Thank you ‘L’ for alerting me to the change of status at the nest of Tom and Audrey. The wee chick ate well yesterday and is now gone. The second egg is not viable. It has been a sad year for Tom and Audrey. It has also been a very sad year for osplets. So many have died – some for unknown reasons like Molate and this Little Only Bob – and others to tragic accidents or siblicide. Sadly a day passes without a death.
Soar high Little One.
The chick is being retrieved and the camera has been turned off for now. Hopefully they will find out what happened to this lovely little one who was so cute and appeared so healthy. Condolences go out to everyone including Tom and Audrey and all those who love Ospreys.
Good Morning everyone. It is going to be a hot sunny day here on the Canadian Prairies with a temperature of 31 C – a good day to get outside early for that walk! There is a heat wave across the southern areas of western Canada right now and it is going to have an impact on our Osprey nests.
I had a lot of questions about the ducklings in my blog yesterday. Here are the ducklings again. They do not all belong to the same Mum. There were 35 in total but, the individual who took the image couldn’t fit them all in the frame. They are Mallards. The females rotate taking all the ducklings to the pond to swim and eat. The other mothers get a chance to relax and eat grass. What a great system! And what well-behaved ducklings. Incredible. ‘Duckling Daycare’.
The other day Suzanne Arnold Horning took an image of the three Ls (minus L3 who is in care) on the grounds of Cornell. Every year there are a few opportunities when the three get together on the top of a fence. This was the magic moment for 2022. What a treasure. Who would know that L1 would not be with us today as we woke up? Their lives are ever so fragile and we are so lucky to be able to observe them. So glad L1 flew, and hunted, and played with her siblings. And so sorry for Big Red and Arthur who, more than likely, saw that fateful moment that took their first hatch’s life.
L1 The Ls, 1, 2, and 4 on the fence by the track. Cornell University.
Ferris Akel was kind enough to go to the Cornell Campus last night and look for Big Red, Arthur, and the two remaining chicks in the wild. There is a lovely community that has bonded around Big Red and her family. It was getting dark when Ferris took these last images of Big Red hunting a squirrel and Arthur on top of the same building where they found L1 yesterday morning.
Arthur was on the other end of the building. Earlier they had been on a light pole overlooking the area where the two chicks were – observing from a distance and perhaps thinking of L1.
Both osplets at the Mispillion Harbour Osprey nest in Delaware have fledged! Congratulations to Mum and Dad and all those cheering them on. Thanks ‘H’ for letting me know! The pair are having fun taking short flights on and off the nest.
One on the perch and the other one flying.
Tuckered. Flying is hard work…turns fledglings into ducklings.
Audrey is busy incubating the remaining egg and brooding Big Bob. It is possible that Big might turn out to be the only Bob on the Chesapeake Bay nest of Tom and Audrey for the 2022. Big is the first hatch of the second clutch for these two. He needs to grow big and strong and fly good to meet migration deadlines.
Right now all Big Bob wants to do is sleep and eat. Cute.
The two chicks on the Janakkalan nest in Finland continue to work on their self-feeding. Dad continues to bring the fish to the nest. One is better at self-feeding but the second is getting there. Hunger is a great motivator and when one chick has opened up the fish it is easier for the smaller one to eat. Send positive wishes to this nest. They can both survive if they feed themselves.
Everything appears to be good at the Boathouse Osprey platform on Hog Island. Morning stars glittering around Dory as she stands on the edge of the nest.
Another nest just needs fish. The heat in British Columbia is driving the bigger fish deeper into the water. The male at Osoyoos is only able to bring in little twiddlers. More fish is needed…It is going up to 34 C today. A cooker. The Ospreys need all the hydration they can get. Too bad Dad doesn’t have a fish basket on that lake.
The temperature will rise from 9 C to 29 C with a heat warning at the Canmore Alberta Fortis Exshaw Osprey nest today. Wish for fish here, too.
Peace and Love, the eaglets at the Glacier Gardens nest, were ready for their morning breakfast. There is condensation (I think that is what it is) moving about on the camera lens so it is hard to see them. Their juvenile plumage is really coming in and both continue to be healthy. — Which reminds me. The news on H5N1, the highly pathogenic avian flu, is that it is waning. Thank goodness.
The latest Twitter posting of Cal Falcons show an incredible prey exchange caught by the photographer moon_rabbit_rising
Annie and Alden are making sure that these two are so capable of getting their own prey when they leave the home territory. Would love to see this in real time…
While we wait to hear what the Ojai clinic can determine is causing Victor, Andor and Mama Cruz’s eaglet fledgling, not to be able to stand, here is an uplifting story of a sub-adult Bald Eagle that was shot and got a second chance at life. Thank you ‘C’ for making sure I had a smile on my face the other day. So grateful to the vets and the rehabbers who take our feathered friends into their care and work miracles for them.
