Tag Archives: Ventana Wildlife

Fledges and returns…brief Bird World News

9 August 2022

I hope this finds each of you well. We are just enjoying especially beautiful days lately with clear skies and ‘green’. It is the thing we miss most during the winter – the colour ‘green’. The juvenile Crows and Blue Jays are still coming for peanuts and water and for some nice swims in the bird bath. Of course they have to beat Dyson to those peanuts. The men have not closed up the bottom of the sunroom and I believe, if they went under, they might find about 30 peanuts Dyson has been putting there! I am waiting to see if these Crows and Blue Jays migrate. They do not always. Soon the migrating birds from up north will begin to make their way south. The Dark-eyed Juncos will be here demanding millet – on the red carpet!

There is not a lot of news in Bird World but what there is is fantastic.

The Fortis Exshaw Osprey Nest (put up by the power company of the same name) is celebrating today and so is ‘H’ who spent the day staring at the screen. She had a feeling that all three would fly today and — well, she was almost snookered when Dad came in with a fish but – yes, all three osplets at the Canmore Alberta site are now fledglings. This is fantastic. Thanks ‘H’ for your tenacity and belief. Mom had been on the distant pole urging them on. You can see her cheering her three babies.

This is the footage of the first fledge. (There is some buffering).

Fledge 2. The fledgling flew about for 2 or 3 minutes before returning to the nest.

Fledge 3.

Guess who is home? He doesn’t migrate but his mate does. The couple fledged two eaglets at their nest near Jacksonville. The nest this male Bald Eagle is using is the actual nest where he hatched on 23 December 2013. His father’s name was Romeo. His mother’s name was Juliette. Any ideas?

Gosh he looks good! If you said Samson you are correct. He has fledged 5 eaglets from this nest: Jules and Romey (2019), Legacy (2020), Jasper and Rocket (2021). Welcome home, Samson!

Gosh, things are just steaming up in Australia and Samson is home. Goodness.

More images of the Notre Dame eagles have been taken and posted. The three of them together a few hours ago. Lovely to see them. It is curious that our Little Bit 17 seems to always stay away from where 16 is…long memories.

The two sea eaglets at the nest in the Sydney Olympic forest are getting two big for that egg cup. They should be stretching those legs and skooting around the nest on their wrists. They are adorable. Pin feathers and all.

For all the California Condor lovers, the chick at Tom’s Canyon is really growing beautifully. Very hopeful.

Thank you so much for being with me. Cheer the Fortis Exshaw osplets. It was quite the day for their parents – all three fledging at once. So happy. They are going to have good time to create those flight muscles. Take care everyone. I will be back on Friday.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams, videos and or posts that became my screen captures: ‘H’ for the Fortis Exshaw videos, Fortis Exshaw, American Eagle Foundation- NEF Bald Eagles, Sydney Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park, Notre Dame Eagles FB, and Ventana Wildlife.

Tuesday in Bird World

Daisy arrived at her eggs in the Sydney Olympic Forest at 04:47:25. She is a little earlier than yesterday. There will be a full report on Daisy later today. She is alert and perhaps slightly nervous with what happened yesterday with the Ravens.

Ventana Wildlife Society have posted the release video of Iniko. Here it is:

The Port Lincoln Lads continue to fly around the cove and their parents continue to provide them with lots of fish to keep them in fit shape. Deliveries after noon include: 12:32 for Ervie, 14:45 for Bazza (a huge fish), 16:29 for Falky, and Ervie picks up the 16:34 delivery.

Ervie is on the left and Falky is on the right eating their fish. Look at how good those feathers are. These three are just doing fantastic!

I have to admit that I really miss the little Ospreys. Jack and Diane have been working on their nest at Achieva and the Osprey couple at Captiva were trying to mate yesterday.

My friend ‘S’ has sent me a great video showing Osprey fishing. It gives you some good insight into how physically fit these birds have to be to fish. Think about it. The male fishes all day long when there are eggs and chicks on the nest. Incredible.

Ken Phung is from Taiwan.

In Bald Eagle world, everyone is waiting for Anna at the KNF Bald Eagle Nest in Central Louisiana and Connie at the Captiva nest in Florida to lay their second egg today. Indeed, all of the Bald Eagle nests are busy – one way or the other. Gabby escorted the sub-adult female off her nest yesterday.

This is a short report. Daisy seems to have taken over my life – and I am happy but the other nests sure don’t get much attention. In our garden are 27 European Starlings and several hundred sparrows. It is cold today, -16 C. Feeders are full and everyone is depleting them!

Take care everyone. Full report on Daisy later today but for now the eggs were safe over night. Rain and storms predicted again which might help our little Duck. See you soon!

Thanks to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Port Lincoln Osprey Project. A big shout out to ‘S’ for the Osprey video. That is fantastic.

Watch Iniko live – and other Bird World news

For those of you excited about the release of California Condor #1031 Iniko, you can watch her and all the other condors up by the sanctuary live! Remember that Iniko and those released with her wear an Orange tag with black numbers!

The camera moves around the sanctuary. Here are a couple of screen captures of the site for you.

For those who love the Royal Albatross, OGK arrived home at 18:40:19 to relieve YRK so she could go and feed. There was a lot of allopreening (preening of another not yourself), sky calling, and cuddling. YRK let OGK on to incubate but stayed close to the nest for awhile. What a lovely couple.

Ranger Sharyn checks OGK’s egg and gives the thumbs up.
OGK admiring his egg and talking to it. So sweet!
OGK allopreening YRK on arrival.

Sharon Dunne posted a video of the exchange. Enjoy!

Last year was a very sad year for many bird nests. I recall the great sadness when both Peace and Hope died on the Captiva Island Bald Eagle nest. Those were two very unnecessary deaths. Someone near Lori’s property where the nest is located used rodenticide! Just crazy. The two beautiful chicks died. The parents, Joe and Connie, were overcome with grief. Indeed, it was that grief that Joe suffered that – well, caused him to leave or not defend his area well. It reminds me so much of Samson’s father Romeo’s grief. Connie is now with another male, Clive. Connie laid her first egg sat 05:55:37 this morning. We wish them well – and I certainly wish that people would remember and recommend RATS: Raptors are the Solution!

Good luck this year, Captiva!

Here is the link so that you can watch Connie and Clive. There is also a side camera. I just prefer the overhead to see all the action.

It has been a really busy day. Daisy did, as she has done the past two days. She stayed with her three eggs now until the newly laid one was dry and hard. She stretched to try and find leaves. This seems to be an issue – fewer leaves on the nest this year. One of my friends told me that there is also something different this year than last – a pair of Ring-tailed Possums has a nest in that same tree. That could be the reason that Daisy has not pulled out any down yet. Lady and Dad, the White-Bellied Sea Eagles that are unwittingly leasing their nest to Daisy were at Goat Island. It is hoped that they will remain there for the full month! My friend also noticed that the egg cup is very small this year. She hopes Daisy does not lay very many eggs so they can be covered properly allowing us the hope and Daisy that we will see ducklings jump. Anyone have any ideas on how to dump several huge baskets of leaves on that nest? The Port Lincoln lads continue to do well.

Thank you for joining me today. Take care all. See you tomorrow for Day 4 of the Daisy Chronicles.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Sea Eagles @ Birdlife Australia Discovery Center, Captiva Bald Eagles, Ventana Wildlife and Explore.org, Cornell Bird Lab and the NZ DOC.