Tag Archives: Two Harbours

Monday in Bird World

23 May 2022

It has been ‘one of those days’ in Bird World. A lightening storm has hit the Gainesville, Florida area and the streaming cam for the Ospreys on the light stand at the practice field at the university has been off line all day. It is hoped that the two chicks may be wet, may have had to endure some more hail, and might not have had fish deliveries but, they are alright.

One of the most worrisome events today has been the right eye of Laddie, the male at the Loch of the Lowes Osprey nest. His mate is Blue NC0. They have two chicks fully hatched and eating ferociously and one half in its shell. All day I wondered if Laddie would be able to fish. Is this another instance of an intruder perhaps causing fatal damage to an Osprey nest? It has been one intruder after another since Aran was injured at Glaslyn last year – both in the UK and ‘across the pond’. Not just Ospreys. Bald Eagles. Red-tail Hawks. Peregrine Falcons.

This was a huge concern to me all day. Will Laddie be able to fish? what will happen to the wee ones? can Laddie switch and incubate and Blue NC0 get out of brooding mode and become the fish provider? will the people of Loch of the Lowes provide a fish table like Glaslyn did for Aran and Mrs G? My mind was running at 500 mph.

Laddie has, indeed, been able to fish! Tears. Pouring tears. The camera was such that we could not see his eye but he did bring fish for Mum and the babies.

In the image below the third egg is just cracking. It was fully out of the shell at 20:11.

Laddie has obviously eaten the head of the fish – he has a nice crop. Fingers crossed. Send lots of good positive energy their way.

Awww. That sweet little third one is mostly out of the shell. Hopefully Blue NC0 will give that shell a nudge! Last year there were three but the third one was weak and could not keep up with the big ones and perished.

All three of the Manton Bay osplets are in the Reptilian phase. I so hoped that we would have a little soft downy third one for a day longer but, no…progressing right on schedule.

You can see all the down off their heads. Peek up above and see how soft and light grey it is after hatch. Now look – black and oily. Looks like they have been to Carnival in the Caribbean during Oil Down.

I included this one because even their facial features change! The wings get long and ‘lanky’. They will consume more and more fish at fewer feedings. We can be looking for the beautiful copper red to appear on the back of the head and neck soon. This is the point when the Ospreys most resemble the dinosaurs that they are.

The intruders have been around the MN-DNR with a sub-adult landing on the perch that Nancy uses. Nancy was able to leave and get prey to feed to E1 and herself. That is very good.

Everything could not be better on the ND-LEEF nest. Early this morning, 17 ate most of a fish and was not bothered by a sibling. There was another fish on the nest and 17 ate most of it. That was around 12:30. There he is in the image below working hard on that catfish!

It is around 1610 and a Salmon comes on the nest. Yes, the second one according to people in the chat. Look who is up there eating with its big siblings! There is no discord. Little Bit 17 will has a great big crop – for at least the third time today. What is even more surprising is that when he was eating with the two big siblings, 17 was a little bit aggressive. Fantastic.

It seriously cannot get any better than this! Ever since Little Bit 17 was so hungry – for two days – and then at the end of the third went over, moved an entire fish and ate all of it – things on this nest have started to change. Mum even began to feed her little one. The weather has been cooler, the water is clearer and more fish are coming on the nest. Let us all hope that it continues. If so, we are assured of three fledges (unless something terrible happens – and the lives of our feathered friends is so precarious that it could).

Chase & Cholyn’s Two Harbours 1 has a name! Here is the announcement:

According to my acquaintance Deb Stecyk, the Dale Hollow fledglings have been heard in the area. The parents delivered a fish and then returned and took it. They might have been trying to lure them to the nest – easier to feed them! But the nest is in the middle of a forested area (or so it seems) and it could be difficult for the eaglets to get back to the nest according to Deb.

I had a lovely visit with my daughter today and these are the only nests that I have checked. Will try and do a good run through most of them tomorrow! Thank you so much for joining me this evening. Take care!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: ND-LEEF, Scottish Wildlife Trust, MN-DNR, Institute for Wildlife Studies, and the LRWT.

