Tag Archives: siblicide

Intruders, Confusion, Chaos, and fish at the UFlorida-Gainesvlle Osprey Nest!

3 May 2022

The trouble with intruders into established nesting territories is that they can cause a lot of grief and, as we have seen, they can cause part of a bonded nesting couple to die. We saw this with Grinnell at UCalifornia-Berkeley Falcons. We saw it at the Bald Eagle nest of Bella and Smitty when Bella was injured and feared dead when a female intruder attacked her. Bella returned. A week ago Harry disappeared at the Minnesota DNR Bald Eagle Nest. There have been intruders since last year on and off the Achieva Osprey nest. The list goes on and on. The success of restoring the Eagles, the Ospreys, and the hawks and falcons after DDT (DDE) destroyed their populations (along with egg collecting, feathers for hats, shootings, habitat destruction) has resulted in a growing population where there are challenges for the best territories and mates. At the same time, what you have witnessed here and at other nests is troublesome.

Intruders without nests and mates are now wrecking havoc at the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest. It is possible that this has been the issue for most of the nesting season when the male has not been able to bring adequate prey to the nest because of territorial surveillance and the removal of intruders. One chick lost and not enough food for three coming to the nest – Mum and two chicks.

The Mum left the nest at 15:25 on 2 May not returning until today. That same female intruder landed on the nest with the chicks this morning who, in their hunger, kept crying for her to feed them. She didn’t and she nipped at the Middle chick who was trying to get near to get a few bites. The chicks were confused. Dad flew in with a fish at 10:31, left, returned with a partial fish at 10:47, and was in a general state of anxiousness. Still the chicks cried for food.

In the image below Mum is on the nest. She returned with a full crop at 12:42. See the birds below the nest? That is Dad chasing away the female intruder.

Mum was attacked and now Dad is chasing off the intruder – this is a very good explanation for what has been happening on this nest. It is interesting to me, at least, that the causes of siblicide do not mention ‘intruders’.

I want to thank ‘A’ and ‘R’ who watched this nest while I was away.

‘A’ makes note of the intruder attacking the female at 12:57. ‘A’ also observed a fish, not a large one, being delivered at 14:43 where both of the chicks were fed.

From ‘R’s observations there appear to be issues with the intruder during this feeding. ‘R’ notes that “at 1501:10 you see two shadows very close together and Mum appears very nervous and stops feeding chicks and starts pulling the fish around the nest.   At 1508:35 she becomes agitated and appears ready to fly off the nest but settles down and starts feeding the chicks again.” Clearly the intruder is making the nesting birds nervous causing them to react and not focus on the chicks. ‘R’ notes that following a couple of aggressive behaviours, Middle manages to get the remainder of the fish. Well done, Middle! Most of the time it is to Big’s advantage.  Clearly another bird flying around as you can see the shadow pass the nest on multiple occasions.

Once Dad has dispensed with the female intruder, he returned with a large headless fish at 16:28. This is excellent and this is the way to get a nest back on track. Let us hope that the intruder has decided to go elsewhere.

There was a bit of a tussle between the two chicks once the fish had landed. I noted that each stood up to the other. Middle is hungry enough he might go on the attack.

I was surprised when Middle stood up big and bold that the two birds are not that much different in size. Clearly Big has the advantage of being energized by more food and is stronger.

Big exerts its dominance but this does not stop Middle from exerting its presence to get fed.

‘R’ noted that Mum moved the fish to the opposite side of the nest whiich was more advantageous to Middle. Once Mum got settled things began to get sorted with the feeding. In the end I would say that both chicks ate well.

It is 16:56 and both of the chicks are being fed in almost equal portions and there is still fish remaining. We can all sleep sound knowing that Middle had a really good feed late today!

Mum is still feeding at 17:01. How grand.

Each was offered a piece of fish tail at the end. Both osplets have crops. Nice.

I cannot think of a nicer way to end this blog. Despite all of the commotion and potential danger to this nest, in the end, Dad came through with a big enough fish for both of them to eat well. Sometimes we have to take the nests a day or an hour at a time. Today was a good day for Middle – and for Big.

Thank you so much, ‘A’ and ‘R’. You have each helped to fill in the gaps while I was away and to add substance to the angst that this intruder has caused. Much appreciated.

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

Thank you to the UFlorida-Gainesvlle Osprey streaming cam where I took my screen captures.

Early Tuesday in Bird World

3 May 2022

News has come that the male at Denton Homes, Majestic Dad, has died. Avian Flu has been confirmed. The Denton Homes nest lost three eaglets and an adult male. The female, Majestic Mum, looks good on cam and is being monitored.

For those looking for information, here are two publications that have good solid information as well as some of the latest news on the spread.

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/influenza-(avian-and-other-zoonotic)?fbclid=IwAR2wNC51JO4V2JADpz_SGHQR_ovyiwyYpVmAVyxsMBt_rGxtzhROMqBSZEM

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/wildbirds.htm?fbclid=IwAR03jx2Iw6YSAPQL9jJ4zvAzT58C9UcEgEAiAycbiOyALsOY1wEsLmjzJbA

This is one of the last images of E2, that sweet little eaglet off the MN-DNR nest that became a victim of siblicide at the age of 5 weeks. E2 hatched on 23 May and was shoved off the nest by E1 and subsequently euthanized on 30 April.

Dr Sharpe has been very busy. Another chick was to be banded on Santa Rosa Island and Dr Sharpe arrived just in time as the nest had collapsed and dropped. Here is that announcement

There are now five baby Peregrine Falcons in the Manchester, New Hampshire nest

Here is the link to that streaming camera (there are 2 of them).

There is an unease this morning on the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest. I have observed fish being brought in but a bewildered adult and no feeding of the eaglets. An adult brought a fish on at 10:19 (or thereabouts). Both of the chicks began to scream for food. It was interesting watching what is happening. The adult eventually gave up and dropped the fish on the nest. Middle began to self-feed. You might have noticed him chewing on other bits of old fish and bones on the nest.

In the image below, the adult has brought in the fish. Middle is trying to get under here to be fed. (Big has the darker back plumage).

Middle anticipated that the adult would be feeding them and is trying to get to a point away from Big so that it gets some food.

The female places the fish in the middle of the nest leaving it. She did not feed the chicks when she brought in the piece of fish.

The chicks look on as the adult flies away. They do not understand what is going on – the same as me!

Middle begins to self-feed.

The chicks give up on the self-feeding. This picture was taken at 10:31.

At 10:47 an adult lands on the nest.

The adult, at first, appears to be a small piece of fish tail that they have brought in. Then the adult pulls part of a catfish – the head and part of the body – out of the nest. Both chicks are prey crying very loud. The adult appears confused as Middle tries to self feed. Is this Dad? and was it Dad earlier?

