I had not planned another blog today but events at Port Lincoln changed that.
The last fish delivery at Port Lincoln until today was at 12:48:22 yesterday, the 11th of October in Australia. Anyone observing this nest has noticed that it has become increasingly unstable since the day an only fish was delivered at 1500. Big Bob sensed that there was not enough food to feed all of the chicks and Mum and has been on a tear that has become brutal since that day. Much of the fury has been directed against Middle Bob and, indeed, today, Middle Bob got the majority of the wrath.
There was approximately 20 hours between the last delivery yesterday and the first one this morning. That was approximately 09:05. The camera was zoomed it and it was difficult to see the size of the fish nor how much fish each of the chicks received (I noted small crops on all of varying sizes later).
Big goes on a tear. Little Bob and Middle have been eating. He is the last up to the table and in the eldest sibling’s mind, no one is to eat before him. He starts beaking Little Bob at 09:06:50.
Once Little Bob is tightly tucked, protecting its head, in the submissive post, Big starts beaking Middle Bob. You just have to look at Big’s wings towering over Middle to understand how large Big is. Middle goes into submission. Big goes back to check on the fish. Of course, while all of this is going on, it appears that Mum is eating the breakfish fish.
At 09:08:38, Middle raises up and moves to try and get to the feeding by going around Little who is not moving. Big notices.
At 09:09:08, Big goes after Middle Bob. The attack was brutal and at one point it appeared that Big could push Middle off the rim of the nest. I was simply holding my breath. Big stops and moves up to eat.
At 09:13:44, Little Bob gets up and moves to the right of Big Bob to get some fish. (It is still impossible to see if any fish is being fed). Then Big goes back after Little.
At 09:17:32, Mum is picking up pieces of fish off the nest. Big continues to attack the siblings if they dare move.
It is going to take a lot of fish in quick succession to get any resemblance of stability at this nest. Even then, the brutal beakings may not stop. What was once about dominance is now about a fear for survival.
Thank you to Port Lincoln Ospreys for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.
When I closed my blog yesterday, SE30 had fledged but not returned to the nest. The PLO were waiting for the arrival of the first fish. Would it come in the morning to help stop Big’s tirade? or later? Well, SE30 did fly back to the nest and honked at the Currawongs along with Lady. Dad did come through with a big whole fish for the family at Port Lincoln. The time was 08:04:02. So, sitting in Canada with the sun setting in less than 2 hours, the day in Australia began wonderfully well….and then it began to fall apart.
The fish for Port Lincoln arrived at 08:04:02. Little Bob was in a bad position but later, pushed itself up and got an even better location once Big had decided Middle had had quite enough fish at 03:30:46. Mum ate the fish tail at 08:36:18. After she looked around the nest for any scraps and fed them to the three osplets.
Dad did not get any of the breakfish. Mum had some good bites and skin but she could really use a whole fish to herself. Let us hope that Dad is motivated to go out and get another big one, eat 1/3 of it and take the rest to Mum and the kids before long.
Mum was sure screaming ‘happy’ when that whole fish arrived on the nest from Dad. What a great gift, Dad, to start the morning!
Little Bob was squished in between Middle (left) and Big (right) and was not getting many bites and neither was Big. Middle seemed to be at the right sweet spot for being fed.
Little goes every which way to try and get up to the fish. Poor little thing is so hungry.
In the image below, it is Little and Big up at the table. That is Middle in the back. Note the big crop. Big ‘encouraged’ Middle to move away.
All of the chicks had nice crops. Mum ate some, too, but she really good use more.
Mum flew off and returned and when she did, she began brooding them. It is chilly in Port Lincoln this morning.
Dad was hungry and went out fishing again straight away and was at the nest with another fish for everyone, headless and smaller this time, at 0911.
Big and Little Bob shared that fish. Middle was shut out. A third fish arrives within 2 hours. We would think that all would be well but, Big then took exception to Little eating so much and Middle. This time Little Bob gets cheeky – and at 12:12:00 decided to beak Big Bob.
Big Bob tore into Little, Middle even got afraid but, it did not stop Little Bob and Middle getting back up to eat some of that nice fish. They all had crops and were so full that even Mum got some fish.
A 4th fish comes on the PLO nest at 13:37. It was completely finished at 13:48. All ate well. Dad really made up for the last couple of days. I wonder what changed at Port Lincoln. (Dad does not intentionally catch fish – he is hardwired to provide for his family so what changed?).
