Tag Archives: Sydney Olympic Park

The Daisy Chronicles Day 15

Oh, my goodness. I missed it. Sharon Dunne posted a video of the Lorikeets visiting yesterday but, in that video is a split second visit of Lady to the nest. She is chased by the Pied Currawong – they simply do not just harass the fledglings – they also harass the adult WBSE. Lady was more interested in the Currawong and did not notice Daisy’s nest. Lady was on the nest for just a blink, nothing more while Daisy was away foraging! ——— Seriously, this is one lucky duck!

I took that screen capture from Sharon’s video that is posted on YouTube. You can watch the entire visit of the Lorikeets and Lady. Thanks, Sharon! Here is the link:

It is Day 15 and is 17 December in Australia. Daisy has already had two breaks today. She appears to now be taking shorter breaks but more of them. She first left for foraging at 01:10 returning at 03:10. This departure is right in the middle of her usual foraging breaks.

She returns and spends time drying off her plumage so that the down will not stick to her wet feathers.

Her second break of Day 15 comes at 05:09:04. She returns at 06:36:15.

There is no indication that either of the White-bellied sea eagles came to the nest this morning while Daisy was away. The Lorikeets did return in mass to say good morning to Daisy.

Some of the Rainbow Lorikeets were climbing in the top of the tree. Maybe they will lossen some of those dry leaves so Daisy has some more material to cover those eggs.

So far, the Lorikeets and the Noisy Miners have been the only birds to visit — so far this morning! The possum has been moving about, too. It is no danger at all to Daisy just maybe to that fluffy down.

The shadows are across the big nest. You can hardly see Daisy but she is there.

Daisy is sleeping in the warm sunshine. Look at all that down. It looks like our smart and brave little duck is sleeping on a cloud of twinkling stars.

Oh, just look at that purple/blue sometimes green (depending on the light0 wing pattern. How beautiful.

Daisy is very content to sleep and do her little wiggle moving the eggs. She takes time to fix the down, move the leaves, and sleep. Did you notice that there are a few more leaves that have fallen down to the nest?

Thank you cam operator for these great close ups!

The Lorikeets are returning to the tree. You can just see one on either side in the middle ground. You can hear more of them in the background.

What amazing colour patterns these beautiful birds have!

I hope that they climb around on the branches above Daisy. They could really help with leaf collection.

They must be so curious about this quiet little duck who has taken on a ‘time lease’ on the WBSE nest. They have been coming to visit more often each day.

The camera operator checked the Parramatta River. One of the WBSE – Lady or Dad – is on the River Roost!

Sometimes Daisy’s eye gives her away. Despite the fact that she has her beak tucked in behind her wing as if she is sleeping, she is very much alert and away. Has she heard something in the forest that concerns her?

I love how the leaves are getting tangled in with the down. Better camouflage to help conceal those eggs.

It is after lunch and so far all has gone well. Our little brave duck has weathered today with two breaks. I hope that she can wait til sunset to go for her last one of the day. Sunset today is 20:03. No showers or rain in the forecast. The temperature is 23 – a far cry from the 40 degrees C last time she had a clutch of eggs. Join me in wishing Daisy an uneventful afternoon incubating eggs!

Thank you so much for joining me today to check on our brave little duck. We might have to start calling her the ‘brave lucky duck’. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the Sea Eagles@BirdLife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 14-15

It is 15:00 in the Sydney Olympic Forest. You can hear the old Ironbark Tree creaking as the 23 kph winds twist the branches about. It sounds like old doors that need to be oiled. The gusts seem to be more. Daisy seems undaunted. I cannot hear any bird vocalizations in the forest.

The camera operator checked to see if the Sea Eagles were at the River Roost. There was one bird – WBSE or Gull? – flying over the Parramatta River. It is that white dot against the far dark trees up at the top – almost in the middle of the background.

I continue to keep in my mind that last year we kept saying, ‘If Daisy had only come in late November or December.’ Gosh, we surely got that wish this year. But, this year feels like a ‘cake walk’ compared to last year. (Still I do not want to get complacent – anything can happen!) I don’t think anyone slept while Daisy was on the nest. We did not know how the Sea Eagles would react – we didn’t know when they would be coming to try and catch Daisy. You could almost see the steam coming off the top of Dad’s head last year trying to ‘catch’ whatever bird was brave or stupid enough to lay their eggs in ‘his’ nest. I am posting one of my blogs from last year. Every moment was tense. In the image below, Dad has landed on the nest. You can see that Daisy had no time to cover her eggs!

