There is not a lot of news in Bird World today. The rainy cold weather continues for our osprey families in the UK.
Normally ringing in the UK occurs between 35 and 42 days, not after. Fledge watch for these chicks will begin on day 52.
Blue NC0 desperately wanted to keep her chicks dry and they wished to be under Mum but…alas, the pair are just too big. They are 38 and 36 days old.
Thankfully the weather did let up towards the end of the day.
The wet cold windy weather continues at Loch Arkaig. Dorcha is desperately holding on and trying to brood her big chicks too.
Mrs G looks miserable at the Glaslyn nest.
Interesting that the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn seems to have escaped some of it. They will be ringed this week.
Everyone was preening their wet feathers at the Llyn Clywedog Nest of Dylan and Seren. The chicks are 35 days old. Ready for ringing.
The worst place in Wales had to be at the nest at Llyn Brenig. Mom LM6 is trying to keep them dry and there is dad LJ2 who has arrived with a fish.
It was blue sky for CJ7 and Blue 022 at Poole Harbour. Just look at him – he is three years old and is a first time dad. What a great family these two are to kick off the dynasty that will grow in the area!
Maya is a proud Mama. Just look at her and those three big healthy girls! My goodness. We wondered if they would survive the flapping fish but they did and wow. They are 48 days old. Can you believe it but in four days we will be on fledge watch for these big gals.
The two osplets at the Boathouse on Hog Island are growing! Looks like Dory has been better at the feeding and Skiff is getting the fish on the nest. Cute. They are so tiny. They have a long ways to go to be ready for migration.
Just look at the size of the fish that landed on the Mispillion Harbour Osprey platform! That should fill up those two and keep them from fighting! Thanks to Eagle Eyes ‘H’ it appears that bottle in the plastic bag turned out to be a vodka bottle. ‘H’ has watched the chicks use it for a pillow – she says, ‘Who knew a Vodka Bottle could be a pillow?!’ I am just glad that it is not a mesh bag or wire!
I received a nice letter from ‘C’. If I ever implied that an Osprey should go to battle with an eagle of any kind – I did not mean to. I have wondered what would have happened at the Cowlitz PUD nest if the egg cup had been deeper and if Mum could have pancaked along with the three chicks. But, no – not to fight with it. The talons of Ospreys are for carrying fish – not fighting. Because of this their nests with those lovely chicks become prey. I could not find anyone who had seen an Eagle attack an osprey nest and the adult stayed but I did wonder. As ‘C’ says, ‘Ospreys are peaceful in relation to an eagle or an owl.’ Indeed! Ospreys do not attack other raptor’s nests either. They are very gentle birds except with one another! Thanks, ‘C’!
At the UFlorida-Gainesville Nest, Big and Middle are pretty much matched. Middle gets the fish and in the end Big takes it away. They are both healthy! I caught Big with ‘snake eyes’ this morning.
My last nest is that of Little Bit 17. I went to count goslings and ducklings today and kept my fingers crossed that there would be no bad weather and the nest would be in tact. It is – and there should not be any rain or anything else until Friday. Little Bit was resting in the sun when I got home.
I am sad to announce that there were fewer goslings and ducklings north of where I live. The locals told me that the geese and ducks were there and had their nests and the two Colorado Lows came through and they all abandoned the nests and flew further north. Wow. I don’t blame them.
Two geese had a gosling each.Killdeer
Thank you for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: ND, LEEF, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Llyn Brenig Ospreys, Poole Harbour Ospreys, LRWT, Dyfi Osprey Project, CarnyXWild, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, LOTL and Scottish Wildlife Trust, Explore.org and Audubon.
‘R’ sent me a lovely note. She had trouble with the link that I provided for the fundraising by the Eagle Club of Estonia for the three surviving storklets of Jan and Janika. If you had difficulties, too, please try this link that ‘R’ sent to me:
There is good news coming from Robert Fuller. The first of the six kestrels raised by Papa Kestrel fledged on 6 June. Oh, what a joyous day! No one knew what would happen when Mum Kestrel did not return. The males are so tuned in to providing prey and security that feeding and brooding chicks can be problematic. Imagine trying to be both Mum and Dad to six fast growing Kestrels. You might recall that Robert Fuller removed the youngest and smallest three. They were kept warm and fed regularly to give them a good start when they would be returned to the nest with their bigger siblings. Father Kestrel learned how to feed his chicks and brood them. The first flight of one of the six really shows how working together -humans and raptors – success can be achieved.
Here is a quick video of that first fledge:
So far, Bukacek and Betty are still feeding five White Storklets on their nest in Mlade Buky. No brood reduction has taken place yet despite the youngest being substantially smaller than the others.
Bukacek has returned to the nest allowing Betty to go for a break and to get some food while he feeds the storklets and broods them.
Here is another feeding. You can see just how quickly the little storklets grow – and it is so nice that the sun is shining and the nest has dried out.
Karl II and Kaia have all their storklets as well. Karl arrived and fed the storklets an enormous feed! You would almost think he found Urmas’s fish basket! Notice how yellow the beaks are. It is a sign of a healthy storklet.
Liberty and Freedom seem to be liking their new nest in Glacier Gardens in Alaska. Didn’t we just get news of a pip and then a hatch and now – . Well. GG7 is named Love and s/he is 8 days old. GG8 is called Peace and s/he is 5 days old. Both are doing well. Gosh, I really appreciate those names. The world could seriously use much more ‘love’ and ‘peace’. Very appropriate for the times we live in. Oh, so delicate. Look at that teeny little flake of fish being held by that huge beak. So cute.
Takota is 70 days old. Mr President and Lotus have been busy bringing in food to their bouncy branching eaglet at the National Arboretum nest in Washington, DC.
The fledge times for Bald Eagles is normally 10-12 weeks so Takota is right at the beginning of that range. Males normally fledge earlier than females. Takota has really been working those wings! They are getting stronger and stronger.
Was it a fludge? or a fledge? When Ahote took off from the West End nest and wound up on Transmitter Hill? Ahote returned to the natal nest and to his siblings, Kana’kini and Sky on Monday after being off nest for 4 days. He stayed 7 hours before taking off again. Don’t blink. The video is short but it shows Ahote totally in command of his flying. Well done, Ahote!
