish already on the nest.

The area is experiencing high winds today and are under a high wind advisory. It is also very cool in the forest at 8 degrees C.

This little one is the cutest little roly-poly I have seen in a long time. Anna has the feeding down and the baby is happy to have those nice bites of fish!

It is hard to imagine that E19 and E20 were this small a few weeks ago! Now they are at the big clown feet stage and their feathering is coming in nicely. I wonder if Harriet left this fish to see if anyone would try and nibble?

While other parts of the US are being hit with tsunami warnings, record levels of snow and ice, Florida is having a heat warning and should be getting some rain from that system.

Here is a lovely little video of E19 and E20 having their fish breakfast!

Finally, the pip watch for Gabby and Samson will be coming at the end of the week! I am so excited.

There have been intruders and both Gabby and Samson have been watching and listening carefully this afternoon.

How gorgeous!

An alert.

Time for some territorial defense.

All is well. Whew.

This nest is an active site for intruders. Gabby and Samson have to always be vigilant.

The two little eaglets are getting their feathers at the Hilton Head Island Trust Bald Eagle nest in South Carolina. There is no roll back. All I can say is that they appear to be eating well, growing at the right pace, and Mitch seems to have food on the nest for Harriet to feed the wee ones.

If you are in the line of the storms, tsunamis, and heat warning areas of the US or elsewhere, please take care. I will continue to monitor the WRDC nest of Ron and Rita with the hope that the rat did not get sluggy because of rodenticide poisoning. Ervie is on the barge and I will also check in with him and everyone else at the PLO later today. Thank you so much for joining me.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Berry College Bald Eagles, SWFlorida and D Pritchett, KNF Bald Eagle Cam, NEFlorida and the AEF, WRDC, and Hilton Head Island Trust.

Considering Electra

I have been thinking about Electra all day…and have spent several blogs trying to gain some insight into her behaviour on the Cowlitz PUD nest since her last chick died of heat stroke. She has spent more time at the nest today than yesterday when it was deathly hot. She food calls when she sees Wattsworth. She stands like a sentry. She spent the night at the nest.

I have been given examples of raptor behaviour when the eggs have been broken and the female continues in incubation mode because of her hormones. Many of you have also seen other raptors incubating eggs for long periods of time when they are unviable. That is one behaviour. But, I am going to go out on a limb and say that the behaviour displayed by Electra is different.

There are no eggs to hatch. How does an Osprey mourn? While I believe that Electra ‘understood’ the death of the first by siblicide, she returned to find her second chick had died – a chick with a crop and seemingly healthy. This just took me back to the situation on Captiva Bald Eagle Nest on Santibel Island this early spring.

Some of you will remember that traumatic event. Joe had brought a rat to the nest and had fed baby Hope and Peace. Peace died almost before anyone could realize how ill she was. Hope grew and only died when one of her blood feathers broke and she bled out. It was the rodenticide, the rat poison that did not allow her blood to coagulate. The father, Joe stood over the body of Peace in the Captiva Bald Eagle Nest in Santibel, Florida. Joe stayed with his baby until the corpses of both Peace and Hope were removed for autopsy. In the end, Joe was so traumatized by the events on the nest that his role as dominant male was usurped.

Joe is not the only male that has shown a response to trauma. Another good example is Romeo on the NE Florida Nest. When Juliette was injured by an intruding female and did not return, Romeo tried to take care of the nest. When he went to get food for the eaglet the intruder returned and took the chick. Romeo left and never returned to his nest.

What I am saying is that I do not think that we can always put behaviours of the birds down to ‘hormones’ or instincts. What Electra is doing is different than incubating and she is not brooding the chicks. She is standing over them, like Joe at Captiva.

We will never get into the mystery of precisely how Joe or Electra are feeling. My thoughts on this behaviour are simply my own observations based on deaths at other nests. I do not know how Electra has responded to the death of her chicks in the past and if this current behaviour is any different.

Other females have lost Osprey chicks and left the nest completely not to return. Landa did not, as I recall, return to the Urdaibai Biosphere Park in Spain after her last two chicks died of hypothermia this year. Others like Mrs G moved her dead chicks to the edge of the nest and she now spends time eating fish and being on the nest with Aran. Mrs G and Aran also accepted the community fish and those were brought to the nest. At other times an only chick dies and the mother has to continue to care for other little ones.

The response to tragedy is not always uniform and predicted.

Tiny Tot has had to deal with an intruder today. Jack owes Tiny lots of fish! There is also concern as Tropical Storm moves from the Caribbean to Florida early nest week. It should be dissipated enough to only cause 34 mph winds. I will keep you posted.

I want to close with leaving you something beautiful to watch. You might never have seen it before. It is a sight not seen in Poole Harbour, England for 200 years. Imagine. 200 Years. It is an Osprey doing a sky dance. This is two year old male 022 trying to impress CJ7. They will not raise a family until next year but 022 is extremely earnest in his desire to bond with CJ7 at the Poole Harbour Nest!

Thank you for joining me today. Take care everyone.

Thank you to the COWLITZ PUD for their streaming cam where I grabbed my screen shots of Electra and the chicks.