If you saw a raptor (or other bird or animal in need) who would you call? ‘B’ sent me the answer if you live in the United States. Here is a site – Animal Help Now – that will help you find all of the wildlife rehabbers in your area and their specialties. Note that some only take turtles and amphibians, etc. You enter your address or a city and you get a list. Please bookmark this site. You never know when you are going to find yourself in a park with an injured waterfowl or raptor or on the highway. This will save you a lot of time fumbling around and it could make a real difference to the life of the injured wildlife. USFWS does not help and neither does the DNR – so do not bother calling them. If you know of a similar website in other countries, please let me know. We are all here to help and getting to the right person is critical. Thanks ‘B’.
Fledge watch is on for most of the UK Osprey nests that have not already had fledges. Keep an eye on Brooks and Molate at the SF Osprey nest of Richmond and Rosie, too. Time is passing very quickly.
There was a fox cub seen on the Fraser Point nest last night. It is a good thing Victor was rescued when he was. Lilibet was not on the nest at the time the cub came poking about.
Pip watch at the WBSE nest of Lady and Dad in the Sydney Olympic Forest nest. Yesterday Lady let Dad incubate the eggs. Will she let him today? If not, watch that first egg closely.
Thank you so much for joining me this morning. There is so much happening with all the nests – I am just glad we don’t have eggs hatching at all the Australian nests right now. We would all need several computer monitors! Continue to send positive wishes to those feathered friends in care and to those nests that desperately need fish today – big fish – like Osoyoos. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their photographs, streaming cams, FB pages, and Twitter posts where I took my screen captures: Suzanne Arnold Horning, Cornell Chatters, Ferris Akel Tours, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and the DDNR, Chesapeake Conservancy, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Audubon and Explore.org, Osoyoos Ospreys, Fortis Exshaw, Cal Falcons, Explore.org and IWS, Glacier Gardens, and Sydney Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre.
Most of us required some down time after the anxious moments waiting for Dr Sharpe to pick up Victor. Once he was there with Allie from the Nature Conservancy, Victor was located, held up so all could see him, and placed in a large black duffle bag. He was on his way. As Victor’s adventure is beginning, his sister Lillibet has been on the perch for most of the day. Yes, she is surely missing her brother.
I heard from ‘B’ that Lillibet had spent 5 hours on the branch after this moment. She really misses Victor. That is the sad part of all of this. What I did not realize was that Andor is a first time dad at 5 years old. Thanks, ‘B’ for letting me know that – so both Andor and Akecheta first time dads, young males – who did a fantastic job with the Mums this year raising these 5 great eagle fledglings.
Andor will bring a fish in and Lillibet will go to the nest to eat.
This is the update from Dr Sharpe:
That is fabulous that Victor made his way to the creek and was getting water there. That sure helped to keep him going til the rescue came.
There are quite a few nests that need a quick ‘hello’. Just stopping in at the Boathouse, it is easy to appreciate how quickly the osprey nestlings grow. Look at the plumage – Dory and Skiff’s trio are moving into the Reptilian Phase. Soon we will have little black oily heads and they will be long and lanky.
‘H’ writes that we should never worry about Sloop, the third hatch. She notes that he gets at least 2 private feedings a meal and instead of being a little one sail boat he might turn out to be a small warship – the other meaning for Sloop. Oh, I needed that laugh this morning. Sloop reminds me of L4 at Big Red and Arthur’s nest. We worried ourselves sick but L4 would climb over the big siblings to get to the food and he was one of the first two to catch his own live prey to officially become a juvenile. — Dory and Skiff are doing an amazing job as first time parents.
There could be a fledge at the Mispillion Harbour Osprey nest at any moment! The chicks are flapping their wings. This was 0515. Adults have been bringing in nesting material but where has the yellow matt gone that Mum loved so much?
Breakfast at Osoyoos Osprey Platform. Looks pleasant. Hoping lots of fish come to this nest. I am told that it could be quite hot in this region for a few days. Gosh, the size difference between these two, hatch 1 and 3.
Beautiful mum with her two osplets at the Fortis Exshaw platform in Canmore, Alberta. The blood feathers are coming in on the wings. It is not a great image but you can see the shafts the feathers are growing out of on the chick on the right, their left wing.
Beautiful Mum.
There is still Only Bob and the egg on the nest of Tom and Audrey on Chesapeake Bay. Will the other egg hatch? There is still time but maybe it won’t. Tom has been alarming on and off this morning.
Doing a run through some of the Finnish nests…gorgeous chicks on nest #4. Looking really healthy. Mum has been working on the nest and they have been self-feeding. Lovely. Look at the size of those wings! Both full. No problems here.
At least one of these big chicks – and I am thinking both – are big females with lovely necklaces.
Oh, I love it when the crests are up. Gorgeous Nuppu with the ‘Only Teenager’ at nest #3 in the Satakunta region in Western Finland.
