There was a presentation and a Q & A with Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh and the lead wildlife rehabber at Tamarack Wildlife Centre. I am very impressed at the life skills treatment that USS4 is getting at Tamarack and this is what I really hope Little Bit ND17 is getting, too!
You can listen to this discussion. The discussion of developing USS4’s life skills that begins at 14:52. Here is the link to this:
I am so very impressed with the knowledge and the treatment that this young male juvenile is getting!
I hope you enjoy this. It is a great discussion and some of this could apply to Victor or other eagles in care too…a good educational presentation on rehabilitation of Bald Eagles.
Do you live in an area where farmer’s are baling hay or straw? and using baling twine? It was baling twine mixed in with some other nesting materials that caught on the male Ospreys talon at Osoyoos and pulled the chick off to fall to its death. Dr Erick Greene at the Montana Osprey Project finds literally tonnes of baling twine in the Osprey nests he studies. He also finds dead chicks and others nearly dead and tangled. If you live in a farming area help our Ospreys by spreading the word. Here is an information pamphlet that Dr Greene prepared – it is quick and to the point.
It is surprising that the nest at ND-LEEF is still holding. It looks like bits and pieces of it are falling away each day. Mum and Dad are still bringing fish to the nest for ND15 and 16.
15 was on the nest when the adult arrives with a nice fish. Soon 16 arrives.
I believe 15 kept the fish!
There is an update today on ND17 – and it is a good one. There is that sweet baby. It appears that individuals have been showing up at the clinic wanting to see 17. Please do not go there. The clinic staff has addressed this issue in their posting. ND17 is doing great and it is the clinic’s business to help him so that he can be returned to the wild. Everyone who works at a rehabilitation clinic is overworked and underpaid – it is a very sad situation in many instances where they do not get celebrity birds and good donations. Send them a thank you letter! Tell them you don’t expect a reply. Make a donation! Give to your local rehabber — I keep saying clean old towels but gosh, they are much needed. Give the towel a second life, too.
Isn’t he adorable?
Problems with nests and falling out of nests happens everywhere. It has been awhile since I checked on the two White-tail Eaglets in their nest in the Tucholskie Forest in Poland. Last time I remained somewhat cautious about the second chick surviving. Their names are Uno and Duo. (The third chick was a victim of siblicide). Uno fell off the nest and spent 4 days on the forest floor. He must have glided – as he flew back up to the nest. There are now some concerns that Duo has not been fed since 1 July and Uno is taking all the prey. They are big eaglets – just beautiful. Both will hopefully survive.
Sleeping and waiting for food.
Last year, Karl II and Kaia had three storklets. One of those Pikne who stayed with Karl II for a long time having him bring her food before fledging. She hatched on the 28th of May and fledged 4 August. She has a perfect flight to Ethiopia where she arrives on October 24, 2021. Pikne stayed in Africa and set off for her return flight to Estonia. She was in Israel on 1 June 2022 and everyone was so happy to see her transmitter working. Sadly, on 6 June, she on a power line and was killed in the middle of nowhere in Turkey. Such promise. A day does not go by without adding another one to ‘the list’.
Pikne is the storklet getting ready to stand up at the front.
As ‘S’ reminded me last year, countries can make laws that power companies must make their poles safe for wildlife but the companies must follow through in a timely manner. Last fall we lost Solly in South Australia and the individuals that make up Port Lincoln Osprey were on a mission to get the government to fix the power poles. Must check with them to see how they are doing. It is, sadly, a worldwide issue for our beautiful raptors and storks. In Pikne’s case, it is thought that she was tired and landed to rest as there was no place to feed near that pole — so it is not just poles near feeding areas but all poles that should have a protective cover.
This is the nest of Karl and Kaia this morning. Bonus made no reaction to Karl II which means that he has accepted him as his father, the male on the nest and is home with the three siblings. This is such good news for the success of the intervention by Urmas and Dr Madis V. Actually it is fantastic news.
What can you do to help so that our beautiful birds are not electrocuted? Here is a story of a Bald Eagle and an individual who got their power company to retrofit the power lines – 12 of them – in their neighbourhood. Remember! Each of us can make a difference by seeking solutions for the birds that live where we do.
Most everyone is following the story of Malala, the Red-tail hawklet meant for dinner but adopted by the Gabriola Island Bald Eagle family. This article covers this adventure from the beginning to the present. It is a really good read.