The adult looks completely bewildered.

Middle is attempting to self-feed. What is going on at this nest?

Middle had very little food yesterday and, if that were the case the day before, is not starving but getting there. It is clear that Big has no crop and is also hungry but not like Middle.

Middle may have gotten a little flesh off the open end.

While the dropping of the fish on the nest is a good strategy for both if there are two pieces and both chicks are self-feeding, it is clear that these two are not ready to feed themselves. Where is the female?

At 12 noon the adult returns, chicks crying desperately for food. The adult looks around. Is this Dad again? (From the behaviour I am assuming Dad). Where is Mum? If you observe the Mum feeding the chicks (or the dad) please send me a note. I cannot watch the nest all day today, unfortunately. I am quite concerned.

This has been posted on the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey Nest page if you would like to help name the chicks, the adults, and the nest:

All I have to do is flip over to the Red-tail Hawk nest at Cornell and there is an instant smile. The four Ls do not have to worry about getting fed. Arthur is constantly bringing in food and Big Red feeds each beak until there is not one asking for food.

Larger clutch, direct feeding, lots of food on the nest, no history of siblicide – that is the difference at the Red-tail Hawk nest as compared with the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest.

The West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta is an example of two parents working hard to make sure that each of their offspring survive —- and thrive! Both parents were active bringing in food. Several times they had tandem feedings. And look – Sky, Ahota, and Kanakini. They should all fledge and we hope return and raise their own families in the Channel Islands.

The Mum and Dad at Pittsburgh-Hayes consistently raise triplets to fledge. They hatched on 21, 22, and 25th of March making them 43, 42, and 39 days old.

These are Bald Eagle nests. Examples of siblicide that I listed yesterday include both Bald Eagles and Ospreys. It will be enlightening, at the end of the season, to compare data on species in terms of survival rates. It is also complicated and might not reveal a true picture in terms of prey availability, parenting, genetic predisposition to siblicide, etc. unfortunately. Another interesting comparison will be the rate of success of 3 clutch Ospreys in the UK with those in North America.

At the Hellgate Canyon nest of Iris in Missoula, Montana, the oldest osprey in the world laid her first egg of the 2022 season at 08:13.

Louis arrived a little later – fishless – to see the egg and do what Louis does.

I want to repost Dr Erick Greene’s letter about Iris’s relationship with Louis and why I should not be – nor you – upset with the fact that he has two nests. There is a huge change in the Osprey population that use the Clark Fork River for their food supply. Much of what Dr Greene says can also be applied to other species who are under pressure.

The Anacapa Falcons are doing well.

Things seem to have settled for now so that Bukachek and Betty can take care of their five eggs in the Mlade Buky White Stork nest in The Czech Republic. They have had disturbances – as recent as two days ago- from intruders like so many other nests this year.

It is a soaking morning on the Bald Eagle nest at Notre Dame University. There has been some strife at the nest with regard to the third hatch getting feed. It seems that there are good days and not so good. The weather might well impact feeding and behaviour today.

This is the history of this nest back to 2015: One chick, ND1 in 2015; ND2 in 2016; ND 3 and 4 in 2017; ND 5 and 6 in 2018, ND 7, 8, and 9 in 2019; ND 10, 11, and chick 12 who died on May 14 in 2020); ND 13 and 14 with a non-viable egg also in 2021. The hatches this year (2022) are ND 15, 16, and 17. Hopefully all three will make it.

Notice the turtle shells. James Broley commented that the Bald Eagles love turtle and he always found turtle shells in their nests when he went to band the chicks.

Beautiful female with her two eggs in the Barlinka Forest nest in Poland.

Wow! I just came across this Osprey nest at the US Steelworks Plant in Washington State.

It really helps to have metal workers when you need an upgrade. The original nest was on top of a light pole. Look carefully. In 2012, when a lighting upgrade was required, it was felt that a new nest platform should be constructed. The workers incorporated the old nest with the new metal one in hopes of attracting the birds to use it.

I do not know anything about the history of this Osprey nest. It is in Kalamana, Washington State and the Pacific Northwest had tremendous problems with the extreme summer heat causing many nests to fail. Chicks were leaping to their death to get away from the heat. So this is a warning if you start to watch this nest – there could be issues related to weather at this nest.

Eyases have hatched at the Cromer Peregrine Falcon scrape in the UK. The adults are Poppy and Henry.

The nest is on top of the Cromer Church Tower. In 2020, the resident pair fledged three chicks. In 2021, no viable eggs were laid. Now look at the little ones this year. Fantastic.

Here is a short video of their feeding. Notice how the female holds the prey.

Here is a link to the Cromer Peregrine Falcon page that has a link to the camera as well as lots of images and information.

https://www.cromerperegrineproject.co.uk/

And here is a link to the YouTube streaming cam for Cromer.

I am very interested in the White-tail Eagle nest at the Matsalu National Park in Estonia. Last year the couple hatched two chicks that perished from Avian Flu. It was the first recognized instance of H5N1 during spring breeding and marked a shift from the Avian Flu being prevalent in the fall and winter when it did not impact the breeding season. The two eagles have returned to the nest where WTE have been raised since the 1870s.

Will they lay eggs this season? If so, they are very, very late. In a normal season the eggs would be laid around the third week in March with hatching in late April. We are now 3 March.

This is the link to this nest in Estonia.

If you are watching the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest today and see a feeding, if you do not mind sending me your observations I would be very grateful and would, of course, credit you for those! I am very worried about this nest. The female has to eat and it is possible that she is as ‘starving’ as Middle. Two fish on a nest is not enough to support the female plus two growing and demanding chicks. Thank you so much!

So many nests and so much happening – lots of good and much sadness recently. Thank you for joining me today. It is so nice having you here. Please take good care.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: The Eagle Club of Estonia, Cromer Peregrine Falcons, U-Florida-Gainesville Ospreys, Cornell RTH, Montana Osprey Project, Steelscape Osprey Cam, Peregrine Falcon Networks, Institute for Wildlife Studies, Explore.org, Pix Cams, ND-LEEF, Barlinka Ospreys, Mlade Buky Storks, and Anacapa Falcons.

Monday in Bird World

2 May 2022

Oh, I cannot tell you the level of elation when – just stopping in to check on a fledging that it is there on the nest, yelling at the parent it sees in the distance bringing in a headless fish. Oh, Kincaid, it was so very nice to see you. Thank you Louis for that great meal! The time on the Kistachie National Forest streaming cam was 15:48:36.

There is Kincaid on the branch. Oh, how lovely. I have not checked in on you enough but, it so reassuring that you are still at the nest with your parents, getting food and getting stronger at flying. That is how you will survive! Maybe you won’t ever leave. There is plenty of lake, lots of fish, and an empty eagle’s nest.