A fish was delivered and Ahote took it so he has eaten -. Well done. You might well notice that the parents do not always fly right in with the kids after fledge. The fledglings are as large as their parents – actually slightly larger – and could injure them in the transfer of prey items. The adults are, thus, very cautious.
It looks like it could be a fledge for L1 today at the nest of Big Red and Arthur in Ithaca, New York. The little red-tail hawk has been antsy for days. The winds are strong. She has been up on the rails doing cute faces to the camera and on and off the fledge ledge all morning.
Just look at that face – sweet. And that beautiful peach plumage. Red-tail hawklets are gorgeous! (OK. They all are!).
So far, Middle has not fledged at the UFlorida-Gainesville nest since all the hovering and flapping activity yesterday. It rained heavy and the nest is soaking. Middle did get the fish off of Big this morning that was delivered at 11:11:01. This is the second day in a row that Middle’s confidence is up and he is taking what he wants.
R2 paid a visit to the nest of his parents Ron and Rita at the Miami Zoo. Normally a parent would fly in with food. R2 waited but nothing was delivered.
Grinnell Jr and Lindsay are losing their baby down quickly. Breakfast came at 0533 and the morning was spent flapping and running and exploring around the scrape. Annie and Alden have done a super job with these two.
Grinnell Jr has the blue leg ring.
It could be building up to be an exciting day with so many set to fledge. It is not clear if Little Bit 17 at the ND-LEEF has had any food. There is the possibility of some when 15 got the fish this morning. The lack of camera coverage on the porch area means that we just don’t know for certain when the little one gets food – or not. Hoping for fish, lots of fish.
Thank you so much for joining me. Have a lovely day! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: The Eagle Club of Estonia, Mlade Buky Storks, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, WRDC, Explore.org and the Institute for Wildlife Studies, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Cal Falcons, Glacier Gardens, and the NADC-AEF.
If you have been watching the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest you might be wondering why so much fish are coming to the nest today. When I was learning about hawks, the female stuffed the kids all one afternoon. At the time I could not figure out why. I was told by a respected falconer, Laura Culley, that the raptors will feed their chicks full to the brim and more to prevent them from flying when the weather is not good. They know that that the chicks do not have enough skill in their flying to deal with torrential rains and wind. Smart!
‘R’ confirmed that there will lots of rain coming to the area of the nest. Gainsville is just north of the northern most dark green band in the centre of Florida. The nest is not currently in the areas of higher winds. Thankfully. This can change.
Both Big and Middle slept on the nest tonight. Fantastic. If the rains start early, they will both stay on the nest as well. It is the safest place for them to be.
The Tropical Storm tracked more south! The nest did not get the heavy rain predicted.
Mum brought a nice chunk of fish to the nest Saturday morning. It looks like Big got it first. They are so civil these two! Then Middle had some and then Mum is feeding Big.
There is bad weather coming to the Black Stork nests in Estonia tomorrow. Janika left the chicks overnight in the nest in Jegdova County in the southern part of the country. The temperature is 8-10 degrees C – too cool for the chicks who really need to be brooded by their mother. They should be 22-25 C now til they get their other feathers. But Janika had to make a choice. She has no mate. Jan has now been missing for well over 50 hours. She needs to feed herself and her chicks. Does she leave them in the rain and cold tomorrow to hunt? or tonight when it is cooler but not raining? It is very, very challenging for these parents. They make the best decision that they can. She does not know that Urmas will bring fish.
It is 0300 and the birds in the forest are singing. The chicks are sleeping. Janika is not home yet.
The morning is coming to the forest. The chicks are waking up. They must be very, very cold. I hope that they all made it through the night. It is possible that Janika will abandon the nest. Black Storks are entirely different than White Storks. The White Storks in Mlade Buky, The Czech Republic, did not mind the human intervention but Black Storks could be very different.
Saturday morning and Janika has returned and fed her storklets. There was also fish remaining on the nest from Urmas. All four ate. Janika has been aerating the nest and preening the chicks. It is not believed she has found the pond with the fish basket set up by Urmas which is less than 1 km from the nest. I hope she does!
Images of Janika aerating and preening.
This is the fish basket that Urmas has placed in the small pond of water with the decoy trying to lure Janika so she does not have to travel so far for food.
There is also a note in the Forum that Urmas may take the chicks to the Vet Clinic at the University of Life Sciences. They will be watching the nest closely. Fortunately the bad weather predicted did not happen but it was terribly cold for the little ones last night.
If you would like to follow this nest, here is the link.
There has been much sadness at the Latvian and Estonian nests. To my knowledge, Grafs and Grafiene did not return to their nest this year in Latvia. With the problems at the Jegova County nest of Jan and Janika, I hope that Karl II and Kaia have all their chicks to fledge this year.
Karl II was brooding the chicks last night and he often got up to aerate the nest.
Talk about intruders. A Raccoon climbed the whirley crane to get to Rosie and Richmond’s osprey nest with their three osplets!!!!!!!!! Why are these raccoons becoming such a menace to the nests? Ospreys do not eat mammals!!!!!!
There is really good news at the West End Bald Eagle nest of Thunder and Akecheta. Ahote who was the youngest and the eaglet that fledged has made it to the top of the rock near to the nest known as the Transmitter Rock. You can see him on the left and his siblings Kana’kini and Sky on the natal nest.
Thunder and Akecheta can lure him to the natal nest with food or deliver prey to him where he is. This is an amazing image and the camera that is providing it was just installed last year by Dr Sharpe.
Takoda at the National Arboretum Bald Eagle nest is enjoying a lovely fish. He began self feeding and then one of the adults (Mr President or Lotus) came in to feed him. Takoda has branched but not fledged (as far as I know). What a beautiful eaglet he is!
We are definitely on fledge watch for the three eaglets at the Pittsburgh-Hayes Bald Eagle nest! I wonder if they will all go at once! They are all ready and maybe rivalry will step in. That would just be incredible – as long as each of them makes it home for dinner.
It is fledge watch for Liberty and Guardian’s two eaglets at the Redding, California nest, too.
Dylan came with a nice fish at 20:36 for Seren and the three Bobs at the Llyn Clywedog nest – before the rain. He offered her a piece of fish on arrival and then she feed the kids. The Welsh call the smallest chick, the third hatch, ‘Bobby Bach’ – and Bobby Bach certainly holds his own in this nest. No worries!
What a cutie. Right up there and getting a crop – not afraid of the older siblings now decidedly in their reptile phase.