Nuppu is screaming so Ahti will hear her. We need more fish!!!!!!!!
The male at the Janakkdan nest brought in a huge fish for the two osplets at 17:04:16. I have not seen the female who was injured or sick. It is possible that she will not return to the nest. The two chicks are left with the fish to eat for themselves. Thankfully the father is still bringing in fish.
Let us watch and wait to see how these two do with this self-feeding. If the female is injured, dead, and/or left the area, the lives of these two chicks will depend on their ability to rip that fish up and eat it themselves.
Before I close we are on pip/hatch watch for Lady and Dad at the Sydney Sea Eagles nest in the Sydney Olympic Forest which is part of the Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre.
There has also been an update on WBSE27 – this was a fantastic and much necessary intervention. 27 is doing fabulous and this is the kind of news we want to hear about Little Bit ND17 – that he was kept in care until he can fly free like 27, catching his own prey and flourishing. (Note: The first time 27 went to rehab it was too short. She could not hunt and was found emaciated on a sidewalk being attacked by smaller birds).
There will be at least one more update from the Ojai Raptor Centre today. With no broken bones, it will be interesting to see what it is that was causing Victor to lose his balance and not be able to stand. He is in good hands, eating well…our thoughts go out to Andor, Mama Cruz, and Lillibet who only know that he is gone from their territory.
Thank you for joining me for this quick check up this morning. There is a tiny lull as we wait for fledges to start happening and keep a close eye on a couple of nests for progress and pip/hatch. I have not seen any new updates on Little Bit ND17 as of this moment. They could post one anytime on the Humane Indian Wildlife FB page. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Explore.org, Institute for Wildlife Studies, Channel Islands Eagle Lovers, Audubon Explore.org, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and the DDNR, Osoyoos Ospreys, Fortis Exshaw, Chesapeake Conservancy, the Finnish Osprey Foundation, and Sydney Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre.
I want to start by putting a smile on everyone’s face. Ervie. The photo was taken yesterday around the North Shore where you will see that Ervie has caught a really nice sized fish – not a puffer! Thank you ‘B’ – I have been so preoccupied with Victor and a couple of osprey nests that I missed checking on Ervie since they posted his last tracking. — Good things happen to talons. They grow!
That is a beautiful fish and good form, Ervie! Does everyone realize that Ervie could be the best thing that happened to Port Lincoln tourism? Maybe, as a male, he will just hang around til he can take over the barge from Dad. Why not? There is lots of fish and he will not bother Mum and Dad – house rules.
Update on Victor, Sunday morning: Victor was active around 0619. He was doing some wing flapping and some hopping. He stood for a short while. He appeared to sleep better during the night.
This is the latest posting from Dr Sharpe about 42 minutes ago- 9am PST.
These are the images from this morning.
Andor and Mama Cruz are bringing in bedding for Victor. He was more alert. I understand that Dr Sharpe has approved a banner with a link for donations. If you have been wanting to donate, this is a great chance to support the wonderful work that Dr Sharpe does for these eagles on the Channel Islands. as ‘B’ and I were discussing, the only person we know that would work so hard to save this eaglet is Dr Sharpe. — I will also add that donations are tax deductible and you can give $100 and have it spread out over 12 months at $8.96 a month. You will get a beautiful thank you and a gift. Mine was an embroidered T-shirt and a super digital image of the nestlings of Thunder and Akecheta.
The information below on Victor comes from late Saturday.
Some close up images of Victor’s left leg and talons and a reminder of the many challenges and obstacles that need to be cleared away before Dr Sharpe can get the fledgling help.
Lillibet stayed with her brother – these two have always been close. They remind me of E17/18 and E19/20. It would be comforting for Victor to have his sister beside him. It has been a hard day to watch Victor. He has clearly appeared to be in pain. Hoping that Andor or Mama Cruz will feed him tomorrow.
Dr Sharpe is not the only person that is having trouble getting volunteers. Around the world it is the same – fewer and fewer people are stepping up to assist in the rescue of our wildlife. The high rise in the cost for everything has placed many who have helped in a situation where they cannot – fuel is one of those issues. I do not know a wildlife rehabilitation centre that is not overwhelmed in the middle of the summer. Every one relies on donations. It has been mentioned twice that Victor will need a place to go to get the care and treatment he requires. Will there be someone answer Dr Sharpe’s call for help if he gets permission to retrieve the eaglet. Will someone provide a boat? Is there a motel that will allow Victor in its rooms? Each leg of the rescue of eaglets in the Channel Islands has its many challenges and its costs.