Kincaid saw Louis flying towards the nest way in the distance and she rushes down to get her dinner.

Kincaid was sure ‘wheeing’ very loud as the adult approached the tree and landed. Kincaid mantled the nice headless fish perfectly.

Kincaid did a great job feeding. She was still on the nest eating an hour later.

This morning DC9 at the National Arboretum Nest was banded. The eaglet was taken in a pouch down from the tree and returned. It was a very hot day in Washington, DC. 27 degrees C or 80.6. It is hotter on the top of the nest. DC9 was panting. The immediate reaction of the bander was that DC9 was a male. If I hear differently, I will let you know. Here are some images of that event.

DC 9 valiantly defended its nest. It is 10:52. DC9 is 35 years old. The perfect age for banding.

The bander sat very quiet talking gently to the little eaglet and slowly, ever so slowly got him to where he could place him in the sack.

In you go.

Down they go.

Done and dusted. The bander stayed to see that DC9 was alright. Watched his breathing etc.

DC9 is panting due to the heat and probably some of the stress. He is not going to show us his bling either.

Mr President was on a branch of the nest tree called the ‘balcony’ at 15:43. He flew down to the nest and fed DC9 at 16:22. I wonder if DC9 told Dad what a day he had had!

The cuteness factor at the nest of Big Red and Arthur is way up there. L4 is quite the ‘corker’ as my Mum would have said. Yesterday evening he was trying to eat the same piece of rabbit as its older sibling, L1. The wee one isn’t afraid of anything – even attempting to eat a bird leg this morning. It was quite hilarious. At least once Big Red had to rescue the poor darling from choking. Did I say she was a great Mum?

L4 is on the far right with that big piece of meat. Right now it is the only eyas that does not have the grey down coming in. The others are preening and itchy! Soon enough, little one. Don’t grow too quickly.

Everyone is getting a nice crop.

Then it started raining. Poor Big Red. She is getting soaked.

Then the rain stopped. All of the babies are completely dry and kept nicely warm.

It often seems like Big Red never stops feeding them! Adding one extra sure changes things on a nest!

Iris came to visit her nest today at Hellgate Canyon in Missoula. No eggs yet.

Someone commented that they thought raptors bonded for life (meaning if the mate disappears they do not take another mate) today in a short discussion about Nancy and Harry at the MN-DNR nest. Harry has been missing since Tuesday evening. He is Nancy’s second mate. Should Harry not return to the nest, Nancy will have her choice of suitors. She is an experienced female with a beautiful nest and according to the statistics there are too many single male eagles. II really hope that Harry is off healing and will return. Nancy is taking good care of E1. (E2 was shoved off the nest by E1 and subsequently euthanized due to its injuries both from the fall and from the beaking from E1 on the nest).

The oldest eaglet on the Dale Hollow nest branched today. A parent was in with a chunk of fish for Big and was feeding some fish to Middle.

The eaglets are big! Just look at the size of them.

Wow. That big beautiful wing. The eaglets are (counting hatch day) 64 days old today. They hatched on the 28th of February.

Louis and Dorcha at the Loch Arkaig Osprey nest in Scotland now have three eggs. Congratulations.

Male Ospreys are quite funny. Some bring toys and bright objects to the nest. Others land on their mates and use them as a pillow hoping to get some incubation time. At the Dyfi Nest in Wales, Idris pulls Telyn’s feathers when he wants a turn! Telyn is incubating three eggs!

Idris is also known for being ‘Daddy Longlegs’ and for his fantastic fishing abilities!

This is a reminder that Annie and Alden, the Peregrine Falcons at the Campanile on the grounds of the University of California at Berkeley are incubating three eggs which are set to hatch in four days – 6 of May (possibly the 5th). Two eggs are believed to belong to Annie’s former long term mate, Grinnell, and one is thought to belong to Alden. Everyone is very excited. When the chicks are banded, snips of feathers will be taken and a DNA test will happen. We will know the genders and hopefully which chick belongs to which Dad.

Don’t know what to expect from a Peregrine Falcon nest? or need a refresher? or just want 15 minutes of cute? Have a look at a season compilation from Glasgow.

I have not had a chance to check all of the nests! Adding the falcons and ospreys in with the eagles has been running – which is a good thing! Those nests I have checked appear to be just fine.

It is sunny and dry in Manitoba! American White Pelicans are on the river near to where I live. The floodway seems to be regulating the water inside the city the way it was designed. Thankful.

Thank you for joining me this afternoon. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Dfyi Osprey Project, Cal Falcons, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, DHEC, Scottish Woodland Trust, NADC-AEF, MN-DNR, KNF, and the Montana Osprey Project.

Early Sunday in Bird World

1 May 2022

Eggs are starting to hatch in some of the European stork nests as well as the falcon nests in North America and the UK. It is a really exciting time for bird lovers of all species. Even the White-bellied Sea Eagles (WBSE) are starting to work on their nest in Sydney, Australia. I cannot believe how fast time flies – like a falcon!

This morning, 1 May, at the nest of Wilma and Wilfried in Lindheim, Germany, the 5 White Stork eggs began to hatch shortly after dawn. Two hatched right away and a third is pipping. Hopefully, the other two will come quickly also. The previous male at this nest, Wilheim, lived to be 30 years old, disappearing in 2020.

Lindheim is a short distance north and slightly west of Frankfurt.

The countryside is gorgeous.

Here is a link to this streaming cam:

Bukachek and Betty have five White Stork eggs at their nest in Mlade Buky, The Czech Republic, too. Soon there will be storks hatching everywhere! If you travel to Spain and Portugal you will also see storks everywhere- nests on top of all the buildings! I am told that this is true in parts of Poland – . Storks are symbols of joy and the promise of a bright future. No wonder they are looked after so well and welcomed.

Here is the streaming cam for Bukachek and Betty:

At the Black Stork nest of Karl II and Kaia in the Karula Forest in Estonia, Kaia shows Karl II their fourth egg this morning. Karl II is the banded stork with the transmitter. Kaia is so tiny. This is their second season together. Last year there were three hatches and each fledged.

This is the link to Karl II and Kaia’s streaming cam:

The White-tail eaglets in the Tucholskie Forest in Poland had a big feed resulting in huge crops and sound sleep.

This is the link to this camera:

At the Weissenburg Peregrine Falcon nest, three of the four eggs have hatched. The first hatch was on 12 April quickly followed by the second on the 13th and the third on the 14th. The fourth egg was deemed to be non-viable. The chicks will be ringed when they are older.

Oh, a little cuddle puddle.

This is the link to the streaming cam for the falcons:

That is a quick look at some of the nests in Europe that you may or may not be familiar.

