Tag Archives: south Australia

Sparrows, Samson, Rita and more in Bird World

23 December 2022

Oh, good morning to everyone!

What a blistery week it has been. The garden animals are all poofed trying to keep warm in the chill winds and -21 degree C temperatures. It has gotten a little warmer!!! And by next week, it will be absolutely balmy at -2 on Wednesday. Crazy. We can adjust our clothing and footwear. These poor babies.

We have called Dyson the ‘monk’ for a long time. When she comes to the window with her little paws folded, it is a sign that all of the food for her is gone. Time to refill! No pressure, right? Just look at that sweet face.

I continue to be impressed with the book, Slow Birding. The chapter on House Sparrows really opened my eyes. They live where we live and the first sentence of the chapter asks, ‘Who Doesn’t Love House Sparrows’? I surely do and get quite irked at those who try specifically to feed other prettier birds (to them) and thwart the sparrows. Like falcons, they exist on every continent but, Antarctica. There are fossils dating back 400,000 years in the Middle East where the sparrows followed the progress of agriculture. They would eat the seeds left in the plowed fields. Today, the planting seasons have turned topsy turvy and they are on The Red List. They were traditionally planted in the fall not in the spring and that single change would help the birds survive in the UK. To add to that, the cessation of using pesticides and herbicides would benefit the ability of the parents to feed their young. No insects, no food for the little ones. Did you know that once they hatch, the chicks need 3000 to 4000 thousand insects to eat til they fledge. This is approximately 200 to 300 trips a day, in and out of the nest, to feed the wee ones. This will continue for two weeks. Today, in North America we are lucky to have them and their beautiful songs in our gardens. Feed them! And don’t use chemicals on your lawn. Promote insects by leaving your leaves in the fall. Help these wee ones out whenever you can!

I know that many of you will remember that one or the other of Diamond and Xavier have brought in a Green Parrot to the scrape at Orange. Here is an interesting story from The Guardian about them and the numbers that have flown to Tasmania for breeding season.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/20/record-numbers-of-critically-endangered-orange-bellied-parrots-in-tasmania-for-breeding-season?CMP=share_btn_link

Please do not think that birds are ‘bird brained’! Just trying getting a Rowanberry from one of the lovely and fierce Redwings.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/22/country-diary-the-redwing-is-bird-brained-but-far-from-stupid?CMP=share_btn_link

Today, Samson would be nine years old ——way too early to be gone ——and a YouTube video honouring his hatch day is making the rounds. Thanks ‘J’ for bringing it to my attention.

It is so difficult to catch a peek of the two little eaglets at Superbeaks but, that said, everything seems to be going just fine. Food is plentiful and both parents, PePe and Muhlady, are extremely attentive.

Glad to have a final and definitive word on the status of Rita. Things get carried away in chats and on FB. Terry Carman gives us the latest:

Always so happy to have one of Elain’s videos of the Orange Peregrine Falcon scrape to share:

A brief look at one of the Audubon Center’s Ambassadors who lived their life in car for 31 years. Incredible. And still going strong. If you ever get near enough to Maitland, Florida – on the west coast near Fort Myers – stop in and visit the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. You will sadly not see Smedley but you could see Bailey, his long term Osprey mate. You might also see many of the other ambassadors.

So here is Francis from a wee nestling in care to being all grown up. Oh, I miss those little eaglets. Can’t wait for Harriet and M15’s two to hatch. Let the beaking begin!!!!!!! And it will. There is no doubt about it but, it will stop.

Oh, what a delight. Andor and Cruz were on the Fraser Point nest today. You might remember that these are the parents of Victor who went into care and Lillibet from 2022. So good to see you!

They refused to pose nicely but who cares. So lovely to see both of them together at the nest!

With that luck, I thought I would check on Thunder and Akecheta and there they were together! What a great day with our Channel Islands Bald Eagles. There they are, sitting together, looking out over the water into the sunshine on that high cliff to the left. I believe it is called Tor.

I ran out of luck at Two Harbours. No Chase or Cholyn when I checked.

The cams came back up at the Northeast Florida nest. V9 flew in and chortled but no Gabby. He waited for ten minutes and flew off. I wonder if they will both return to the nest tonight? We wait. Lady Hawk caught V9 flying in.

Gabby has been at the nest and she has brought some new greenery in. We wait, watch, and hope for our girl.

‘A’ sends word that there has been a changeover at the Taiaroa Head Royal Albatross nest. These two are doing so well. The sky calls are like nothing else. Oh, how I loved the little ones doing sky calls with OGK. Tears.

Zoe is certainly developing her diving skills and it is only a matter of time before an unlucky fish comes along and she snaps it up. It would be fantastic to see her bring one in to the nest that she caught right from the natal barge. Her love of fish will certainly be a motivator!

Speaking of fish, Dad is doing an amazing job feeding Zoe. Today she had no more than finished one fish than he flew in with another quite nice one. Her crop will pop!

You can see Zoe’s crop. I sure hope that Dad is eating himself!!!!!! He is really taking excellent care of his ‘little’ girl.

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, their videos, their posts, and their streaming cams that make up my screen captures: ‘J’ and ‘A’, Port Lincoln Osprey, NZ DOC and Cornell Bird Lab, NEFL-AEF, Institute for Wildlife Studies and Explore.org, Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Superbeaks, Bald Eagles Live Nest Cam and News and Terry Carman, and The Guardian.

Is V9 the winner? and other news for Thursday in Bird World

22 December 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

It is still freezing. The last time I checked it was -26 degrees C. The furnace is working over time. But I am out of the parking pad and someone is coming to clear all of the snow so I won’t get stuck in there next time there is a blizzard. Tomorrow is the day to make sure that the birdseed and the cat food are topped up so that there is plenty to take all of the garden friends along with Missy and Lewis into the new year. I do not know about you but, I dislike crowds immensely, hate malls even more, and hope to get out and home before many wake up in the morning. Fingers crossed.

It is the day after the Winter solstice. A long time friend sent this to me and I want to share it with you – even if it is a day late.

A Winter Solstice Blessing

May you find peace in the promise of the solstice night, that each day forward is blessed with more light, that the cycle of nature, unbroken and true, brings faith to your soul and well-being to you. Rejoice in the darkness, in the silence find rest and may the days that follow be abundantly blessed. (Source unknown)

Bird World has gotten very quiet for the past few days. The only action that is happening is at the nests of Gabby and Ron where there remains some question as to which of the visitors each of them might choose. SuperBeaks is just steady as you go. This nest will go on my must watch list of eagle nests for next year.

Now at Northeast Florida. Too many visitors to follow. Too many discussions over who is who or if one is old enough to mate, etc. There is plenty of evidence for 4 year olds fathering healthy chicks including Harry at the MN-DNR nest in 2021 and again in 2022 before he disappeared. Is it possible Gabby might not have a mate this year? Of course it is. We should sit back and relax. It is a learning opportunity.

The camera has been down. There is another camera that the AEF have access to while the cameras we use to see the nest are down. Well done Gabby and V9. I gather they are friendly and working on the nest. Great news. Now if he can prove that he can keep intruders away, bring fish, and be truly a grand mate for Gabby — well, there could be little eaglets popping their heads up at this nest in the new year. Hopeful.

There is news of Rita requiring a little more removal of the wing. It is not clear if this is the tip that was removed several days ago or a new surgery. I am trying to clarify. It is certain that she will not fly again and they are looking for a permanent home for her. And this brings me to a problem that we all must consider every time we want a bird to be an ambassador or an educational bird —— they must have a place to go. That place has to have funds to feed and care for the wildlife they have. Many places are just over run with raptors and other birds. So when you consider making donations, please do keep this in mind. The costs involved are high and almost without exception these facilities work on a shoe string through the generosity of volunteers and donations.

Meanwhile Ron seems not to have settled on a new mate yet and appears to not like at least one of the females coming around.

In San Jose at the City Hall, Sequoia, the son of Grinnell and Annie, is calling his mate! This is just so wonderful. While it never makes up for losing birds, it is sure nice to see ones that we have watched from hatch to fledge begin their own families.