Daisy had only a split second to get off the nest and no time to conceal her eggs.

https://wordpress.com/post/maryannsteggles.com/2957

People from around the world were cheering this brave duck. There is another difference this year also. The temperatures. It is 23 degrees C today. Last time Daisy had eggs on this nest, it rose to 40 degrees C. The sun was so hot she had to leave frequently for breaks and she often left in the middle of the afternoon. That is how the Ravens got the eggs. This time it appears it is after sunset and before sunrise that could at least hold off the Ravens. Maybe there is a ‘finishing school’ for future duck mothers???

The weather forecast has now posted a 40% chance of a shower – not rain – with the winds gusting to 30 kph. Here is a very short video clip of our little Daisy – gosh, she looks tiny in that big tree – as it is swaying with the gusts.

I am not expecting anything to happen – famous last words – until Daisy leaves for her evening break. Sunset is at 20:03.

Daisy surprised me and left at 17:22:30 for her evening foraging. This was two and a half hours before sunset! This is unusual compared to her pattern. She did spend considerable time covering up her eggs and she appeared to be looking for more leaves.

Off she goes! That blur of feathers under the branch on the right.

I had convinced myself that I could fall asleep and wake up and check that Daisy had returned and the eggs and her were both alright. The problem was she left too early. Who would come to get those eggs? Would the ravens be around on a quick fly through before roosting? Normally Daisy departs for her break right at sunset. So I waited with a pot of spiced tea, a box of shortbread, and Mark Bittman’s recipe for No-Knead Bread from The New York Times. Our forecast was for thin layers of freezing rain – the kind that covers everything but you can’t see it. Black Ice. And then snow as the temperature plunges from -1 to -14. Daisy is enjoying cooler temperatures than her incubation time last year. It was 19 C during the evening and early morning hours.

Daisy did return and no one bothered the nest. She was a very lucky little duck. She landed back on the nest at 19:43:23 ——- 20 minutes before sunset.

Oh, I hope we get some close ups today. Just look at the down – it must feel good compared to those hard sticks.

Doesn’t she look adorable?

It is 04:16:00 and Daisy has not left for her morning break. She fooled me yesterday by slipping out for a quick foraging trip at 04:46. I wonder if she will do that today?

Daisy flew off the nest at 05:09:04. She spent considerable time before leaving covering up her eggs.

And she is off! Daisy is a Dabbler. I hope that she finds lots of yummy plants to enjoy.

In the background you could hear the Noisy Miners and Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo easily over the hum of the camera. The forest is waking up just as Daisy is leaving. They are particularly loud this morning. I wonder if they alerted her that she should get going?

The cam operator gave us some beautiful shots of Daisy’s nest covering. Thank you!

Sunrise is at 05:39. Yesterday Daisy was back on the nest a little after 06:00. Fingers crossed.

It is Day 15 of the Daisy Chronicles and so far all is well.

Thank you so much for joining me. I will bring an update on Daisy in about six or seven hours. Let us hope that today is as uneventful as all the others. Please take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the Sea Eagle @Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre for their streaming cam where I took my screen shots.

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 14

Daisy left for her break at 04:46:45 and returned at 06:08:22. Since then she has had visitors. The Noisy Miners came at 07:31 and the Rainbow Lorikeets arrived at 08:03 to say good morning to their favourite little duck.

The cam operator checked to see if the White-Bellied Sea Eagles were at the River Roost early this morning. No. They were not there!

You could hear them before they arrived. The Ravens cawed at 09:29:51. They flew by and then it sounded like they landed on an upper branch. They never landed on the tree. Made a small racket and flew off. Poof. They are smart. They know the eggs are there and they will continue to check hoping to catch Daisy off her nest!

Besides the visitors, the morning has been peaceful. Even the weather forecast changed to cloudy with no rain. Seriously, this is wonderful news. I am not sure it could be any better unless the Ravens went for a holiday to Singapore, the WBSE stayed at Goat Island til mid-January, and somehow we were able to make a bit of a ramp for those ducklings. “Hope for the best, stay positive but prepare for the worst.”