Oh, goodness, you want to see little eyases in the US? There are three – one newly hatched – at the Manchester, New Hampshire scrape! So cute…There is one more egg to hatch but it might not. There is no pip. And sometimes only one out of three or four falcon eggs hatch. The smallest wee babe hatched during the early morning hours and is already dry while the others know to hold those pink beaks high and keep them open for food

Here is the link to the falcon streaming cam in Manchester, NH:

There are also two eyases at the falcon scrape in Utica. These two hatched on the 27th of April. You can see how quickly they have grown compared to the wee ones at Manchester. Cute.

Here is the link to the streaming cam at Utica, NY:

It is early morning in Captiva and Middle (Little) is waiting in his tree perch for Andy to bring a fish to the nest. Squint. It is the tree in front of the palm and Middle Little is at 3 o’clock. Just a tiny white dot.

Big Red and Arthur have already had a change in brooding. Gosh, Big Red must get ‘stiff’ hunched over those four wiggly eyases all night.

Just look at Arthur! Lots of people doubted if he would be able to cover all those chicks. Arthur, you look like a pro!

Breakfast for the Ls as the sun rises.

It is raining in many parts of the US and the three eaglets at the Pittsburgh-Hayes nest are positively soaked this morning.

Mum is trying to keep the two at the US Steel Irwin Plant nest dry – but the poor babies aren’t babies anymore!

It looks like it is a little wet at the Dale Hollow Bald Eagle nest where Big and Middle are waiting for breakfast to arrive.

It is raining at the site of the Minnesota DNR Bald Eagle nest of Nancy and ‘missing’ Harry. There is only one eaglet on the nest. Yesterday, E1 shoved E2 off the nest. Its injuries were such that it had to be euthanized.

The male, Harry, disappeared Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, Nancy caught a huge fish and brought it to the nest. Both of the eaglets were full as was Mum. She has, as far as I know, not been able to hunt since then. This means that E1 and Nancy have not eaten since Wednesday. There is an intruder that is stopping Nancy from leaving her eaglet. — This could turn into a very sad situation quickly for all.

Nancy tried to feed her only eaglet from the old bones in the nest yesterday.

She has found something this morning. Wet and continuing sadness, possibly.

The two surviving osplets at the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest are getting their beautiful juvenile feathers. Both are eating and the tension at the nest does not appear to have returned.

If you missed the Ventana Wildlife Society’s Zoom chat a few days ago, they have archived that discussion about the California Condors. They are in the process of rebuilding the ‘pen’ at Big Sur after the Dolan fire two years ago. Redwood Queen has an egg that could hatch any moment and much more news.

This is the latest tracking received on our sweetie pie, Ervie. He made a visit to Boston Island on the 29th! Wow. Ervie still hangs around the hotel and his favourite tree in Port Lincoln most of the time. I wonder how that talon of his is growing and healing? Ervie, if you could pay a visit to the barge we might be able to check! It sure would be nice to see you.

And last for this morning but absolutely never the least – the Peregrine Falcon scrape at The Campanile on the grounds of UC-Berkeley. It is the home of Annie and Alden (and 2 eggs of Grinnell’s). Cal Falcons likes data and they are predicting, from past experience, when Annie’s eggs will hatch.

Now I cannot be there but if you live in the San Francisco area, why not join Sean and Lynne and all the other CalFalcon lovers on 6 May? It looks like fun!

The ground in southern Manitoba is soaked and the water in the rivers continues to climb. Deer are trying to find dry ground, many walking along the railway lines that are slightly higher, in search of a spot and some food. Some communities are completely flooded. So far we have managed to keep the bird seed relatively dry in the garden despite the rain. The migrating birds continue to arrive and this includes the Ospreys that were spotted yesterday.

Our mayor, Brian Bowman, posted some images from inside the floodway yesterday. Some individuals are having trouble with seepage and flooding – I am fine. Thank you for all of your concern but so far, so good! This is a view of our downtown area facing St Boniface, the wonderful French area of our City. That large building is the Human Rights Museum.

@Brian Bowman Mayor’s Office

If I missed your favourite nests, I will try and include them in the next report. Thank you so much for joining me. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cam and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Cornell Bird Lab RTH, MN-DNR, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife, Pix Cams, Mayor Brian Bowman FB, DHEC, Cal Falcons, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Bielik Online Bory Tucholskie, Storchennest Lindheim, Ziva Kamera Mlade Buky, Utica Falcons, Peregrine Networks, Port Lincoln Osprey Project FB, and Eagle Club of Estonia.

Late Saturday in Bird World

30 April 2022

It is still raining in southern Manitoba. There are images on FB of deer trying to find dry ground and food. They are walking along the railway tracks south of Winnipeg. They will, so sadly, have a long way to go. The birds have been with us all day grabbing on to the vines that grow on the side of the house, stopping to eat when the rain is not too heavy, and then looking for shelter again when it starts. Will this really turn to snow tomorrow? It is better for the birds for sure. I just hope the promise of 20 degrees C or 68 F really happens on Thursday. Everyone and all things could use a dry out.

The Grackles arrived this week. I have a new ‘used’ ‘refurbished’ camera and it is heavier than my old one. It is going to take some getting used to. So please bear with me!

Grackles are so overlooked. Isn’t it stunning? Just look at the colours!!!!!!!! Mr Grackle and his family of eight normally spend the summer with us in our garden. Two years ago when their single surviving chick fledged, the whole extended family arrived, perching on the cable line, swaying back and forth, in joyous celebration. Last year Mr Crow took all the newborn chicks. I yelled at him. He doesn’t like me!

The focus is soft. I will work on that but, at least, those gorgeous wing feathers and that beautiful indigo head came through.

The European Starlings were here today, also. They discovered the meal worms and got all excited.

Dyson is not bothered by the birds.

I caught Hedwig, an Eastern Cottontail, waiting for the Grackles to leave the deck. Hedwig has decided that he likes to have his food – carrots, sunflower seeds, and millet – on the deck by the Japanese lantern. It is always so good to see him.

Scraggles and Little Red were running around, too. It is reassuring to see them, to know that they are alright. Their lives are not easy.

It has been a really tough season for our streaming bird families. One day I will sit down and write down the names together and find images of all the ones we have lost since January. We get attached to them and losing E2 today and having Harry missing from their MN-DNR nest – well, it hit many very, very hard. Harry was a popular young dad – four years old!!!!!! They fledged two last year. He barely had his white head this year – and he was an excellent provider. Nancy should be able to keep herself and E1 alive if the intruders will leave and she can go hunt. Please send warm thoughts their way.