Everyone got to eat well before the rain set in and night fell. That storm is brewing too. Hopefully the winds will not be too bad. Hold on everyone.
Idris also came in with fish for Telyn and the chicks. He even took some time to feed one of them! The winds really began howling during the wee hours of Saturday morning on their Dyfi nest in Wales.
Aran caught a fish and brought it to Mrs G at the Glaslyn Osprey nest. It had already started raining there and everyone was a bit soggy. Bobby Bach got himself up to the front – thank goodness he is so tiny compared to the others – and had some fish before bed.
Louis and Dorcha are a pretty good team. I admit to falling in love with Aila – this was the first nest I watched so many years ago now. But, I like Dorcha. Louis is so special. I wonder if she knows how lucky she was to land on his nest last year? Today he brought in three whoppers. Dorcha is just feeding the chicks the last of the fish before the sun sets on Loch Arkaig.
Blue NC0 was busy with the wee three at the Loch of the Lowes as the sun was setting. These nests are so regular you can know something is right – or wrong – by the feedings and fish deliveries.
Orion, the chick of Martin and Rosa at the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest fledged Friday. He returned for a nice fish dinner Friday night!
An adult brought in a fish to the ND-LEEF Bald Eagle nest at 08:15:48. One of the older siblings got it. It is unclear how much fish Little Bit 17 had or did not have. It did appear that Little Bit might have had a crop a little later. The issue, of course, is the camera position. We cannot see what happens on the porch.
There is a real nice write up about the little Peregrine Falcons, Grinnell Jr and Lindsay, today. They are soooooo big and healthy. Just look at those legs! and all those beautiful juvenile feathers coming underneath that white down.
For all my fellow duckling and gosling lovers, have a look at these lovely babies taking the leap from a nest box in Japan!
Thank you so very much for joining me today. Take care everyone. Have a wonderful Saturday! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages: NOAA, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Eagle Club of Estonia, SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Explore.org and Institute for Wildlife Studies, NADC-AEF, Pix Cams, Friends of Redding Eagles, CarnyXWild, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Woodland Trust, Friends of Loch Arkaig, Cal Falcons, Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagles, the People’s Post Code Lottery, and the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
Wednesday was a positively beautiful day. Chilly enough for a jacket but the sun and blue sky were perfect. The water is so very, very high in the Red River (it is everywhere). Last year there were literally hundreds of American White Pelicans at the dam at Lockport, Manitoba getting fish. They were sleeping along the shore for the most part today.
These pelicans were in the water like a synchronized swimming team fishing.
And all back up again!
There were Canada Geese but not a gosling in sight.
What is it about watching a mother raptor feed her little ones? Blue NC0 is doing a much better job with the Three Bobs. Little Bob has also figured out ‘the way of the world’ and will let Big Bob eat, get full and pass out and move up front.
Look at Little Bob trying to stretch that long neck of his up so Mum will see him. Big Bob is already getting full.
Both Big and Middle bobs are full and it is Little’s turn. He has wiggled right up there in front so Blue NC0 won’t start feeding herself and forget about him.
Little Bob is quite the cheeky little one! He is also full.
Idris brought in another one of his monster Flounders at the Dyfi Nest. Telyn makes sure that all the Bobs are also full and feed. Gosh, can you imagine brooding three wiggly Bobs?
I would really like to ship that nice big Flounder to Little Bit 17. He has been eating off and on all day – a small fish and some road kill. When I went back to check on him he was still working on the raccoon – trying to hork the last wooly piece of it.
You can sort of see a fuzzy bit of fur in his beak in the image below.
Then Little Bit was really courageous! No one should ever think that Little Bit could not survive in the world. He is as fast as lightning when he does his Snatch and Grab! He knows to stay away from 16 and he also knows that 15 will not hurt him. Street Smart Kid. An adult brought a fish on the nest at 20:46:01.
One of the big siblings got it. But a couple of minutes later, the adult took the fish away from the big sibling. In the process a piece broke off and Little Bit, the ‘King of the Snatch and Grab’ went for it – straight to the adult beak and had a tug-o-war. Little Bit won his piece of fish!!!!!!! Brilliant.
It wasn’t an enormous piece of fish but Little Bit got it and ate it. The adult fed the two big siblings. Little Bit got up to the feeding spot to get 1 maybe 2 bites. Little Bit also looked over the floor of the nest for any other pieces and found some.
As the sun is setting, Little Bit had a small fish, some more bites of fish, and it looks like he might have finished off that Raccoon pelt along with some squirrel. Would we have liked him to have more? No doubt. It is still better to have had this food and to go to bed – not with a big crop – but at least not starving. Let’s think positive. Hoping the cool weather keeps up and that there are no storms to murk up the river. Let’s wish for fish for Thursday!
And the fish came. Little Bit pulled a fish out from under nesting material at 10:34:11. It had been brought in at 10:31 by an adult. It is very hard to say how much fish, if any, Little Bit got. He moved around the nest from place to place very uneasy. He had possession of the fish until 10:40. The nest is very restless today. Little Bit is hungry.
The West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta in the Channel Islands has the most beautiful sunsets! The profiles of Kana’kini, Ahota, and Sky just seem perfect up on that cliff.
The Osplets on the UFlorida-Gainesville nest at the practice field are getting ready to fledge. I wish I could tell you which one did all the hovering but I can’t. I believe, from a rough count of the dark bars on the tail, that it is Big Bob – . Big Bob hatched on 5 April followed by Middle Bob on the 6th. They are 57 and 56 days old. Western Ospreys fledge from 7-8 weeks or 49-56 days. They are ready to fly!!!!!!!!!
A shout out to ‘B’ who alerted me to the fact that Spirit and both of her parents, Jackie and Shadow, were on the nest tonight. This is just amazing. Jackie and Shadow are really going to prepare Spirit for a successful life in the wild. Another thing that will help Spirit is that the habitat is closed by the USFS so that Spirit will not be disturbed while she learns to fly.
A fish was delivered and Spirit that gorgeous daughter started going wheeee, wheeee for the fish! She had to figure out how to get down from the tree and to the fish. (Someone said it was Jackie that delivered the fish but this sure looks like Shadow to me in his tight jeans!)
Spirit was carefully fed just like she had been the night before. How sweet.
Spirit gets left to clean up the rest of the fish.