It is nearing 11:00 and all is well with our beautiful Daisy. She has the most fluffy nest – like laying on a cloud.

Other Bird World News: The Duke Farms Bald Eagle Cam went live today for their fans. Oh, last year, I ached for the Mum. She seemed to spend all her incubation duties buried under snow and ice. Here is your link to that cam:

The State of Pennsylvania has raised the fine from $200 to $2000 for killing a Bald Eagle. I might have added another zero on to that figure and included ‘any raptor’.

The Bald Eagles really need protecting but so do the other raptors whose body parts are considered trophies or good luck charms. Sadly to say that in the state where I grew up, Oklahoma, there is a reward out for any information leading to the arrest of the person who mutilated a Bald Eagle.

People are just beginning to understand the damage from the tornados last Friday. In Tennesse, the Bald Eagles have lost their homes in the 210 year old Cypress Trees that were ripped up.

Wisdom, the oldest living Albatross in the World at 70, has returned to Midway Island for another breeding season. Yahoo!

Gabby is still making us wait. No egg at the Northeast Florida Bald Eagle nest yet. Nine days to go til hatch watch for Harriet and M15 though! Yes.

Daisy’s day will be quiet providing the Sea Eagles do not arrive and make a ruckus. The Ravens will return at least once more to check Daisy is on the nest. So thankful for no rain and so far, everything is good. We just need some more leaves to fall. I will continue to monitor Daisy til she leaves for her evening break. If everything is quiet, you will not hear from me again til tomorrow.

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

Thank you to the Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia for their streaming cam where I took my screen shots.

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 13-14

It is the middle of the afternoon in Sydney, Australia – Day 13. Daisy, the Pacific Black Duck who is incubating 8 eggs in a ‘borrowed’ nest from the White-Bellied Sea Eagles has had a quiet day.

Daisy still has a substantial amount of food left in that extended esophagus or crop. Just look at it. That is wonderful. She must take care of herself. It will give her the strength to take on the Ravens again if the pair of them should show up on the nest proper.

Daisy has removed a substantial amount of down in the last little while. That nest of hers is amazing. It is so beautiful.

Some down, a little wiggle and some egg rolling, and Daisy is settled in for more incubation and sleep.

I have just checked the weather and there is a 40% chance of rain at the nest at 19:00 and a 100% chance beginning at 20:00. That is the time that Daisy normally goes foraging. The rain is scheduled to continue throughout the night until 13:00 tomorrow afternoon. Why am I mentioning this? Well, it is important. Duck down shrinks or compacts. Daisy has had to rely on the duck down to not only insulate the eggs and make a nice comfy nest but she has also used it to cover the precious eggs. There are sadly not enough leaves on the nest to do that this clutch. Fingers crossed that Daisy is able to manage coming and going so that the down is not that impacted.

Gosh, she is a very special little duck – just beautiful. So sweet. The breeze continues to rock the old Ironbark Tree ever so gently.

That beautiful blue bill really sets Daisy apart from many ducks.

At 15:58 Daisy turned her head and listened. Something caught her attention. She was alert for a few minutes and then…nothing. She settled down and relaxed.

In a surprise move, Daisy flew off the nest at 18:36. Sunset is not until 20:02.

Oh, if the wind would only send some more leaves down right by those eggs!

Did Daisy leave because she needed to so that she could return before the rain begins? Did she need a comfort break after all the foraging before sunrise? Will the Ravens come while she is away?

The camera went offline and it is unclear to me when Daisy returned to her eggs. But at 02:02, her and her eggs are fine. Fantastic.

Daisy, you really are amazing –and we worry so much about you!

Daisy has been able to leave the nest untended during the evening/night with no worries. The cam operator caught a visitor to the nest that has the potential to cause our Daisy some serious problems, Boo-Book Owl and his mate! This was taken the night prior to this posting so all is well with the eggs.

I have not been able to determine if Boo and his mate actually eat eggs. The Duck eggs are quite large. While they might not, they could definitely wreck havoc by pecking at them or removing down which, at this time, is precious as it really is covering everything. Ah, I wish they had not noticed. These little owls cause such mischief when they fly through hitting Lady on the head or the nestling sea eagles.