Everyone had a big feed before bed. It was a great day for Port Lincoln. Let us hope that today, when everyone wakes up in Australia, it will be another 5 or 6 fish day.
There was a video posted of SE 30’s fledge. I know that you will want to see that. It was such a good flight and SE 30 did return to the nest after being away for about 45 minutes.
As all of you know, SE29 had been returning to the nest on a regular basis to sleep above SE30. They were the best of mates and well, we wondered why SE29 was not around. And we worried. SE29 was found in a residential area injured and is now in rehab getting much needed fluids. Here is the posting for SE29 followed by a video of SE30’s fledge.
It was such an eventful day yesterday with the small chicks left at Melbourne in the hot sun and the Mum doing the best she could to restore order. That appears to have ended well.
But things were not all rosey for SE30 after fledging. The Currawongs were all over 30 and at one time it found itself surrounded by attacking Currawongs upside down in a tree.
SE30 was able to get out of the predicament it was in. You can see the nest above. The Curras are unrelenting. Thanks ‘H’ for alerting me!
A parent slept on the parent branch but SE30 has not returned to the nest tree and did not sleep there. My fear is that the Curras drove the bird out to the Salt flats and away from where the parents are so that it can learn to hunt and hone its flying skills. Please send your best wishes to both 29 and 30.
Everything at Melbourne settled down. Mum demonstrated great skills getting the last eyas up to scrape box with the others.
The top image is Mum trying to brood those four large eyases. ‘H’ has helped me solve my problem with IDing these two adults. Mum has the lateral bars high up on her neck. You can see them no matter how she is positioned.
The eyases seem to be fine from the big ordeal earlier in the day when they found themselves in the hot sun without Mum shading them for nearly an hour.
For ID purposes, this is Dad looking after the eyases while Mum has a break and eats her meal. Notice that Dad is ‘white’ at the neck and has few lateral bars high up. I had been checking for a black line descending from the hood to identify Dad but it is often not visible. Thanks, ‘H’.
There was a bedtime feeding at Orange. It was impossible to see how much prey Rufus received. Indigo is getting her pin feathers and Rufus is still soft and fluffy getting its eyes focused.
You can see Indigo’s pin feathers coming.
What a day it was. To recap: At Port Lincoln, Dad amazed everyone by bringing in four fish before early afternoon. Even then Big was rip roaring upset. Once it had eaten, it was fine for the others. At one time, Big even let Little eat beside it when Middle was shut out. Then, of course, Little decided to be brave and beak Big. Still, all ate well at Port Lincoln yesterday including Mum. At Orange, Diamond is doing much better getting prey into Rufus’s beak now that its head is more steady and its eyes are focusing. It appeared that the wee one ate better yesterday but I could not tell from the last feed. SE30 fledged and got in trouble when the Currawongs began their attack in the late afternoon. I suspect that they have driven 30 out of the forest just in the same way they probably drove 29 out. (or it would have returned to the nest). Melbourne seems to have averted what could have been a tragedy.
When the day was over, sadly, the only nest without its resident fledgling or chicks was Sea Eagles. We hope that 30 is safe and we wish a quick recovery to 29.
Who knows what the 11th of October holds for Australian nests. I hope it is quiet! In the US, they are putting up a new camera for the Redding Eagles and Connor from Window to Wildlife is going to Captiva to check on the camera. There is lots going on but the action of the raptors and their lives continues to be in the four Australian nests. It is Thanksgiving in Canada. For all those celebrating, have a wonderful day today with your family and friends. My report will be coming in quite late this evening.
Thank you for joining me. Take care all. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their posts and streaming cams where I took my screen captures: to ‘J’, ‘H’, and ‘A’ who sent news and timestamps, Sea Eagles @Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park and the Sea Eagles FB page, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Port Lincoln Ospreys, and 367 Collins Street by Mirvac.
It is only 11 degrees C but the sun pouring through the Conservatory is ever so warming. Enough that I have to open up one of the windows and let the cool breeze from outdoors filter through the back of the house. I can hear Little Red somewhere in the Lilac bushes telling the Sparrows what he thinks. Has he noticed the new solid seed cylinder?
The event we have been waiting for happened at 07:15:58. SE 30 fledges!