And then all of the family are on the nest. What a beautiful sight to see!!!!!
The sun is setting on another perfect day at the Big Bear Valley Eagle nest. Spirit flew off in the morning and returned, spent time with her parents, had a nice fish meal partially fed by Dad. She is going to sleep on the perch again and hopefully repeat this same day tomorrow until she can fly and find prey and live without parental support.
Spirit is a sweetie. In some ways she reminds me of Legacy at the NEFlorida nest of Samson and Gabby. I am not sure how but she does.
Oh, speaking of cutie pies. SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon made a compilation of Week 2 with the two osplets of Richmond and Rosie. They are so cute….Have a look!
Both of the chicks at the Cal Falcons scrape are now out and running about! No worries. They love their food and they will definitely come when either Annie or Alden has prey!!!!!!!! They will come screaming. Oh, just think. Friday we will get to call you by your names. Vote Everyone! Get your friends to vote – get these two cutie pies super names.
The three osplets at the Glaslyn nest continue to do well. You could not tell for an instant that Aran had an injury a year ago. He is really back in prime condition supplying Mrs G and the triplets with huge fish! Wonder if I could get them to adopt Little Bit?
Congratulations to Louis and Dorcha on their second hatch. Both chicks could be seen at 06:09 this morning.
It is clearly evident how much a headstart Maya and Blue 33 (11) have with their chicks. Just look at the difference!
Big Red and Arthur’s first hatch of the 2022 season at their Cornell Campus nest, L1, is checking out the fledge ledge! Fledge watch for L1 begins tomorrow!!!!!
And, last – there are now two little nestlings at the Glacier Gardens Bald Eagle nest in Alaska of Liberty and Freedom. They are three days apart. How cute!
When Charles Broley (The Eagle Man) studied and banded Bald Eagles, he was one of the first to note that the northern eagles are much larger than their southern counterparts. Alaskan eagles do not migrate. They stay and eat the salmon chum (dead salmon after laying eggs). It has been very plentiful.
It is cold and grey today. One beautiful warm day, one not so nice! I am just reading an article that is not making me very happy. It seems it has been going on for several years – the killing of Double-crested Cormorants in Newfoundland and Labrador with Parks Canada providing the justification. Are they serious? We take over their habitat and now we complain about their guano or that they are eating the fish!!!!! Are not Cormorants protected under Migrating Bird Laws? You would think but, not always. Apparently our provincial governments can also alter the laws about migrating birds. Who actually protects our wildlife?
Continue to wish for fish for Little Bit 17. I don’t think he got much of that fish this morning – I sure hope so but he is so nervous. 16 is a very, very nasty bird. The water level at the river where the adults fish at ND-LEEF is about a foot and a half or 45 cm higher than normal making it difficult for the adults to fish. It is going down but slowly. From seeing the high water around me and the opaque mucky colour, it is understandable that it is hard for the parents to fish. I imagine that they are also hungry.
Thank you so much for joining me this morning. Take care! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures and video clip: UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, ND-LEEF, Dyfi Osprey Project, Explore.org, FOBBV, Friends of Loch Arkaig and People’s Postcode Lottery, the Woodland Trust, Cal Falcons, LRWT, SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Glacier Gardens, and Brywd Gwyllt Glaslyn.
Do you like condors? If so, then you should be listening to the once monthly Condor discussions and updates from Ventana Wildlife. They take care of Central California’s Condors – Big Sur and Pinnacle. The home of Iniko 1031!
Part of today’s discussion touched on the issue of lead toxicity. The Bay Area has high levels of lead caused by the old mining industries. Because the California Condors and the Buzzards in the areas feed on carrion – dead carcasses – they are susceptible to the lead from the ammunition used in hunting. Did you know that part of the programme of thee Ventana Wildlife Society is to get lead-free zones? Since 2012 they have been providing lead-free ammunition to the farmers and hunters in their area to attempt to eradicate the problem in their area.
Before the pandemic there were 100 California Condors in the Central California area. Today there are 87. That is the bad news along with stories about those special birds lost – some just turning 2 years old, others just getting to their prime and ready to breed. Condors normally live to be 50-60 years old in the wild so these were significant young loses. Those who work with the birds talk about how each is such an individual and how they get to know them so well – losing one is a very personal issue. The good news is that the hatch rates in Central California are catching up with those in Southern California and they are hopeful that next year will be better.
The next discussion is slated for the 30th of June. Here is the link to the presentation of 26 May. Very informative.
Little Bit 17 really deserves a standing ovation. I am so impressed with this wee eaglet on Friday! Little Bit 17 had some big meals on the 26th – the last being an overly stuffed crop at 21:25 Thursday night. Indeed, Little Bit had full crops every day from the 16th of May to the 26th.
It was rainy today. A small fish was dropped off by one of the adults after 20:15. The oldest ND15 got the fish – it was not that big. What was significant was that Little Bit 17 went right up into 15’s face for the entire time Big Bob was eating the fish. Little Bit 17 really earned his name as the ‘Snatch and Grab King’ today, though. Yes, he got a little fish that was dropped – actually one nice piece. But the heroics was when the snatched and grabbed and got the fish tail!!!!!!! I know you don’t believe me. It is true.
There is 17 moving to get right up at the front where the action in. Little Bit is clearly a very brave eaglet that given half a chance can survive in the wild because he is not afraid of the hard work in getting food.
Little Bit 17 showed no fear when ND16 was coming up from behind.
Little Bit has the tail – it still has a nice bit of tender fish left! Go 17!!!!!!
Little Bit 17 is mantling his cache. So far 16 has not noticed that 17 has the fish tail. Remember 16 is also hungry.
Then 16 notices and starts to try and get the piece of fish. 17 mantles harder. 17 will also keep the fish in its beak and mantle turning around and around.
Little Bit gets his treasure over to the other rim of the nest away from 16. However, he is alongside 15 and 15 would very much like to have that fish tail as well.
Little Bit 17 was able to get a few bites of the fish before Big Bob took the tail back but, what a brave little eaglet to go up against both wanting his food. I am so proud of Little Bit. That is really something to go up against these two – just look at how big they are compared to him.