I am actually starting Sunday’s blog Saturday night. It has been a roller coaster day in Bird World. The Osprey expert who is my go to -if I do not know the answer about an issue or who fills me in on the back story to everything happening in Osprey Land -sent me a letter. It said: “Isn’t it amazing how people are in denial about what is happening to juvenile ospreys?” It was ‘just the other day’ that ‘A’ wrote and said she will never look at an adult raptor the same – she now appreciates the struggle that they went through to live beyond their first year never mind to 8 or 10 years! As everyone reading my blog knows, ‘that list’ grows but, at the same time, I told my friend that there is a silent army out there working for the betterment of our birds and I meant all of you! Thank you for what you do for the birds – the smallest gesture can have the most impact.
Case in point. Just look at the Osprey nest below. The original one kept being destroyed in high winds. It was decided to consult some experts on design in order to shore up the nest and make it safer for the Ospreys on the Sunshine Coast in Australia. There is information in the posting below the image – but everyone there deserves a huge shout out. Well done.
Iris is, of course, a miracle. At the age of 28 or 29 she is as fit as they come. She is an excellent fisher and she continues to work on her nest in Missoula, Montana. and what a nest that is! Iris is an example that we should all follow – she eats well, has lots of exercise, and keeps herself busy. Iris is truly amazing and we are so glad that she is spending so much time this summer on this ever growing penthouse of hers because we get to watch. Beautiful wings, fabulous legs. By every measure she is a real senior but she looks like a fit youngster.
Mr President and Lotus teach Takoda life lessons since he is an ‘only’. They are doing a great job showing him how easy it is to steal his fish!
The four storklets are waiting for either Kaia or Karl II (or both) to bring some nice fish for breakfast. Frogs would be OK, too.
Bonus is squatted down on the left, facing right. He is fully transitioned into the family. The intervention appears to have been very successful – a rare Black Storklets life is saved by two people taking a chance on an idea – Urmas and Dr Madis V.
The climate is changing and it is having an impact on our feathered friends around the world. Warming seas, a shortage of fish, high day time temperatures. You name it. It is harming the bird’s ability to thrive. They are not birds but those cute little penguins that visit the Royal Cam chick on occasion are not the only New Zealand wildlife that could be having trouble.
‘H’ has reported that all three have fledged from the Carthage Tennessee Osprey nest. Congratulations everyone! That is fantastic news. ‘H’ also reports that there is really good hovering going on at the Mispillion Harbour Osprey nest. The kids are 52 days old and they were doing some super hovering as well as being nice to one another and trying self-feeding. Thanks, ‘H’. Like Ervie these two got forgotten with Victor’s injury.
All eyes are on that egg in the Chesapeake Conservancy nest of Tom and Audrey. The first hatch is doing fab…
So far it looks like at least 2 fish have come to the Osoyoos Osprey nest this morning. 07:28 and 08:11.
Dory and Skiff’s trio are doing fine as well. Lots of fish come to this nest. I would like to give one of them to Osoyoos sometimes. The chicks at both Osoyoos and Hog Island are getting feathers coming out of those shafts. Lovely.
That is a hop skip and a jump through the nests. Great news on Ervie. Always makes my heart stop – that Osprey! Thank you Dr Sharpe for all you do – this man needs to be given an award with a huge prize for all he does. Everyone else seems to be holding and doing good.
Thank you for joining me today. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and or F/B or web sites where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Osprey FB, Institute for Wildlife Studies, Explore.org and The Institute for Wildlife Studies, Bald Eagles Live Nest and News, Sunshine Coast Council, Montana Osprey Project, NADC-AEF, Eagle Club of Estonia, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys, Chesapeake Bay Conservancy, Osoyoos Ospreys, and Audubon Explore.
All attention has been on the Fraser Point Bald Eagle nest of Papa Andor and Mama Cruz on Santa Cruz Island. Victor and Lillibet fledged on 30 June. On the 8th of July, Victor flew onto the nest around 1038 on 8 July exhausted and appearing to be in distress. Since then issues with his left leg have been noticed.
Santa Cruz is part of the Channel Islands and lucky for Victor, falls under the care of Dr Sharpe. If you watched both the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta or the Two Harbours net of Chase and Cholyn, you will know that Dr Sharpe and his team rescued eaglets that tumbled off the nest and also ringed the eaglets. Victor could not be in better care.
This is the latest announcement by Dr Sharpe:
Margit the Estonian Golden eaglet of Kalju and Helju and fledged today. What an amazing first flight from the nest in the Sooma National Park. She was 75 days old. This is the video of her first flight.
This is the link to the Golden Eagle cam in case you do not have it.
The whole family is home at the Bald Eagle nest on Gabriola Island.
When Louis arrived with a nice live fish on the Loch Arkaig nest, only the two osplets were home. There was already an old fish on the nest – quite a nice one. Louis moves the old fish to the side of the nest. Meanwhile one of the kids amuses itself with the fish breathing and doing little jumps. It attempts self-feeding. Dorcha arrives with a big branch and immediately sees the fresh fish and – everyone had lots of fish for their tea time meal.
The new little peanut on the Chesapeake Conservancy nest is staying warm and dry under Mum Audrey. They are having some rain today. Hopefully it moves along quickly!