For those of you that love Peregrine Falcons and want to know more, here is a hefty book that has come out. Mark Avery wrote a good review in his recent monthly blog and this is part of his report, “This is a monumental book about what is regarded as the fastest animal on the planet (or flying over it). At over 500 pages, and amply and attractively illustrated, this is a tribute to and reference source about a marvellous bird. The brilliance of this bird is well captured in many of the photographs but the text is full of information about Peregrines from everywhere in the world where they occur. Chapters cover falcons in general, an introduction to this species, flight, diet, breeding behaviours and characteristics, movements, friends and foes and population numbers and trends. It feels like an encyclopedic coverage and the book is packed with information, but information delivered in a very palatable form.”

Speaking of falcons, Indigo is still being fed, still hiding food in the scrape and having Mum, Diamond, take it! Indigo has also started something unusual. Bringing grass into the scrape box! Goodness.

The SuperBeaks nest is wonderful. I am so glad that several readers asked me about them. I have had several giggles. While we have been frustrated not being able to see the eaglets, ‘S’ admits that we are getting a reprieve from worrying about them, too. We aren’t sitting and counting the bites this one or that one gets. We just sit and watch PePe bring in large fish and Muhlady feed the bobbleheads. We cannot even seen any beaking! It is actually quite nice. By the time we can see them clearly all of that will have passed!

There is a wee little head showing in the top image.

Both Pepe and Muhlady are on the nest vocalising.

Have not seen Jackie or Shadow at the Big Bear nest today but, there were a couple of Crows (or are they Ravens – difficult to tell) visiting trying to find any leftover bits of fish. Jackie and Shadow were there on Tuesday working away.

Here is a very short compilation for the winter solstice with recent images of the eagles at Big Bear – our adorable Jackie and Shadow.

The GHOs have been after M15 at the SWFlorida nest again – and, of course, since their nest is on the same property, we can expect an increase in this behaviour. Do the Eagles bothered the owls? Probably not. Maybe they should!

Cornell has put out its season highlights from the Royal Cam nest at Tiaroa Head. It opens with OGK doing a sky call – so get the tissue box. What a grand mate and dad he was. Last seen in mid-May (19 May I am told). We will forever miss him as will his long time mate, YRK, who will, perhaps, find another mate and raise more chicks. We will have to wait and see. And it could be a very long wait.

I know that many of you have wondered what happened to Mahlala, the Red tail hawk raised by the eagles on Gabriola Island. Their eaglet Junior, you will remember, was electrocuted on a power pole. I found this announcement today re their FB presence: “UPDATE: 12 20 22 GROWLS Eagle Nest Cam (Gabriola Rescue Of Wildlife Society). This FB Group is temporarily paused for 168 days. An admin paused this group on July 30, 2022. Group activity will resume on January 15, 2023 at 3:00 AM“.

No one knows why the FB was abruptly paused.

As for Mahlala, there are a large number of Red-tail Hawks in the general area. She was not banded so it would be difficult to tell her apart from any other unless you had clear identifying features which we don’t because the camera images were not clear. Did she return to the nest? Maybe GROWLS will tell us when they come back to life!

I posted an image of L4 that was taken during the Ferris Akel Tour last Saturday. Here are other images from this morning’s Cornell Hawks Twitter feed. It is nice to see the juvenile still doing so very well. That is a nice crop – and still in Mum and Dad’s territory without problem.

No. 21 The Red List. The Woodcock

Oh, look at that image. The eyes set way back on their head allow them to see predators when they have their long beak thrust into the ground hunting for food. They have short legs and are rather ’round’ compared to other birds.

Males perform a remarkable ‘sky dance’ on spring and summer nights, in a high, twisting flight, with chippering, twittering, bubbling sounds. These sky dances attract the females who will mate with one of the males. The males – like Daisy the Duck’s mate – take no part in the care of the eggs or the hatchlings!

Audubon Society says, “Downy young leave nest a few hours after hatching. Female tends young and feeds them. After a few days, young may begin probing in soil, learning to search for food. Young can make short flights at age 2 weeks, fly fairly well at 3 weeks, independent at about 5 weeks.” So not like ducklings or goslings that are precocial – able to care for themselves after 24 hours of hatching.

“Woodcock vintage drawing” by Free Public Domain Illustrations by rawpixel is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

There are Woodcocks that are resident in the UK and there are others, several hundreds of thousands, that fly from Finland and Russia – a distance of some 3000 km, to over winter in the UK. They arrive during the first week in November. They like damp woodland where they nest in a feathered scrape on the ground. There are stories of the Woodcock carrying their chicks between their legs and body in their feet if danger should arrive. There are also stories of them carrying a stick in their mouth when they fly over the ocean to the UK so if they tire during their flight they have some wood to land on in the ocean.

Many feed at night thrusting their long beak probing around in the soil – their heads go up and down so often they have been compared to ‘sewing machines’. They fine worms and Beatles and suck them up like spaghetti. Can you imagine? I would love to see one.

British writers such as Drayton, Shakespeare, and Milton used them as a metaphor for ‘foolish love’.

“Woodcock Scolopax rusticola” by Peregrine’s Bird Photography is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.

The threats for the Woodcock vary from geographical location. In the US, fires are burning up habitat, climate change is drying up the wetlands, spring heat waves are driving the chicks from the nest, and heavy rains are endangering the eggs and the nests altogether. In all areas, habitat loss is driving a decline in populations. In the UK, those threats also exist along with the legal hunting of the Woodcock which begins on 1 November despite their being on The Red List. Wild Justice has asked the government to change the date to 1 December to try and help protect during the breeding season!

Two recent short articles from The Guardian are quite good.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/jun/08/birds.woodcock?CMP=share_btn_link

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/06/country-diary-claxton-norfolk-birds-woodcock-snipe-wigeon?CMP=share_btn_link

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Please take care of yourselves. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams, their notes, their posts, and videos that make up my screen captures: Cornell Hawks Twitter page, Superbeaks Bald Eagle Cam, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Mark Avery Book Reviews, San Jose City Hall, Openverse, NZ DOC and Cornell Bird Lab, FOBBV, San Jose City Hall, WRDC, and the NEFL-AEF.

The Flight of the Osprey and more…in Bird World

21 December 2022

Oh, good morning to you. It is Winter/Summer Solstice depending on where you live. The shortest day/longest night OR if you are in Australia, the longest day and the longest night.

It is cold on the Canadian Prairies. The temperatures plummeted. Yesterday we had beautiful blue skies and sun but it is overcast today and still cold. It is -24 this morning as I write this.

Oh, I do love getting your letters and comments. I learn something new every day. In the mail, ‘V’ asks, “Are you aware that Blue Jays are rare in the PNW? I live in the Seattle area and we have scrub jays and stellar jays but, I haven’t seen a blue jay since I left the midwest.” I had no idea! So, as you are reading this, think about dropping me a line to let me know if you have Blue Jays where you live. I would be very interested to know!

It would be really nice to walk along with the dogs and see all the raptors, to be followed by a Red Kite. How grand!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/19/country-diary-raptors-are-always-the-most-visible-creatures-up-here?CMP=share_btn_link

Maybe what New York City needs is a lot more raptors. Raptors are proven to get rid of more vermin than any of the modern day rodenticides that if consumed by rats can cause huge secondary poisoning in pets and raptors. Just think of those lovely Red-tail Hawks living around Central Park seeing a slow moving rat because it ate rodenticide! I hope that the individual who has this position considers an alternative and if you live in New York City and love the birds and raptors, who take your pets for a walk, maybe you should write this new rat ridder a letter and let him know your views about using raptors.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/19/new-york-rats-eric-adams-meera-joshi?CMP=share_btn_link

K4 at his roost in Guinea

Thank you to geemeff, we have the final link on YouTube for the discussions with the Flight of the Osprey tem. Topics how important tagging is in conservation, finding out the challenges for the ospreys in their winter homes, and this wonderful bird, 4K from Belvoir Castle. Please take the time to listen. You will really enjoy the effort, the villagers, and then the spotting of 4K. You will learn much but, this entire programme sets out to help the conservation of the ospreys at their winter homes, their spring and summer breeding grounds and their migratory routes. It is so heart warming that the visit of Sasha Dench and others to the villages where the UK Osprey winter will help them appreciate the birds and the need to help them if they get caught in the fishing nets. Maybe someone – a kind resourceful individual will figure out a way to remove the garbage from Africa – the plastic bottles and the nets that are no longer useful so that they do not wind up in the rivers, the mangroves and the oceans. It can be done if there is a will to do it.