We really need more fish brought on to the nest. If the adults just drop off small fish Little Bit might lose out. He does better when Mum comes in and if he can feed on an opposite side. Little Bit can also self-feed as good or better than the older siblings. So if they are full and there is fish available there is no issue with this ‘Little Eaglet Who Could’ feeding itself! We just need fish!!!!!! Lots of fish. No time for parents to be cutting back the fish. Both of the adults should be out fishing and providing 5 or 6 fish to the nest. We would really see a huge growth spurt in 17 because the other two are levelling off now.
Saturday morning has not been good for Little Bit. The big siblings are really hungry today with so little food since the evening of the 26th. There have been three deliveries: 08:44, 09:01, and 10:54. The power of the bigger siblings was really pronounced. At 08:43 Little Bit was attacked by one of the big siblings. We are now assured that it is not a lack of feather growth on its head but a bigger sibling – I suspect 16 – pulled it out!
The parents at the ND-LEEF nest need to come in with a huge fish and then another one and another to get this back on track after that single day of bad weather.
The two osplets at UFlorida-Gainesville cannot blame the parents for being hungry today. A catfish with its head came on the nest a little after 08:00. Catfish are problematic for the best self-feeders until they figure out how to unzip them. Both chicks had a bit of a go at it and then the fish was moved over to the rim of the nest.
Their looks were priceless. Think they learned a lesson today – keep the fish in the middle of the nest!
Thankfully Dad arrived a few minutes later, at 08:13:52, with a nice chunk of fish.
Looks like Big Bob gets it.
Middle is sniffing around for that fish. Stop for a moment though and look at the dark bands on their tails.
Middle gets it! Remember Middle is really good at snatch and grab. Meanwhile the adult was watching everything that was going on with its kids. There will be more fish today. Th adult did not have a crop so he needs to eat, too.
Middle really enjoyed that chunk of fish. Big did not try to take it nor did she try to attack. This nest really turned around with two nice osplets that are healthy and will fledge. Middle finished the fish tail at 08:48.
I wish every eaglet, storklet, eyas, or hawklet – whatever you wish to call them was fed as well as the two osplets on the nest of Richmond and Rosie in the SF Bay. Today the duo were fed for over half an hour – you can compare this with the length of feeding at some of the nests with much larger offspring. They were so full that when one rolled backwards with a flake of fish in its mouth – it could not get up!
Mom is on the nest at the Port Lincoln Osprey Barge. Is she thinking that Ervie might be going to land with one of his puffers and she wants to be there to chase him away? While it is true that other parents like Diamond and Xavier had to chase Izzi away as breeding season approached, I lived in some kind of ‘delusional’ hope that Mum and Dad might tolerate Ervie at the barge.
Ervie’s talon has not grown in but he has brought a significant size fish to the nest, not just puffers. That demonstrates that he can catch larger fish. We should not worry about that. We will just miss him as he has been such a character – and oh what joy he has brought to our lives!!!!!
Hats off to Dylan and Seren who did a tandem feeding at the Llyn Clywedog Osprey nest today. I had said that I was concerned about the third hatch on this nest – it looks like they were, too. Well done – great parenting! Now if we could only get Laddie to stay in that nest and feed Little Bob (Loch of the Lowes).
This is just wonderful to see. Tears!!!!!
As the sun rises, Seren is feeding the trio. They are all lined up and it looks like everyone will have a wee crop. Nice.
Idris has the fish on the nest and Seren is doing the first feeding of the day at the Dyfi Osprey nest in Wales.
And then – there were 3 at the Dyfi nest! I love how Emyr Evans at the Dyfi Osprey Project collects and puts the data out there. Chick 1 hatched on 25 May at 39 days in the shell. Chick 2 hatched on the 26th of May at 36.9 cays in the shell. Chick 3 hatched on 28 May at 35.7 days in the shell. All look great and all hatched within the normal range with the eldest being the longest and the third being the shortest gestation period. Let’s see if this impacts their growth over the season. The closeness of the hatches will certainly bode well for the third osplet as it is only two days younger. Telyn really ‘nailed’ that incubation. These three should thrive. Congratulations Telyn and Idris!
Daddy Longlegs (Idris) has brought in a nice fish for Telyn and the trio.
Good Morning Dorcha at the Loch Arkaig nest. It looks like it is going to be a beautiful day! Now where is Louis with the breakfish?
Blue 33 has the fish on the platform as the sun rises over the water at Rutland. Maya is waking up but the Three Bobs seem to be wanting to sleep in on Saturday!
Blue NC0 had to take a personal break at the Loch of the Lowes. There are the three wee ones in the nest. They look good.
She is back and is waiting for Laddie to bring the first fish of the day. Just look at those lovely rose gold kissing everything at the loch. Beautiful.
Sometimes Blue NC0 makes it difficult to tell who has been fed and who hasn’t. At one feeding where I could clearly see, all three chicks were fed. Nice. I do not think that Little Bob is out of the woods yet. Fingers crossed.
The falcons at the Manchester NH scrape are really losing their baby down. The flapping of the wings sends it flying all over the scrape. Their legs are strong and – well, this has been an amazing nest to watch in terms of the sheer effort by the parents to make sure that each of the five survived and thrived.
Spirit hatched on 3 March. She is 86 days old today. Bald Eagles generally fledge from 10-14 weeks. Spirit is certainly looking out to the territory!
Kana’kini has been doing a lot of hovering and today she actually did that with a stick in her mouth. Here they are the three of them – whoever dubbed the trio ‘The Three Amigos’ is so right. What a fabulous group of eaglets to watch and the thanks goes to Thunder and Akecheta who kept feeding them and kept bringing food to the nest! Great parenting.
Those little ones at Cal Falcons are so adorable. I was sooooo shocked at the little male. He reminds me so much of the male at Captiva Ospreys – Middle Little. He was really loud too. You could hear him fish calling in Fort Myers. Alden and Annie are doing a fantastic job. It was very interesting to me that Cal Falcons noted that Alden was ferocious in his protection of the scrape with Annie yesterday whereas Grinnell used to leave that to Annie.
Want to take part in the naming. See the band at the bottom of the image.
The sun is beginning to come out. The weather forecast is for rain for four days but I am hoping to get out to our other nature centre sometime. Maybe today! Thank you so much for joining me. Wish for fish for ND-LEEF. The river should be going down and clearing after the storm so Suckers and Catfish will be easier to catch for the eagles. Little Bit 17 needs a lot of fish to be delivered so that it can get some. 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: Ventana Wildlife Society, ND-LEEF, UFlorida-Gainesville, SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, CarnyX Wild, Dyfi Osprey Project, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the People’s Post Code Lottery, LRWT, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Peregrine Networks, FOBBV, Explore.org, and Cal Falcons.