The Little Eaglet that Could and a few other stories from Bird World

21 May 2022

It has been a very, very challenging breeding season. The weather has not cooperated causing diminished prey deliveries and deaths either by starvation or siblicide/starvation. Eaglets have fallen from their cliff nests – thankfully rescued by their guardian angel, Dr Sharpe. Adults have been killed or driven from the nest by intruders with many others dying of Avian Flu. Some have died of indeterminate causes while others were injured and taken into care. Some eggs never hatched having become breakfast for the Crows. We have favourite nestlings and then, things go sideways. We become afraid to watch their lives – it really does hurt that much when they are attacked by their older siblings or ignored by their parents.

Not all chicks who are attacked by their siblings survive. We know this. Sometimes we think that they will not last another day. Then, something happens. Yesterday when its mother would not feed it, ND17 ate an entire fish that was left on the nest and ignored by the older siblings —by itself. Today, its mother fed it a few bites. Later 17 found a piece of fish hidden in the nest and horked it. There he is on the far left. Note 17’s size in relation to the two older siblings who not only have their juvenile plumage but also have tails that are growing and growing.

At 17:01, something extraordinary happens. This is ‘why’ you keep watching, ‘why’ you keep hoping because in a single moment the nest that had gone sideways can right itself. It is the most exhilarating feeling — by far a greater sense of happiness than watching a nest where everything is perfect.

Mum arrives with a fish. At 17:01 and for the next sixteen minutes, Little 17’s life takes a turn. 17 is on the right side of Mum with big sibling on the left. The other is at the other side of the nest not paying much attention. What was it that suddenly changed 17 from a submissive little eaglet to an extremely brave one? Was it eating the entire fish itself yesterday? was it the finding and horking of the fish piece? was it Mum feeding it a few bites this morning? or was it hunger and a new found confidence that drove 17 to become the ‘king’ of the snatch and grab today? We will never know but this third hatch showed us just the kind of ‘stuff’ it is made of – this is going to be a formidable eaglet if he survives. Fingers crossed.

Still images do not do the actions of this this brave little eaglet justice. Watch carefully – about half way through 17 actually grabs the fish out of the older siblings beak! Yes, I am serious.

I wonder – having seen her youngest stand up and fight for its place at the table – will Mum feed her youngest chick? Will she position the fish so that the little one can eat and not have to contend with the peckings from the older siblings? We have to wait and see. One thing is for sure – 17 has a burning desire to survive. He is not afraid to root in the nest and find pieces of dry fish if eating them means he will stay alive. He is a survivor.

In the image below you can see the enormous crop that 17 has! Fantastic.

In other news, Dr Sharpe gave Chase and Cholyn’s only eaglet a thorough examination. The eaglet was measured, weighed, and banded. She is 11D, a sister to Thunder and an auntie to Thunder and Akecheta’s triplets.

The camera came on for just a second. Look at that nice red bling! And her silver federal band.

The two osplets at the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest experienced something very different today– pelting rain and hail. I was just glad it wasn’t a tornado!

After the storm passed, Mum returned to the nest. There was some fish and, despite Big standing tall and trying to unhinge Middle, Middle stayed put and kept eating.

Middle is on the left and Big with her longer tail and long, long legs is on the right.

In the image below, Big tries to scare Middle away from the food. It doesn’t really work so well anymore.

It is a beautiful evening at the Dale Hollow nest. Looking at that big stick that Warrior pulled across the nest it is almost like River said “when you leave, shut the door and put the key under the mat!” The older sibling, DH14, fludged on the 19th of May. I hope that Warrior had a smooth flight! (or is he still sitting in the top of the nest tree?)

Lady and Dad have been spending more and more time at their nest in the Sydney Olympic Forest. Today they were rearranging twigs and building up the crib rails while. They were also busy placing fresh leaves down on the nest bowl. We are getting close!