The Flight of the Osprey is about migration and conservation. Today, Hawk Mountain released its end of the year report for the migration over the mountains in Pennsylvania. Here is that count:

Elain can capture a day in the life of the Peregrine Falcons at Orange, Australia in a few minutes. Thank you! Your editing is so welcome and wonderful. It seems that Indigo is very loud and still at home. Diamond has been sneaking in and taking Indigo’s stashed prey out of the corner and eating it. There is a lesson there: eat everything you can when you can – you don’t know who will steal it and when your next meal will arrive!

At Port Lincoln, Zoe is developing her diving skills. Do not be surprised if she comes up with a fish one day!

Someone spread the word around Ron’s nest that he is now an eligible bachelor according to Sassa Bird and the females are coming from hither and yon to try and win his affections. The WRDC nest is turning out to be like Gabby’s. Who knew so many eagles wanted to be streaming cam stars?

She seems to like him! But does he like her?

At the NE Florida nest of Gabby, we await our ‘Queen of the Nest to return’ and guess who is on a branch waiting for her too? V9. It is nearing 1700 when Gabby returns to the nest. Fingers crossed.

Gracie Shepherd caught V9 and Gabby last night getting closer on the branch.

In Louisiana, it has been pitching rain. Louis came to the nest to protect Anna. What a darling.

Except for Zoe, it is all about the eagles right now. There are so many nests. At this time of year as many worry if Gabby will have a mate, if Ron will settle with one of the females, or if you are worrying about Avian Flu, let us stop. I have posted this thirteen minute video before but, it is good to do it again so that we can be reminded that human intervention can save the lives of our birds and it can also help them in being able to return to the wild. We can make a positive difference!

Look at those faces. Oh, I can’t wait to see little eaglets and osplets again!

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their questions, posts, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: ‘Geemeff’ and ‘V’, KNF A-1, Gracie Shepherd and the NEFL-AEF Bald Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, WRDC, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Hawk Mountain, Conservation without Borders, The Guardian, and Stockholms Vildfågel Rehab.

Ron has a mate or two?…and more news from Bird World

20 December 2022

Good Morning to All,

Today is hair cut day in our house and the hairdresser is coming to us! I knew a wonderful woman who started this service when I lived in the UK. It would have been perfect during the pandemic and we wish this young person well. I am thrilled not to have to dig my car out of the snow! Nonetheless, the sun is trying to poke out of the clouds and blue skies are coming. It is now -21 degrees C and either a good day to stay in as planned or a day for a heavy coat and boots!

Nest News:

It seems that we are still waiting to see things settle down for Gabby. However, Ron is looking younger and feistier than ever with his new gal. It was a big surprise when I got a note from ‘H’ in the mail. It seems that Ron in the Miami Zoo was busy courting while we wondered if he was out fishing. Busy working on the nest. We all thought he was pining away for Rita! Well, it appears not. There is a new woman and as ‘H’ suggests, it looks like he has been cultivating the relationship for awhile now.

Here is a short video clip of the female bringing in a stick to the nest. Ron didn’t mind. It was as if he was expecting her. I suspect he has been courting her for some time before asking her home!!!!!! He wants it to go well.

Well, my goodness. You are a sly one, Ron! She is a beauty. We are all so happy for you knowing that we knew Rita could not return. It looks like you knew that as well. Congratulations! I hope she loves your Papadam nest built by Ron Magill and friends! For a long, long time. Some are suggesting her name is Rose. I do not yet know if that is official but, there is talk about banding future eaglets from the nest so we can learn of their dispersal. That would be wonderful.

Well, just when we thought it was settled for Ron there is a new female in the nest this morning! Goodness.

Things still do not seem to have settled at the nest of Gabby. Oh, how we all wish to wake up and see a handsome lad on that nest who can not only win Gabby’s heart but keep all of the other intruders at bay.

Lady Hawk caught the interaction between V4 and V6.

The AEF got it, too:

As night falls, it appears that V6 is back on the nest with Gabby.

There were some chortles happening when the IR camera came on and V6 flew to another branch (or off the tree altogether).

To be continued….Gabby and the Revolving Nest!

Iowa has received its share of snow. The landscape is lovely and the Eagles at Deborah are working on their nest today despite the weather.

This is the nest over at Decorah North today.

Liberty and Guardian were checking on their nest today, too. It was early morning in California! Everyone it seems is starting to think of breeding season! So nice to see you Liberty and Guardian.

Port Lincoln did a 23 minute close-up video of Zoe. She is really beautiful and I hope her and her pink bracelet thrive. Her flights are not going far from the barge. Perhaps in the new year.

I have to give Pepe and Muhlady a big hand. What a great parents they are. Pepe keeps huge fish coming on to the nest and Muhlady continues to care for the eaglets. It seems that even Pepe has turned out to be excellent at feeding those chicks. You can hear them and we are beginning to get better glimpses of their little heads. I am always reluctant to recommend a new nest but, I am going out on a limb and suggesting you might want to watch this one! I will put the camera link below.

Well, that is what it does to me every time I try to copy their link. Go to YouTube and search for Superbeaks Eagle Nest. You will find them!

Pepe has just brought in another one of his sharks and he seems to be quite hungry. The little ones are asking for fish, too and he is happy to oblige.

Connie and Clive have beautiful weather to incubate their two eggs on Captiva Island, part of the Barrier Islands hit so badly by Hurricane Ian.

I didn’t see Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear today but you can hear the snow dripping as it melts slowly up in the mountains east of Los Angeles.

Here is the link to their new cam if you do not have it.

One of my favourite nests is E-1 in the Kistachie National Forest of Anna and Louis. Two years ago this young couple hatched and fledged the first eaglet off this nest since 2013. Louis is a tremendous fisher – Master Class all around. He piles the nest up. They had a fledge in 2020 and another in 2021. Let’s see what happens this year. We can be sure that Louis will bring in a lot of fish (our there is something seriously wrong) and Anna will be equally hungry – she loves her fish, too. There is a chat and a great team of moderators including Tonya Irwin and the rangers, Cody and Steve.

From the Mailbox:

‘G’ sent me a link to a nest in South Africa that has new babies, just hatched. The nest was built for Bush Babies but the feathered friends took it over.

So what is a Green Wood Hoopoe? I didn’t know and this is what eBird says, “An elongated, metallic-green-black bird with red feet and a long, decurved, red-orange bill. Juveniles have dark bills but are often in the company of adults. It flies heavily, with the long floppy, white-tipped tail dangling behind. Pairs and groups of up to 14 birds are highly social, occupying savanna, woodland, riverine forest, and gardens, where they nest and roost in natural cavities. Clambers in trees, probing bark and crevices for insects and small vertebrates. They communicate using a strong cackling chatter that sounds maniacal. The almost identical Grant’s and Violet woodhoopoes (with which it sometimes hybridizes) differ from Green Woodhoopoe only by having a coppery-purple (not glossy greenish) metallic sheen.

This nest will be fun to watch. Great timing too.

Migration News:

Checking on Karl II and his family. There has been no news from Karl II and Kaia since they arrived in Africa. Kaia was in Chad and it is assumed that Karl lost contact and is safe in his winter grounds. All contact was lost with Bonus when he flew over the Eastern Desert. The only one of the Black Storks from Karl II’s family still transmitting is Little Waba who continues foraging around the Nile River. The joke is he went down one side and is going back up the other. The fear is he will land in Khartoum.

Still, he is safe, he is eating, and he is moving. That is what counts right now!

The area is near the eastern shore of the huge Merowe Reservoir.

Let us hope that the entire family of Karl II has a good winter and returns safely to their nests in Estonia in the spring.

‘J’ wrote to ask me how the book was going. Well, Slow Birding is highly recommended! I was not distracted to go to one or another projects and I am about a third to a half finished with it. The writing is excellent and covers birds such as the Blue Jay, Cooper’s Hawk, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Flickers, White-throated Sparrows, and American Coots amongst many others. I had no idea that there is not a State in the US that does not have a Blue Jay for its ‘bird’. How could this be? The author, of course, asks the same question. Just watching Junior and the three nestlings grow to fledge this year with the little ones tapping on the window when the peanuts were gone was incredible. They brought laughs and big smiles every day. Their noise does not bother me. Indeed, like the Crows, they are most loud when the cats come around wanting to harm the other birds. The author obviously loves her garden birds and did, when she was teaching, have her students undertake slow birding. There are activities within the book but, I promise you will never look at a House Sparrow the same way you did before reading this volume. I do highly recommend it and if you have a birding friend that needs a gift, it would be a welcome one to their library. There are no beautiful coloured photographs which is fine. I prefer a good read. There are some lovely black and white drawings and it is the text that is so remarkable!