Making News:
A short but lovely article on a ferry trip from Ullaport to Storoway and the sight of Gannets flying. If I close my eyes, I can smell the sea air and hear the sea birds – so many of them. How many more will Avian Flu take from us? or climate change?
Hot on the heels of the Lincolnshire raids and the finding of three birds of prey killed, there is news of another raid in Shropshire. The growing concerns in the UK over the raptors killed near or on Red Grouse hunting estates might mean that, at some point, the penalties will be enough to stop them killing the Hen Harriers and White-tailed Eagles. The real solution is to also save the Red Grouse – simply ban hunting and killing of birds.
At 367 Collins Street, Mum was acknowledging a prey delivery at 0625. She flew off the ledge a minute later.
Dad arrives at 0627 on the ledge and goes over to watch over the four eyases. He seems overwhelmed by how much they have grown overnight.
Mum returns with what appears to be the ‘last legs’ of a pigeon.
It didn’t last long at all and by 0634, Mum is off the ledge and out to find more breakfast prey. No little crops visible.
Oh, what a great pair. Dad lands on the ledge with a fresh plucked pigeon and Mum arrives to fetch it and feed the eyases. Brilliant.
The breakfast feeding at Orange was much improved this morning on yesterday. Rubus had 23 good bites – not counting the ones Diamond put in its mouth and took out. Indigo appeared to have 5x that amount. Indigo is a wonderful big sibling – sitting up and being so very calm. Rubus is definitely much less wobbly today also. Both had crops at the end of the Starling feed which began with the delivery from Xavier at 06:38:55.
SE29 was not seen on the camera at the Sydney Sea Eagles nest yesterday. SE30 spent the night with a parent sleeping on the parent branch. Early this morning Lady flew in, chased by Currawongs. with a fish for SE30. SE30 was watching the Curras dive around the nest tree. I wonder if they are intimidating enough to keep 30 on the nest. I so fear that they will rush it out of the forest. And I do wish we knew the disposition of SE29. Has anyone seen her? She did so well coming to the nest for food. I hope that she is down by the river with Dad!
In this image, SE30 has an enormous crop. Did I miss a feeding or 30 finding a fish on the nest?? SE30 is clearly watching the Currawongs in the image below and not as interested in the fish Lady has brought.
No, the Currawong did not phase SE30. What a beautiful flight at 07:15:58.
What a beautiful take off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lady was in shock.
It is 0726. SE30 has not returned to the nest tree yet. I wonder if it is sitting over by the camera?
Sadly, Mum flew off the nest early and Big started in on both Middle and Little. They continue to wait for a fish arrival. I hope a big one arrives soon.
Oh, I was so happy to be watching when SE30 fledged. What a beautiful sight and what a great year that it was at the Sydney Sea Eagle nest. I cannot imagine a year as perfect.
Thank you for being with me. I knew that you would want to know about SE30’s amazing fledge. Wish for fish for Port Lincoln. I will be back with you tomorrow morning. Take care.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Ospreys, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, 367 Collins Street, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.
It looks like it is going to be another beautiful day on the Canadian Prairies. Nippy as it is only 7 degrees C at noon but, beautiful blue skies, a wee breeze, and no rain in sight. I hope that all of you have had a joyful weekend, have had some time to watch our beloved bird families as they face challenges of feeding two eyases at Orange or delayed food deliveries at Port Lincoln.
Making News:
The RSPB is urging everyone to let the wild grow. While they are focused on the UK, other agencies are doing this throughout the world as the number of insects decreases dramatically.
Did you know?
While Peregrine Falcon chicks are almost born blind, as juveniles they will be able to see a Starling a mile away (or .6 km). That is the reason that some at Cal Falcons Berkeley believe that Annie might have seen her precious Grinnell killed. With the difference in size of the two eyases at Orange and with the eyesight getting more focused daily by the little one, here is a brief article to help us understand how falcons actually see so well.
I thought I would also include Kate St John’s article on Peregrine Falcon Development week by week. It is an excellent reference to what is happening as you watch the eyases at Melbourne and Orange grow and develop.
I know that you will be delighted to see that the adults at the Notre Dame Bald Eagle nest, home of Little Bit ND17, are beginning to rebuild their nest on the cam tree. Smile.
The names for the eyases of Diamond and Xavier at the Orange, Australian scrape are Indigo for the oldest and Rubus for the youngest. How lovely!