This is the link to their camera:

Those were just a few of the numerous highlights at the nests today. New hatches are being fed and with the exception of several intruders, all of the other nests seem to be doing well. It was such a relief to see ND17 well fed two days in a row. I hope that Warrior’s first flight – if he did fledge – was a perfect take off and landing. Hopefully there will be some footage of the banding of 11D today at the Two Harbours nest. Cal Falcons should be banding Annie, Grinnell’s and Alden’s chicks soon. I did watch Alden feed the chicks again. He is getting quite good this!

Thank you so much for joining me. Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Explore.org and the Institute for Wildlife Studies, ND-LEEF, DHEC, and Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre.

Early Friday in Bird World

20 May 2022

Oh, the torrential rain has finally stopped and the temperature is dropping. The Baltimore Orioles – who are arriving in droves and have arrived for the past week – are still with us eating jellies of all sorts and oranges by the dozen. What I have learned is that they will eat any kind of jelly including a lovely Danish Orange as well as the cranberry sauce jelly in a tin. They will also eat out of any type of dish! From tiny little sauce ones to cereal bowls. It doesn’t matter as long as it has jelly in it!!!!!!!!!! A neighbour told me they would eat applesauce as well. They certainly are beautiful birds but gosh they aggravate me. The males will bully the females from getting any jelly. I tried spacing the little bowls but, no. They are like all the Bigs – they see a whiff of a movement and they dart to make sure the smaller not so bright coloured female stays in the Lilac bushes! Can you hear me growling?

The Orioles will also eat anywhere. You do not need a fancy feeder for them although they sure make an impressive line including ones with a roof. I bought a small hanging one to test. The placement of the nails to hold the oranges is such that the birds have to duck under the large navel oranges to get to the jelly. I would not purchase one of these again despite Mr O’s approval. He finished off one orange half and then moved to the other side to finish off this half and finally most of the jelly.

Oh, look who finally got some jelly!

I was hesitant to check on the ND-LEEF nest this morning. 17 would have been without food for approximately 60 hours. The fishing had been bad because of the high muddy waters but also the Mum just seemed less inclined to feed the small eaglet. Seeing nests like this makes us all anxious and sad. To survive the third hatch – especially if they are small on a nest with two much larger siblings – really have to become super clever. They need enough energy to be tenacious when food does come on the nest ——– and sometimes they have to feed themselves when Mum won’t do it! This morning a miracle happened on the ND-LEEF Bald Eagle nest. No, the mother didn’t go out of her way to feed the small one. That said a fish was left on the nest. The two older siblings did not bother but little 17, without food for at least 60 hours, self-fed the entire fish. Yes, he ate the entire fish and passed out in a food coma. This is the moment when the heartbreak turns into a glorious celebration!!!!!!!!

Little 17 moved around hoping that Mum might feed him but she did not.

A fish was left in the middle of the nest. One of the big siblings did peck at it but nothing more. Take a good look at the size of that fish.

19 minutes later. Little 17 pulled the fish to the other side of the nest and started eating. The siblings did not bother him. He ate and ate and ate some more. Fast.

That is all that is left of the fish – that little bit. Little 17 is sleeping on a huge beach ball crop. Smile. He has lived another day. While we would like for him to have food at every meal it does not appear that it is going to happen on this nest with this Mum. Will she change her ways if he grows big? We will see. But for now let us wish for large chunks of fish to be left on the nest with the other two having eaten. Little 17 can easily feed himself. He is a pro! This is what is going to keep him alive. So wish for fish – extra fish!

Why do I saw fish? Unless it is a catfish where the eaglet has to fight with that bony head, it is easier for this wee one to eat the fish than fight with fur, etc on a squirrel and, I would rather because of Avian Flu that the birds eat anything but birds!

Happy Eagle Dreams Little 17. You have the attributes of a survivor.

As we also know, the female at the UFloria-Gainesville nest favours the largest, Big. There is a fish on the nest. Big has intimidated Middle for a second but Middle is doing snatch and grab and Mum even fed him a couple of pieces. The level of intimidation and harm is so much less now that Middle is bigger. Hopefully Middle will persist and get a good portion of that fish!