Every once in awhile I feel compelled to give a shout out to the New Zealand government and specifically their Department of Conservation (NZ DOC). I wonder how many of my readers follow the exploits of the Royal Cam chick on Taiaroa Head? There she is – QT (Quarry Track) chick doing her morning stretches. What a beauty.
This year has seen at least 10 supplementary feedings for QT and a few of the other chicks on the peninsula. Her parents are YRK and OGK. Just like Janika could not provide enough food for her storklets alone, neither can YRK. There is little talk on the Royal Cam FB group but the much beloved OGK was last seen on the 19th of May. Some believe he came in on June 10 but that is not confirmed and many believe it was not him but, rather, YRK. OGK doesn’t choose to not return to feed his chicks. He is one of the most devoted Royal Albatross I have ever seen. He is either injured or dead. Two years ago OGK suffered a leg injury and returned limping after 40 days. If the 19 of May date is correct – he is missing for 46 days now. Send all good wishes his way, please.
US Steel Eagle 4 (USS4) is in care from tumbling out of the tree with severe feather injuries but USS5 is doing great – learning how to fly and returning to the nest for prey from the parents. Congratulations 5 – you are doing very well, indeed.
‘H’ reports that Dory has really mastered the art of feeding her three osplets on the Boathouse Osprey nest – making sure that each and everyone has bites. Dory purposefully gave Little Bob several nice mouth fulls this morning. Fantastic. Thank you ‘H’.
Dad was in early with fish for Mum and the two osplets on the Osoyoos Osprey Platform. It was 0554. Fingers crossed!
That is a brief look at some of the news today. Everyone seems to be doing well.
It is not a good image – taken with my phone at a distance. But this is the tiny rabbit that comes to the garden now grown – 4x his size. Grass and birdseed!
In celebration of ND17s progress, I am sending each of you a virtual piece of that Yokohama Orange cake…Sorry to all food designers. Fall plate and spring flowers! But delicious cake…it was worth all the effort.
Thank you for joining me today. Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB postings where I took my screen captures: Humane Wildlife Indiana, The Eagle Club of Estonia, Bieliki Online Bory Tucholskie, NZ DOC, ND-LEEF, Explore and Audubon, Pix Cams, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, and GROWLS.
UPDATE: The smallest, the 5th hatch storklet, at the Mlade Buky nest of Betty and Bukacek was eliminated on Sunday. I had missed this.
It looks like it could be another rainy day on the Canadian Prairies. We are certainly making up with moisture this spring for 4-5 years of drought. Everything is green and beautiful.
Well, the weather is taking its toll on other nests in Scotland and Wales on Sunday. Those long, cold rainy days with a dip in fish deliveries are making some of the Bobs cranky – and aggressive. Big Bob on the Loch of the Lowes almost pushed both Middle and Little Bobs off the nest. Little Bob has also missed out on some meals. I sure hope this weather changes and these chicks settle down.
At tea time on Monday, Telyn went out of her way – finally – to make sure that Little Bob had fish. I was terribly happy to see this as the biggest Bob is working hard to exclude Little.
Idris and Telyn at the Dyfi nest made sure that all three of the Bobs were fed well before bedtime on Sunday. It has been a stinker of weather over in Wales, too.
Monday’s tea at Dyfi was a Sea Bass followed by the delivery of a mullet by Idris to Telyn and the kids. The weather had considerably improved.
My goodness. Aran caught one of his whoppers! He cleaned off the head before delivering it to Mrs G and the kids.
Mrs G fed herself and the kids. Big Bob is in food coma and Little and Middle are up at the table.
There was lots of fish left over when Mrs G finished so Aran decided to have a really good meal before he got on the perch. All appears to be good.
The wind is still blowing a bit on the Glaslyn nest at tea time. All of the chicks are wide awake. Look at how good Little Bob is doing. He is standing at the back.
We have learned that a good nest can change in the blink of an eye – or weather, intruders, lack of prey. So far the osplets on the nest of Blue 33 (11) and Maya are doing fantastic. They are now all at least five weeks old and they will be ringed soon. Ringing normally takes place between 35-43 days in the UK. Any later and the osplets could bolt and any earlier and the leg would still be growing.
The weather has improved at Loch Arkaig – thankfully. Louis has brought fish in and has covered up Little Bob with some sticks brought in and from the nest. The surviving two Bobs appear to be fine this morning. They benefited from being under Dorcha during the cold rain and winds.
The rain appears to have stopped at the Llyn Clywedog nest of Dylan and Seren. Dylan is on the nest and in the early afternoon there was a male intruder with a blue Darvic ring that was flying around the nest. He was quickly sent off.