I haven’t been counting the bites that Rubus has gotten at each meal; I only do that with third hatch ospreys who are being badly beaked by older siblings or when watching a nest that could become unstable, such as Port Lincoln right now. I have, however, looked for a wee crop on the little one at Orange and haven’t seen one until yesterday. ‘A’ assures me that Diamond is getting better at feeding it and certainly the second feeding appeared to be better than the first with a wee crop on Rubus. Indigo is a great big sibling; she is just bigger and well her neck is longer. She will be getting pin feathers when, today, Rubus is really getting its eyes opened.
There were 5 feedings yesterday with the little one getting a bit more than the day prior. Those feedings were a Starling at 6:39:48; a pigeon at 8:42:33; 10:25:42; leftover pigeon at 12:58:11; another Starling feeding at 15:19:05 and 18: 31:26.
Here are some images of those feedings yesterday. Enjoy! Please note that the top image is the late feeding of the day.
I had actually hoped that Xavier would get a chance to feed the wee ones.
The first fish of the day did not come in until after 1300 at Port Lincoln. There had been some beaking as the three became hungrier and hungrier. It was also the first feeding where I have witnessed beaking. There was a reason. The lineup was Middle, Little, and Big at the farthest point from Mum’s beak. Middle and Little got quite a few big mouthfuls with Little Bob eating a piece of an organ that fell on the nest at 13:10:52. (Thanks, ‘A’). All of the chicks were ever so happy to see a fish that it looked like they were frantically gobbling the food. Big wasn’t getting any, though. He beaked the siblings and had them both afraid of being fed. S/he ate and then when s/he had their fill, the others ate some more. At the end of the feeding all had eaten well except for Mum who must have been ravished herself. Fighting continued at various times throughout the day with a few feeds. Big’s target was, for the most part Middle. Those two do not like each other at all and Big has always been trying to establish its dominance since they were 8 days old.
The chicks were absolutely ravenous when that 1307 fish arrived. I wonder what is keeping Dad from getting the fish to the nest early in the morning? The late deliveries are causing the nest to become unstable. Still, until yesterday, the feedings had not been impacted by food competition. Yesterday was a particularly brutal day of attacks by Big.
Little Bob eats the dropped piece of fish organ all by himself. It was a great horking just like Big did with the fish tail the day prior.
Despite the discord on the nest, all of the chicks managed to get their crops nicely filled at the feedings. Let us all hope that Dad will be able to overcome whatever it is that is stopping him from delivering fish early in the morning.
The four eyases at Melbourne are well fed. Mum spends a long time making sure that each is fed. In the last feeding of the day, you can barely see them as Mum has her back to the camera. There are a couple of glimpses. The eyases are beginning to look like raptors and you can clearly see their crops and the shiny skin on their chest where the feathers are worn off. Great work by Mum and Dad at Melbourne.
The Sydney Sea Eagle camera has been offline sometimes. SE30 spent the night on the nest with a parent above on the parent branch. No sign of SE29 yesterday although it could easily be on the nest tree out of view of the camera. That said, in days prior, SE29 was happy to jump down on the nest with the family so it does make me wonder.
The Bald Eagles in the US continue to visit their nests making a few nestorations or rebuilding an entire nest. They can do it! Let us all send warm wishes to Port Lincoln today for several fish early in the morning. That would go a long way to settling down Big and its fears about food supply. It would be wonderful if the cam would be operating at Sea Eagles – would love to see SE30 when it fledges or a visit from SE29. Meanwhile, we know that the Melbourne Four are going to begin to get itchy and start preening. We also know that they will have loads of prey. Dad is keeping the pantry full. I am especially looking forward to seeing Rubus with its eyes more focused today.
Thank you for joining me. Take care. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Thank you to the following for their postings and stream cams that made up my screen captures today: RSPB, Notre Dame Eagles FB, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, and Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park.
Two Juncos, 1 Grey Squirrel – one of Dyson’s little ones – and a single Blue Jay are up and feeding this morning. It is -2 degrees C. It is now time to seriously begin finding the puffer coat, the Alpaca boot socks and scarf! The Anorak is no longer enough for a walk at the nature centre! Burrrrrrr.
This is also the beginning of the Thanksgiving long weekend in Canada. The second Monday in October marks the end of the harvest and it is the fields with the grain left from the Combine Harvesters and Reapers that feed all the Canada and Cackling geese, Sandhill Cranes, and all the other birds landing in them during migration.