For those who have marvelled at Alden and Xavier helping out with the eyases or the new M2022 at Melbourne, many scientists did DNA tests on quite a large number of nests of the different birds in the book. Many males were found to be caring for the chicks of another! This includes European Starlings. The book is full of similar findings that are quite intriguing. There is something to learn on every page.

It is a lovely sympathetic book bringing out things about the most common of birds that are relatively unknown. I think you will appreciate these garden birds much more after reading it. Sadly, it focuses on the US and I know my friend, ‘J’ who has never seen a Blue Jay in Germany would love to! Maybe someone will do a backyard study of European birds. I would enjoy learning about them, too. Perhaps it is you. But please do not think, for a second, this book would only be useful or of interest to Americans. There is plenty of science and cultural traditions weaving their way through the pages and mention of other countries that I think anyone would find it a great read – and useful to return to as a reference. There are few volumes I can say that about.

Speaking of books, here is an announcement that might be of interest to some of you:

Thank you to everyone for being with us today. Take care all. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their posts, their videos, their notes, streaming cams, etc that make up my screen captures: ‘G’ and ‘J’ for their notes and suggestions, Pacific Rim Conservation, Looduskalender Forum, Live Nest Cam and the Green Wood Hoopoe, KNF-A1, Window to Wildlife, FOBBV, Superbeaks, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Redding Eagles, Deborah North and Deborah, Explore.org and Raptor Research, Lady Hawk, WRDC, NEFL-AEF, and J Strassman, Slow Birding.

Pepe brings in an evening snack, more visitors to Gabby’s nest…it is Sunday in Bird World

18 December 2022

Good Morning Everyone from a very snowy Manitoba! It has been a long time since we have seen so much snow dumped on the Canadian Prairies at one time. It is beautiful and a good way to slow down.

The Starlings showed up at their usual time for some of the suet.

The House Sparrows were here – mostly on the ground eating seed that Dyson & Company had dumped on the ground. You see the squirrels have found a way to empty one of the feeders entirely by shining on it!

Dyson is in her favourite spot. I always know where to find her. The other three – her babies from the summer – are doing well. She has taken good care of them.

It is a different story in the house. Lewis and Missey want to help with everything including the new images of Aran that have arrived from Glaslyn or the squirrel cards from DaniConnorWild.

Are they so innocent?

One or the other loves to get in this little basket. When they first arrived, both of them could fit in it. No longer! I am now calling them cats instead of kittens!

Lewis pretending he is an angel. I will not take my eyes off him or these candles while they are on. It is way too easy for a cat to burn their fur or start a fire. In fact, after sitting nervously for a few minutes, I have decided to only use candles if they are covered by a glass globe.

With the help of ‘J’, the memorial listing of the birds that we have lost is getting filled in much better. I have now returned to it with her help – while at the same time preparing a summary of Port Lincoln’s season for Claudio and the incredible International Osprey Data Bank he has created for me to track the Ospreys on the streaming cams. By the end of the first week in January, there will be a separate page with the Memorial Wall for 2021-22. If you have any additions (or corrections), please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. Let us all hope that 2023’s listing is much shorter.

I don’t always get to sit and watch Ferris Akel’s Saturday Tour but, it is often playing in the background. Whenever he is talking about an interesting bird – instead of just searching for them – I jump up. Today, there was a Belted Kingfisher. Isn’t it lovely? I have never seen one and they look like such unique characters with that long pointed beak and that ‘bed head’. Love the colour palette of the plumage, too. Lovely birds.

Several Bald Eagles were out in the fields near Montezuma. Ferris has a way of spotting them and I have no idea how he does it.

One of the most exciting moments for me was a Northern Harrier hunting in the fields and catching some prey!

It is hard to see but they have a face like an owl with plumage that captures the sounds. They fly low to the surface of the land to catch their prey unlike other hawks that might hover or sit on poles and wait.

I cannot imagine, for a single moment, not wanting to allow them to have a bird or a vole for their dinner. Beautiful creatures.

There were also Tundra and Trumpeter Swans. You could see areas with some open water while others were covered with ice or were slushy.

A Horned Lark had found some food and was eating it on the side of the highway. Silly one!

There were Snow Geese and Canada Geese, too.

They had been feeding on the fields of corn that had been harvested and then all of a sudden, they flew away. Ferris was happy. Last year at this very site someone shot a Snow Goose while he was broadcasting.

Ferris spotted Arthur and a juvenile Red-tail Hawk on the grounds of Cornell University. I would like to think that the juvie that was hunting is L4 who has decided to stay in its parents territory. Certainly Arthur and Big Red are not running it off!

Arthur is all poofed up. It is 0 degrees C and they are due for some more snow. Notice the very deep brown/black eyes of the adult Red-tail. Arthur does not have the majestic apron of Big Red on his chest so it is easy to tell them apart. Such a little cutie, Arthur is. Big Red was seen recently by Karel Sedlacek so I am not worried that Ferris did not see her. It is hard to imagine but in three months time we will be watching for Big Red to lay her eggs. She will be 20 years old this spring! Wow.

This is the juvenile that I believe to be L4. If you look carefully you can see the light celadon of the juvie’s eyes.

Ferris Akel is a wealth of knowledge who gives his time and shares the birds around the area of Ithaca with us almost every Saturday of the year. He has been doing this for more than ten years now. He is humble but, I learn something every time I stop to listen to his programme. You can subscribe to his channel on YouTube and there is a chat moderated by a fellow Canadian, Dolphin. I often lurk – but, everyone is grand and they will welcome you to chat if you say ‘hi’.

As night began to fall, Pepe flew into the Superbeaks nest with a huge prey for Muhlady and the eaglets. I am trying to figure out what it is – a Black duck with red? Anyone know what this might be? Is it a Red-legged Black Duck?

Muhlady certainly seemed pleased and what a nice time to bring the prey. A snack for everyone before bed and some breakfast in the morning. Lovely. This is my first time watching this nest – in fact, it is a new nest on streaming cams. One never knows what to expect but this eagle family seems to have a good source of prey and they are very smart – having their eaglets before it gets too hot! Can’t wait til we can see those wee ones a little more. You certainly can hear them if you tune in.

I had a giggle today. Lady Hawk called Gabby’s nest ‘As the Nest Turns’, too. And it certainly is a revolving door. Today there was a 4 year old and a juvenile less than 2 years which led me to want to think it was Legacy!

Legacy, I don’t know if this is you but, if it is, you are still as gorgeous as ever. It is those piercing eyes…I have looked several times at images of Legacy and it sure could be her. I sure wish someone would band these eaglets! And here is my reasoning. For the past several days, we have been receiving images of Siren 5F who is the mate of Dylan at Llyn Clywedog. She is perched in her regular roost in The Gambia where she winters. Easily recognisable. No guesses. That is how banding can help – amongst other things.

That 4 year old eagle sure has Samson’s legs!

A short video of V4 flying into the nest with V5. Someone mentioned Gabby abandoning this nest. The Bald Eagles are attached to the nest. I cannot see a reason for her to leave it unless she were ‘run out’ of the territory by a bonded couple intent on taking over the territory and the nest.

One of the resident Ospreys at the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey is Bailey. She was the companion of Smedley who sadly died last year. Yes, Ospreys do well in care!!!!!

Wow. Look at this image from the scrape at Charles Sturt University in Orange today. The expression on Diamond and Indigo’s faces are amazing.

At the same time, Indigo can be just a darling.

Elain’s highlights of the day at the Orange scrape. Always welcome, Elain. You do a wonderful compilation! Thank you.

Ron is quite the catch. I sure hope some deserving female flies into his nest! He is doing a super job of working on it. Someone today wished that Ron and Gabby could get together. That would be one super couple.

Jackie and Shadow working on their nest. They were caught mating on the other camera today!

As we wait for eggs to be laid or hatch, for Gabby to get a new mate or not, there is not a lot going on in Bird World and for that, I am truly grateful.

