Tag Archives: weather impacts birds

Puffin…Puffin…and other tales from Bird World

9 November 2022

Good Morning!

I hope that everyone is well.

Oh, it is the gloomiest of days. Wet and cold. The snow was forecast to turn to rain. And it did. The garden birds do not like the damp. They do sooooo much better if it is a dry snow.

Is it possible to lure any of the European Starlings into the lilacs to feed? There are 57 of them roosting in the back trees. The owner of the bird seed shop mentioned that maybe there is still enough food out in the fields for them. I paused and then realised that their big feeding frenzy began in January. Perhaps she is right.

Mr Crow and Junior were very happy when a new bag of peanuts arrived. Did I mention they sort through the peanuts for the heaviest ones? No sense carrying off a shell with nothing in it! So smart. So gorgeous.

The hanging light makes Junior’s feathers look more intense.

Even with their favourite suet they are not budging. The squirrels are happy, the Blue Jays have come for peanuts and corn, and the Crow has been in for peanuts and to yell at me because the water is frozen in the bird bath! He gets right on top of the conservatory glass roof and caws as loud as he can – like he used to do when the cats were in the garden. Speaking of cats, it seems once the weather turned bad their owners are keeping them inside. Of course, it does appear that all of the Hedwigs have met their demise because of the cats according to the neighbour. I am certain that he is right. I have not seen the rabbits since the summer and it is unlike them – all three of them – to be away for so long. With everything at Port Lincoln, I have convinced myself not to think about it.

Day 2. The UK Red List: The Puffin.

“Puffin with his catch.” by ohefin is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Their name means ‘Little Brother of the North’ and they are, by far, one of the most beloved sea birds around the world. Did you know that they can dive up to 60 m in depth? This really helps when they are feeding their young 24 times a day! Yes, seriously, 24 times a day. Think twice an hour if you take 12 hours off to sleep. Do Puffins sleep? But, there is a problem. Changing sea temperatures and pressures from yes, you guessed it – those big trawling fishing boats – is causing a food shortage for the Puffins. As Beccy Speight says in her article on the Puffins in Into the Red, “If the food shortages don’t get them, pollution events and ground predators (Rats, Mink, Cats) will. If we want our Puffins to be more than jolly pencil case illustrations, then sustainable fishing, protection of feeding grounds, considerate placing of offshore wind farms, a reduction in marine pollution and preventing ground predators from reaching nesting colonies are what’s needed” (90).

“Saltee Puffins” by JohnFinn is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

How cute and yet, how tragic that these beautiful sea birds are so vulnerable. Here are a couple of articles discussing the challenges that the Puffins face and it is not just in the UK.

Maine’s Puffin Population Are Doing “Strikingly Poor”

This is an article from an academic press discussing the Puffin chicks dying of starvation.

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.13442

Many of the issues facing Puffins can be mitigated. Two serious ones that need immediate attention are over fishing (because if we have the will we can do something about this) and nest predation. It is not too late to help in these areas.

Do you remember this poem about Puffins? Here it is with sound!

In what seems like another life now, I wrote about the work of Montana ceramic artist, Julia Galloway. Ms Galloway made a series of porcelain ginger jars. Each had a motif of an endangered species on it from the New England area of the US. One of those was the Atlantic Puffin. She notes, “The Atlantic Puffin has been listed as globally endangered due to climate change, pollution, overhunting, invasive predators, and gill nets, among other factors. Climate change has caused sea temperatures to rise, and this causes a decrease in the puffin’s abundance of prey and habitat.” Of course a lack of sufficient prey causes all manner of problems with breeding and the sufficient raising of offspring. What I did not know is that motorists are asked to check under their cars during the mating season and young puffins take shelter under the vehicles because they become disoriented by the lights. Galloway does acknowledge some of the efforts in the NE US including hunting bans and conservation efforts to cut back invasive plant species that are harming the Puffin’s nesting area. Decoys have also been placed on good nesting islands to lure these quite social birds to other areas to establish new colonies.