It is raining in Finland at the #1 Osprey nest. Mum and wee one are enjoying some nice fish – regardless. This Mum really does like her fish. She fills up Only Bob, he goes into food coma, she moves the fish and has a really nice lunch! Well done.
It was raining – at times pouring- at the western Finnish nest #4 of Ahti and Nuppu today, too. Nuppu keeping the osplet dry and warm. All appears to be fine on this nest.
The Osplets at the Fortis Exshaw nest had a huge meal today. Just look at the size of the crops! Looks like it has swallowed a small baseball – or large golf ball – each.
It was not a good day for fledging at the Mispillion Harbour Osprey nest. Looks like they were getting some rain and wind.
And a swing to California where Annie and Alden were once again pair bonding in the scape! That should put a smile on your face! Thanks Cal Falcons. Annie initiated the bonding calling Alden…
Thanks for being with me today. Send all your best wishes to Victor and hope, beyond hope, that Dr Sharpe can find people to help him rescue Victor should this be required. Take care all. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and FB pages where I took my screen captures: Explore.org and The Institute for Wildlife Studies, Channel Islands Eagle Lovers, GROWLS, Friends of Lark Arkaig and the Woodland Trust Fortis Exshaw Canmore, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys, Chesapeake Conservancy, and Saaksilvie.
Humane Wildlife Indiana provided an update on Little Bit 17 this morning. Two things they note: Little Bit has stress lines in his feathers. I have mentioned this before. It is common in birds that have gone without food for the amount of time Little Bit did and also perhaps, the lack of nice fish and having to eat fur. Of course, then there is the stress from the siblings. Little Bit has each of you knows did not have an easy life on that nest. That is why we are all cheering him on and surprised that he lived. It is unfortunate that the clinic has to put up with people interrupting the important work they are doing to try and see him. I note that US Steel did not give the name of the rehab clinic that picked up USS5. Perhaps that is a protocol that all should adopt.
Yesterday I posted an image of WBSE 27 who spent more than 6 months in care – for a second time. Most rehabbers will say it takes a long time to train an eagle to fly and to hunt prey. It is very important that the last part of the training is undertaken. If the bird cannot hunt, he cannot feed himself. Other eaglets have also been released in prey rich areas away from the natal nest when their siblings are free flying with the parents.
Oh, Little Bit. Do you know how much you are loved? Wishing you lots of quail and fish, a long and productive stay in rehab, and…if you can’t fly, a wonderful place where you can be an ambassador bird.
Little Bit 17 has extensive stress lines. You can see them easily. Was it from lack of food? lack of nutrition in the food? psychological stress? or all of the above and more?
I found a a short article and video on stress bars that go into a little more detail. For those of you that own parrots, you might have looked for these when you were either purchasing or adopting your bird.
The nest at ND-LEEF is disintegrating despite the fact that the adults continue to use it to deliver fish. This is a clear demonstration of how important the natal nest is for the fledglings. Most parents prefer to feed the fledglings on the nest. It is absolutely clear that Little Bit 17 could never have made it to the nest.
It is a very cute first hatch and Audrey is an old hand at taking care of osplets. So sweet. Here is Tom and Audrey’s first hatch of their second clutch enjoying a nice fish lunch around 1230. Holding that head up nice and strong.
It is not clear what is ‘wrong’ with Victor on the Fraser Point Bald Eagle nest. He has definitely injured himself. He is not just tired.
There is chatter about a missing talon on the left foot. It is very hard to see in this image because of the angle but that looks like a possibility. However, I am reminded that Ervie had a missing talon and he was still flying, standing, and catching puffers.
There is a small fish under Victor. He cannot stand to self-feed. He is really, really struggling and it would appear that he is not able to stand – at the moment – for any period of time. Mama Cruz we need you to feed Victor his lunch!
Continue to send positive wishes to Victor.
Oh, oh. Mama Cruz is in but she is feeding Lillibet. It is a tiny fish. Will there be any left for Victor?
Last year at Osoyoos it was hot and the chicks died. This year there has been so much rain in the area and flooding that it might have impacted the fish. Hoping for some nice big meals on the nest for the two chicks and Mum today.
Dory and Skiff’s trio are doing great at the Boathouse on Hog Island. The kids are growing like weeds and I am completely impressed with this first time Mum. Just like I am with CJ7 at Poole Harbour. Fantastic to see Little Bob getting bigger.
Here is CJ7 and Blue 022 with their two very healthy and very big offspring. Wow. I am so happy for CJ7 and Blue 022 – it was one of those romances that everyone wanted to blossom – and for all the people involved in the translocation programme. A big shout out to Roy Dennis.
This is a very brief look at some of the nests we are watching. Continue to send warm wishes to Osoyoos and Fraser Point. Thank you for joining me this morning. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages: Humane Indiana Wildlife, Chesapeake Conservancy, Explore.org and The Institute for Wildlife Studies, Osoyoos Ospreys, Explore.org and Audubon, and Poole Harbour Ospreys.