Making News:
Lori Covert, the owner of the property where the Captiva Osprey platform and Bald Eagle nest are put out an announcement for everyone today.
Harriet and M15’s rebuilding efforts continue to make the news in Fort Myers. The eagles are busy and they are inspiring everyone to move forward! I love how all of the raptors live in the moment. It is truly special to see them surviving the hurricane, checking the nest, deciding what to do, and then gathering up the materials to rebuild.
The correlation between factory farming and bird flu is being discussed more openly.
We need to really examine our relationship with these industrial farming methods and what this means.
Nest News:
Oh, it is difficult to feed a much smaller eyas that cannot yet focus than it is an older one. That said, the wee one at Orange did get some nice bites around 18:34 at Orange. Soon its eyes will focus better and then, s/he should be able to position themselves better for Xavier and Diamond’s beaks.
There is a video of this feeding overlaid with a super interview with Dr Cilla Kinross, leader of the research project at Charles Sturt University at Orange. It is 10 minutes long and if you don’t have the time to sit and watch. Cilla Kinross has a great sense of humour – the water tower being dubbed the ‘Concrete Hilton’.
Cilla does mention how late the little one hatched and that it will be fed after the first one. Most of us are used to the falcons and hawks hatching close together and all of them making a circle of beaks reaching up for food with no prey competition. The issue is the height of the smaller one. Kinross says that Diamond and Xavier will feed the ‘strongest’ chick in this instance first. She also discusses the ability of Xavier to hunt in the horrific weather that Orange is having. She also discusses why it is important to study the falcons (and animals). Really, it is a good interview. Have a listen!
One single note. At the nest of Big Red and Arthur, L4 was tiny. That little one scrambled to the front of the line to get food with no fear of the others. In the end, L4 was the first fledgling to catch prey and, it is L4 that continues to reside on the territory of its parents on Cornell University. L4 turned out to be, perhaps, the strongest of the four eyases.
The weather in the Sydney Olympic Forest is dreary. The rain will continue until Sunday, and it is not such a great time for SE30 to decide to fly. SE29 and the adults continue to encourage SE30 higher on the branches. Not a lot of large prey is coming on the nest. SE30 got a small fish. There was no quibbling…is SE29 eating off nest? That is my question of the morning.
‘A’ wrote and mentioned that the Currawongs have become a problem around the nest of late. That is another good reason for SE30 to just sit and wait for the nice weather to come before venturing out into the forest with its first flight.
Oh, if Cilla Kinross wishes the falcons would eat more Noisy Miners, I wish the sea eagles would go after those Currawong! Have a banquet!!
SE29 is sleeping on the branch. Every once in a while, it moves, and you can see it – again above 30 as if the sibling is looking after and protecting the other sibling. What a pair these two have been this year. So fantastic to watch.
The parents at the Melbourne scrape are doing fabulous. I simply cannot say enough about how these two have come together as first-time parents (OK. parent and stepparent but I will call them parents) and are doing one fantastic job. The weather is not good in Melbourne either. You can always hear the faint call of the male telling the female of a fresh prey drop. (They also have a stash somewhere, like Xavier and Diamond, for the days when hunting is not good. Mum rushes off, has a break and a meal. Sometimes Dad feeds the four, sometimes Mum. Dad is pretty good at getting those bites in those beaks – and now, it seems the wee one is seeing better and holding that wobbly head upright. They are called Bobs – not in reference to the male name Bob or Robert but, because their heads ‘bob’.
Yesterday there were three feedings at Melbourne before noon. Several before light’s out.
Mum has been notified of a prey delivery and off she goes.
Every chick will be fed.
Look at that wonderful rainbow!
The four eyases are too big for Dad to brood! And even Mum is now having some difficulty.
When the 16:42 fish arrives on the nest on the Port Lincoln barge, all three osplets still have crops from earlier feedings. Little Bob managed well with getting himself up in the line in a position where he could get bites including stealing a few from Big Bob like he has done the past couple of days. At bedtime, all three were full – and that is wonderful. Today it will be partly cloudy in Port Lincoln, no rain predicted with temperatures ranging from 14 to 8 degrees C. The windspeed will be 16kph.
Little Bob has the same problem as the wee one at Orange. His neck is not long enough so eating position is key right now.
A nice fish arrives – big enough to feed everyone including Mum.