Yesterday Dr Sharpe and team banded the two chicks at the Anacapa Peregrine nest on the cliffs in the Channel Islands. Dr Sharpe is so kind to move the backpack so everyone can see. Notice how gentle the person is holding the chick and how relaxed the chick seems to be. The other one appears frozen – . There is a boy and a girl in the scrape. Tremendous!

The five eyases at the Manchester NH Peregrine Falcon scrape are being banded today!

No one wants to show their bling and I have not seen any posting on the genders, etc. yet.

A nice lunch has arrived for the five after their ordeal!

Laddie LM12 and Blue NC0 had their first hatch yesterday. There is now a pip in the second egg. How exciting. I hope that they all hatch one after another! Here is a short video clip of Blue NC0 feeding the first Bob.

Robert Fuller posted an update on the Kestrel chicks. For those that do not know, Mother Kestrel was in an altercation. She had six chicks in the nest. She returned once and then has not been seen. Robert Fuller removed 3 of the smallest chicks to feed leaving Father Kestrel the 3 largest. Father Kestrel learned to feed his babies. The plan was to return the 3 small ones to the nest box when they were strong enough and hope all would go well. It has! Father Kestrel has proven he is up to the task of caring for all 6 of his babies – and Fuller’s intervention meant that those 3 little ones get a second chance at life.

Here is the announcement on Robert Fuller’s FB page today:

Three perfect little osplets in a row! Blue 33 has been on and off the nest bringing food and enjoying a chance to feed the chicks. Maya takes every opportunity she can to get fish into them and look how they are changing. Can you identify the hatch order from the back of their heads, from the plumage development? Look close.

If you said – from left to right – 3, 1, and 2 you are correct. The oldest, in the middle, is losing the soft grey down and getting that oily head of the Reptilian period. So is osplet 2 but not as much. 3 still has its soft down.

The only eaglet on the nest at Dale Hollow is Middle or DH15.

At the National Arboretum nest of Mr President, Lotus, and DC9 hints are being given about ‘branching’.

Middle Little O has been on and off the Captiva Osprey nest this morning hoping that Dad Andy will deliver a fish to the platform! Oh, how nice it would be if Little Mini O flew up so we could see her.

There is no word yet when Dr Sharpe will be going to ring Two Harbours 1. It should be soon.

If you checked on the West End amigos and saw only 2, you are experiencing Highlights on one of the cameras. They are all still on the cliff nest!

Go to this streaming cam:

So many nests, not ever enough time! Today though it was enough to see Little Bob at the ND-LEEF fed itself to the point of crop explosion. Feeling joyful and relieved.

Thank you for joining me today. It is Victoria Long Weekend aka May Long Weekend in Canada and there are probably Bank Holidays in the UK and elsewhere. Have fun, stay safe. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Explore.org, ND-LEEF, DHEC, Captiva Ospreys, NADC-AEF, LRWT, Peregrine Network, Robert Fuller, Scottish Wildlife Trust, University of Florida at Gainesville Ospreys, Anacapa Peregrines and the Institute for Wildlife Studies.

Wednesday Morning in Bird World

06 April 2022

First up. The children at the school in Big Bear Valley have picked the name for Jackie and Shadow’s eaglet. It is ‘Spirit’. What a wonderful name! Fly high, Spirit!

NBC – along with dozens of other news outlets – carried the announcement.

I get really excited about the return of the Ospreys to the UK in the spring. There are many reasons for this but the one that stands out the most is the respect and care given to these beautiful fish hawks. Did you know that most of the lochs are off limits to human use of any kind during the breeding season from 1 April to September? Most of the wildlife centres operate on grants and donations and have specially constructed ‘hides’ and monitors inside the buildings so that you can see the birds. Rutland Water and Poole Harbour have ‘osprey tours’ that are guided.