The forecast for Day 14, 16 December 2021, is for it to be 22 degrees C and cloudy with a 40% chance of rain around 09:00. I wonder if Daisy is going to go on a break? It is getting close to when she should leave. Sunrise is at 05:39.

Daisy continues to wait to leave for her break. I wonder if those pesky possums are running around on that tree?

Daisy finally left for her break at 04:46:45. You can see her preparing to leave in the image below. She has pulled some more down off her breast and will be covering the eggs with the rest of the down and a few leaves.

There she is plucking off that down.

With the eggs covered as best she could, Daisy leaves to go and get some food.

Daisy returned to the nest at 06:08:22. You can just see her wings fluttering to the right of the rim of the big Sea Eagle nest.

Daisy is all settled and at this moment, everything is alright with the world. Take a deep breath everyone. Send all your good energy.

I will monitor Daisy through the rest of the day providing an update in about six or seven hours. Fingers crossed! We are on Day 14. Daisy has been incubating her eggs now for 7-8 days depending on how you want to count. This means that with the hatch watch from 26-30 days, we continue to look around the 4-6th of January, possibly as early as the 3rd. She is doing so well.

Thank you so much for joining me and for sending all your very best wishes to this little Pacific Black Duck who dared to make her nest in the big Sea Eagle tree nest. Stay safe. Be careful. See you soon.

Thank you to the Sea Eagles @Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 13

Ever since Daisy landed back on the nest this morning, I have been more than curious. Her neck was ‘huge’. This image is later but squint and see that floppy large ‘crop’! It is so big that it is catching the light and looks like a shiny ball almost in the centre of the picture. She looks like she is sleeping on a puff pillow.

Over the time Daisy has been on the nest, I have had conflicting reports about whether or not ducks have crops. I was told that they have an expanded esophagus as well as a gizzard.

I continued to research this because I was completely dumbfounded about Daisy. She has obviously foraged very well during the three hours she was away before dawn. That bulge looks like a crop – a term used with raptors – for a place to store food before it goes to the main stomach. So I found this image by Murray State University. The vet students were dissecting a wild duck. Do you see what I see? The arrows for the Empty Crop and the Esophagus point to the same place. If we look at our live duck, Daisy, I think it is safe to say that an extended esophagus is also a crop. Mystery solved. Daisy is literally ‘full to the brim’. Hopefully she will be quite content to wait til sunset not have to leave. It seems that the Ravens check at least twice a day to see if she is on the nest.

So far, it has been another wonderfully uneventful morning on Daisy’s nest. I just want to pinch myself. Could our little duck actually fledge those 8 ducklings to be?

A Noisy Miner came to visit. It is right on the branch that is illuminated – look right above Daisy. This bird will not harm Daisy – it doesn’t have the nicest voice but it will not hurt our Duck or her eggs!

Last clutch, everyone wished that Daisy had come to the nest earlier – in December – because that is when Lady and Dad seem to spend the most time on Goat Island. Lady loves Goat Island. Dad’s former mate liked a different location after fledging the eaglets. No sign of Dad or Lady at the River Roost so far today.

Daisy is just sleeping away with the warm sun shining down on her and her 8 eggs. Oh, what a little sweetheart.

It is after noon for Daisy. I cannot tell you how quiet the forest has been. It is positively wonderful. There is a gentle wind that rocks Daisy and her eggs. You can hear a plane fly over once in awhile. Blissful.

Here are some images that I enlarged so we can see Daisy better. She is so camouflaged in those images above that you can hardly make her out from the sticks.

Other Bird World News: Wow. Ervie, that incredible third hatch at Port Lincoln Osprey barge, is really flying. Fran Solly, Take2Photography, reports that Ervie’s tracker shows he is following Dad to go out when he goes fishing. ​Solly says that “He (Ervie) went around the corner to the main Bay and along the wharf. I’ve seen Mum and Dad both fish there.” Oh, Ervie, you are a survivor! At the Kisatachie National Forest Bald Eagle Nest, Anna broke one of the two eggs while landing today. While that is very sad, hopefully the other one will stay safe and hatch. One healthy eaglet is good! Last I checked there was not an egg on Samson and Gabby’s Bald Eagle nest in Jacksonville, Florida. We wait. Anxiously.