Mum tries her best to cover her fast growing family.
Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their posts and streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Lori Covert and Window to Wildlife, WINK News Fort Myers, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park and 367 Collins Street by Mirvac.
Thank you for joining me for a late check in. Our weather turned. Yesterday it was 21 C and we woke to 2 degrees C. It is now a balmy 4 degrees!!! Time to pull out that Possum beanie and a heavier jacket.
I have spent so much time checking on the Australian nests and worrying about Little Bob at Port Lincoln always getting his fill of fish that other nest news has been – well, neglected turns out to be the right word. So I have brought in some news form various sources that has been posted that should be of interest to everyone. I was particularly interested in Victor Hurley’s discussion of peregrine falcons and what has happened at the lege scrape – it certainly helps our understanding. Sadly, it does not bring our beloved M17 back. Other reports about eagles rebuilding and a lovely video on the banding of osplets. We will be looking forward to November when Port Lincoln chicks will be banded and weighed and measured. They will get names and one of them will get a sat-pak.
Making News:
Victor Hurley has posted an update on the adult falcons, M17 and F17, that were at the nest on the ledge at 367 Collins Street. This information is very helpful to understand what is going on at the scrape box with M22 and F22.
Photographs of Connie and Clive, alive and well, on Captiva have been released by Window to Wildlife. They will rebuild! I have seen no news on Lena and Andy. Their nest platform was completely destroyed and will, when the time is right, need to be replaced.
Harriet and M15 have been photographed rebuilding at their nest tree on the property of the Pritchett Family in Fort Myers, Florida following Hurricane Ian.
A great video showing the ringing of osprey chicks. Have a look!
The Bald Eagle couple on the E-3 nest at Kistache National Forest in Louisiana were caught on camera. The male delivered a fish to the nest and you should see the female squeeing and grabbing – first his poor talon and finally the fish. A quick look and then slo-mo. Incredible footage.
Cilla Kinross posted a video of the feeding of chick 2 at Orange. So cute. There has been some concern that the little one is not getting enough bites. Let’s see how it does today. I witnessed a few good bites at one feeding yesterday.
The sun came up at Melbourne and Mum22 went and found some leftover pigeon in the family pantry and is feeding the wee ones. It is 0645.
SE29 spent the night perched on the parent branch of the old Ironwood tree. SE30 did not have to be lonely. Later, you can see that an adult is higher up on the branch. SE29 and that adult have been encouraging SE30 to get higher on the branch and it worked! SE30 so wants to do what 29 is doing – flying but, s/he will in their own good time. Best to have the confidence than to get caught up being afraid with the Currawongs around.
Look carefully. SE29 is on the branch above SE30 and a parent is to the far left. You can see the white of their head in the V of the branch.
SE30 can sleep adult style!
You can see SE29 and the adult better in the image below.
SE30 is being encouraged by 29. It is up on the branch. Did I say that these two remind me so much of 25 and 26?
Well done 30!
29 has flown off and 30 is back down lower towards the nest looking out at that big world.
SE30 looks up to 29 (under the adult). I am sure we will see 30 getting higher on the branch, today. He so wants to be with his sibling.
They are waiting for a fish delivery at Port Lincoln. Big and Middle have already been at one another – the minute Mum gets off of them. Little just curls up and hides. It is the one difference from Ervie. Ervie stood up, looked at Big and gave it back. In this instance the beaking is much more violent than it was with Bazza. I don’t blame Little for just staying out of the way. No need to enter into the conflict. Just eat your meal and get out of the way.
Mum puts an end to it all but just sitting on them as best she can!
There was a feeding at 0633 at Orange. I could not possibly tell you how much the wee one got – but some, once its little head was still. Then, Diamond turned her back to the camera!
Such a big yawn out of such a little eyas.
Oopsie!
It appears that the wee one, once straightened up, did get some good bites.
Thank you so much for being with me this late afternoon. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures, their posts, and videos: 367 Collins Street Watchers, Window to Wildlife, SWFL Eagles and Donna Lee, RSPB, KNF, Dr Cilla Kinross and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, and 367 Collins Street by Mirvac.
It is overcast on the Canadian prairies. No rain forecast for here but it will be raining in Australia this week. In fact, heavy rains have already started at Port Lincoln. Let us all hope that it does not hamper any fishing or hunting of prey for our four raptor families.