The three storklets continue to thrive in the care of the Veterinary School. Forest sounds have been added to their environment.
A very good article has been translated and placed on Looduskalender with the Forum for the Black Stork nest of Karl II and Kaia. The information could be applied universally to nests that depend on fish for their main food item. The specific nest that they are talking about is, however, that of Karl II and Kaia in the Karula National Forest.
“Black Stork – Ciconia nigra
The older chicks hatched on 28 May and turned two weeks old today. The third chick is considerably smaller but hatched three days later than the older two. Mother Kaia and father Karl are managing to feed their chicks well, despite the youngest being significantly smaller than the others. We know and have observed that Black Storks sometimes carry out infanticide, i.e. the parent birds remove the weakest chick from the nest. The main reason for this is a lack of food. Chicks must be very well fed because they will embark on a long and dangerous migration in August on their own, but this is how black storks do it. Less than a third of this year’s chicks will be alive in a year. What are we not seeing on the webcam? In Karula National Park, where this black storks nest is located, Kotkaklubi has been organising clean-up campaigns for many years to clear the banks of the brooks of the Koiva river basin of undergrowth so that the birds can access them. Small natural streams quickly become overgrown with vegetation, but black storks are happy to feed in such remote places. Adult birds will also look for food in ditches where fish can be found during the breeding season. Still, these ditches may dry up during both spring and summer droughts, threatening breeding success. Therefore the birds need to be able to visit different feeding areas. Adult BS also forage in meadows, catching frogs and occasionally rodents. We can see on the webcam that fish is their primary food. In addition, Urmas Sellis has installed a fish basket with live fish in a stream about ten kilometres away from the nest, and a trail camera has recorded the visits of black storks there.
Today, 13 June, the chicks are respectively 16, 16 and 13 days old.
The three storklets of Karl II and Kaia are waking up to a whole new day!
PLEASE NOTE THAT ON SUNDAY, BETTY ELIMINATED THE 5TH STORKLET. It looks like another rainy mucky day for Bukacek and Betty and their five little white storklets in Mlade Buky. I cannot look at the adult standing there without thinking about the plastic decoy with the storklets of Jan and Janika. Looks just like that decoy!
The storklets are getting their juvenile feathers.
A prey item has been brought to the ND-LEEF nest at 08:36:54. ND 15 stole it from ND16 and at 08:57:49 Little Bit 17 steals it, eats some, and then 16 gets it. They are all hungry but Little Bit is right in there!
Little Bit 17 is still ‘the king of the snatch and grab’. Fingers crossed for a lot more prey today!
It is extremely sad to see the Cape Henlopen nest with the three dead osplets of the long bonded pair on an empty nest. It remains unclear what happened to the 20 year old Dad and Mum from the nest after the intruders took over late Friday. An entire family lost because of intruders? So sad.
Will the intruders return? We wait.
Both fledglings were on the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest this morning. Middle had control of the fish delivery. The parents have been excellent at bringing the two lots of fish during the day. They look to be in great health and their flying skills – and landing – are improving every day.
At 08:41 all four of Big Red and Arthur’s hawklets were on the nest. L2 fledged first followed by L1. L3 spent Sunday up on a higher level of the tower but it has yet to fledge along with the youngest L4.
L3 is 49 days old today and L4 is 46. The average of fledge at Big Red’s nest is 46.5 days. We could be looking at another two flying today or tomorrow.
Takoda is 69 days old today. On Sunday he had branched up to the height where Mr President normally perches. Early this morning he made it up to the cam which made for some lovely closeups just for us! Fledging is close at hand.
All eyes are on Star at the Redding Eagle nest. She is branching farther up and this early morning seems to have put out the sound on the streaming cam. As far as I know, there has been no sighting of Sentry since he fledged.
Could this be your day to fly Star?
Spirit is so beautiful. She is 3 months and 9 days old today. She hatched on 3 March and fledged on 31 May. She came down to visit the nest before taking off into the Big Bear Valley at 06:13. She might have been looking for breakfast!
There is one more fledge to go at the Pittsburgh-Hayes Bald Eagles nest and that is H18. Both H16 and H17 fledged on the 10th of June within an hour and a half of one another (06:20 and 07:50). That third fledge could happen any time.
Both eaglets at the US Steel nest are considering branching! What a gorgeous view.
Ahote and Kana’kini were on the move this morning. What a beautiful camera view of both of them. Sky is still on the natal nest. The time is o7:03.
An early morning view of the San Jose City Hall Peregrine falcons.