Good news has come to us from the rehabilitation centre that has cared for WBSE27 and who is now training WBSE30. We know that 27 is flying free. We have seen her tracking. They did a marvellous job teaching her to fly and to hunt and they are now doing the same for 30. Let us hope that she, too, will be equipped with a tracker so that we can follow her movements.

The top image is 27 leaping off a perch while she was being trained before she was released. The bottom image is 30 being trained now. Warm wishes for her life to be as successful as her older sister’s.

30 is on the perch on the right.

I have not been able to find a recent update on WBSE 29. Lady and Dad have, however, visited the nest tree the other evening. So nice to see them!

And a quick check on Zoe at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge. I caught Dad delivering either a small fish or a piece of a fish to Zoe at 1402. She spots him coming. My goodness, Zoe, you are loud! They could hear you across the lagoon.

So, with the lull, let us turn back to our Red List of Vulnerable Birds published in the UK.

No. 20 The Red List: The Smew

“Smew” by hmclin is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

The author, Ben Watt, calls this darling black and white diving duck, the ‘Karl Lagerfeld’ of the divers. Watt uses such terms as ‘vivid white crest, jet black shades, white tux, …moving elegantly’. What a grand description. Quite fitting.

The top image is of a male Smew. The bottom is of the female adult. Just look at that magnificent rusty head on the female. Quite striking and gorgeous.

“Smew – male” by Len Blumin is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

“Zoo Smew” by hmclin is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

There are fossils of Smew going back 1.5 million years ago and yet this gorgeous little waterfowl is at risk of going extinct in our life time. Watt is on a crusade to save this bird that inhabited the wetlands near to his home. In 1956, there were 144 recorded wintering at the Brent Reservoir (Welsh Harp). It was a record! Today, there are 10. I did not keystroke that wrong – ten. So what is the problem? Climate change caused by humans. Milder winters, the increase of water sports and the pollution of waters. Watt says, ‘These days, the two inflowing rivers at the Welsh Harp are badly oxygen-depleted, and high in urban run-off, contaminated with silt, phosphates and micro plastics. Feeding grounds are suffering and the numbers of regular species are on the decline.’

We could of course say this for most of our waterfowl. Indeed, ‘A’ and I have been wondering about the silt flowing into the water at Port Lincoln due to flooding slightly north. Luckily, for the Smew, they can stay year round in various bodies of water near Amsterdam where they number close to 200 at a single count.

Last today, ‘J’ has been helping me with the memorial wall asks that we keep Victoria Cockatoo in our thoughts and prayers. Victoria is a 50 year old Cockatoo that had a very hard life before she was taken in by a kind owner, April. As a result of the treatment she received earlier in life, Victoria is battling significant health problems and is in hospice.  Yesterday she was eating April’s breakfast so there is some hope on improvement. Here is that link:

https://www.facebook.com/ParrotPlayhouse

Please also keep Alden, Samson, and Rita in your positive thoughts as well.

From somewhere in Australia, a tree full of Rainbow Lorikeets that used to come and wish our lovely little Black Pacific Duck Daisy nesting on the big WBSE tree ‘good morning’.

Thank you so much for being with me today. It is lovely to have you here with us. Take care of yourselves. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their posts, their videos, and their streaming cams that make up my screen captures: OpenVerse, Port Lincoln Osprey, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, FOBBV, Raptor Recovery Australia and Judy Harrington and Sea Eagle Cam, WRDC, NEFL-AEF, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Superbeaks, and Ferris Akel’s Live Tours.

Another male at Gabby’s nest? Pa and Missy Berry have 2nd egg…and more in Bird World

17 December 2022

It is a bit like a winter fairyland outside if you can stay in and not have to drive. The main City streets are clear but in the country cars have been sliding into the ditch all of Friday. Hopefully no one was injured and…everyone can stay home until the weather improves.

I am having a hard time getting over the fact that someone stomped four beautiful Hen Harrier chicks to their death. It is simply unimaginable. And, yet, cruelty to animals appears to be on the rise. What has happened to us? We pollute our planet til it is gasping for breath and then treat the wildlife that we share it with in disdain. I say ‘we’. Anyone who reads my blog does not harm anything but, how can we cause a sea change in the rest of humanity? Of course, those four chicks are only the tip of the iceberg as evidenced by the listing of 77 Hen Harriers killed or missing (those known) since 2018 when the persecution of the birds was to end. Humans can be very disgusting. One of the latest below. If you wish to follow Dr Ruth Tingay’s blog, Raptor Persecution UK, go to raptorpersecutionuk.org

While the UK is battling this intentional killing, there are serious persecutions of raptors happening throughout the world. No country is immune it seems. What a sadness.

This morning, we need something uplifting and I cannot think of a sweeter sound that little eaglets wanting more bites of prey and being fed by their mum. In this case, it is Muhlady at the Superbeaks nest. You can hear them and see them, finally. That nest bowl is deep! And a good thing. We will not worry about them falling over!

The soap opera continues at the Northeast Florida Bald Eagle nest. It is surely a good thing that Gabby has not laid her eggs yet because it is a revolving door of suitors. Just when we think V3 is the winner – ‘behind door number 3’- he disappears and is missing for 24 hours and then V1 shows up! My question is: will V2 return?

According to ‘J’ who is watching this nest closely, Gabby was not too happy when V1 showed up instead of V2. (Rollin’ Rag is calling this one new but some have identified him as V1). ‘H’ says we need to buy more popcorn!!!!!! Yes, ‘H’, it is the best soap opera in Bird World at the moment. Indeed, I have not ever seen anything like it. Have you?

Here is another announcement – with another sub-adult visitor.

Gabby waits, looking off in the distance. Oh, I would give anything if Samson would fly in!

As Ron waits for Rita to return in the WRDC nest at the Miami Zoo, Rita is busy getting well in the clinic. Here is the latest news form Ron Magill:

The WRDC welcomes any and all donations to help with Rita’s care.

At the Bald Eagle nest on the grounds of Berry College in Georgia, Pa and Missey welcomed their second egg on Friday. Let hard incubation commence. Oh, I hope the snow and ice are not bad this year. Poor Missey is often buried, just like some of the other Mums.

Jackie and Shadow are used to snow and, as we all know, eagles prefer it cooler than hotter. The couple were caught working on their nest in Big Bear Valley today. Lovely to see you Jackie and Shadow.

This is the view of the MN-DNR Bald Eagle nest of Nancy and her new mate today.

There is also snow at our favourite US Osprey nest – of Iris in Missoula, Montana. She is the oldest living Osprey that we know of…And we can look forward to her return the first week of April. While it is doubtful there will ever be osplets fledged off this nest again, it is always good to see Iris. Reassuring that everything is right with the world.

Good news coming out of San Jose City Hall. Annie and Grinnell’s 2020 hatch Sequoia is bonding with her mate! on camera!!!!!!!! It doesn’t bring sweet Grinnell back but his amazing personality will hopefully live on in his children and grandchildren!

Grandmother Annie’s ‘new guy’ sure does like to scrape! He’s hoping she will choose him. Let’s wait and see!

In Port Lincoln, Zoe remains on the natal nest and Dad continues to feed his big girl. She flew off the nest to get that fish! Look at that plumage. Zoe is rather magnificent.

A short but very precious video of Indigo lekking.

In the UK, the banning of certain fishing might help to keep some birds from extinction~including the darling Puffin. This is very good news. Now let us just hope that there will be oversight. Perhaps more and more governments will begin to take seriously the needs of our wildlife for food and habitat and begin restricting other fishing and building permits to help protect the sea birds.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/16/uk-may-ban-sandeel-fishing-in-move-to-save-threatened-seabirds?CMP=share_btn_link

There is, however, other disturbing news and that is the decline in the number of insects – vital to the health of many birds – and humans, too!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/15/flying-insect-numbers-plunge-64-since-2004-uk-survey-finds?CMP=share_btn_link

Ever wonder what Ospreys do after they fly from their spring and summer breeding grounds to their winter homes? Well, apparently they don’t do much! I became particularly interested in 4K because of Belvoir Castle (pronounced ‘Beaver’ Castle). When I was studying at Leicester University, Belvoir Castle and the Benton Estate were frequent haunts of mine when I needed to clear my head. There were no Ospreys back then so this is very exciting!