I can’t speak for all Canadians but, in Winnipeg when the sky is blue and no rain is falling and the temperature makes it feel like summer, we go outside. We will find anything to do to keep us outside. Today, amidst the roar of songbird vocalizations I planted the Vermillionaires that are going to make the summer hummingbirds very happy. Neighbours were on their bikes, walking up and down the alley in their summer attire being friendly. I did not check a lot of nests as a result.
I am, however, going to start with the bad news first. The highly pathogenic strain of Avian Flu is not in Sitka, Alaska. This is not good news. There is a huge population of Bald Eagles in Alaska that live off the salmon. Our dear Kindness that fledged off the Glacier Gardens nest last year is one of those. For more information go to the link that Terry Carman has posted on the Bald Eagles Live Nest Cams and News today.
How many of you fell in love with Louis and Aila at the Loch Arkaig Osprey nest? was it in 2020? when they fledged Vera, Doddie, and Captain? Captain, a third hatch, was my big celebration that year. Loving parents Louis and Aila made sure that that wee one was fed. Indeed, Louis often fished at night and tandem fed the chicks with Aila. We were devastated when she did not return from migration in 2021.
Doddie has been spotted, photographed and the band number has been confirmed – JJ6. He was diving for a fish on the Shetland Islands. This is absolutely fabulous news! We wait for news about Vera and JJ7 Captain.
That is quite the distance. The males tend to cause some bother around their natal nests. I must check on this. The distance is quite interesting.
The Manton Bay Three continue to thrive. Blue 33 stands guard while Maya feeds the chicks. This is a brilliant strategy on Blue’s part. He is prepared – either to help feed the chicks or to fight off any intruders that might want to take advantage of the situation of three chicks and a single adult on a nest.
I love fat little ospreys. Well, I love fat little chicks on a nest – period. This means they are well taken care of. These three are growing so fast it is hard to believe.
Yeap. No one is going to mess with Blue 33 (11)s family. He even has a better ‘snake eye’ than Iris sometimes!
A nice big fish came on the UFlorida-Gainesville nest around 1:39. Mum fed both of them and by the time she was finished, each had huge crops! I thought it was going to be another day where it was 10 bites for Big and 1 for Middle but, in the end, it seems to have worked out relatively even. These two are seriously gorgeous birds.
The four eyases of Big Red and Arthur are growing and growing. It was a nice day and then it rained and rained on the Cornell Campus. The only ones that seemed to fit under Mum were L3 and L4. Sometimes being the first hatch isn’t all that nice! That said L1 and L2 have some nice feathers coming in.
River and Obey continued to come to the Dale Hollow nest to try and lure their two fledglings, DH14 and DH15 back to the nest. So far it does not seem to have worked. A partial fish was left and one of the adults returned at 1609 to eat it and aerate the nest cup.
This was earlier. The adults have moved the large twig over to the side also.
It was hot in San Francisco today and Alden was working hard to keep the chicks shaded.
Alden helped Annie recover from Grinnell’s horrible death. These two very healthy chicks are a great testament to the hard work that both Alden and Annie have put in to make sure they not only hatched but that they thrived.
We were used to Annie and Alden feeding the chicks 10 or 12 times a day – little tiny meals. Now that they are older they will have fewer meals but will eat more and will have enormous crops. Just look below at the crops and how big their feet are!!!! Perhaps it is the angle but the Little one (nearest us) seems to have longer ‘toes’ talons than the oldest.
For those of you who love that ‘high spirited’ Spirit at the Big Bear Valley nest of Jackie and Shadow, you best be watching her closely! She is branching and flapping and looking out to the world away from the nest. She was their miracle chick this year and Jackie looks on knowing that Spirit will not be throwing her little fits for much longer – we will surely miss them as much as her parents.
I want to close with another wonderful day for ND17. A very large fish landed on the ND-LEEF nest at 1942. Little Bit 17 was in the right place at the right time – indeed, the parent actually oriented themselves so that 17 was on one side and, I believe, it was 15 on the other. Little Bit ate and ate and ate. Another huge crop at bedtime! Get the tissues. This is nothing short of fantastic. Perhaps this female has decided that she should feed her littlest one!!!!!!!
17 is on the nest under the left wing of the adult.
You can see where 17 is clearly now and see the size of that fish. Incredible. That will feed everyone.
17 got right up to the beak. Notice how well he is protected when Mum actually turns to the little ones benefit. The two older siblings are not going to plow through her to get to Little Bit 17. Perfect location.
Little Bit 17 knows how to put the food down. Look at that beach ball crop. Three days in a row. I hope I don’t jinx it. This little one will grow and grow over night. It isn’t going to catch up with the other two – it is six days younger – but it will help with the feather and muscle development – all this fine fish. Such a relief.
Thank you so very much for joining me. Little Bit 17 with a full crop is simply a perfect way to end this blog this evening. Take care everyone. Tomorrow we should have some more UK Osprey hatches!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: ND-LEEF, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Cornell RTH Bird Cam, LRWT, DHEC, Bald Eagles Live Nest Cams and News, Friends of Big Bear Valley, and Cal Falcons.
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.
I cannot think of a better way to start a Saturday than having breakfast with Ervie, Middle Bob, and Little 17! What a positive way to kick off the weekend.
‘A’ sent me a note that Ervie was on the nest at Port Lincoln. Thank you, ‘A’! I would have missed him! Much appreciated. How grand to have the time to rewind and see our special Osprey fledgling. ‘A’ said she hoped that Mum and Dad would not kick Ervie off too soon. I am hoping that they will allow him to stop by for a visit continually as long as it does not disturb the next breeding season for them. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
There was something very satisfying seeing Ervie on the barge. He arrived at 16:17 wet from catching his fish, shaking off the water droplets on arrival. In the footage below, look carefully. It is not a puffer! I cannot tell you what kind of fish it is but it is a nice size normal looking fish — which means that even with his tiny talon, Ervie can now catch a much bigger fish. He certainly looks healthy.