At 03:58 Annie was sleeping in the scrape with Lindsay and Grinnell Jr. Precious moments. Fledge will come before we know it. Goodness. Wasn’t it just yesterday that Alden came into our lives???? It sure seems like it. Annie and Alden have been super parents and I am thrilled that these two chicks got a chance to make their own way in the world. It could have been dramatically different without Alden.
Fledge watch begins for Lindsay and Grinnell Jr tomorrow – 14 June!!!!!!
It is early morning on the Canadian Prairies. We have had so much rain that the landscape could be the green of Ireland! It is impossible to see the birds and squirrels and even the small bunny in the jungle that has grown. Birds can be seen flying in and out and the feeders are empty by noon so they are in there – just covered by all the branches and leaves.
There may be several fledges today. There are eyes on many, many nests!
I hope that your Monday is a good start to the week. Thank you for joining me. Take care!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or websites where I took my screen captures: Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Woodland Trust, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, LRWT, Friends of Loch Arkaig, People’s Post Code Lottery and Scottish Wildlife Trust, CarnyXWild, Eagle Club of Estonia, LizM, Mlade Buky, ND-LEEF, Cape Henlopen State Park Ospreys Cam, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, NADE-AEF, Friends of Redding Eagles, Pix Cams, FOBBV, Explore.org and the Institute for Wildlife Studies, San Jose City Falcons, and Cal Falcons.
There is so much news that it is difficult to know where to start sometimes. But today it is going to be in Port Lincoln, Australia on the Osprey barge. Mum and Dad were sitting next to one another on the ropes. Mum then went to the nest and was looking around. She was not happy. One of the long time watchers of the barge of this Osprey family, ‘M’ suggested on the chat that Ervie had been trying to land to eat a puffer, like he has done now for nearly 5 months. The camera did not pull back so that we could have a clear view. Something was definitely making Mum quite upset and ‘A’ writes this morning and confirms that at 0952 Ervie was trying to land.
This is, indeed a sad day for all of us that loved Ervie and wished beyond anything that the parents might let him come to the barge. Maybe he will go to the old barge with his puffers – the alternative for Mum and Dad. (Is it still there?)
Mum was still preening at 11:10 on the nest.
The feeding of five little storks! They have grown so much in a week!
While those White Storks have been growing, Betty and Bukachek at the Mlade Buky nest in The Czech Republic are welcoming their newly hatched storklets. Congratulations!
At the black stork nest of Jan and Jannika in Estonia, frogs and fish were brought in to feed all of the storklets. If you have never seen storklets fed, this is a great way to start watching. The parents regurgitate the fish for the little ones.
There is a very confusing situation at the Latvian Black stork nest of Grafs and Grafiene. The ‘real’ Grafiene returned late and now there are three on the nest with mating and fighting.
The second eaglet on the Fort St Vrain Bald Eagle nest in Colorado, US is sleeping quietly. The eaglet is 6 weeks old and I am so hoping that there is a parent near by. Last night a raccoon climbed and pulled an eaglet off the nest to feed it and possibly its babies. I hope this eaglet stays safe!
Before night, Little Bit 17 was flapping its wings on the ND-LEEF nest. They are getting bigger and he is getting stronger with every bite of fish that he eats.
A fish arrived on the ND-LEEF nest at 0820. Little Bit 17 began moving up to eat and was at Mum’s beat at 08:21:37 where he got fed. Yes! That is a very good way to start a Wednesday morning.
It got a bit wet on the nest this morning and Mum is there with the eaglets.
Lady and Dad are busy working on the nest first thing in the morning. Dad has been bringing fish to the nest every day for Lady. Lovely.
‘S’ was kind enough to forward a statement from the Scottish Wildlife Trust on the issue relating to Laddie, LM12’s eye. They said, “
Our breeding pair, LM12 and NC0 have made an incredible effort to provide for their growing offspring since the first chick hatched on 19 May.
If you’ve been watching the webcam you might well have noticed that resident male LM12 has an injury on his right eye – this may have been caused by an abrasion sustained when his protective, translucent, third eyelid, also known as a nictitating membrane, was open.
Fortunately this injury seems to minor and it doesn’t seem to have affected his ability to fish. LM12 brought two perch to his hungry family at 20:05 and 21:20 this evening.”
Laddie’s eye appears to be perfect. He has brought in a big fish for Blue NC0 to feed the babies!
The two osplets of Dylan and Seren at Llyn Clywedog are almost the same size. They are terribly cute. It is pitching down rain there today and the third Bob has hatched. Congratulations Dylan and Seren.