Like so many others, Galloway believes that art and literature might be the most effective means of encouraging people to stop, look at the natural world, and then, get mad and do something to help make our planet a better more biodiverse place for the wildlife.

In the Mailbox:

I have been sent quite a few links to videos on YouTube the past couple of days. I will spread them out. Today, ‘A’ sent me a compilation of events from Middle’s life at the Port Lincoln nest. She warned me to get a tissue and suggested that I turn off the music – which I did. You can also save it and watch later!

Australian Nests:

The scrape box located on the old water tower on the grounds of Charles Sturt University in Orange was full of prey this morning. It looked like the remains of a Starling plus two other birds. At one point, there was even a live bird in that box! Seriously. Apparently Xavier delivered it. Thankfully, Indigo lunged at the poor little thing and it took the opportunity to fly out the window.

Dad brought an early fish to the nest on the barge at Port Lincoln. Mom gave Big bites and took some good sized ones for herself, too.

Mum had a spa moment. I am so glad she is taking some time for herself. It has been a difficult season for this family.

I want you to have the link to the Friends of Osprey website. It is here that you can track our favourite South Australian male Osprey, Ervie! Here is the link and here is a good photo of Ervie with his tracker and some of his latest tracking.

https://friendsofosprey.com.au/

Handsome Ervie.

Is it possible that Ervie is one of the best known Ospreys in the world? It sure seems so!

Is Dad safe from the eyases on the perch?

Off he goes!

Eagle Nests:

Note: Tropical Storm Nicole is set to make landfall in Florida. From the map below you can see that the nest of Samson and Gabby in the NE area near Jacksonville is going to get hit hard as this storm increases in intensity. SW Florida the home of Harriet and M15 will get a lot of rain and, of course all of the other nests such as Super Beaks in central Florida will be impacted (Superbeaks is a private nest). It could get really bad. Please send all our feathered families your most positive wishes as they ride out this storm system.

Samson and Gabby continue to work on their nest near Jacksonville, Florida. What a gorgeous couple! You can tell by their size and also their white head. Gabby is always slightly ruffled while Samson’s is normally slicked down as if he had been to the stylist before arriving on camera.

The winds and some precipitation have started at Samson and Gabby’s nest this morning. It will intensify as Tropical Storm Nicole gets closer. The nest is rocking although you cannot tell it from the still image and the rain has begun.

Thunder was perched over on the cliffs near the West End nest she shares with her mate, Akecheta.

It was raining at the nest site where the couple raised The Three Amigos last breeding season – Kana’kini, Sky, and Ahote -on Tuesday.

This morning it is simply beautiful there. Oh, it would be so nice to see the Three Amigos again. If you need a ‘Three Amigo Fix’ check out the highlights that play often on the West End Bald Eagle nest.

This still does not give you any impression of the wind and the freezing rain pelting down on the nest of Shadow and Jackie in Big Bear Valley, California.

This was the scene at Big Bear last night. The camera seems to be offline now. You still cannot get good sense of the snow coming down.

The Decorah North Eagles are around the nest. Gosh do they ever blend in with the fall look of the Iowa landscape.

Louis and Anna have been working on their nest in the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana. There have also been some intruders coming around the nest! If only they would find the vacant E-2 nest. There is another couple Alex and Andria on the E-3 nest. It also has a camera and great sound system.

Ron and Rita have been working on their next in the Miami Zoo and – were having a meal there the last time I checked. It is safe to say that if you go to an eagle streaming cam and rewind you might be able to see the raptors there at some point during the day.

Migration News:

Waba has been feeding on the Sudanese side of the Nile River while Bonus has been feeding in Turkey. Neither have made any effort to leave their area to go further south into the center of Africa. There must be enough food and they must feel safe. We will check back in with them in a few days but, they might have found their winter homes. No news from Karl II or Kaia as is expected. Send good positive wishes for the four members of this family.

Thank you so very much for being with me today. It is so nice to have you with us! Take care everyone. We hope to see you soon.