Oh, I wish the NE Florida nest used a 24 hour clock!

Ferris Akel has cut down his streaming tour of last Saturday to show the Snowy Owls. For the people around the Finger Lakes of NY, Snowy Owls were a rarity. In Manitoba, you can often see 25 or 30 within a short distance during the winter. If you want to see these fluffy owls, here is the link:

Everything is alright in the world of Daisy. This is so wonderful. I will continue to monitor her until she leaves for her evening foraging. I hope this time is as quiet as the morning has been!

Thank you so much for joining me today. Take care everyone. Stay safe!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Sea Eagles@ Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, NE Florida Bald Eagles and the AEF, and Murray State University.

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 11-12

It is 17:01 nest time on Day 11 as I begin writing. It has been a relative quiet afternoon for Daisy, the Pacific Black Duck incubating 8 eggs on the large White-Bellied Sea Eagle Nest in the Sydney Olympic Forest. Daisy alerted once and within a minute was relaxed again. The camera operator zoomed in on Daisy nestled over her eggs with the sun filtering through the canopy, she glowed.

I took way too many screen captures but who doesn’t love to look at Daisy? And I included some larger versions that are easier to see!

Sometimes, like in the bottom image, it is hard to make out where Daisy is. She is quite camouflaged at times. She spent much time rolling the eggs and plucking more down off her breast. She is a devoted little Mum.

If the pattern continues, Daisy will take her next break right after sunset returning in about two and a half hours. I wonder if she will do the same thing tomorrow morning? The noise in the forest will alert me to the arrival of predators but for now, it is past midnight on the Canadian Prairies, and I am blissfully tired. Oh, that the rest of Daisy’s day is simply uneventful.

Daisy left the nest at 19:48:59. There were no issues prior to her leaving to get a break and eat.

She carefully covered up her eggs with all that fluffy down and the few leaves she has.

There she is flying off to the right – a blur with that beautiful blue scapular showing.

Daisy was gone less than normal. She returned to the nest of 8 eggs at 21:24:44.

It is now 03:46:45 on day 12 and Daisy has not left the nest. I tried to figure out what was keeping her – she needs to eat and there it was – our old friend Ring-tail Possum. Oh, I hope he goes away! Daisy needs to leave so she can have enough food to keep her til sunset.

Daisy doesn’t realize that her eggs are too big for the little possum to carry. They normally eat fruits and flowers. But this possum could steal that lovely down and that would be tragic for Daisy as there are not enough leaves to cover the eggs. Too bad they can strike a deal – the little possum could send leaves falling from the branches above to Daisy in exchange for some of that soft down for its nest.

The problem with the possum is that it is infringing on Daisy’s need to forage so in that way it is troublesome. We don’t want Daisy to need to leave during the day to eat.

It appears that Daisy has chosen not to leave the nest and get food and take a break. Oh, I so wish that possum had not come. Daisy had a very good pattern going – being away during the dark when the predators were sleeping. Will she have to leave during the day and risk her eggs? We have to wait and see.

Dawn is at 05:38. You can see that the forest is getting lighter.

There is some very good weather news. It is to go up to 25 C in the Sydney Olympic Park today with no rain forecast until Thursday.

I will continue to monitor Daisy during the day. She had a good afternoon and evening yesterday. We will all hope for the same today — and that she does not have to leave the eggs til sunset, not even for a comfort break. Send all your positive messages to our favourite brave little duck – Daisy!

Thank you so much for joining me. I will have a Daisy update in 6 or 7 hours unless something untoward happens. Take care everyone. Keep smiling. So far everything is good with Daisy. She is a great little Mum.

Thank you to the Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre for their streaming cam where I took my screen shots.

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 11 continued

It is 13:14 in Sydney Australia’s Olympic Park Forest. Daisy, the Pacific Black Duck, has 8 eggs she is incubating in the White-Bellied Sea Eagles nest. So far today she has had a visit by three Ring-tail possums in the night and two Ravens. The possums did not bother Daisy’s eggs and the Ravens sitting and cawing in the upper branches of the tree did not cause any issues for Daisy. She seemed to ignore them completey – she kept her cool. They might well come back today and the sea eagles might show up but for now, our little duck is resting. She took 5 hours off -divided into two time periods – to go and forage. She has taken the opportunity to sleep while incubating.