I wanted to just send you some lovely images of Big Red and Arthur’s nest on the grounds of Cornell in Ithaca, New York. Big Red makes me happy. She adores being a Mom and every year she rises to the top as Bird Mother of the Year. If I could arrange it, Big Red, those would be chippies on a stick instead of yellow tulips!

The images are in no particular order. Most of the time when I pop in to check on them if they are not streaming behind everything else, Big Red is feeding the chicks. That is Little L4 getting some nice squirrel. The pantry is decreasing and Arthur will, no doubt, be working to fill it again.

How about a fur lined nest with Squirrelillows?

Keeping the nest insect and pest free is a big job. Big Red is always aerating.

More food. Wee L4 is back up there.

L4 looks just like a little snow person there on the far right. S/he has figured out a good place to be when it is feeding time.

I will check on the other nests tomorrow. The activity at the MN-DNR nest took the wind out of my sails. It is heart breaking. And enough with the intruders. There are way too many eagles and ospreys without nests and I am told way too many male Bald Eagles without a partner that this is becoming a big problem. All I know is that intruders caused the death of Grinnell at the CalFalcon scrape, almost killed Bella, have probably killed Harry – and the list goes on. A Bald Eagle (not Connie or her mate) chased one of the Osprey fledglings from Captiva today. I am certain that you have a long list also. Then there is blatant siblicide. Dale Hollow. UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys. MN-DNR.

I hope the garden animals and seeing Big Red in all her glory with four eyases -for the very first time- will bring a smile to your face. Take care everyone. Thank you for being with me today. See you soon!

Thank you to Cornell Bird Lab for their streaming cam at Ithaca where I took my screen captures.

MN-DNR E2 is Euthanized

30 April 2022

The father, Harry, – his second year as a young Dad in 2022 – went missing Tuesday evening. Nancy the Mum hunted and got a huge fish on the nest on Wednesday for E1 and E2 when Harry did not return. Since they were small, E1 had marginalized E2, beaking it, and not allowing it to eat. Three weeks ago, according to my great source “P” who loved that eaglet and watched that nest, E2 was self feeding. Sadly, E1 became more and more aggressive with the absence of Harry and regular food deliveries. On Friday, it tried to push E2 off the nest. Today, it tried again in the morning and was successful in the afternoon. This is siblicide. Nancy has not been able to go and hunt since Wednesday because of the adult eagle intruder in the area. A search party extended 3 miles and did not find Harry. I hope that Harry is only slightly injured and is resting and healing away from the territory and will return like Bella did.

The boots on the ground found E2. He was taken into care.

Sadly, this is the last announcement from the MN-DNR.

He was a vibrant young eaglet with so much promise. Fly high Little One, fly high.

Thank you again to “P” for keeping me constantly informed. I know how much she loves this wee babe.

Early Saturday in Bird World

30 April 2022

UPDATE 2: My very reliable eagle source just sent me the following information. Nancy hunted on Wed when Harry didn’t show up. Nancy brought in a monster fish and another later. Both chicks fed and had huge crops. On Thursday there was an adult intruder. Nancy could not go far and yesterday people searching for Harry and intruder. Today, more people by the nest and raining most of the morning. Thank you ‘P’. As we all know the female will protect the chicks if there are avian or human intruders about. Let us hope that the rain stops and they find E2 and the nest can become quiet so Nancy can hunt more. She is perfectly capable like the Decorah Mum in doing so. The search area for Harry extended 3 miles and the team did not find him. This does remind me of Bella.

UPDATE: Terrible turn of events. The youngest eaglet was pushed off of the MN-DNR nest by the eldest. This was a second attempt and it was successful. It is possible that there will be a search for it and for Harry. Meanwhile, Nancy is feeding the eldest.

It is rainy, grey, damp, dreary in the garden this morning but, it could be worse! The rain is not torrential and the wee birds are not scurrying to get under the eaves to hang on to the vines. What a miserable spring ‘welcome home’ they are having!

Bird World news today includes some items from late Friday, also.

As I mentioned yesterday, Harry has been missing from the MN-DNR nest since late Tuesday. Things appear not to be going well. As Paul Kolnik mentioned on Eagles 101 FB page, there is a duck pond right below the nest. I don’t like seeing waterfowl on a nest these days due to H5N1 but it is better than having starving chicks.

Yesterday, the nest was volatile with the biggest trying to push the youngest off the nest. Nancy flew up and saved the day. I remember – was it Ma Decorah – that quickly went into action feeding her eaglets and they thrived and fledged- after the dad went missing. These are older chicks. Nancy can hunt! Get going, Nancy!

Nancy sits in the tree and there are more attacks this morning. The chicks – if they have not eaten since Tuesday – are in dire straits. I use the word ‘if’ because I have not seen a feeding, you might have. #1 continues its attack on #2. These two have had problems all season but now it is entirely worse. This is another form of siblicide – pushing sibling off the nest to their death and of course the attacks.

#2 chick might just want to jump off the nest to save its life. This was also this morning. Nancy is up in the tree. I am shocked if she has not brought food to the nest. Nests can turn on a dime. If you have seen Nancy bring prey, please let me know. TY.

Big Red looked tired last year with the Ks but she looks healthy and energized this year. It must have been a good year for prey for her during the non-breeding season. As ‘W’ put it, Arthur looks like he is in ‘shock’. Add one more eaglet and the work seems to be so much more strenuous. The pantry is full and L4 is eating fine. Big Red will not let her kids go hungry!!!!!!! Right now she needs Arthur because the hawklets are so young. They still have their fuzzy white down and need to be brooded. I giggled. No one thought Arthur could get the hawklets under him – well, he did this morning early when BR took a much needed break.

Arthur looks down at some of the Ls with the same loving eyes as Big Red.

You can still see the crop on the hawklet as Arthur gets up to let Big Red feed the gang —- you will always hear that Big Red does not like her kids to be hungry. She doesn’t. At 19 years old, she knows that to get them to quiet down they have to be full to the brim and then some!

Arthur is a great provider and mate. Big Red really picked a good one when she bonded with Arthur before he even had his red tail.

The nest cup is nice and deep and it is getting more and more fur lined. That would certainly make for not only a warm nest but a comfortable one for Big Red and Arthur. Imagine twisting and turning with babies under you and getting poked by sharp sticks.

L4 is on the left and is being fed.

Full and settled for the moment!

The two hawklets in the Presidio nest in San Francisco are doing great! Both are losing their soft fluffy down. You can see a few dandelions that will be gone soon. The white down on the head seems to be the last thing to change. They will be preening a lot to help with the itch but also they are learning to keep their feathers in tip top condition.

Mark your calendars for May 5-6 which is the hatch watch for Annie, Alden, and Grinnell’s eggs at The Campanile on the grounds of UC-Berkeley.

