Tag Archives: Roy Dennis

Oh, Bazza

Bazza, the first hatch at the Port Lincoln Osprey Barge, is the last nestling to fledge. OK. He hasn’t fledged yet but you might have been fooled at 06:15 this morning when you saw an empty nest. Bazza was doing amazing hovering. Maybe this will be his day to fly! Wouldn’t that be grand? Bazza could begin to explore the cove with his brothers, Ervie and Falkey.

He really seems to want to be out there enjoying all the fun! But to put all of this into perspective, Ervie fledged early at 60 days. Bazza is 65 days old and Solly fledged last year at 65 days. DEW did not fledge til 73 days. Ervie just got us all excited! And then of course, Falkey followed suit rather quickly, too. But if Bazza does fledge today it will be right in line with Solly.

Yurruga, the nestling Peregrine Falcon in the scrape box of Xavier and Diamond on the grounds of Charles Sturt University in Orange, Australia, is waiting for her breakfast. She is looking a little ‘ragged’ this morning. Almost all of the baby down is off!

Grinnell, the resident male Peregrine Falcon, at the Campanile on UC-Berkley’s campus, was released one hour ago in his territory. He has been in the Lindsay Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital and in ‘home care’ since he was injured in a territorial take over bid on 29 October. That is the latest news that I have. The cameras are being rotated a bit to try and get a glimpse of what will ultimately happen when Grinnell tries to land on the Campanile and take his place beside Annie. Will he succeed? Will the interloper? Here is a link to one of the cams:

It is nothing short of a blustery winter day on the Canadian prairies. Snow is blowing everywhere, some more flakes are falling, and the temperature is warm enough to be causing ice. It was a bit worrisome when I stopped at the pond and found a few ducks in a small open space of water.

They seemed to be enjoying themselves. No one seemed to have feather or wing issues but that open water is closing in fast.

There they are from a distance. It will give you some perspective on the size of the little pond.

I was surprised to see a few standing on the ice. Ducks – at least here – tend not to like to get their paddles cold.

My garden has been ‘very loud’ all day with about 200 or more House Sparrows all clamouring for food – which is in abundance. This little fellow was all puffed up to stay warm.

There was one lone Black-Capped Chickadee eating something in the Flame Willow. Like the sparrows, the chickadees are year round visitors to the feeders.

The two books from Roy Dennis Wildlife – Mistletoe Winter and Cottongrass Summer – arrived today. I have just finished Chris Packham and Meg McCubbin’s book and Isabella Tree’s on wilding to help restore the environment. It will be interesting to see what Dennis says in his latest book, Mistletoe Winter. Now for a nice cup of hot tea to go with it.

Send out positive wishes to Grinnell and all our feathered friends.

Thank you for joining me today. Take care everyone and be safe.

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

A new book by Roy Dennis

My intention had been to go to the nature centre to check on the geese and ducks but that didn’t happen. First, a note came in my mail about a new book by Ron Dennis and second, I spent way too much time talking about bird feeders, seed, and trays at my local seed store.

First up is Roy Dennis’s latest book, Mistletoe Winter.

The description on the web site says:

Times of darkness offer opportunities to reflect. In Mistletoe Winter, Roy Dennis offers his reflections on the natural world from the past year – from the welcome signs of change to the ongoing problems we are posing for nature, and what humankind must do about them.

roydennis.org

Signed copies can be purchased through roydennis.org I have ordered a copy and will tell you all about it when it arrives.

We feed several hundred birds a day. I am not Kathleening!!!!!! One of the biggest problems is the seed or shells falling on the ground and accumulating, particularly in winter. It is not difficult to clear in the summer and early fall except when it rains. In the winter it is a real chore. We have tried various types of seed and feeders. Today’s experiment is a feeder with a tray that can be screwed on the bottom, covered by a dome, and filled with chipped sunflower seeds. Fingers crossed!

There are definitely changes with the Australian birds. The three osplets at Port Lincoln are looking more and more like juveniles. That is Little Bob there in the very middle looking towards Mum.

I did not see it but it was reported to me that one of the trio mantled a prey delivery at 16:12 yesterday.

Little Bob has turned around and is calling to Dad – helping Mum. How cute. The other two are completely oblivious to what is going on. Maybe Little Bob is in training for its role as the female????

There is a bit of a flurry when Dad arrives.

Little Bob has a nice crest from the blowing wind. It doesn’t look like anyone is mantling at this feeding.

All lined up nicely for the last meal of the day.

The Collins Street Four are one month and one day old. The fluffy down on their backs covering their juvenile feathers is falling off fast! This was early morning. I imagine that there will be more juvenile plumage revealed as the day goes on. It is hard to imagine but in a fortnight these four could fledge.

Yurruga is trying to stand and walk. That cannot be an easy feat in the scrape box. She seems to like to sleep tucked into the corner. Meanwhile, Diamond will move the eggs close together trying to keep them warm. I feel so sad for her.

Little Yarruga face planted in the corner!

Cilla Kinross posted a very short video of Yarruga trying to stand up and walk two days ago.

I want to give you a giggle. Richmond and Rosie are the Ospreys on the Whirly Crane in the Richmond Shipping Yards. Richmond is known for bringing interesting items to the nest. Rosie doesn’t particularly like all of this stuff! This video was posted yesterday on their Throwback Thursday videos. It is very short. Be sure to watch until the very end.

The incident took place in 2017. Thank goodness. If this were live we would all be worried that Richmond is going to get his head caught in that back opening of the cap!!!!!!! That is actually very dangerous for birds.

Thank you for joining me. It is a nice day in the garden. Mr Blue Jay is eating his corn on the cob and Dyson is busy at one of the feeders! Take care everyone.