Tim Mackrill is giving a free talk on Ospreys. Here is the information:

When I was a student of Dr Klaus Klostermaier, I visited Germany for the first time. It was eons ago. I returned commenting on being able to open the windows and have no ‘bugs’. Manitoba is always awash with mosquitoes. Well, my tutor set me down and gave me a good talking to – you see he grew up in Germany before heading to Rome to become a priest and then to India where he was disavowed. It seems I was quite ‘wet behind the ears’. Germany’s industrial pollution had killed the insects so vital to life. That said, Germany spent considerable effort cleaning up its rivers and I wonder today about the insect population. So a world without insects biting us is not a good world at all!

It is now a week until the Christmas holiday celebrations for some of my readers. Others are celebrating Hanukah which ends on 26 December – right when Kwanza beings. It is a busy time of year.

I have been overwhelmed by the urge – the sheer panic – I see in so many when I go out. They are scampering about like starved mice to buy and buy. In keeping with the notion that the world has too much stuff, we are cancelling presents this year and from now forward. Instead ,we are opting for a simple Vegan pot luck. Today, I also got a fantastic idea to make that potluck even more fun from my friend, Sassa Bird. She is going to teach her friends and family to make bird seed ornaments. What a delightful idea. She is happy for all of us to join in the fun! It is a win-win.

Here is an easy recipe for that very expensive Bark Butter that my garden birds love: 1 1/2 cups of cornmeal, 1/2 cup of oatmeal (either quick or original, it doesn’t matter), 1/2 cup of lard (you need real lard not shortening and you can ask your butcher if you cannot find it), and the last ingredient is 1/2 cup of peanut butter (either smooth or chunky). It should be a wee bit sticky so it doesn’t crumble. I add more peanut butter if I need to. You can smear this on the trunks of trees, you can dip the tops of pine cones in it. One clever way I saw was to roll it in a log and chill it. Then roll it in cranberries. Cut in shapes and place in suet holders. I promise your guests will learn something and all the birds will be grateful. There is not a visitor to my garden that doesn’t love this mixture.

Thank you so very much for being with me today. I hope that all of you are well. I wish you good friendships, some good food, and lots of smiles and laughs as we bring 2022 closer to an end. We are all hoping in Bird World that it will be a better year. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, their videos, their posts, and their streaming cams that make up my screen captures: ‘H’ and ‘J’ for all the news on NEFL and the giggles, Sassa Bird for the great holiday idea, The Guardian, Tim Mackrill Twitter feed, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Port Lincoln Ospreys, San Jose City Hall, Cal Falcons, Montana Osprey Project and Cornell Bird Lab, MN-DNR Bald Eagle Cam, FOBBV, Berry College Eagles, Ron Magill and the WRDC, NEFL-AEF, Rollin Rag, and Superbeaks.

Wednesday in Bird World

14 December 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

It is relative quiet in Bird World as things begin to settle down between Gabby and V3 and Annie and the new guy at Berkeley. The first Bald Eagle nest to have hatches that is on a streaming cam is at Superbeaks in Central Florida. There are eggs now at SWFlorida (2), Berry College (1), Kistachie National Forest at both nests E1 and E3, Captiva (2), and Metro Aviation in Northwest Louisiana (2).

Tonya Irwin has created a great chart:

We continue to keep an eye on Port Lincoln and the scrape of Diamond and Xavier at Orange while, at the same time, watching for any news coming out of Sydney Sea Eagles. I am also hoping that the streaming cam at the new Osprey platform for Lena and Andy at Captiva will be on line soon.

There is a big storm brewing that is destined to bring about a foot of snow to areas just south of me. It is unclear if it will impact Winnipeg. However, the birds and squirrels were really crowding the feeders late this afternoon. They are often very good indicators of any bad weather that is heading our way.

Dyson was not prepared to give up her spot on the seed cylinder. These are fabulous. There is no mess and if you are going to be away for a few days and worried about your visiting birds in the winter, they will also give you peace of mind. We feed hundreds of birds a day and if Dyson didn’t love them so much, I think one would last about a week.

Dyson has her thick fur coat on. Isn’t she gorgeous? I like to think that the food we provide helps her endure the cold of our ‘Winterpeg winters’.

The Sparrows and the Starlings prefer the softer cornmeal and peanut butter cylinder that has a substantial amount of suet in it.

Junior is looking for peanuts! All of Dyson’s kidless have taken them. Junior is not happy.

Sharpie of course would not mind having one of those House Sparrows for his lunch. I think he is out of luck today.

Making News:

A major investigation as to how 13 Bald Eagles were poisoned at the Inver Grove Heights landfill is underway. Three of the eagles have died and the other 10 are recovering at The Raptor Centre at the University of Minnesota. What terrible unnecessary suffering and death.

https://www.facebook.com/TheRaptorCenter/?mibextid=ZbWKw

The last episode with Sasha Dench and The Flight of the Osprey on BBC 4 Radio is here. The programme is about 13 minutes long. I urge you to have a listen. Thank you, Geemeff, for recording the programme and sending us the link. Very thoughtful as so many do not live in the UK.

The announcement that an enormous number of budgies are being taken into care and need homes in the Baltimore area came on my Cornell Hawk Cam Chatters FB. If you or someone you know might be interested in providing a home, please read the posting carefully and make that call.

News has come in from the Kakapo Recovery that all of the transmitters have now been changed on Anchor Island. The last bird was Alison and she was found to be in good health. Wonderful news. It has to be difficult trying to find these pesky little non-flying parrots to treat them and change the batteries in their transmitters so they can be found!

It’s the first egg of the season for Pa Berry and Missy at Berry College in Georgia. Happened at 0950 13 December. Congratulations!

Pa Berry flying in with more nesting material and seeing their first egg for the first time.

The soap opera at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest continues. Will Gabby choose the bachelor behind door 3, V3?

He flew in with a nice catfish. It was obviously for Gabby but she was not home. Later they worked on the nest together.

‘H’ sends news that V3 is now playing ‘hard to get’. Order some more popcorn!

Harriet and M15 have an alternative nest on the property of the Pritchett family. A GHOW has taken up residence there and this owl could be the one that attacks Harriet and M15. Two days ago, that owl was attacked by a trio of Crows. Thanks EJ for sending us this link!

Jackie and Shadow have been pair bonding/mating at Big Bear.

Checking in on our Australian birds:

Diamond was not happy to have the scrape box cleaned by Cilla!

At Port Lincoln, Zoe is 87 days old today. Yesterday, Dad brought his girl 3 fish. Well done, Dad! At one time 06:55 Zoe was on the ropes with what looked like a fish. Did she catch it? No one knows.

I just love this image from yesterday with that crest. Today Zoe has been on and off the nest.

In California, Annie and ‘the new guy’ have been pair bonding in the scrape. He is cute. So tiny. I wonder if he will be the one? He is sure a good scraper! But will he be a good provider for Annie and the eases?

Migration News: Waba continues to feed at the Nile River. There has been no transmission from Bonus since he was flying through the Eastern Desert of Egypt. It is likely we will not hear from him until spring. Send your good thoughts your way.

It is that time of year when people are thinking about suet and putting out tasty treats for the birds. Here is some advice from the RSPB in the UK.

In our garden, Mr Crow and the Blue Jays will be having some special foods during the holiday season. They both like to eat off the deck directly or at a table feeder. I will be putting out Meal Worms, Fresh Cranberries, Hard boiled Eggs, and cubes of streaky bacon along with peanuts in the shell.

Thank you so very much for joining me today. I hope to get back to the list of vulnerable birds in the UK, The Red List, tomorrow. Take care everyone. Stay safe. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, and streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Geemeff for sending me the link to the BBC 4 Radio series, ‘H’ for the video of V3 playing hard to get, ‘EJ’ for the link to the Crows attacking the GHOW, Geemeff and The Flight of the Osprey, BBC Radio 4, Tonya Irwin, The Raptor Centre, Cornell Hawk Cam Chatters, The Kakapo Recovery, Berry College Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Cal Falcons, Looduskalender Forum, and the RSPB.

Ron waits for Rita, Gabby thwarts V3’s advances for now…and more in Bird World

12 December 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Oh, I sure could use some blue skies right now. It is grey…everything is grey and brown. The temperature is hovering right at 0 degrees C. Even the birds are damp to the core. I will have to remember the beautiful blue sky of Grenada, those gorgeous hibiscus, and the birds filling the air with song. Thankfully all of the garden animals are doing well and happy to have me back along with the kittens. The Starlings are still here. There are 31. A host of House Sparrows and a Robin somewhere. The squirrels are here and Dyson was enjoying one of the new hard seed cylinders the last I checked this afternoon. The Crows are about and one Blue Jay has been for a visit. Life is good. I have no complaints save that it would be so nice to see some sun. On the Canadian prairies, that means it is cold. So bring it on! The cold and blue skies.