Daisy seems to be developing a strategy to thwart both the Ravens and the sea eagles. She stays on the nest leaving right at sunset and then leaving again 2 or 3 hours before sunrise. That way she can eat while the others are sleeping and be on her eggs to protect them if the Ravens visit. Last year she played tag with Dad. So far they have not encountered one another. Dad did come one evening but Daisy was foraging.

Daisy is such a beautiful duck. I love how the down looks like it has little twinkle stars in it.

At 13:46 a visitor came to the nest – a quiet visitor. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a bird fly from the right to the left across the nest and land. My heart sank. I thought the Ravens had gone into stealth mode. But, no. It was a Pied Currwaong. You might recall that it is the Currawongs that chase the Sea Eagle fledglings out of the forest. Or you might recall that a group of them pecked at the head of WBSE 27 causing it to have to go into care (it was also hungry and dehydrated). They can be mean. Daisy kept her head down but keeping her eye on every movement the bird made.

In the top image, the Currawong is flying between the two branches on the left.

The Currawong has landed on the branch directly in front of Daisy. Daisy is watching with one eye and keeping still.

You can see it better in this image. It continues to fly around the tree. I can see its shadow. Perhaps it is more curious. It is unclear to me if the Currawongs are a threat to Daisy. I must check.

The first half of the day has not been totally uneventful. Ravens did land on the tree but did not go to the nest and Daisy ignored them. Now the Currawong. She seems nonplused so I am going to presume she is not taking the bird as a threat. Whew. Anxious for a moment there. In fact, I am certain that all of us are anxious and would like to grab Daisy and give her a safe nest box. Sometimes watching but not being able to do anything is extremely frustrating. I suspect you feel the same. I wonder how many of you are eating more cookies or candies watching Daisy to help with the stress???? I certainly am! The holiday baking is not going to last long at this rate.

Other Bird World News. The State of Illinois has passed a Bird Safe Buildings Act to eliminate the death of millions of migrating birds. Dallas has been turning off the lights to help during migration but Illinois is taking this to the actual construction of the building. This is a good thing!

I have found a new Bald Eagle Streaming Cam for you. There is a huge interest in birds where I grew up – Oklahoma. There are so many hawks and eagles. Bartlesville has set up a streaming cam for their Bald Eagle couple. I do not know anything about this nest but it has been recommended to me. Here is the link:

Live Eagle Camera

If you like images of beautiful birds, here are some amazing captures in super 8k resolution. Thanks ‘S’ for sending me this link. Some of these are simply stunning.

Speaking of beautiful bird images. Every year we travel to Toronto where the Royal Ontario Museum puts the winners of the international bird and wildlife photography contests – from youngsters to seniors, amateur to professional – on display. The results of one of the many photographic contests have been posted on the Internet. There were 22,000 entries for Bird Photographer of the Year. The prize went to an amazing image – you will have to go to the link to see it – I do not want to spoil the surprise. There are categories for young and old. You will not be disappointed and if you love them, there is a book with the 300 winning entries in all categories. Here is the link to this year’s winners:

https://www.birdpoty.com/2021-winners?fbclid=IwAR0GP7AE4gxcS3iREKgIYPmJViqp07iDOvsU9dUnFZGG_odSMvCarCIboLs

I will be monitoring Daisy throughout the rest of the day. Other than the Noisy Miners and horrific sounding Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, I hope to hear absolutely nothing more than the hum of the streaming cam. My next report on Daisy will be tomorrow (Monday the 13th) around 13:00. All of the other nests are doing just fine. I am hoping to see an egg on the nest of Gabby and Samson tomorrow or the next day. Fingers crossed. And mark your calendars because in less than two weeks – 12 days to be exact – we could have a hatch on Harriet and M15s nest in Fort Myers. Honestly, I can’t wait – it is called ‘Bobble head Withdrawal.’ The couple spent some time bonding today before they get busy with little ones. And YRK has flown in to relieve OGK after 8 days of incubating duties at the Royal Albatross Colony on Taiaroa Head, NZ.