Special thanks to the following for their posts, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: earth.org, There Once Was a Puffin YT, Julia Galloway, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Friends of Osprey, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, NOAA, NEFL-AEF, IWS and Explore.org, FOBBV, Raptor Research Project and Explore.org, KNF Bald Eagle E1 Nest, WRDC, and Looduskalender Forum.

Late Sunday in Bird World

16 October 2022

Once upon a time, someone asked me why I write a bird blog. What was in it for me? I smiled. First, I have met hundreds of the most caring people I could ever hope to meet. You. Your passion for and love of our feathered friends is infectious. Secondly, I cannot help myself. I love all birds and want to do whatever I can to help improve their living conditions and educate humans on what we can do to enrich their lives now that we have taken away their habitat, put toxins in the water where they get their fish, caused changes in climate. All of you know these things – which is also what makes you very special to me. You get it. One day I looked into the eyes of a female Sharp-shinned Hawk and ‘something’ transformed me. I will never be able to fully explain the connection with that raptor, at that moment, but it was intense. Not fear. It was as if the entire world stopped for those minutes. I have also learned something very special – nature and birds enrich our lives. They calm us when we are stressed out by daily living. Spending time with them is much better than paying a therapist!

In the Mailbox:

From ‘R’: “How do you deal with watching so many osprey chicks be killed by their sibling”?

‘R’, that is a great question and many have asked me something similar this morning. The real answer is that I don’t get over them. Each time one dies a piece of me goes off into the ether with them. I never forget them and their struggles and, I shed more tears than anyone knows for days after. At the same time, I rejoice – I mean jumping up and down cheering – when a third hatch that has been terrorized survives. It is my belief that they are clever, problem-solving, and will eat anything including the dry skin off a bone to survive. What I want to find out is if that translates into returning at two years to breed. Years of data still to come. As for Little Bob at Port Lincoln, my heart still aches and tears still flow. We watch them grow, we love them, we cheer them on to eat…it is difficult to see them come to harm.

I was touched by the many letters expressing the joy that Little Bob had brought to your lives and the sadness that nothing could be done to help him. Let us continue to support intervention. As one reader reminded me, ‘B’Dr Sharpe acted quickly to get permissions to help the eaglets in the Channel Islands clinging on the edge of a cliff for their life. Perhaps the authorities that give the permission for interventions in South Australia will come to understand that the tide of change in public opinion has already happened. We want nature protected and cared for! As humans we realize that many of the challenges faced by our raptors is because of us. Let us support having fish at the ready or by removing chicks to feed them and return them to the nests. Fix their eyes like CROW did for those little eaglets of Harriet and M15 (E17 and E18) or the removal of monofilament line at Captiva. Whatever it takes – much of their suffering is because of our bad habits – let’s fix things for them by being active in their lives in a positive way.

Making News: Videos and Posts:

Harriet and M15 have doubled the size of their nest. My goodness what a hard-working pair of Bald Eagles getting on with the job of replacing their home after Hurricane Ian destroyed it. Industrious. That is the word my mother would have used for these two! Well done, Harriet and M15!

Fishing gear – in the oceans, in the lakes, along the rivers and streams. It is absolutely dangerous for our water birds and other animals that live in the oceans. Individuals who partake in recreational fishing should take a course on how their equipment can harm wildlife. Commercial fishing vessels have to be held accountable in a manner that will harm their profits if they do not comply. They should also be required to load their hooks at night so as to lessen the chance for decapitating an Albatross. It is such a simple fix.

New study reveals ‘staggering’ scale of lost fishing gear drifting in Earth’s oceans | Fish | The Guardian

Nest News:

I really want to start with some good news and it is about Ervie and Dad. According to Fran Solly, Take2 Photography, Dad fishes at a place called Murray Point which is about 2-3 kilometres from the nest. It just so happens that is where Ervie fishes, too! They have plotted it on his tracker. So Dad and Ervie are fishing together. Just makes me smile.

Breakfast is being served in the three nests in Australia or, at least, I hope it is. Let’s check in and see what is happening.