Both eggs have hatched at the nest of White YW and Blue 35 at Foulshaw Moss in Cumbria. Congratulations!
Congratulations to Idris and Telyn on the hatch of their first chick of the 2022 season at 1628 on the 25th of May! It is Tiffin Cake all around in Wales today I am told.
Both of the osprey chicks on the UFlorida-Gainesville nest were fed by Mum this morning. They were both full with Mum betting a chance to eat the tail at 1105. Later images show them with a nice crop each.
Look at the size of Middle’s beautiful wings!
The only surviving osplet on the Dahlgren Nest in Virginia US used to be the size of the Bobs at the Loch of the Lowes and Llyn Clywedog. Just look at how big that chick is today!
It was heart warming to learn that the Friends of Big Bear had so many letters of support to stop the development in Big Bear Valley. Jackie and Shadow are much loved. In terms of social media stars, they have the highest number of visitors to their streaming cam than any other Bald Eagle nest. This is fantastic news.
The day that Spirit flies off the nest is coming. It could even be today. She has been on the branch flapping her big beautiful wings and standing on one leg this morning.
Was Spirit getting some advice for the future?
DC9 has been sitting on the rim of the nest looking out at the world from the National Arboretum nest in Washington DC. Mr President is doing a great job taking care of his only eaglet this year. Mum Lotus has not been seen for several days now.
The triplets at Pittsburgh-Hayes are starting to get out on the branches!
The oldest US Steel Eaglet is 50 days old today while the youngest is 47 days.
Liberty and Guardian have been making regular prey deliveries to Star and Sentry throughout the day. Some viewers have worried. There is a chat associated with the nest and the moderator will list the times of prey deliveries and visits from parents. The two eaglets are so large they take up the entire nest!
The eyases at the Manchester New Hampshire scrape continue to loose more of their fluffy down revealing their beautiful feathers.
The San Jose City Hall falcons are so cute. They are starting to lose their fluff revealing some nice feathers, too. Such cuties sitting there like little Buddhas. They are 20 days old today.
Here is a short video of Pedro meeting those chicks. Look at how much they have grown.
Talk about losing baby down! The two Red-tail Hawks at the Presidio Trust nest in San Francisco sure look a lot different this morning. I have not checked on them for awhile and they are big hawks!!!!!
It is a crazy time in Bird World. So many nests and everything happening from mating to fledging – with lots of intruders! Let us hope that all of our feathered friends have uneventful days. One of our readers asked about the Berry College eaglet. B15 fledged – if my memory holds true – on the 28th of April. She was still visiting the nest to everyone’s delight at 110 days old. Good solid eaglet. Pa and Missy continued to provide food for her.
Gorgeous picture that someone sent me of Pa Berry and Missy. (Do not know who to credit). They are a beautiful couple and did a fantastic job this year with B15.
This has been a long blog today. Please pardon any crazy typos or wording – I tried to cover too many nests! I will do a short check in on some of the nests with recent hatches later today. Take care everyone. Thank you for joining me.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Berry College Eagles, Presidio Trust, San Jose City Hall, Peregrine Networks, Redding Eagles, Pix Cams, NADC-AEF, FOBBV, Dahlgren Ospreys, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Dyfi Ospreys, Cumbrian Wildlife Trust, CarynXWild, Loch of the Lowes and Scottish Wildlife Trust, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, ND-LEEF, XCel Energy, Mlade Buky Storks, and Port Lincoln Osprey Project.
It is 8 degrees C and will be 18 Celsius today in Winnipeg. Our City is a bit of an island with areas north and south flooded and communities being evacuated. It is also the height of bird migration. So we truly did go from winter to summer. Crazy.
News of the morning. We have a pip at Cal Falcons for Annie, Alden, and Grinnell!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, fantastic.
Baby Steps! USS4 took its first baby steps. How sweet. Just look at those strong legs!
If you missed it, Spirit branched! Jackie and Shadow have done a fantastic job raising this super ‘spirited’ eaglet. What a joy it has been to watch her grow from that first pip to now.
Many of you watched the satellite/GPS tracking of Karl II as he returned from his winter home in the Chad and Sudan areas of African. Karl II arrived at his nest n the Karula National Forest in Estonia on 8 April 8. His mate, Kaia, arrived on April 12th. This couple – who fledged three last year – have four eggs this year. They were laid on 24, 26, and 29 April and on 1 May.
The image below is of Kaia aerating around the eggs. You can distinguish Kaia from Karl II not only because Karl is bigger but also he is banded and also has his satellite tracker on his leg.