When Jasper and Rocket were younger, Rocket was the champion for snatch and grab because Jasper was dominant. After fledging – and some time prior – Jasper started getting really good at stealing the prey. After fledging, Jasper continued to perfect this to the detriment of Rocket who might be much more hungry. So yesterday when Rocket got the big fish and ate the entire thing – horking down the tail so we could see it on camera – it simply felt good! Way to go Rocket. Got your mojo back?

Jasper looked on in shock as Rocket grabbed the fish tail and down it went. Jasper really must have believed that Rocket was going to leave her something. No way, not today.

A massive feast landed on the Decorah North Nest of Mr North and Mrs DNF yesterday. Here is a video of that arrival and feeding. Turn down your sound!

Are you a fan of the Finnish Osprey nests? This announcement was posted this morning.

Finnish nest #4. 30 April 2022

Here is the link to Satakunnan #4 streaming cam:

There are 10 Osprey nests in Finland (this is what I was told last year). Here is the female on nest #5.

In the information section on YouTube, you will find the links to all of the cameras that are currently live in Finland. I am including only two here this morning.

Here is the link to Satakunnan Saakset #5:

At the Captiva nest in Florida, Andy has brought in Middle (LittleO’s) lunch.

Middle or Little O is the male of the fledglings. Little or MiniO is the female and Lori Covert, the owner of the property, has observed Little or MiniO diving for their own fish. Isn’t that wonderful? Lori does not know if Little or MiniO, the last to fledge, has been successful with their fishing but she is sure out there perfecting her survival skills.

I know that many watch the Osprey nest in Bremen, Maine. The adults this year are Steve and Calli. Steve brought the breakfast fish and Calli took off with it this morning. No eggs yet.

Here is the link to Steve and Callie’s Osprey cam – especially for those of you that are having withdrawal symptoms from Captiva!

I just wonder how many are watching the UK Osprey nests? I would definitely encourage you. (Unless there are severe weather issues, all of the nests below are excellent! There are many Pacific NW Osprey nests that I do not recommend such as Cowlings PUD, etc). Mary Kerr compiled a listing of the hatch watch dates for several of the nests in the UK. I know that she will not mind my sharing them while at the same time giving her credit for all the math – I did manage a B+ in Advanced Trigonometry in Uni but I can’t add!!!!!!! LOL. Here are those dates:

  • Manton Bay at Rutland Water: Blue 33 (11) and Maya: 7 May
  • Loch of the Lowes: Laddie LM12 and Blue NC0: 19 May
  • Dyfi: Idris and Telyn: 23 May
  • Glaslyn: Aran and Mrs G: 26 May
  • Loch Arkaig: Louis and Dorcha: 31 May

At the Pont Cresor nest in Glaslyn, Aeron Z2 and Blue O14 laid their first egg yesterday, 29 April so they are going to be much later than the nests mentioned above. I have said many times ‘why’ I prefer the UK Osprey nests but there really is something good about not allowing humans to have motor boats racing around and fishing – the silence of the lochs and the fish for the birds makes for good conditions. I just hope the nests avoid the terrible storms that have been coming to the UK.

Thank you for joining me today. Take care everyone. Please send your positive wishes to the MN-DNR. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Cornell RTH, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife, Audubon and Explore.org, Explore.org, Bald Eagles 101, MN-DNR, NEFlorida-AEF, Cal Falcons, Presidio Trust, Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus), and Lounais Suomen Saakset.

Late Tuesday in Bird World

26 April 2022

It has been a great day in Bird World. When everything seemed so bleak with the ‘Only Baby’ at the Two Harbours nest on the Channel Islands holding on after a fall ten feet below the nest, the sun rose. When daylight came Dr Sharpe and two volunteers hiked for an hour to reach the nesting site. The trio rescued the eaglet, built up the walls of the nest, and placed the wee one back. Everyone held their breath hoping that the parents, twenty-four year old Chase and Cholyn, would appear immediately. They waited almost three hours to return. Everyone was on pins and needles. What if they did not return was the question on everyone’s mind. One did a fly by, and then they both arrived – Cholyn with some nesting material and Chase with the first fish of the afternoon. Baby was home! It was less than 24 hours but, it felt like an eternity. Would the eaglet be able to hold on? That strong brave little one stayed put until help came!

Dr Sharpe and the rescue were interviewed by ABC news:

https://abc7.com/eagle-eaglet-catalina-island-baby/11794228/

“Oh, please, just one more bite,” Cholyn insists. Meanwhile, TH1’s crop is about to pop. Can you see it? The parents were overjoyed to have their chick back on the nest.

Cholyn and Big Red believe that no one should leave the table hungry. Tonight, squirrel was on the menu at the Red-tail Hawk nest in Ithaca, New York.

There are still three for Big Red and Arthur. As you can see, Arthur has really been packing the pantry and I am happy to say that most of it is squirrel and chippy.

There has been little mention of egg 4. It pipped and the chick was alive last night. It is difficult to tell because the other three Ls lay on it. If it is to hatch we should see that wee one in the morning. Personally, three eyases is great!!!!!! The three Ls appear quite healthy.

Liberty and Guardian’s eaglets for the 2022 season now have names. They are Sentry and Star. Well done everyone who took part in the voting for these two at their Redding, California aerie. Just look at them. Aren’t they gorgeous?

Spirit and Jackie shared a meal together today. It is hard to grasp but just look at the size of Spirit. They said that she would be the size of a Canada Goose now!

It is often hard to go back to a nest when the older siblings have been responsible for the death of the younger. It took me a long time to ‘get over’ being upset with Solly at the Port Lincoln Osprey nest when she caused the youngest, Tapps, to die at the age of 18 days due to starvation. It was only after she fledged that I warmed up to her again and I was honestly very sad when she died on an electrical pole in South Australia eating a fish. The two surviving ospreys at the University of Florida’s Gainesville Osprey nest are really doing well. The food competition appears to have dissipated. It is quite sad that the third hatch has to be sacrificed, or so it seems, for the good of the whole in terms of brood reduction.

The two eyases at the Presidio Red-tail Hawk nest in San Francisco are also eating well and growing without much of a problem. Once in awhile the eldest tries to be dominant but things seem to be alright.

It was sunny with wind gusts at the Two Harbours nest. Chase and Cholyn had to hover and approach the nest twice to land. It was dreary and windy just around the corner at the West End Eagle nest of Thunder and Akecheta. Of the three trips up the cliffs in less than two weeks, Dr Sharpe rescued the youngest male from the West End nest who had fallen and then returned a few days later to measure and band the three. It is easy to spot the big sister in the group now with her two little brothers.

On Thursday the 28th, the Ventana Wildlife Society is holding a Zoom-chat. It is free and it begins at 4pm Pacific Time. When you register you can submit questions to the staff. Because Condors eat carrion, I submitted questions related to the current Avian Flu in relation to those beautiful California Condors.