At 367 Collins Street, that beautiful glow of the city just waking up had Mum flying off the nest at 06:16.

Off she goes!

Mum returned at 0639. She looked around. Was she expecting Dad to show up and feed the eyases? Then she began feeding them that fresh pigeon. One of the great things about falcon and hawk nests is the way the chicks are fed. Everyone gets food. Lessons are taught – Mum holds the prey higher or stands further back getting them to stretch those necks and get them strong. It was a great feeding.

Aren’t they adorable?

In Orange, Xavier came to the scrape at 06:20:59 with an unplucked Starling. Diamond was less than impressed. Xavier quickly took the bird to pluck it.

Xavier did not return with the Starling – well, not yet and it is 07:14. Rubus is really hungry. He is prey calling very, very loud.

Xavier returned to the scrape at 07:17:10 and got to feed his two babies a Rainbow Lorikeet. Oh, my goodness, Rubus was full. Talk about dancing talons (a phrase ‘A’ uses for the Mum at Port Lincoln when she sees Dad coming with a fish). Rubus was excited. Both chicks ate well. Xavier was determined to do a good job. He sure had them stretching their necks.

Xavier is very good at feeding Rubus and Indigo.

Loo, at that big bite Rubus is going to hork. Incredible. And Xavier in his cute little pajamas. Gosh, these male falcons are adorable.

When Rubus is full, he turns his back on the parent.

Xavier thinks otherwise….please eat some more, Rubus.

It is half an hour earlier at Port Lincoln and all were sleeping as the falcon scrapes prepared to begin their day.

The wind at Port Lincoln is making the water really choppy with some white caps on high waves. Apparently Murray Point is a sheltered area where Dad can find fish. He leaves early in the morning according to the local observers.

It is nearly 0800 at Port Lincoln and there is still no fish. The waves seem to be getting higher with more white caps. It could be a difficult day – easy to catch but hard to fly against that strong wind back to the nest. I have yet to see any beaking between Big and Middle. That is a good thing.

We will all wish for fish – enough for Mum, too.

Migration:

Checking on Karl II and his family, the Black Storks whose nest is in the Karula National Forest in Estonia. The Mum, Kaia, is in a dry part of Chad. She has flown the furthest.

Karl II is in Israel.

Bonus remains in Bulgaria near the River Bazau.

Waba is also in Bulgaria, east of Plowdiw.

Everyone in the family is fine. The transmissions have been good so far the last couple of days.

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their posts, their streaming cams which form my screen captures: Looduskalender Forum, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SWFlorida Eagles and video by Marti Lord, and The Guardian.

Harriet and M15s nest destroyed

29 September 2022

Thank you for your many notes and letters. I thought I should bring you an update on what is know so far and, in particular, about Captiva and SWFlorida nests.

As we wait to catch sight of our Eagles and Ospreys, the damage done to nests is slowly being revealed. There is no communication and the causeway bridge is virtually destroyed to Sanibel/Captiva. It is going to be some time before we know what has happened to the Osprey and Bald Eagle nests on Lori Covert’s property at Captiva.

Do we know about Harriet and M15?

What we do know is that the nest of Harriet and M15 at Fort Myers on the Pritchett Property is completely destroyed. The tree is still standing albeit there may be branches missing. What we know is that Eagles and Ospreys are extremely resourceful and hardworking when it comes to nests and no doubt Harriet and M15 will have a new nest ready for this breeding season! The cameras were also destroyed.

The nest of Ron and Rita in the Miami Zoo is fine.

The nest at the Achieva Credit Union of the Ospreys, home to Tiny Tot Tumbles, in St Petersburg survived intact – even the grass is still there!

I cannot find the streaming cam for Samson and Gabby near Jacksonville. It appears that there are currently power outages in the area as Tropical Storm Ian approaches. Samson and Gabby were last seen at their nest late Tuesday evening. Like Harriet and M15, they are strong eagles and would know where to hunker down.