I did not anticipate sending out a notice this early but the sighting of the 4th eyas at Collins Street – finally – was a wonderful surprise. I knew that you would want to know especially since I predicted early yesterday that there would be only 3. Mistake.
Making News:
The soaking wet bird that landed on the Mispillion Harbour nest yesterday was, indeed, a Peregrine Falcon. The green and black banding indicated that it was an ‘Eastern’ falcon. Thanks, ‘H’.
As many of you know, CROW, the wildlife rehabilitation centre that services the Sanibel/Captiva and Fort Myers areas, was located on the barrier islands that took a direct hit by Hurricane Ian. Here is an announcement from them and a view of their buildings, still standing, thankfully. They were also able to evacuate all their patients before the hurricane hit. Amazing. Please keep all of them in your thoughts.
Judy Harrington has released the most recent sat tracking for White-bellied Sea Eagle SE27 (2021). She is doing magnificently. There is also a report of her comings and goings from previous months. How wonderful it is to see one of Lady and Dad’s chicks thriving in the wild!
You will note that the Conservation Centre brings up the fact that there is so little known about the post-fledge life of the sea eagles because there are no bands and no trackers. SE27 has a tracker because she was in care twice – and I am so glad that she does. She is alive and well and finding her own areas for food.
Nest News:
It just doesn’t get much better than 367 Collins Street. Yesterday, I ‘thought’ I saw 4 eyases but, never got a good image of the four of them so did not report it but, yes, there are four. At 18:57 ‘A’ reports a clear view of the four and there they are – 3 facing forward for the feed and the wee one backwards! Meanwhile, Dad has stepped up to the plate in terms of staying with the eyases and bringing in more and more prey. Indeed, while Mum was feeding the eyases at 18:44, Dad returns with another nice plump pigeon at 18:56.
They are doing well despite the first-time parent ‘funnies’. Mum really did think that the eldest would love to have the entire pigeon leg to itself!
This one is going to win our hearts like Xavier and Alden. He is doing very well keeping the pantry stocked and having extras. All are eating well. The four eyases will keep them very busy!
Mum is doing the best to keep the kids at Port Lincoln full to the brim. There was another feeding after the long afternoon one at 17:22. Everyone was bursting at the seams. Fingers crossed that the heavy rains will not hamper Dad’s fishing abilities. In fact, looking back at my notes from years prior, Dad often has better fishing when it is raining.
Xavier and Diamond have a big healthy eyas. Just look at it. Wee things crop was so full that it could not hold its head up yesterday. With four at Melbourne and a single, much loved, well fed and spoiled eyas at Orange, watchers have the best of both worlds.
SE29 spent the night sleeping on the nest with SE30 after all the excitement of fledging yesterday. Did the parents presence at the nest tree prevent the Curras from harassing the eaglets?
That is a look at all of the Australian nests at the end of the day on 3 October. I wonder what will be in store for us today when the sun rises?
Thank you for being with me for this quick check of the news and what happened at the nests last evening in Australia. Take care all. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their posts or their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: CROW FB, Sea Eagles FB, 367 Collins Street by M, ‘A’ for some great time stamps, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Port Lincoln Ospreys, and Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park.
It has been a really exciting day (and it is only mid-afternoon in Australia) with the first fledge at the Sydney Sea Eagles nest in the Sydney Olympic Park. One of the parents was on a branch of the natal nest when SE29 flew. Another parent was with SE30 later. And then SE29 returned to the nest tree. I am still trembling with excitement. While we don’t know where SE29 flew to – perhaps just the camera tree – what we do know is that the Pied Currawong did not chase this amazing eaglet out of the forest to the Salt Marshes. So happy.
I will not have an early blog tomorrow. I am going to post this right away. Look for news from all the nests later on Monday.
In my last blog, Big and Middle continued their battle for dominance of the Port Lincoln nest. The two are pretty much evenly balanced and each gives as good as it gets. Both cause the trouble. Sadly, wee Little Bob often gets caught up in the misery.
Interestingly, they are quite civil at meal times! There was a nice big feed around 10:20ish. Little Bob had no problem stepping right up by Middle Bob and opening its mouth for fish!
Then Big and Middle started scraping again.
Then a big fish arrived and everyone lined up nice to eat. Perhaps Mum should just sit on them between feedings until the pair of them calm down.