Thank you so much for joining me and caring so much for Daisy. I believe that thousands of people sending love and positive wishes to Daisy and her precious eggs is nothing short of wonderful. If only she knew. Wow. I am blown away just thinking about it.

Take care everyone. Stay safe.

Thank you to the Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre for their streaming cam where I took my screen shots and to ‘S’ for sending me the link to those amazing bird images.

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 10 -11

Daisy has spent the day peacefully sleeping, pulling some down, and rolling eggs most of the day.

A Raven arrived on the nest at 16:40, cawed, and left by 16:41:43. Daisy did not seem agitated by its presence.

It is now 5 minutes since the Raven was at the nest, I heard it briefly further into the forest. Daisy continues to rest. She has been incubating the eggs since 21:55:42 last evening without a break. It is assumed that her strategy is to leave right after sunset, go to the river and forage. Last evening she covered her eggs well with the down but she needs more leaves. My eagle friend told me that the Ring-tail Possums were up in the tree getting leaves for their nest which is below Daisy’s. She wished they would drop some of their leaf load for Daisy. Wouldn’t that be splendid?!

Daisy took her first break at 20:01:33. Six minutes earlier than the day prior. She returns at 22:32:40.

Daisy decided to take another break in the middle of the night. She flew off at 03:08. Great idea. She is currently still away but she will return before dawn! What an intelligent young duck. She’s pretty much got it. By going foraging right after sunset and right before sunrise not having to leave during the day but having had two feedings herself, she just might do this!

It is such a privilege and a blessing to be able to watch this amazing and brave little duck try to have ‘a family.’ She is working so hard – so many of you have written wanting a miracle for our darling Daisy. It would seem that everyone is both excited and frightened at the prospects. So for now, let us just revel in the fact that so far today, on Day 10, that all is well. It has been relatively quiet. The Raven came once but Daisy didn’t even flinch. So far Dad and Lady have not shown up so that Daisy has to scramble off her eggs. There is much to be thankful for today.

It is 03:36:45. I am expecting Daisy to return in about an hour. My next report will come late today. There were few close ups of Daisy yesterday. I included the 2 during the time the cam operator zoomed in on Daisy at the end of the evening. Isn’t she just beautiful?

Thank you so much for stopping by and checking in on our favourite duck. It is now Day 11. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.

The Daisy Chronicles, Day 9 – updated

It is actually still Day 8 for Daisy as I write this. The clock on the streaming cam says that it is 19:28. It is 02:28 on the Canadian Prairies. Daisy remains on her eggs.

Does she know that the two Ravens are on the branches above the nest? She must. They are right above her. One on one side and one on the other.

Every once in awhile they make a noise. They know that sooner or later Daisy is going to have to leave the nest. When she does, they will take her eggs. I am hoping that Daisy can sleep a bit and conserve all of her energy. She has not left the nest for at least 14.5 hours. Unlike raptors that have true crops to store food, ducks have an enlarged esophagus that is capable of handling large amounts of food before it moves into the a thin-walled area of the stomach called the proventriculus.

The White-Bellied Sea Eagles, Lady and Dad, are not at their River Roost.

Daisy has been very vigilant about the Ravens but she had another intruder. That was the Ring-tailed Possum who has its own nest in that big nest. This possum will not harm Daisy’s eggs. It might scare her – which it did but it is the Bushtail Possum that likes the eggs. That possum wanders around at night. Daisy remained on the nest until the possum quieted down. Poor thing they will wear her out by not letting her eat! I wish there was some type of sci-fi invisible protective dome we could place around Daisy and her eggs.

Daisy flew off the nest at 1:40:55. She waited for the Ravens to leave and then had to wait for the possum. By leaving in the middle of the night she outwitted the Ravens. She will have a few hours to forage before she has to return to her eggs. I hope our little duck got lots to eat. She must be tired fighting off all these intruders who want her eggs!

It is now 03:50 in the Sydney Olympic Park Forest. Daisy should be returning to her eggs within an hour. It appears that the on line camera continues to go on and offline. I cannot access live after 01:59 – so, for now, this is my Daisy report. So many of you have dropped all your other bird watching to cheer Daisy on. Continue to send your good wishes to her. She needs all she can get. Will the little duck outwit all of them? We wait. It appears we have 8 eggs – hopefully no more. Daisy did a bit better covering. Fingers crossed.