I hope that everyone had a lovely day today. It is relatively quiet in Bird World. That is a good thing!
It is so nice to get an update of WBSE 27. At her second stint in wildlife rehabilitation, WBSE 27 was kept and the staff did not release her until she was flying and hunting prey in a way that ensured she would survive in the wild. A real round of applause for Ranger Judy Harrington and Australian Raptor Care and Conservation. The most important thing is that the raptors are not released before they can manage completely on their own otherwise the stay in rehab has been futile.
The ‘problem’ with the WBSE nest in the Sydney Olympic Forest are the Pied Currawong. When the WBSE chicks fledge, the Currawong chase them out of the forest so they are not able to return to the nest to be fed. As a result they do not: 1) have the GPS coordinates imprinted in their mind for the nest; 2) do not have the time to allow their flight training to gradually progress; and 3) they do not get lessons on hunting from their parents; and 4) they generally starve as they cannot hunt. If located after flying off the nest, the birds are emaciated, like 27 was twice, and being beaked and attacked by all manner of smaller birds. It is a tragedy.
This is WBSE 27. Isn’t she gorgeous? She was ringed and fitted with a tracker the the rehabbers. What a good move. There is a very good report under the picture. What a blessing that the staff worked so diligently with her to ensure that we can be reading such a great progress report.
Lady and Dad have been busy incubating the eggs for WBSE 29 and 30. Here they are changing shifts. Pip watch should begin in about 4 or 5 days.
Here is the link to their camera:
The big news in US Osprey Land is that Tom and Audrey at the Chesapeake Conservatory Nest had a successful first hatch with their second clutch. Time was 0341. Oh, fingers crossed for all of them and that the chicks grow fast and healthy so that they are ready for that big migration south in the fall! Congratulations to everyone. Thanks ‘H’ for those two screen captures. Big Bob is adorable. So happy for Tom and Audrey.
Audrey looks down at her little upside down bundle.
Hi Dad, is that my fish?
What in the world is Bukacek doing? He started working on another nest the other day and now Betty is over there with him — and the kids are at the old nest!
Great timing. Just got there when Skiff brought Dory a fish for the three kids.
It looks like Little Sloop is in the middle. Which one is Schooner? and Slipjack? I have yet to be able to tell Big and Middle unless they are really looking at me.
Skiff has been on and off the nest all day. Is there an intruder about?
The kids have been pancaked on occasion. See how close big and Middle are…can you tell them apart? Any tips would be welcome.
For those watching the Osoyoos Osprey nest, Little Bob got himself on the other side of Mum today to get some fish. I wonder if that Big Bob is a female? She can be rather bossey.
We are definitely on fledge watch at the Mispillion Harbour Osprey nest. It is a good thing that the pair do not start wing flapping at the same time. Poor Mum. Either or both can take off anytime…they just don’t know yet that they can fly.
Idris has been filling the nest full of fish today. Pedran and Paith (Big and Little) both took turns feeding off of one fish. Telyn might be wondering when she can relax on the perch and they can feed themselves. It sure has been a busy season for her and Idris with these three whopping females.
Pedran is the one feeding herself. Paith is learning but she needs to figure out how to hold the squiggly fish down with her talons.
Louis has been busy today, too. I just feel for Dorcha. She has had so much bad weather this season in this nest. But today they are dried out. Big kids like those at Dyfi, almost ready to start thinking about learning to self-feed.
As the chicks get bigger they sure can eat a lot of fish. Laddie flew in with a really nice salmon for Blue NC0, Big, and Middle. The kids are also starting to think about what wings are for! I can’t help but think Blue NC0 is tired this year and she will need a time to get her strength up and her weight.
The wind was really blowing at Loch of the Lowes but it did not stop Laddie. Here he comes with that tea time whole fish!
What a scramble on the nest as he gets closer. Gosh, Laddie looks so tiny.
Blue NC0 got it. Best to let her take that fish and get off that nest. Talons could be in danger.
He’s off.
Karl II comes in with tonnes of fish for the four Black storklets. At the beginning, Bonus is in the back but he moves up the left side to come to the front. You can tell Bonus because his plumage is still whiter than the storklets of Karl II and Kaia. This intervention is doing great. So very happy.
Alden has been loafing. What a character. So happy to know that Annie has accepted him as a mate…we can prepare ourselves for more loafing and moth chasing next season.
As Suzanne Arnold Horning was leaving the Cornell campus, she spotted 2 Ls on top of the Riley Robb Building – a first ever she says. Big Red and Arthur are moving the chicks further around the campus as they get more hunting and flying skills.