I was thinking the other evening that perhaps that tiny talon saved Ervie’s life. It is not clear to me what the first year survival rate is for Eastern Ospreys – ones that do not have to migrate like those at Port Lincoln. By staying in a familiar area and learning how to fish -starting with those puffers- Ervie appears to have a better than average chance at long term survival.
Here is a video clip of Ervie eating some of his precious fish while being bombarded by sea gulls.
Sometimes you just feel ‘lucky’ and I decided to check on Middle at the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest. Yesterday Middle had delighted in having an ever so tiny fish and Mum and Dad have been dropping off fish so that the two can get proficient in self-feeding for their life after fledging.
It is 09:02. Mum has a fish and she is eating some bites. Middle, despite having a bit of a crop, is anxious for some more fish and is tugging at the new delivery. Big is there but doesn’t seem bothered.
Middle is getting a lot of bites! I could hardly believe what I was seeing. Big is on the left facing the opposite direction and Middle is on the right. It is difficult to catch the action. Middle is very quick doing his snatch and grabs. Middle is definitely aware of Big’s presence. He would get a lot more fish if Mum would feed a little faster!
Big does turn around and get interested in the food. Notice how Big is watching Middle do his snatch and grab. She is not liking this and after a few minutes, she pecks at Middle and he moves over to the rim of the nest. Big eats for a few minutes and then moves away with Middle going in to eat the last of the fish.
It was a real positive morning so far and could it also be that something good was happening on the ND-LEEF nest? To my shock and to everyone else on the chat, the female actually fed Little 17 some food this morning. It was like she remembered that she had three chicks and not just two. Will 17 get more food today – let us all hope so!
There is, of course, so much happening in Bird World but for now — this is quite enough. Smiling.
Thank you so much for joining me this morning. Take care. See you later with a check on more of the nests in Bird World.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Ospreys, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, and ND-LEEF.
The torrential downpour is back again! The skies are dark grey in places and there is a lot of thunder. The ground is super soaked and outside the city the flood waters were receding yesterday. I wonder if that is still true today. What is different is the shade of green from all the trees. Old Maples, planted in 1902, make a canopy on the streets and that is now tinged with green, more chartreuse, than the green the leaves will be in a week. The leaves on the the trees, the lilacs, and the vines in the garden are beginning to pop. I would like to say that we will have beautiful summer weather but it is to go down to 3 degrees C – they even predicted snow – this weekend. All of the annual plantings are out in the rain enjoying it but will come in if that forecast is correct. Despite the rain the garden visitors were here early – a flock of Harris sparrows, Junior (the Blue Jay – sadly his parents are not with him this year), Mr Crow, and a dozen or more Chipping Sparrows. In about an hour the Starlings will arrive. You can almost set a watch on their timing – 0900 and 1700.
It was sure a good morning at the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest. Dad came in with a fish at 06:54:13. And then a second one arrives around 07:31. Middle has his mojo back. Only once did he move away because of Big that I could see. He is getting better – or is Middle a she? -. What joy to see the birds eating first thing in the morning. Such a huge relief.
There is Middle next to the rim. Big still has a longer tail and larger wings but you have to look carefully to see who is who sometimes. Middle has a very sweet face.
This is, of course, the way to deliver fish – two right in a row – if there is food competition on a nest. Dad, you did well this morning!
The second fish played out like this: Big was distracted trying to self-feed. Yes, please, don’t fall over! ——- Mum is feeding Middle. Mum continues to feed Middle. Both chicks will have nice crops and a beautiful start to their day. Happy. Very happy.
In other Bird World news, Mr Blue Berry from Duke Farms fledged at 06:43:47. Didn’t think twice – flapped the wings and off! Let us hope we see him on the nest getting food and getting those wing muscles stronger for a few more weeks.
The two eaglets are really thinking about fledging at the Dale Hollow nest!
Richmond and Rosie have a hatch as of the 17th. I wonder what is going on with egg 3? Rosie isn’t telling.
Iris, the grand dame of US Ospreys and the oldest Osprey in the world at 28 years old (29?) is finally free to enjoy her summer. One egg was ruined the other day and the Crows finished off the other last evening.
There were 8 feedings that I counted between 06:32 and 13:20 on the Manton Bay Osprey nest of Blue 33 and Maya today. Those kids have at least tripled their size since hatch last week!
Blue 33 flew in wanting to feed the kids some Perch.
Just look how big they are! It is hard to imagine that a few days ago we worried about that flapping fish and whether or not chick 2 would survive. All three are strong and growing bigger almost before our eyes thanks to the great work by Mum and Dad.
Blue 33 loves to feed his kids and be on the nest with Maya and them when he isn’t fishing. If I were an osplet I would definitely wanted to have hatched in this nest!!!!!!!
The water has finally cleared and Jack should be able to bring some nice fish to Harriet and the one surviving chick out of three at the Dahlgren Osprey nest in King George County, Virginia. Richmond arrives and Rosie gives him the morning breakfish order. What a wonderful change. Hoping to see some nice fish on this nest and a few less toys and sticks.
Jack will return at 07:30 with a partial fish for Harriet and Big Bob.
It is too bad that those torrential rains came and muddied the river but it is nice to see the surviving chick doing well. It is now getting that dark wooly down and will soon be in the Reptilian phase.
Did you say you love Kestrels? The five eggs are due to hatch at the Prairie Dy Chien Kestrel nest box in Wisconsin starting today! Kestrels are the smallest of the falcons. They feed on insects and small rodents, small birds, and amphibians. They are quite common in the southern part of my province during the summer where they breed.
Here is a link to that camera!
Sadly, a nice fish came on the ND-LEEF nest around 0808 but, Middle did not get any. There are some bones left on the nest with some flesh. I bet it will go after those. Oh, how I wish the fish would fly on to this nest. The little one did have a good PS this morning and did do some wing exercises. It just needs food!!!!!!
Despite its size that fish is really only enough food for one of the bigger siblings. Lots more deliveries needed!
So far it is a nice morning at the MN-DNR nest of Nancy and Harriet (E1). I wonder if they are going to get the storms we are having? Harriet is waiting for some breakfast! On the nest are a lot of turtle shells – it must be a good time of the year for hunting turtles. They seem to be on every eagle nest we have been watching.
Dad’s cave at the Port Lincoln Barge has had a make over getting ready for the new season. It was pulled into place, washed, and given a once over.