This is the view of St Augustine which is just south of Jacksonville.

In other nest news, building also seems to have begun at the Notre Dame nest of our Little Bit ND17 in St Joseph’s Park in South Bend, Indiana. Dad has been caught on camera bringing in sticks! That is fantastic. We all worried that they would relocate elsewhere.

So many of you have asked about the birds – the Eagles and the Ospreys – that I hoped to find some positive information on sights. Not yet but we wait and hope.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or posts where I took my screen captures: to the person who sent me the image of M15 and Harriet’s tree thank you, Bald Eagles Nest Cam Live FB, WRDC, Cruise Radio, Notre-Dame Eagles and Achieva Credit Union.

Late Tuesday in Bird World

14 June 2022

I want to start this newsletter off with something wonderful! At the Redding California Bald Eagle nest, Sentry and Star are both on a high branch of the tree. Sentry has found his way home to Liberty, Guardian and Star who has yet to fledge. This is fabulous news!!!!!!!!

The weather in California is beautiful.

The bad weather returned to the Canadian Prairies and thus, also, to the MN-DNR nest of Nancy and E1. The tree is twisting around in the heavy winds at the moment and rain is pouring down.

There are floods in Montana and, we should check on Iris and her nest at Missoula. Iris did not spend the night on the perch or the nest that I could see. There is a wee bird that has made its home and nest under Iris’s big one. Can you see it?

The waters in the Clark Fork River are said to be rising. There are floods in various parts of Montana which means that it is difficult for the Osprey to catch fish. No wonder Iris did not want to share her fabulous catch yesterday with an intruder. Iris is simply amazing. There she is holding that precious fish and fighting off the intruder at the same time! Bless her heart.

The weather is quite bad at the Charlo Montana platform. (For Ospreys but occupied in March by geese…and not aware of current occupants, if any).

There are birds singing at Dunrovin!

Harriet continues to sit on her eggs even though they are well past the day to hatch. Swoop is supporting her. We wonder as do the folks at Dunrovin when they will quit hoping for their miracle.

Why do eggs not hatch? Dunrovin in their newsletter listed the following causes: cold weather, high humidity, lack of food, lack of egg fertilization. They noted that like many places it has been a very cold and wet spring in Montana.

The camera is still down at the ND-LEEF nest. It is 96 degrees at the nest – perhaps more higher up. Thoughts go to Little Bit 17 who desperately needs food (as do the other two but less so than 17).

The tea time feeding at the Loch of the Lowes left Middle and Big with gigantic crops. There was clearly enough fish for three. But we need fish for four – Mum has to eat, too.

Before Little Bob at the Loch of the Lowes was fish begging to Blue NC0 before she tucked them all in for the night. He first looked to see if Big Bob was in a food coma. He was. Little Bob is smart.

It would have been the perfect time for a fish to arrive. Little Bit would have had his fill along with Blue NC0! Sadly it was not to be.

Blue NC0 stood waiting and waiting for a delivery. Finally, everyone is in bed.

They are a beautiful couple – CJ7 and Blue 022 at the Poole Harbour Osprey Platform. Blue 022 brought in a nice big fish for CJ7 and the three Bobs at 21:08. These are first time parents making history in Poole Harbour. There have been no ospreys hatched in Poole Harbour for 200 years.

Know what? They are doing a fantastic job!!!!!!!!!

All is well at the nest of Idris and Telyn in Wales near the River Dyfi. Bobs are well fed and sound asleep. Another great Osprey couple. This is good news…we need all the good news we can muster. Good night Telyn. Good night Bobs. Good night wherever you are, Idris.

Gracious. Look at the crop on Mrs G!

Louis delivered a real whopper to Dorcha and the two surviving chicks at Loch Arkaig. What a monster. Everyone is going to eat well – a good time for it to come on the nest. Hopefully the weather will start giving this nest a break.

Middle Bob looks sassy!

The sheep are bleating. Aran is on his perch and the kids are asleep. It looks like Mrs G is going to go into food coma, too!