I was able to pick up an ex-library copy of Alan Poole’s Ospreys. A Natural and Unnatural History. There are no big colour images like his other book, Ospreys. The Revival of a Global Raptor but this book is choked full of really interesting information on Ospreys. If you are an Osprey fan and want to learn more or are just beginning to appreciate these amazing books, see if you can find a used copy. Well worth it!
Thank you so much for joining me today. Take care of yourself. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams, videos, and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Australia Raptor Care and Conservation Ltd, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Chesapeake Conservatory, Capi Mlade Buky, Audubon and Explore.org, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and DDNR, Dyfi Osprey Project, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Wildlife Trust, Must-Tooneburg and Eagle Club of Estonia, Cal Falcons and Suzanne Arnold Horning.
The garden rabbit, Hedwig, came for a visit this morning. He stayed under the peony bush for about an hour. Six years ago, a mother rabbit left her one month old baby, under that peony bush when it was blooming. The wee bunny lived on the seeds dropped down from the feeders preferring them to the grass or twigs. Whether or not this is the original Hedwig is, of course, questionable but, they all wind up being called Hedwig!
Hedwig often stays back underneath the square hanging feeder where the birds are generous in what they throw overboard. By coming and staying at the Peony Bush it allowed us to enjoy seeing him a lot better. Thank you, Hedwig! It is always nice to see you.
The youngest of the West End eaglets is back up with its siblings and Thunder and Akecheta thanks to Dr Sharpe of the Institute for Wildlife Studies who had gone up to repair the camera and wound up with a rescue to do as well.
The sun rained gold down on the three of them as it set on the Channel Islands.
Jasper had a tremendous fledge. No hesitation, just flew yesterday morning. She returned hungry and tired! Flying uses a lot of energy.
The AEF did a nice video capture of that first flight.
Jasper and Rocket seemed to be happy with one another’s company. It will not be long until Rocket fledges – indeed, he could be flying as I write this!
The Dyfi Osprey Project posted some excellent information on incubation and egg development for Ospreys this morning that I want to share with you. Did you know that each of the eggs is a little smaller and lighter than the first so they do not have to develop so long?
The little crackerjack at the University of Florida Osprey nest reminds me of Ervie so much. He isn’t intimidated at all by the big siblings and is right up there eating at the front most of the time.
Stop for a second and look at the heads of the two eldest and even Little Bit. They are starting to enter the Reptilian Phase.
That light coat of down is now giving way (10-12 days) to the darker wool down. They will have dark heads that look almost like they have been dipped in a vat of black oil soon. You will also notice the distinctive coppery colour to the back of the neck also. There will be a period of substantial growth between 15-30 days. In his book, A Life of Ospreys, Roy Dennis notes that blood feathers are often seen coming in at 21 days. Sadly, there is no information on when these wee ones hatched so we more or less have to go by their change in plumage.
The chicks are well behaved. There is another large chunk of fish this morning just like yesterday. All will be fed til they are full. This is a fantastic Mum! She feeds them slow and deliberate. She is quickly getting on the list of amazing Osprey Mums.
The wee chicks of Mr North and Mrs DNF have grown leaps and bounds. My goodness. Forget to check a nest for a couple of days and there is a complete change in development. It is a reminder to us of how fast these birds have to grow between hatching and fledgling!
The two eaglets of Liberty and Guardian still have some of that soft baby down, like the eaglets at Decorah North, on the top of their heads and are doing fantastic. It is so nice to go through the nests and find that all of the eaglets and their parents are OK especially with Avian Flu making its way around North America this spring.
Little Middle has decided to sleep on the remaining fish in the nest. Oh, goodness. Look at the size of that leg! Little Middle is doing very well. No worries.
If any of you were worried about the beaking going on at the MN-DNR nest about a week or so ago (time does fly by quickly), there really is no cause to alarm. Both of the eaglets are doing well. The nest survived the wind and the storm nicely and both were happy eating away this morning.
Cholyn and Chase’s wee babe at the Two Harbours nest in the Channel Islands is growing and doing well – as expected with these very experienced parents. I love the crib rails around the top of that nest. Wish we could get some made for the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta.
I know that many of you are Tom and Audrey fans from the Chesaepeake Conservancy Osprey nest. Did you know that there is a great book showing Tom and Audrey and their nest along with the fostering of chicks there? It is a remarkable story with oodles of images in a nice hardback binding.
Here is the link to Tom and Audrey’s streaming cam:
The Glaslyn nests are settled. Mrs G looks quite content today perched on the nest she shares with Aran.
Pip watch begins later this week for the first of Big Red’s four eggs!
Here is the information about the chat that opens on Monday the 18th for the Cornell Red-tail Hawk cam. All are welcome. The moderators are excellent and they keep the focus on the birds. They also post some very interesting historical and current information about the nest. Everyone is welcome.
This was really a hop and a jump around some of the nests late Saturday and early this morning. Everyone seems to be doing very well, indeed. Such a joy. Tomorrow we will learn the name of Annie’s New Guy. There should be some more eggs on those UK Osprey nests and I am personally looking forward to getting closer to pip watch for Big Red.