Nancy was in the nest with E1 last evening. She is doing a great job at being an only parent.
We all love Shadow and Jackie. Here is an interesting story from yesterday but more interesting is the image of a young Shadow on the bottom right!
It was a foggy morning at the nest of Big Red and Arthur. Gosh I love that dark morph of Big Red’s plumage. She is so gorgeous.
L4 continues to delight. Here he is climbing over the gang from the back to get some breakfast. L4 was also seen having two crop drops by Cornell staff this morning. Way to go little buddie. No worries ever about Big Red and Arthur being able to handle four!!!!!!!!
It is not entirely clear what has gone on at the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest this morning. Mom was on the nest and there was a fish delivery. Was it Dad returning? or was it the intruder and the Middle wanted to be fed?
The chicks are standing and walking better. They are also growing with all the good fish that has come in. Just look at the size of that wing!
It is really a beautiful morning with the sun rising over the nest. This is Mum with the chicks.
There is what appears to be a remnant of prey but that is not Mum and that bird is not feeding the little ones. Note the design on the back of its head.
Is this Dad? I admit to not having looked at his plumage as carefully as I should have. The kids would like some fish. It is going to get hot on that nest this morning.
There you can see that design better. I wonder who this is? And where is Mum? Has she gone fishing? I will check back later to see how these two are.
I wanted to let everyone know about the pip at Cal Falcons. This is so exciting. Annie and Alden can hear the cheep-cheep of Grinnell’s chick and the egg tooth pecking away. Tears.
Bird World needs some good news and it is happening. Here is the link to their camera:
Thank you for joining me this morning. I will be back tonight with check ins on your favourite nests! Until then, I will be watching this pip while I ready the garden for summer today. 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: Cal Falcons, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Big Bear Bald Eagles, Pix Cams, MN-DNR, USSteel Eagles, and The Estonian Eagle Club.
You can count on the little eyases of Big Red and Arthur to put a smile on your face.
Arthur has certainly been busy filling up that pantry. I wonder if it is going to be a fur-lined nest this year??? L3 is currently hatching and there is a pip in L4.
Big and Middle at the Dale Hollow nest are incredibly beautiful. Hatched on 28 February and counting that day, they are 56 days old today. They will be with us for a couple of weeks longer. Take some time to check in on their nest before they fledge.
Hopefully they will continue to come to the nest so we can catch a glimpse of them like B15 at the Berry College nest who is 100 days old today. She popped in for a few minutes this morning and then off!
The two nestlings at the US Steel Bald Eagle Nest hatched on the 5th and 8th of April. They seem to be doing just fine. Thermal down is almost all in but the tops of their fluffy white ‘dandelion’ heads.
It is hot on that nest!
The pair are dreaming of fish – so is Mum!
All three chicks are on the rock and doing great at the West End Bald Eagle nest. Fantastic. They are still giving us reason to pause as they gaze over the edge to thee world that will be theirs way before we are ready for them to leave.
At the Redding Eagle nest, the list of name pairings has been short listed to three pairs. You must vote by 5pm the 26th (Tuesday) of April Pacific Time. The results will be announced that evening at 8pm Pacific Time.
It is free. Here is the link to vote so you can help name Liberty and Guardian’s two chicks who now weight between 5.5-5.7 lbs and are about a foot or 30 cm tall. Not quite the Canada Goose size of Spirit but they will be there soon enough!
They are gorgeous. It seems it was only yesterday that we were on pip watch at this nest!
I am shocked. I just checked on Little Bit at the UFlorida-Gainesville nest. He was still alive but being abused by Big at 13:18. This wee babe has gone through so much. It has an amazing will to live. Would love to see this nest turn around but Big has been after Middle all morning when there is food. It is a tough nest and there is definitely not enough food. Mum did get some off the last delivery. It is hot and she needs food too. I wonder what is causing the lack of fish?
Spirit who I mentioned is the size of a Canada Goose stands next to her proud Mum Jackie this morning.
The juvenile feathers are coming in on Harry and Nancy’s duo at the MN-DNR nest.
It is all good at the Two Harbour nest of Chase and Cholyn.
The two eaglets and the parents at the Decorah North nest are going well. Scary times in Iowa. If you live there the CDC has recommended taking down all bird feeders til the end of May.
And still smiling, the Pittsburgh-Hayes nest trio are good.
Mr President and Lotus’s Only Child is growing and doing well, too. Gosh, it is nice to run through the nest finding the chicks have eaten and are alive.