In the Mailbox: A question came in from ‘V’ wondering if there was a reason I was not mentioning Superbeaks.

This is a great question and I wanted to share it with everyone!

I briefly mentioned Superbeaks when the nest in Central Florida came on line, when there were eggs, and the hatches including the second one in my blog this morning, 11 December. It is not a nest that I consistently follow. Indeed, there are far too many nests to follow. It looks like there is good fishing around for Dad, Pepe. He brought a huge fish to the nest this morning.

I am an Osprey and hawk/falcon person. That said between the end of the UK Osprey season and the beginning again in spring, I watch other nests including the Bald Eagles in the US. There are ‘good’ Bald Eagle nests and some whose track record is not so good. There are nests where help is sought and others where it is thwarted, even if the on going potential tragedy is human caused. I know nothing about the Superbeaks nest but, will quietly watch them this year and see.

I highly recommend for Bald Eagles: the steady as you go team of Harriet and M15 at SWFlorida. They raise competitive eaglets so you just have to hold your breath at the early bopping but, normally, the eaglets grow up to be feisty besties. The relationship between M15 and Harriet is worth watching on its own.

Liberty and Guardian at the Redding Nest are fantastic. With the Redding Nest, you get commentary and videos by Gary and here is the chart for dates at the Redding nest that has been posted recently by Gary.

The Channel Islands nests of Thunder and Akecheta (West End), Chase and Cholyn (Two Harbours) and Andor and Cruz (Fraser Point) are excellent. Glacier Gardens comes on later. They are in Juneau. Alaska. How about Martin and Rosa at Dullas-Fairway? Clive and Connie at Captiva have 2 eggs.

Rolling the two eggs at Captiva. There is no confirmation yet of when they were laid.

Fingers crossed for a good season after rodenticide deaths in 2020, no eaglets last year, and the hurricane this year. There are others such as US Steel, the nests in Decorah but last year, they were hit with Avian Flu like Hilton Head. The National Arboretum Nest of Mr President and Lotus, both of the nests in the Kisatchie National Forest, E1 and E3, as well as the Metro Aviation Bald Eagle nest in Louisiana, Berry College with Pa Berry and Missey – the list is long!

Pa Berry and Missy working on their nest in Georgia.

There is no reason to believe that Avian Flu will not rear its ugly head this year also. We must remember that. It will impact birds eating birds or carrior (dead animals).

There are far too many nests to follow and everyone has their favourites. If you have recommendations – or nests not to watch recommendations – send me a comment. I would love to hear from you.

One of my favourites is Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear. They have had some problems in the past but we are always cheering them on and last year the amazing Spirit kept our hearts glowing.

The snow is really coming down at the nest of Jackie and Shadow in Big Bear Valley!

It is now Sunday afternoon and V2, the suitor trying to charm Gabby with the smokey head, has not been seen since Friday. V3 seems to be making a strong case but so far, – well, at least until now – Gabby is being aloof as to whether or not she will choose him as a mate.

There was a fly by at 11:37 at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta on Sunday. No telling which of the Bald Eagles it was. But, look at the nest! Thunder and Akecheta will be bringing in lots of materials for this coming season.

Quite a different view than we are used to at Two Harbours.

Dr Peter Sharpe of the Institute for Wildlife Studies takes good care of the Channel Islands Eagles and their babies. If they fall down the cliff, he will figure out a way to get them back up to the nest, if he possibly can. He is our hero!

Checking on the two Australian nests still active, let’s head to Orange first where Indigo has had a nice breakfast delivery from Xavier and has been eating it in the scrape.

Xavier and Diamond are teaching Indigo valuable life lessons. If you leave your prey, someone will come and steal it!

Elain’s latest video on the Orange scrape. Such a wonderful falcon family.

At the Osprey nest in Port Lincoln, Zoe was eyeing a fish in the water. She seems to have flown to the left and then turned around and flew past the barge. Did she see a fish? or was this just a quick wet talon tried to catch a fish story?

Watching the water at 09:41:19.

Zoe flies off the nest to the left.

Later Dad flies in with a fish. Mum flies over but Zoe had that fish while Dad was still in the air. It seems that Mum just makes sure that her beautiful daughter gets her fill. It looks like she knows that there will never be anything left. You did well Mum in a year that had a lack of fish. You did well.

Zoe will do well.

There is news on WBSE27 and it is excellent. So happy for this amazing eagle who did so well in rehab!

It would appear that Gabby is rejecting the advances of V3.

Lady Hawk caught it on video for us.

In Miami, Ron continues to perfect the nest that he shared with Rita in the Miami Zoo not knowing what has happened to his mate.

Yesterday I posted the autopsy results regarding the two year old male Hesgyn, the last chick that Monty raised at Dyfi with Telyn.

K3 did not die of poisoning or by being shot – thankfully. It is possible he had a slight injury that prevented him from fishing causing his death which could have been compounded by the high temperatures in Wales at the time. It was 35-38 degrees C in Wales. He was hungry and died of starvation according to the autopsy. It put a smile on my face when one reader, DT, of the posting said, ” “Sad news. Feeding them shouldn’t be seen as feeding other types of birds. When it helps them survive we should never hesitate to feed any wild birds”

I could not have said this better. We must be prepared to set up artificial pools with fish just like the Great Egret had in the Caribbean. We have caused this dire situation and we must be prepared to rally and fix it. Ospreys have successfully been fed when it was necessary. They do not like frozen fish but, please, if possible no more deaths when the weather turns how. Let’s help them out – and this call for action includes those nests in the Pacific NW of the US and Canada, too. Where it is possible.

Tragic news coming in from the US this morning as more and more eagles are being found ill or dead because people are not cremating their pets and their euthanised bodies are killing birds that eat carrion. This is easily prevented!

For all of my parrot loving readers, here is another streaming cam in South Africa you might really enjoy. How wonderful – the third time was a charm. Aren’t those babies adorable?

Thank you so very much for being with me today as I jumped around some of the nests that we have been watching. Gosh, those little Galahs are soooooo cute. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: SWFL Eagles and D Pritchett, Redding Eagles and Gary, Window to Wildlife, Berry college, FOBBV, NEFL-AEF Explore.org and the IWS, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Dyfi Osprey Project, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Bald Eagles Live Nests and News, Australian Raptor Care and Conservation Inc.

Early Saturday in Bird World

10 December 2022

Good Morning Everyone from a snowy, icy landscape – the Canadian Prairies. As many of you suggested, it was a huge culture shock going from bright sun and warm seas to frozen. It is always good to be away but, it is equally nice to get ‘home’. Thank you for all your wonderful letters and best wishes. I had an epic time!

The big news is still coming out of Samson and Gabby’s nest in The Hamlet near Jacksonville. Will there be a nest take over? will Gabby get a new mate? where is V2 this morning as I write this? did Samson appear? Wow. Everything else pales in comparison.

This is a short catch up on some news that we are following this morning.

I want to start with a disgusting arrogant display that has gone viral. It was posted by Geemeff, one of our readers.

What a disgusting individual.

Was it Samson visiting the NE Florida nest? We would have to see his toe – one is flattened. But, gosh, it sure looks like him.

Maybe the word is out and all of them know that Gabby is now single (sadly) and they are lining up for her to choose? They should try bringing her fish!

There was a musical nest. V2 was there and gone, then Gabby left and V2 returned, and then he saw Gabby and escorted her back to the nest.

Postings of a third visitor.

But where was V2 last night. It looks like Gabby spent the night alone – again!

Gosh, I love these daily videos that Elain posts of the highlights at the Orange scrape in Australia of Diamond and Xavier. That little Indigo reminds me so much of Izzi – chasing the parents out of the scrape in the morning, pair bonding, and snacking.

Why do I like them? Elain edits the entire day into a short video and includes the main highlights.

Now for a few smiles.

Falcons in the Middle East fly in their own 747s. Challenger the famous US Eagle in the care of the American Eagle Association likes to fly SW Airlines.