There are currently Ospreys on the following nests:

  • Rutland Water Manton Bay: Blue 33 (11) and Maya currently have 1 egg waiting for the 2nd any moment.
  • Loch of the Lowes: LM12 Laddie and Blue NC0. No eggs yet. Some intruders about.
  • Llyn Clywedog: Dylan is now home with Blue 5F Seren as of yesterday. This couple raised the largest male Osprey chick ever recorded last year.
  • Dyfi: Idris returned to Telyn yesterday and has been Sky Dancing and mating.
  • Foulshaw Moss: White YW and Blue 35 both at home working on the nest.
  • Poole Harbour: CJ7 the resident female hoping for a mate circled the town and has just arrived not long ago.

We are anxiously waiting for the arrival of Mrs G’s partner, Aran. Aran was injured and left late in September for migration. I do hope he returns safe and sound! If not, Mrs G will have lots of suitors. Perhaps even Monty’s boys have some idea that they would like to have nests close to one another. Tegid Z1 (love the guy) and Aeron (Z2) over at Pont Cresor. In the US, all eyes are on the nest in the parking lot in Missoula, Montana that belongs to Iris, the oldest Osprey in the world. Return safe, Iris!

PA Farms has announced that the 4th eaglet on the nest died during the night probably from hypothermia. What a little scraper he was climbing over those big siblings to get to the food.

The weather has been miserable in many areas this spring. It can cause all manner of diseases – the wet damp nests – for our birds.

Some are wondering if Big at the Dale Hollow nest is actually suffering from something. I had an inbox full of notes saying Big is being ‘too nice’ to Little Middle for the second day. Indeed, Little Middle got up first with no intimidation and ate the fish that came in at 08:54. Nice fish andd still scraps on the nest. Little Middle is ready for breakfast!

Little Middle gets up and does a stretch. It is so nice to see chubby legs. Big does nothing.

Little Middle is truly enjoying that fish!

Big moves up later.

Big is ahead in getting its feathers despite the fact that the two hatched on the same day. Notice the tail feathers on Big. You can see them growing out of the calamus or the quill. Some people refer to these structures as the shaft. They are properly known as ‘blood’ feathers. In baby birds, these are the feathers that are growing (not molting). They have a large supply of blood inside them while they grow. This will regress when the eaglet is older. Some of you might well remember that the Captiva Eaglets last year, Hope and Peace, were fed a rat that had died because of rodenticide. In the case of the last eaglet to die, it actually broke off a blood feather and bled to death because the rodenticide caused the blood not to coagulate.

Feathers are so important. They keep our feathered friends warm and dry while giving them the ability to fly as well as their distinct plumage of each species.

Little Middle proudly shows off his large crop at 09:26.

It is official. The chick has hatched at Two Harbours this morning for Chase an Cholyn! Congratulations!

Want to catch the action at Two Harbours? Here is the link:

If you move around the Channel Islands to check on Thunder and Akecheta at the West End, get out your worry beads! Those eaglets are right up to the edge with curiousity!

At the Utica Peregrine Falcon nest, Astrid just laid her 4th egg! Congratulations!

Yesterday I posted the name of the FB group for this streaming cam incorrectly. The correct name if you are searching is Falcon Watch Utica. Thanks ‘MR’ for catching that and letting me know!

Interested in Peregrine Falcons? Cal Falcons just posted information for a free virtual falcon conference for 19 May. There is always something wonderful to learn. Here is that posting:

The ‘New Guy’ continues to impress me. More bedtime snacks for Annie last night who, in her excitement, pulled the NG off the ledge with the prey!!!!!

I have news from many readers of nests opening up. I hope to report on those tomorrow including that of the Imperial Eagles. Karl II, the Black Stork from Estonia, has transmitted from Belarus. Hopefully he will be in his nest in the Karula National Forest in Estonia shortly!

Thank you for joining me this morning. There are so many nests! Will continue to monitor to see if Iris gets home to Missoula Montana and if Aran appears at Glaslyn. Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or their FB pages where I took my screen captures: Friends of Big Bear Valley, Explore.org, and Dale Hollow Eagle Cam.