One of the fledglings at the Northeast Florida Bald Eagle nest of Samson and Gabby was on a branch this morning. Samson flew in with a fish later and there was no one on the nest. Samson ate a bit and left the rest. Later, one of the fledglings (I cannot tell which one) arrived for lunch! Excellent.
So beautiful in the light before IR camera turns off.
They grew up so fast. I remember when Rocket learned to self-feed before Jasper. Oh, I wish I could tell them apart now!
My earlier post had been sad. I hope that all of the nests continue to do well. I hope that Little Bit is released from its suffering. My next report will look at the UK Ospreys, the Storks, and all those falcons plus, of course, Big Red. But – I want to end with a really heart warming story of an Eagle family in the heat in Oregon who, with the help of a wonderful human and other helpers, saved it! Get a tissue. I needed this to end my day’s report!
Thank you for joining me today. Please take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Cornell Bird Lab RTH, DHEC, Berry College, Explore.org, Redding Eagles, Friends of Big Bear Valley, MN-DNR, Pix Cam, NADC-AEF, and NEFlorida Eagles-AEF.
There is fabulous news. Karl II is now in Latvia! This is the latest transmission posted on Looduskalender Forum.
So hopeful the camera is working tomorrow when Karl II arrives home. Then where is his mate? and the others? We will have to check on them.
The White Storks at Mlady Buky have returned to their nest in The Czech Republic.
Father Stork’s name is Bukachek. This is his new mate from the very end of the season last year. It will be fantastic to watch them raise their little ones this year. The river where they get their fish is across the highway and over by the forest.
Here they are flying in:
You may recall that Father Stork lost his mate in 2021 when she was killed on a hydro pole in the area. The loving community vowed to care for Father Stork and the nestlings. They brought small fish and set up a table for Father Stork. The storklets survived to fledge by the kindness of these people and we got to watch this miracle unfold through their camera.
Here is the link to their camera and this wonderful caring community:
Many of you will be unfamiliar with this nest and how the two engineers of Mlady Buky vowed to save the stork family. Here is a short video of them coming up the ladder with food for the little ones when they were wee and then when they were older. Tears were shed and messages of great thanksgiving over the gentle care and concern for Bukachek’s family.
US Steel Bald Eagles had their first hatch, USS4 on the 5th of April at 10:24:49. Egg #2 is making good progress pipping.
Just a beautiful nest area at US Steel Irvin Plant.
The triplets at the Pittsburgh-Hayes nest are doing fantastic. They were enjoying an afternoon snack.
Another Bald Eagle family with triplets. Just look at how much Thunder and Cheta’s triplets have grown. I am going to remember this nest for a long time and, particularly, for the turn around in Dad Akecheta to being mature and doing a great job caring for his family.
Spirit is five weeks old. She is growing stronger and stronger. Already there have been five good feedings and it is only 14:00 at the nest.
I also want to congratulate ‘A’ whose name suggestion of ‘Milagro’ was one of the 34 runner-ups at Big Bear. Thanks for taking part ‘A’.
The weather network says that is is about 100 degrees F over at the nest site of Chase and Cholyn where their day old hatchling is getting shaded.
It is equally hot at Redding and Liberty and Guardian are each shading an eagle. Wow. Isn’t that fantastic? This is the way Eagle parents step up to the plate to ensure that their chicks are cared for! Gold stars all around at Redding.
Feeding fast at the National Arboretum nest where it is raining and the new chick doesn’t have any thermal down yet!
Someone asked me why I like the UK Osprey nests. To answer that, I want you to first look at this image of Blue NC0 in her nest at The Loch of the Lowes in Scotland. She is the mate of LM12, Laddie, and last year they fledged two – a male and a female.
When you look out at the water how does it make you feel?
I respect the individuals and Trusts that manage the lochs and the nests. You will not see any motor boats in a frenzy with folks trying to catch the biggest and the most. You will not even see people in other leisure activities on the loch. The loch is off limits to activities during the breeding season of the Ospreys and that is from April 1 to the end of September. Now imagine that at a lake in the US! or Canada. Don’t I wish.
The eaglets at the Dale Hollow nest appear to be free of fishing line and that is a good thing.
Remember to turn in your name for the ‘New Guy’ that is really winning hearts and minds by rescuing Annie. They ask that the name be associated with the Campus. That appears to be the only restriction. Suggestions can be made publicly on their FB page:
I hope to have images of Karl II in his nest tomorrow and everyone can breathe a big sigh of relief. War and wildlife do not mix very well. As always our wishes are for their health and safety. Watch the Mlady Buky videos and feel joyful. Good people do exist!