Thank you so much for joining me. Take care everyone. Be kind to one another. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: UFL-Gainesville Ospreys, DHEC, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Chesapeake Conservancy, MN-DNR, Redding Eagles, Explore.org, NEFlorida-AEF, Dyfi Osprey Project, and Brywd Gwyllt Glaslyn.
Are you having Peregrine Falcon withdrawal since the Collins Street kids and Yurruga fledged? Did you know that there are a pair of falcons living in Baltimore, Maryland that do not migrate? Their names are Barb and Boh. Barb will lay her eggs in March (normally) but for now the camera is live every day! The history of the scrape is located on the web cam page.
Urban hawks are very fascinating as are the amount of wildlife that exist in the very large urban parks such as Central Park in NYC. I always recommend this site. There are some good videos on Cedar Waxwings and the Peregrine Falcons as well as the RTH’s. The blog is run by Bruce Yolton who is extremely knowledgable. Check it out if you are interested in how wildlife survives in some major cities like New York.
There is also an Osprey streaming cam in Maryland that you should have on your radar. It is the home of Tom and Audrey 2 on the property of The Harrison Family.
This Osprey family, Tom and the original Audrey, were the subject of a book full of wonderful images, Inside An Osprey’s Nest. A Photographic Journey through Nesting Season. The images and text are for year 2015 when Tom and Audrey became adoptive parents – twice! The story is as good as the images showing the arrival of the two chicks to the nest and then, a little later, another chick lands on the nest and wants to be part of the family.
The eggs of Tom and Audrey are determined to be non-viable. The eldest two nestlings are removed from a nest with four chicks. Imagine Audrey’s surprise when she returns to her nest from a break to find not three eggs but two chicks and an egg. It is a very heart-warming story!
One of our readers asked if I would share some information from that big book on Australian birds of prey – and the answer is definitely yes! It is too difficult to find that volume and too expensive to purchase but, oh so wonderful to share! We will work our way through Australian birds of prey!
The latest news on two peregrine falcons that we are watching – Grinnell, the mate of Annie at UC-Berkeley’s Campanile – and Yurruga, the recent fledge at Orange is no news. The last posting from UC Falcons is that the interloper male appeared briefly on the ledge and was greeted by Annie. It was raining in Orange. Diamond and Xavier were about but Yurruga was not seen. He could be in the trees staying quiet out of the weather. Perhaps he will be spotted today.
The boys at the Port Lincoln Osprey Barge are doing fine. Bazza decided to be a little aggressive when he received one of the morning fish deliveries from dad. Afraid that Ervie might steal his late breakfast, Bazza decided to mantle and then thrust himself at Ervie just to make sure Ervie understood.
Bazza was very quick to protect its fish and mantle Ervie. The mantling is not the problem it is that beak. They can do a lot of damage to one another if they decide that is what is necessary.
Bazza finally settles and goes back to eating his fish.
Later. All is forgotten. Simply beautiful fledglings. Falky is on the right, Bazza with his great crest is on the left and Ervie is behind with his sat-pak.
Someone said that Falky had a wing or feather injury but I can see nothing to indicate that in these images. Falky is definitely one beautiful elegant bird. He has really come into himself in terms of flying. I also hear rumours that Ervie is trying his hand at fishing. Wonderful!
Just beautiful. Sometimes I just stare at these three boys. What joy they gave to us this year. I wish each had a sat-pak because we get so attached to them and then – poof. Nothing. What happened? Rather than think things are well, I like to know. If something happens, then we need to deal with it. Like Solly’s electrocution. Put the protectors on the poles. It is simple.
As we prepare for Bald Eagle season, I want to stop and say that there are so many many nests. You have your favourites and I have mentioned mine in the last few days. Some of the first eggs that will hatch belong to M15 and Harriet at the SWFlorida Eagle nest in Fort Myers on the property of the D Pritchett family. Those eggs are set to hatch from the 25-28 of December. They are an experienced family with little trauma – the GHOW being the exception. If you are after an eagle family to watch, SW Florida should be your first go to this season. There are three cameras. You can find the others on YouTube.
Ithaca, New York is the same temperature as the Canadian prairies today, 0. Yes, it warmed up and the sun is out! Ferris Akel’s tour is live at the moment. He is on Wildlife Drive and it is snowing but he did find some beautiful swans.
If you are reading this at the right time you can still join the tour. On Thursday Ferris found Big Red and Arthur on the Cornell Campus. Maybe he will do the same today!
I am also happy to report that so far, knock on wood, Dyson has not found the new feeder for Little Woodpecker! Yippee.
Take care everyone. Thank you for joining me today. I hope you have a marvellous Saturday. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screenshots: Port Lincoln Osprey Project and Ferris Akel.