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

Birds, the Environment, Cop 26

With world leaders set to meet in Glasgow for Cop26, there are plenty of individuals expressing their opinion on what needs to be done to ‘slow’ the impact of climate change. Individuals reading my blog will have seen the devastating effects that the heat surge of summer 2021 in the Pacific Northwest had on the Ospreys and Cooper’s Hawks. Many Osprey chicks died on their nest while the Cooper’s Hawks jumped out of their nests to a sure death because they didn’t want to roast to death. Luckily a few were saved by brave wildlife rehabbers and friends who removed the chicks from their nests and took them into care before the heat could kill them.

Many of you know who Roy Dennis is – the man who translocates Ospreys as well as the individual solely responsible for reintroducing the White-tailed Eagle back into the UK. Dennis, 81, is a big presence on the environmental and bird scene in Scotland and he has just been awarded the RSPB’s most prestigious metal last evening. I cannot think of a more deserving individual.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/rspb-medal-2021/?fbclid=IwAR39tGEvVUnGRXhUwthohCpEou-0ViAicVAXRAXU7oa3I6SFJxboARYuIIM

Dennis has also written his last blog on swans and what he feels – along with others – must be done to protect the land for both humans and birds. It is an excellent read. If you haven’t found his website this is a good entry point.

Wild Swans and COP 26

We can’t all be a Roy Dennis but each of us can help! It is not too late to tell your government officials what you expect they will do for our future.

I want to close today (the birds are all crackers) by giving you one of those moments of laughing til you cried – or at least as one Australia woman did when she saw my comment on the 367 Collins Street Falcon FB Page.

This was the image:

Anyone that knows me, knows that I look for falcon and osprey chicks that have some ‘fat’ on them. It shows they are getting more than enough food. To me, that eyas with his ‘necklace ps’ surely qualifies as a fat little bottom and legs!

Once I realized that there is actually a company in Australia that sells chicken legs, I was also laughing til I cried. Enjoy the joke on me. Thank you Kirsty Wain!

Have a great Sunday. I am off in search of Wood Ducks today. It is finally sunny!!!!!!!!! and not raining. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the 367 Collins Street Falcon Cam and FB page where I took my screen shots.

What do Ospreys do after they fledge?

Tiny Little or Blue 463 and her siblings are giving you a visual answer below!

They return to the nest where the father will deliver a fish.

Sometimes the birds eat the fish on the nest and sometimes they carry the fish in their talons to a perch to eat it.

Blue 464, the male and the first to fledge, has this fish. Tiny Little is the bird on the right. Notice how she has started looking at that nice Flounder. Blue 462, the other female, is at the back on the left. It is drizzling on their nest today. This won’t be the last fish probably. Fingers crossed for another delivery or two.

Blue 462 and Tiny Little, 463, see dad and are food calling to him. White YW knows they want more fish! And this is what Osprey fledglings typically do after their first flight. They get better at flying and the parent feeds them. Most do not catch their first fish until they are on migration.

Here is Tiny Little food calling to White YW, the dad:

Roy Dennis, the UK Osprey expert who has worked with the birds for sixty years, puts it this way in his book, A Life of Ospreys:

“The first flight may take only a few minutes, with the bird landing back on the nest or in a nearby tree, but other flights are more adventurous and can last for ten minutes or more.” (77)

“The young birds now start to spend more time away from the nest but still remain within a few hundred metres of it, using the eyrie as a meeting place where they receive food.” “While they wait for their father, the young are often dispersed within two or three hundred metres of the nest tree, quite often to be found perching low down on fallen trees, stumps or rocks. The young birds keep a good look out on the horizon for their father and, as soon as he flies in with the next fish, they rush to the eyrie to meet him, while the male leaves immediately to catch a fish for the next chick in line” (78).

The American Osprey expert, Alan Poole puts it this way, “For at least a month after fledging, the nest remains the center of a young Osprey’s life, for it is there that it continues to receive food from the male parent – consider this an allowance of sorts” (Ospreys. The Revival of the Global Raptor, 104).

The young birds will disperse after spending this post-fledge period on the nest. Not all migrate; it depends on where they live.

If anyone tries to tell you that Osprey fledglings do not return to the nest after fledging, you have your answer! Of course, there are other examples: the two fledglings, LR 1 and 2 on the Loch of the Lowes Nest, Only Bob, Blue 496 on the Llyn Clywedog Nest, Dysynni and Ystwyth on the Dyfi Osprey Nest, Blue 095 and 096 at Rutland Water Manton Bay. Of course, there are lists of those in the US including Tiny Little and its siblings at the Achieva Osprey Nest. What about Dunrovin? I dislike making long lists to reveal a truth. They are boring to read but the evidence is there.

Susan Theys, owner of Wildlife of Wisconsin and a wildlife rehabber, will go to Collins Marsh Nature Centre and look for Malin today. She has the key to open the door to the tower so she can look over the landscape. There have been no visits to the nest by the parents so far today. It is now 1pm nest time. If there is any news, I will let you know.

Malin and his mother were frightened. Malin had been pancaking and he flew not from a position of standing up and flapping his wings – the norm for fledging -but from laying down. He was scared of the intruder. Because of this he might not have imprinted the way back to the nest in his brain – this is what the birds do with their short flights off the nest after fledging. We continue to hope he is alright and I am grateful to Susan for returning to check on him. Here is the video of that flight. I regret that I cannot upload the entire sequence of Marsha alerting and looking around the nest but you should have some idea watching this short video:

Thank you so much for joining me today. It is still raining!!!!!!!! It is so wonderful. Take care, see you soon.

Thank you to the Cumbrian Wildlife Trust and the Foulshaw Osprey Nest for their streaming cam where I took the images of the fledglings of White YW and Blue 35.