Take care everyone. Thank you for joining me today. See you soon!
Thanks to the following for their streaming cams or FB pages where I took my screen shots: Looduskalender, Friends of Big Bear Valley, Pix Cams, Explore.org, NADC-AEF, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Loch of the Lowes, DHEC, and Redding Eagles.
I am a night owl and not generally up before 07:00. This morning I wanted to check on the status of the Dale Hollow nest. In all the sadness there, it is good to pause and to continue to thank all those amazing ‘bird’ mothers and dads out there. Over the years I have seen them separate chicks, get their mate to help with tandem feedings, and go fishing or hunting themselves to ensure that there was ample food for all on the nest. I am desperately trying to understand the ‘root cause’ of the issues at Dale Hollow that have taken us to this morning. River has come into the nest alerting and Big is still attacking. Rain started at 10:17.
It was a beautiful morning on the Gulf of Mexico at the Captiva Osprey nest in Florida. Lena was up waiting and trusting that Andy was going to get a fish on the nest for Middle and Little (Little and Mini). Andy did not disappoint!
The chicks are full and Lena is going to go for her bath to get off all the fish. Middle and Little look great!
At the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest of Samson and Gabby, breakfast has arrived. Jasper is being fed and Rocket is self-feeding. If you are new to this nest, the eldest, Jasper once demanded to be fed first and tried to keep Rocket from eating. Rocket became an expert at the ‘snatch and grab’. Rocket even took fish from the parents and was a pro at self-feeding early. Rocket learned great survival skills.
These two have not branched yet but that stage of their development is coming soon.
DG1 has had a few feedings already this morning at the Dulles Greenaway Bald Eagle nest in Virginia. Martin even took a turn at feeding the chick while Rosa had a break.
This little one is alert and ready for some more fish!
There is a second egg but time for pip is passing. Maybe this little one DG1 will be an only child.
There are three eggs being incubated at the Pittsburg Hayes Bald Eagle nest and this week we are on pip watch.
Are you a teacher looking for resources to teach about Bald Eagles? The Pittsburgh Hays Bald Eagle nest has posted a link to the Audubon Resources. Not a teacher? Have a peek. We are never too old to learn!
The US Steel Bald Eagle nest was built in 2019. Eaglets have fledged from that nest in 2020 (1 fledge) and in 2021 (2 fledges). There are two eggs being incubated on this nest and Dad is on duty this morning.
At the White-tailed Eagle nest in Matsalu National Park in Western Estonia, the breeding couple are on the nest. Last year, two eggs were laid. The first on 20 March and the 2nd egg on the 24th of March. Both chicks died. Cause of death was confirmed to be H5N1, the highly pathogenic Avian Flu.
The White-tailed eagles are extremely rare in the Balkans and it is hoped that this nest is successful in fledging little eaglets this year. Here is a link to the camera:
Milda is at her nest in Durbe Municipality near the city of Liepaja in Western Latvia.
Milda has a new partner this year after losing her long time mate, Raimis, last year after she had laid her eggs. Her new mate, Mr L, and Milda bonded last year. I hope that he is of good help to her and that this nest also has successful fledges this year. There are many interlopers and both eagles have been on alert today.
Everything is great at the West End Eagle nest of Thunder and Akecheta. The three sleepy heads looked around when it was time for breakfast! Like what, is it that time already!?
The to be named chick at the Big Bear Valley nest of Jackie and Shadow is 15 days old today. It is doing really, really well. It is good to keep in perspective the size of this chick compared to DH16, Little Bit, on the Dale Hollow nest. There are stressors on the little ones that cause a lack of feather development or lines in the feathers. This wee one is getting 8 or 10 feedings a day and is extremely healthy.
Big Red is patiently incubating her two eggs in the shade on the grounds of Cornell University campus in Ithaca.
That is it for me this morning. Every nest that we are following is doing well except for Dale Hollow. I really hate to see the Little Bit suffer. Nature is not kind. I hope to have some new Osprey arrivals for you late this evening. There is still no word on the cause of Big’s death at Captiva. We wait for the results.
Take care everyone. Thank you for being with me today.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Looduskalendar, Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Pix Cams, Friends of Big Bear Valley, West End Bald Eagles and the Institute of Wildlife Studies, Latvian Fund for Nature, The Eagle Club of Estonia, Dulles-Greenaway Bald Eagles, and NEFlorida Bald Eagles and the AEF.