Daisy returned to her nest at 04:59 ahead of the Ravens. Our little girl is smart!

Our girl looks good and the down coming around the nest will make it easier for her to cover. Cloudy today but no rain forecasted for Daisy.

Thank you so much for joining me. Take care everyone. Be safe out there.

Thank you to SeaEagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre for their streaming cam where I took my screen shots.

The Daisy Chronicles Day 7-8

I have had some marvellous questions about duck breeding behaviour and questions about the ducklings. I hope that the following information is of good use. I am not an expert. But I have a stack of books on my desk by people who are! The comments are generalizations for all waterfowl and might vary a little with Daisy, our beautiful Pacific Black Duck.

In December of 2020, Daisy and her mate came to inspect the nest of the White-Bellied Sea Eagles. It is the only time – to the best of my knowledge – that he has been seen on the streaming cam. Daisy will have chosen her mate several months before breeding. The pair stay together and, when the time comes for breeding, they will have travelled to the female’s territory. The term for females returning to their home nesting area (as opposed to males) is called philopatric. Daisy will have picked the spot to nest. Daisy has laid one egg a day. When Daisy has laid her last egg, she will incubate the eggs day and night with no help from her mate. After several weeks the ducklings will begin peeping inside the shells and all will hatch at about the same time.

So what do these ducklings do once they hatch? They will remain in the nest with Daisy for approximately 24 hours. Daisy will stand on the rim of the nest and jump down. She will call to the ducklings who will each jump from the nest to the forest floor. They will then follow Daisy to the Parramatta River. They hatch with fluffy down and the ability to feed themselves. This is known as precocial – leaving the nest with the ability to take care of oneself soon after hatching. The ducklings are fully capable of feeding themselves. Daisy will stay with her brood until they are able to fly. At that time, they are on their own. While the ducklings are with her, they will gather around for protection and warmth.

It is now 16:19 in the Sydney Olympic Forest. The wind can be heard on the camera and the nest is moving about noticeably. There is thunder and it is getting closer. The time for the thunderstorm and high winds, according to the local weather in Sydney, is right now – and for the next hour. Yesterday Daisy stayed throughout the storm before leaving the nest at 18:04:04.

So far there are no predators today and several times the cam operator has checked to see if the WBSE were at the River Roost and they weren’t. That does not mean that Dad could not fly in at any moment.

Here are some images from the late afternoon of our beautiful Daisy.

Daisy looks so tiny in the big WBSE nest.
Daisy continues to try and find down to line the nest both to cover the eggs and to make it easier on her body as she rolls and moves around the eggs with her feet.
No sign of the WBSE at the River Roost today.

At 17:37 a single Lorikeet arrives to see Daisy.

There is a forecast for a thunderstorm at 18:00 and rain for at least the next while.

At 18:22 a lone Noisy Miner comes to visit. Goodness.

It is only a few minutes after the Noisy Miner that thunder can be heard along with some big drops hitting the camera. By 19:15, Daisy is very wet as is the nest.

I thought maybe Daisy had laid all of her eggs and was now into hard incubation but she began preparing to leave.

You will see that Daisy is having trouble covering her 7 eggs.

Someone did a short video of Daisy trying to cover her eggs.

Daisy was lucky that the weather has kept the Ravens away. Her eggs are still there in the middle of the night.

We must hope that Daisy is not going to lay many more eggs — or that a large number of leaves are blown off that tree. Once she begins hard incubation she will have to leave to eat and take a break. That is when she had problems with Dad and Lady last time and then the Ravens saw the eggs because of not enough material, once it got wet, to cover them properly. They were close to hatching. An hour at a time. Daisy should be arriving for Day 8 before sunrise. She will get a chance to get on the eggs before any of the predators come around. I will bring an update on Day 8 later today. Send Daisy lots of good energy!

Thank you so much for joining me. It is nice to have you hear. Take care, see you soon.

Thank you to the Sea Eagle@BirdLife Australia Discovery Centre for their streaming cam where I took my screen shots.