“California condor” by USFWS Pacific Southwest Region is marked with CC PDM 1.0.

Here is the link for registration, if you are interested:

https://www.ventanaws.org/zoom-chats.html

In Latvia, the first egg at the Lesser Spotted Eagle nest has been laid. The nest is in a beautiful Spruce forest in Zemgale. The map below was posted on the English Forum, Looduskalender, and shows the area of the nest in green.

The nest is 17 metres off the floor of the forest and from its size, is believed to be at least five years years old. The couple are Anna and Andris. Lesser Spotted Eagles normally lay two eggs. If there is enough food available, both chicks will grow and fledge. If there is not, then siblicide will occur on the nest. It is good to understand this before you begin watching a Lesser Spotted Eagles nest (or a Greater or a Golden Eagle).

Andris is being shown the egg by Anna. Notice how small he is compared to the female in front.

Here is a short video of that first egg.

Here is the link to the streaming cam:

Do you love Iris, the oldest Osprey in the world? She is not only the Queen of the Ospreys but she is also one beautiful bird. Just look what good shape she is in after doing her winter migration. I am very impressed. I wonder what 28 or 29 Osprey years translates into human years??? or is there such a thing? I hope I look that good at the equivalent age!!!!!

Here is Iris this evening on her nest at Hellgate Canyon, Missoula, Montana.

Earlier, at 18:20 her mate, Louis, brings her the second fish of this season! For those who do not know Iris, Louis and Iris have this rather jaded bond. Louis also has a nest with Starr at the baseball park. This is the first year that I remember Louis bringing fish to Iris in several years. And now he has brought two! Wow.

Iris knows Louis is approaching and she does some quiet little fish calls.

Wow. That is a nice big fish. Notice the head is missing. Traditionally, males eat the head before delivering the fish to the nest.

Iris accepts Louis’s gift and flies over to the pole to eat it for her dinner. I wonder if we should be expecting eggs soon???

A marvellous book arrived in the post today. It is called Eagle Man and is about Charles Broley and his dedication to the Bald Eagle. Broley lived in Florida and in Canada. Broley was a banker; when he retired he devoted himself to bird watching. Broley became a world authority on the Bald Eagle. His observations taught us about courtship rituals, nesting, feeding, and even the migratory patterns of the eagles. I landed a copy in very good condition. It was obviously treasured by its owner, D. Gordon, who wrote on the flap that he received it in May of 1956. It is signed by Charles Broley. Inside the binding is the obituary of Broley who died on 7 May 1959 in Delta, Ontario. I am so looking forward to reading this book that inspired many to respect the Bald Eagles as many, like Dr Sharpe today, fought to bring their numbers up after most were wiped out by DDT.

Thank you for joining me. There are so many nests to cover and some will find themselves here tomorrow. Take care! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or webpages where I took my screen captures: Looduskalendar Forum, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Montana Osprey Project, Explore.org, Redding Eagles, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Friends of Big Bear Valley, Latvian Fund for Nature, Presidio Trust, and the Ventana Wildlife Society.

Monday Morning in Bird World

25 February 2022

It is a beautiful morning on the Canadian Prairies. The sun is out a little bit and white snow fell overnight. The birds are very happy. They do not like the 45 kph gusts last night or the torrential rain on Saturday. I am also feeling lucky that we are not flooding and sad for the people and wildlife that are struggling with continuing flood waters in southern Manitoba and at various parts of Winnipeg.

I am going to begin with the sad news.

I wanted to make sure before I provided any more incorrect information about Little Bit. I have been monitoring the nest for many hours at UFlorida. Despite being fed Sunday after 86 hours without food, Little Bit lost its struggle to live. The precise time is unknown. The tiny wee one was almost delirious eating fish yesterday. It was such a joyful ten minutes watching Little Bit have some fish. It made us hopeful. At the time, the little one had not had a ps in a long time and at what point are its internal organs damaged? The heat at the top of the nest is hugely problematic in terms of hydration if fish are not consumed for that is where the osplets get their water. Little Bit got to eat because three fish came on the nest in quick succession. With the arrival of the third one, Big beaked Little Bit and fought with Middle. After some fish, the older two finally collapsed. It was only on their collapse that Little Bit got to eat and eat it did for ten minutes. I bet fish never tasted so good. Then another fish arrived, a 4th one, at 18:32:45. The female dragged that fish right across Little Bit’s head. It looks as if that is the precise place where Little Bit passed on. I had hoped for a miracle for this third hatch who wanted to live and who had such a wonderful start to life. This nest truly looked promising. The turn came on 10 April and for the past two weeks the baby suffered great abuse. There was a bit of a reprieve on the 18th and then the programme of siblicide began again on the 19th. — Those are a summary of the facts as we know them of Little Bit’s struggle to live on this nest. I had so hoped you would be alive and eating this morning, Little Bit. It was not meant to be. Fly high, Little One. Fly high. Soar.

The Osprey nest at Captiva is vacant this morning. Middle (or Little) was there yesterday. The parents should be feeding the chicks off camera. There has been no word on Little (or MiniO) since she fledged. If you look at the tree closest to the shore to the left of the scrape box you will see what I believe is an Osprey. This was Middle (or Little’s) tree that it liked to sit on. Perhaps it is him.

If you are in the market for a property at Captiva with an Osprey and Eagle nest, Lori Covert’s property is for sale.

The falcons and the hawks have been ignored, at times, in favour of the eagles and the ospreys so I want to check on some of these other nests while returning to a couple of Osprey nests that are normally very stable.

There is a Red-tail Hawk nest streaming cam in San Francisco at The Presidio. I had no idea. What a surprise in the wee hours of the morning when it just appeared. There are two chicks. They still have their white down and they are feisty!

The Presidio’s resident Red-tailed Hawk pair have been hard at work preparing their nest 100 feet up in one of the Presidio’s blue gum eucalyptus trees. The information tells me that “The Presidio is an important stop on the Pacific Flyway, the major north-south flyway for migratory birds, which means it’s a hotspot for birdwatching with 323 different types of birds spotted (so far!) in the park.”

The two eggs were laid the middle of March. The site does not state when they hatched but they look to be less than a week old but slightly older than Big Red’s chick, L1.

I do not know anything about this nest but I am quite excited. With only two chicks in this nest, both of them should grow happily. In general, it is easier to watch the hawk and falcon nests than the eagles and Ospreys as food competition and sibling rivalry are much less frequent.

Breakfast Monday morning. So well behaved like little falcons normally are.

This is simply fantastic news. Here is the link to follow this Red-tail Hawk family in California!

Early morning at the Buckinghamshire Council offices in the UK and there is that beautiful Peregrine Falcon. No eggs yet. Predicting soon!