After Big and Middle had their feed, Mum gave Little Bob a private feeding. Give her a round of applause. Mum is working hard to make sure that each of her children is fed. Little Bob sure can consume fish but, he needs a fewer more feedings in between. He is entering the big growth spurt now. So far he has demonstrated no real fear of the two big siblings. He even took a fish flake from Big Bob’s beak earlier.
There is enough fish for everyone.
At the Sydney Sea Eagles nest, the time for fledging draws nearer and nearer. On Monday morning (Australia time), SE29 flew to one of the lower branches of the nest tree. S/he waited there for a bit and then…did not fly off but rather, returned to SE30 in the nest. Bravo!
At 13:44:30 SE29 fledged. S/he had watched one of the parents on the branch and was looking over the edge of the nest and just flew. It was beautiful. Congratulations to everyone at Birdlife Australia and all connected with the Sydney Sea Eagles.
A parent waits with SE30. The siblings were so close to one another and what a fantastic year it has been with them and Lady and Dad. I wonder if SE30 will leave today or if SE29 will return later? We wait to see.
At 14:46:58 SE29 returned to the nest to join SE30 and the parent. Tears are just rolling down my cheeks. This is incredible. Normally the Curras chase them out of the park – it didn’t happen today.
Tears of joy.
Thank you for being with me for this great event. SE29 flew!!!!!!!!!! And SE29 returns safely to the nest.
See you soon — and take care of yourselves.
Thank you to the streaming cams at Port Lincoln Osprey barge and Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park where I took my screen captures.
Thank you to everyone for their notes and concerns about what is happening at Port Lincoln.
Yesterday there was a prolonged period of beaking between Big Bob and Middle Bob that lasted in excess of six minutes. Little Bob literally was in the middle of the fight and sometimes because an object of abuse but, only a few times.
Big Bob woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. S/he has been beaking Middle all over the nest when Mum was not present. Big has also had Little Bob between her legs beaking him. It is not a nice situation.
It all seems to have stated, as often happens, on day 8 so the strife has been going on for a week. It is not clear how it will end. The beaking became worse after a single fish delivery at 1500 in the afternoon caused Big and Middle to immediately switch into rivalry mode for dominance. The osplet that dominates the nest gets to eat more than the others, etc. Big and Middle, at times, seem to be evenly matched. Little is too small and just needs to try and get out of the way. This morning, however, Big had Little between its legs pecking at Little’s head.
Mum came in and sat on the three of them. It is often the only way to stop it and Ospreys and Eagles are notorious for not interfering.
Let us hope that lots of fish arrives and that the rest of the day is civil. Little is very vulnerable right now.
Oh, I wish we could brag about what a lovely bunch of osplets there are this year – like last with the three boys, Bazza, Falky, and Ervie. I think we have at least one large female this year, if not two.
Thank you to Port Lincoln Ospreys for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.
Thank you for being with me. Let us all send the most positive energy we can muster to this nest.
I did not intend to send another blog out until tomorrow but a few things have happened in the last hours that might interest you.
First, ‘L’ writes that Samson and Gabby have both been seen at the nest tree near Jacksonville, Florida. What a relief!
There are three eyases at the 367 Collins Street scrape in Melbourne.
At Port Lincoln, the fight between Big and Middle Bobs began around 0817 and continued for a full seven minutes. Little Bob was often literally caught in the middle of the two and, on occasion, Middle Bob whalloped Little Bob just because it was there.
Big Bob is clearly trying to set dominance and Middle isn’t having any of it. They are pretty evenly matched. When Big Bob relaxed thinking the fight was over and it had won, Middle came back and started it all again.
It was quite brutal. I wish I had my video app that I used on my old computer. I will try and see if I can get it transferred to this machine. The battle for dominance on this nest will continue. I felt so bad for Little Bob. He looked quite scared at one point. The images are from the very beginning. Big Bob pushed and hit Middle Bob out of the screen at the right. I am just glad that it is the two older ones fighting one another and leaving Little Bob, for the most part, alone.
Of course, when the fish arrived they all lined up for Mum and ate till they were full and silly.
Now I wonder if there will be another hatch at Collins Street – there is one more egg to go OR at Xavier and Diamond’s scrape. Gosh, we could even have a fledge at the Sea Eagle’s nest before I wake up tomorrow.
Take care all.
Thank you to ‘L’ for sending me a note and for the streaming cams at 367 Collins Street by Mirvac and Port Lincoln Ospreys.