Have you been following the World Cup of Birds? Let’s see who is left standing! Pick your favourite bird out of those left and follow what happens. Morocco stunned everyone when they beat Brazil putting the Rufous Bellied Thrush out of action. So will Moussier’s Redstart take home the cup? England is playing France today – the Robin vs the Gallic Rooster! Stay tuned.

For all Osprey fans, there is an Osprey still in Londonderry today – at the Bann Estuary. Does this bird know something we do not know? I mean seriously shouldn’t he be sunning himself in Spain right now or Africa? or does he need to get out of town quick?

Zoe is flying over shallow water and getting those wings to work. Dad brought Zoe 3 fish yesterday and Mum brought her 1. They are taking good care of their daughter! Here is her most recent tracking release.

We haven’t done a check on Karl II’s family recently so let’s have a look and see where Waba and Bonus are today.

Waba is still loving Sudan and fishing at the Nile River.

Bonus started flying over the Eastern Desert. There has been no transmission since the 4th of December. We wait. Please send Bonus your best wishes.

Thank you for being with me for this quick look at what is the main story in Bird World – Gabby and her nest. Send out your warmest wishes to Rita who is healing nicely in Miami and to dear Alden and Samson – we wish you would still appear! Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams, videos, and posts which make up my blog this morning: NEFL-AEF, Bald Eagles Live Nest Cams and News, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam Project and Cilla Kinross and Elain, American Eagle Live Nest Cams, Southwest Airlines, Raptors of the World, Port Lincoln Ospreys FB, Looduskalender, and Geemeff.

Gabby’s new man, wind farms in Tasmania and more…in Bird World

8 December 2022

Good Morning Everyone!

Thank you for all your comments and mail. I am very behind in responding and I apologise but, I will before the middle of next week! Keep them coming!

Oh, it is another beautiful day in the Caribbean. Hot. There was little wind and the water was as smooth as glass. It is hard to imagine huge traffic jams and security guards everywhere, that was what happened here today. The Cuban Diplomatic delegation is here to discuss all manner of things with the new Prime Minister of Grenada. There is also a medical conference with a lot of Cuban doctors. So, we spent the day away from the main area of St George’s at the ‘family friendly marina’, Le Share Bleau. The couple that run the restaurant are excellent chefs and they are from Manitoba! The young man grew up in the area of the city where I live.

At the same time I got to check on that Great Egret that has his own private pond!

Everything is cared for here and is beautiful to the eye as well as to the soul.

Christmas decorations began going up last weekend.

There is no reason for this Great Egret to ever leave. It has an entire pond with fish to itself!

An incredibly beautiful bird.

A Coconut Tree. One of the best ice creams on the island is Coconut. The second really good one is Nutmeg.

The Tropic Mockingbirds love to eat the fruit of the palm tree.

This Tropical Mockingbird sat still long enough for me to get a good photo!

It is a gorgeous island that is trying to be good stewards. Plastic bags were outlawed awhile ago but you can still see them. Plastic drinks bottles are a problem – what do you do in an area where the water is not always good to drink and there is a growing number of tourists? Do you put up water stations and everyone has their own recyclable bottle included in their ticket price? Plastic imports carry a higher import duty than other materials that can be recycled. The upmarket shops have lovely jute bags for their customers. Many groups work on shore clean ups. They are trying – there remains a lot to do like there is everywhere.

One of the biggest pollutants does not occur in Grenada but in Brazil where the fertilisers used in the fields runs off the land and into the ocean where it mixes with the seaweed. That seaweed finds its way to the Grenadian coast and then rots giving off noxious gases.

Coming out of the COP 15 Biodiversity Conference in Montreal is the statement: “Humans are instruments of mass extinction”. There has been nearly a 70% decrease in wildlife since 1970. What will be the next Dodo bird? And why aren’t we ready to tackle this and start b being good stewards?

Here is that story:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/06/canada-leads-calls-to-reverse-nature-loss-as-cop15-opens-in-montreal?CMP=share_btn_link

And another one on two birds that are now thought to be added to the extinct list – the Rook and the Swift. The number of birds added to the Red List – which I was including in all my blogs before the holiday – has doubled. This is just so sad. As a world population we need to stop what we are doing and have a reckoning with ourselves on what is really important to us – what is essential. Not a want but a need.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/07/rook-and-swift-added-to-threatened-bird-species-list-in-wales?CMP=share_btn_link

One of the good things that the hotels in Grenada do for the birds is maintaining beautiful gardens. The fruit from the trees and the nectar from the flowers feeds multitudes of birds. The ponds – if stocked – attract the herons. Off the beach this morning were a pair of Frigatebirds. The tourists like the birds and the flowers. While I was taking photos of the hummingbirds last evening, a big crowd stopped. They had not see the little one flitting around. Everyone had a smile. Now to spread this love elsewhere!

So tomorrow is my last day here. I will not be back in the cold of the Canadian Prairies until Friday afternoon. Oh, the cold. I am not looking forward to that but, having a week away was a gift.

So, let us see what is happening in Bird World.

Just look at that face. How incredibly cute! Just know that the only time you could cuddle with this little one is when it is not feeling well or is under anaesthesia. After you look at the eyes, move down to that killer beak and well, we can’t see the talons but Victor Hurley calls falls ‘all blood beaks and bloody talons’. The fastest flying predators in the world.

Oh, if they could only market a plush toy as cute as this guy. Hi sweetie.

First up is a question from ‘O’: ‘What is happening at the Melbourne Scrape?’

Well, nothing. The Melbourne Four all fledged. One was lost early in a flying accident and had to be euthanised. The little male was recently taken into care and released with a comment that he was really healthy. The parents lay the eggs and raise the eases to fledge at the scrape box on the ledge of 367 Collins Street. They will teach them to fly and hunt prey around the CBD area. The camera is normally turned off until the following breeding year. Whether or not the parents return with the chicks to the scrape is unknown because of this.

Here is the announcement from Wildlife Victoria:

Annie and Grinnell’s 2020 fledgling, Sequoia, is making news with his meetings with a female at San Jose City Hall, BA24. There is a streaming cam and all are hoping that the pair will form a bond and raise eases. But, will they?

News on Glen, the last surviving Osprey fledgling from Tweed Valley made the news:

https://news.stv.tv/scotland/scottish-osprey-feared-dead-arrives-in-morocco-after-flying-for-36-hours?fbclid=IwAR0c7LKhF8KDU-SPzKBlksH7u5hL6pjufYA6CC5LHU0J6Sx2ldVBCwqGfuA

Sharon Dunne aka Lady Hawk gives a look at Harriet and M15’s eggs for this year and some of the daily activity at their nest in Fort Myers, Florida.

‘D’ sent me this screen capture making the rounds. This is V2, the visiting male at the NEFlorida nest, who has mated with Gabby. Yes, he does have the most gorgeous soft blue eyes. ‘Celadon eyes’. Celadon was a 9th and 10th century glaze perfected in China for use on porcelain. Celadon glazes ranged in colour but one was like water…that is like the eyes of this eagle.

Some are wondering if there is any possibility that he could be another offspring of Romeo and Juliet and thus, Samson’s full brother. Samson hatched in 2013. The tragedy at the nest occurred in 2018. So, is there a possibility? Perhaps. Like males do, Samson returned to his natal nest so, could this be a 2017 fledgling?

V2 got introduced to the problems with owls.

Jackie and Shadow are working on their nest. They were there today. The California Big Bear Valley could do not normally lay their eggs until January and as late as March.

There have been many times that Indigo has not been able to finish his prey so, like a good little falcon, Indigo stashed it in the corner as he had seen his parent’s do. Well, Diamond has been snatching that prey! So Indigo has been staying in the scrape much longer keeping an eye on his lunch.

Zoe has been diving and flying. Dad delivered his beautiful girl a nice little fish this morning.

At last some intelligence about wind farms and how they impact birds — and a compromise in Tasmania.

For all the eagle lovers, ‘N’ sent me this image…it is perfect for all of us. Smile!

Thank you so much for being with me. My next blog will come out Saturday morning so there is a break on Friday. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their letters, questions, photos, videos, postings, and streaming cams included in my screen captures: Friends of Big Bear Valley, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Elain and the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, NEFL-AEF, Sharon Dunne/Lady Hawk and SWFL-Bald Eagles and D Pritchett, San Jose City Hall, STV News, Wildlife Victoria, ABC News, The Guardian, and ‘N’, D’ and ‘O’.