We also have Peregrine Falcons in Manitoba. There are several streaming cams as part of the Peregrine Recovery Project. Ella and Pip have their scrape on the top of the Radisson Hotel in downtown Winnipeg. The couple have three eggs. Check out The Peregrine Chick on Twitter for news.

The last of the three eggs were laid on the 22nd of April and now it is hard incubation. Egg 1 was laid on the 17th with egg 2 on the 20th. Ella was tucked up tight as the cold weather returned to the ‘peg.

One of the great things that the local group has done is to compile a listing of Peregrine Falcon cameras in North America as well as world sites. It is not comprehensive as I see it does not include the Utica, New York scrape. Utica, you might want to send them a note and ask to be included. On that same page as the listing are a number of books related to Peregrine Falcons and other links. For the cameras, you just have to click on the site and presto – another cam with falcons to keep you awake!

http://www.species-at-risk.mb.ca/pefa/r-resources.html

I cannot find the live feed for the Utica cam of Astrid and her mate but, an article was posted on on the 24th on Falcon Watch Utica FB page.

Sunday, April 24, 2022 – Warm Weather Leads to Egg Shading for the First Time this Season & Intruder in the Late Afternoon

It was a gorgeous morning at the Cape Henlopen Osprey Nest in Lewes, Delaware this morning. Mum and Dad were both on the nest. Dad kept coming to see if he could have a turn at incubation and Mum kept refusing!

The site will not let me embed their camera link so search for the nest at YouTube.

L3 has hatched for Big Red and Arthur at the Cornell nest in Ithaca. That happy event happened at 06:03 this morning. Lined up from left to right: L3, L2, and L1. Big Red is trying to convince them that they want an early morning breakfast!

It looks like it is hard to keep 3 moving chicks and an egg comfortably under you, Big Red.

It is hard to see from the glare but Rhett and Scarlett are back making nestorations and mating on the Savannah Osprey Nest that was previously leased to the Great Horned Owls. I wonder how the season will go. It is late Osprey eggs in the region but, I guess we will find out!

Here is the link to this camera. Note that the Ospreys are not always on the nest.

Annie and Alden at the UCalifornia-Berkeley’s Campanile scrape are doing fantastic. What a great team they are! During the Q & A a question was asked about Alden’s personality or character. We learned some very intriguing things about Annie’s new mate. The first is that he ‘sings or talks’ a lot more than Grinnell. Alden also likes to hunt at night. The raptors are asleep but the other birds are awake and flying. The light pollution aids in hunting but the falcons have good night vision. This could also help Alden with his hunting since he has a badly healed injury in his left ankle area (this is what CalFalcons believes observing him). Alden has no trouble killing his prey but he might have difficulties holding on to it so if he dropped it at night there is less chance that a predator would get it! Smart one, Alden. It might surprise you but Cal Falcons noticed that Alden is much more aggressive in his defence of Annie and the eggs and the territory than Grinnell. For now, Alden is working hard for Annie and those three eggs. That is his only focus!

Hatch watch is May 5-6 and Sean and Lynn will be holding another Q & A at that time. These are great opportunities to learn about falcons! If you miss them, the couple are great to archive them on YouTube for you. Here is the link to the CalFalcons cam:

If you are wanting to watch an Osprey nest, I cannot recommend one more highly right now than Richmond and Rosie at the Richmond Shipping Yards in San Francisco Bay. They are a solid couple that has no trouble raising three osplets! This year they have three eggs that hatched on April 5, 8, and 11.

Here is the link to the camera of the SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon:

Home

Do you love kestrels? The first egg has been laid in the Yorkshire Dales kestrel nest! It arrived yesterday, the 24th of April at 12:50.

The Jackdaws have been a problem for this raptor couple. I hope they do not return! Here is the link to the camera which is operational from 08:00-20:00 daily, nest time.

The Cornell Bird Lab also has a kestrel nest that has four eggs. The fourth was laid on 23 April at 12:11 and it appears that hard incubation may have begun. This nest has not had a problem with Jackdaws that I am aware of!

Here is the link to this Kestrel nest in Wisconsin:

At 10:39, Mum and the two eldest surviving chicks on the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest all had large crops. It is very possible that like the Dale Hollow Bald Eagle nest, this Osprey nest will settle down and there will be no more food rivalry. Only time will tell if the fish deliveries can keep up with the demand.

Thank you for joining me today. This has been a hop and skip around some familiar nests with some new ones added. I will check on all our favourites later today. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages or Twitter feeds: UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife, Presidio RTH SF, Buckinghamshire Council, Peregrine Chick, Utica Peregrine Falcons FB, Cape Henlopen SP Ospreys, Cornell RTH, Landings Savannah Osprey, and Cal Falcons.

The Sunday Miracle at U-Florida Ospreys for Little Bit

24 April 2022

Earlier this morning I thought that the third hatch at Gainesville had died of starvation. It had only 5 bites of food in the last 86 hours. Two fish had come on the nest and in both instances it was kept from eating by the oldest sibling. By the time the third fish arrived around 14:00, the two older siblings ate. Big was full and still tried to stop Little Bit from eating at 14:25:13 and then something happened—————- Big and Middle went into a food coma on the right side of Mum.

Mum fed Little Bit starting at 14:27!!!!!! Little Bit ate until 14:37 – an entire ten minutes. It filled its crop and then seemed to drop it and eat some more. It was difficult at first – the flakes of fish stuck to its mouth but the more nourishment it got the more energetic Little Bit was.

That is the longest time that I have ever seen a third hatch go without food and survive. Tiny Tot was 72 hours at the Achieva Osprey nest last year.

This is wonderful news IF the fish keep coming. It could be a bit of a turning point. All of your positive wishes for this nest are certainly working!

All of the cheeping is Little Bit calling for food. The video clip covers the first couple of minutes of the feeding. If you look at the time stamp, Little Bit will be fed for much longer. The feeding stops around 14:38.

Keep sending all of your wishes so that instead of prolonging Little Bit’s agony (I serious thought LB was going to die) he will get enough food to grow big enough so Big and Middle will not injure or stop him from eating. It is a long slog. We were up and down with Tiny Tot Tumbles for 3 weeks like this. More fish need to come closer together.

Little Bit is tucked up under Mum’s head. You can just see its head sticking out. If it can stay away from those other two. Hopefully they will just go to sleep!

Tears.

So nice to be able to send out some promising news for this nest. Little Bit needs to eat again but we know that there is time between feedings where it will be OK. Fingers crossed!

Thank you for joining me. I am elated. It is snowing heavily where I live. The birds do so much better in snow than in rain. This is also a good thing. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey cam where I took my video clip and screen capture.