Guess who was eating a fish all the time the work was going on? Ervie! And apparently it didn’t bother him one bit. Ervie, you are looking so good. I wish we could see how your talon is doing but it is so good to see you.
I still cannot imagine feeding five little eyases. Everything was quiet and then Dad arrived at 1135 and everyone got excited for food! All is well at the Manchester New Hampshire peregrine scrape!
It is pitching rain and my garden shed/garage is almost completely demolished. Strange equipment. Been working 2 hours. Little Red and Mr Crow definitely are not happy.
Have a wonderful day everyone. Wish for fish for 17 at ND-LEEF. Check out the PLO camera. Ervie might return today. Wouldn’t that be grand? Take care. Thank you so much for joining me this morning.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Duke Farms, SF Bay Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, DHEC, Montana Osprey Project, Dahlgren Osprey Nest, LRWT Manton Bay, Cornell Bird Lab Kestrels, ND-LEEF, MN-DNR, Port Lincoln Ospreys, and Peregrine Networks.
Thank you to everyone who wrote to me about the balloons. I am not ‘Debbie Downer’ but there are sure lots of ways of having fun other than sending balloons up into the sky as in the image below!
My comment about starting in elementary school reminded a reader, ‘B’, of an incident. Out in the wilderness a balloon was found. There was a note attached to it asking whoever found it to please call the teacher at the elementary school that had released the balloons. The finder did, indeed, contact the school but did inform the teacher about the dangers of balloons to all wildlife. I am certain she had no idea. This got me to thinking. We really need to spread the word somehow.
I know that many of my readers are teachers or individuals who have friends or family who are teachers or group leaders for Cubs, Guides, etc. We do need to start with the children but let us educate them to the dangers. So how do the teachers do this? and how can we create a web of understanding so that people do not feel criticized but who realize the dangers and want to help? Why not have balloons and the environment as a topic for a staff meeting? or a conference? I am certain that a wildlife rehabber would happily come in and educate teachers and students on the dangers of balloons. They might even bring one of their ambassadors. It would be a great topic that could generate lots of interest! If you know of someone who provides children’s parties, talk to them as well. There are many types of decorations that are much more planet and wildlife friendly and who doesn’t want to be on the sustainable and environmentally-friendly side? Most don’t knowingly want to harm birds or other wildlife; they just simply do not know the bigger picture and how a simple act of releasing balloons for a celebration can have a lasting impact on birds causing their death or disability. Spread the word!
I have several other concerns that focus on simple solutions to a huge problem for wildlife. Lead. The Institute for Wildlife Studies – Dr Sharpe and gang that manage the Channel Islands Bald Eagles amongst other projects including Condors have put out an information pamphlet about the alternatives to the use of lead. I am attaching it. They do presentations at various sporting events. Please read it. If you know someone who hunts or fishes and uses lead, please gently inform them of the alternatives. Thanks!
SF Bay Ospreys have posted an image of a crack in egg 2 for Richmond and Rosie. They believe that egg 1 is non-viable and stated that even egg 2 is late. It would be grand if 2 and 3 would hatch close to one another.
Duke and Daisy survived the storm that went through New Jersey last night. It is still windy today, though.
This is the view from the platform to where Duke does his fishing. Gorgeous. Just gorgeous. When you live inland on the prairies, you long for water! and sandy beaches! and mountains!
Middle Little O was on the Captiva Osprey platform with his long, long legs (he could challenge Idris in a couple of years) wanting some fish. Andy brought him a Lizard Fish this morning and later he brought him a Pinfish. Middle Little O is so loud — and always fish crying! So funny. [I could almost swear Middle Little O is a female].
I think the only time that Middle Little and Little Mini were hungry was when Big was alive. Andy and Lena are taking super care of their two surviving juveniles – their first since 2019. So happy for them. Andy is certainly devoted and doing his job getting fish to both the fledglings.
The five walking cotton balls at the Manchester NH scrape continue to do well. Enough food for all – eating,, sleeping, and growing. The fifth hatch is so cute! There he is by the exit to the exterior platform.
There are still serious issues for 17 on the ND-LEEF Bald Eagle nest. Prey comes in and at 14:26:19, he was able to snatch and grab a single bite. 17 has been conserving its energy by sleeping and was gnawing on some bones at various times. This is pretty sad. 17 is 6 weeks old today. Half way to fledge. The chick needs nourishment and the older siblings have always been aggressive and dominant.
17 did have a small PS. Oh, I wish for some food for this little one. It is hard having two great big siblings and being so small.
It is 15:13 nest time at the UFlorida-Osprey platform on the practice field. Middle has quite the crop. I don’t need to go back and check on a feeding. At some point while I was rustling up an electrician at the last minute, Mum came in with enough fish to fill Middle to the brim. That makes me so happy.
The storm left Big Red and the gang a little soggy yesterday. They are all doing fine. The oldest and the youngest have been flapping their wings today. It is like L4 says to the elder sib, “Anything you can do, I can do!” They are so cute. Watch at the end as they see a parent doing a fly by. Precious.
I haven’t seen any prey deliveries on the Dale Hollow nest. Both eaglets are still there. One found something buried in the nest and the other is watching closely as the sib tries to eat it. Hopefully some fish will come in later.
The chick at Cromer Peregrine scrape has been ringed. The measurements are inconclusive so DNA samples were taken to determine gender. The chick is either a large male or a small female!
Just look at the crops on the eyases at the San Jose City Hall Falcon Scrape. Wow. It’s so funny how you can tell if the crop is totally full – the skin looks really shiny where the feathers separate. Gosh they are cute.
Annie has a snooze and later feeds the two eyases. Cute, cute. Gosh. What is it? 8 or 10 days til they are ringed? Unbelievable. I remember when I was waiting to get my driver’s license and my mother assured me that time passed much faster when I got older. She was right. Weren’t we just waiting for a hatch yesterday?
These chicks always look like they are smiling and why not? They have Annie and Alden for parents.
The ND-LEEF nest is still the problem. I sure hope some giant fish arrive so that 17 gets some decent bites of fish. All of the falcon and hawk nests are fine. We are waiting for Osprey eggs to hatch in the UK.
Take care everyone. Thank you so much for joining me today. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Cal Falcons, Cromer Peregrine Falcons, DHEC, Cornell RTH, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, ND-LEEF, Peregrine Networks, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife, Barnegat Light Ospreys, and SF Bay Ospreys.