Notice the grass growing in the nest. In Finland they have noticed that grass growing in the Osprey nests actually helps hide the chicks from predators. Quite interesting.

At Rutland, the three osplets are fast asleep and Maya is going to take some time to enjoy some fish before lights out, too. Looking forward seeing these three ringed any day now.

The Bobs are still quite small compared to those at the Loch of the Lowes but everything at RSPB Loch Garten with Mr and Mrs AX6 and chicks seems fine.

It is 21:30 at the Llyn Clywedog nest in Wales – the nest of Dylan and Seren and the three Bobs. Seren is giving Dylan grief and telling him to go and get some more fish. Meanwhile the Bobs have eaten very well today. It takes a lot more fish to feed these fast growing large Bobs – and Mum.

Did you know that there are less than 1500 ospreys in the whole of the UK? That includes juveniles, too. There are a little less than 100,000 in the US. I hope to find out the distribution in the US. There are many in the US and the Cape area in the NE area of the US.

At the Manchester NH Peregrine falcon scrape, Clem was returned this morning. It looked like she wasn’t going anywhere for some time and then – she fludged again.

Colum, one of the males, is at the nest now. Little Colby fludged too but photos of him doing well have been posted on the groups FB page.

Lindsay and Grinnell Jr were ‘loafing’ earlier this morning and now I can only find one of them playing hide and seek. Fledge watch is on.

Alden is doing some ‘loafing’ too. Once those two chicks fledge he is going to be even more busy! So glad he signed up for all of this. You are fantastic, Alden.

Gosh. Do you remember when Alden had no idea how to feed a chick? maybe he had never seen one! – most likely.

Both fledgling ospreys from the UFlorida-Gainesville nest were having a fish dinner at 18:00! Lovely. These two have figured it out perfectly. Fly and get your wings strong. Learn about landings and take offs. Fly to the nest and be fed by Mum and Dad. When you are ready, 60 million years of knowledge will have you catching fish without realizing it….if there are fish to be caught.

They are gorgeous!

Oh, those three Black storklets of Jan and Janika are doing fabulous in rehab care at the Vet Clinic. The plastic decoy mother fell into the nest and the chicks were delighted!

Notice also that a couple of times they work to stand on their feet not walk on the ankles. It will not be long til they are standing and walking. Lovely crops. So healthy!

Today has had some really good news. We will continue to watch the Loch of the Lowes nest as well as wait for word of the ND-LEEF nest and Little Bit 17. Did I saw it was 96 degrees on the ground at the nest – hotter above! I hope 17 got some food.

Thank you so much for being with me. Lots of fledge watches – Star at Redding, Star at West End, the Cal Falcons, L4 at Cornell, National Arboretum, etc. The list is long! Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I grabbed my screen captures, for their FB postings and for the videos uploaded: Liz M and EMU, Peregrine Networks, Cal Falcons, Friends of Redding Eagles, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Friends of Redding Eagles, MN-DNR, Montana Osprey Project, Owl Research Project Explore.org, Dunrovin, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and Scottish Wildlife Trust, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Dyfi Ospreys, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, LRWT, RSPB Loch Garten, Scottish Woodland Trust, Friends of Loch Arkaig and People’s Post Code Lottery, and CarnyXWild.

Late Friday and early Saturday in Bird World

3 June 2022

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.

https://www.berkeleyside.org/2022/06/03/uc-berkeley-falcon-chicks-named?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_Berkeleyside&fbclid=IwAR2D4rTGlpKapV-olCBx9PmZ2-b2UxIw2Av0OIEmszDhWFQXw4pRrkyakp8

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.

Is a Tragedy Brewing at Dyfi and Clywedog plus other tales in Bird World Thursday Morning

26 May 2022

The Osprey season in the UK is getting off to a very stormy start. First, the Perch almost kills the chicks at Manton Bay when it flaps them, Laddie’s eye appeared to be injured, and now we have a missing Dad and another chick under a fish. The weather is terrible and fishing is difficult. Rain and damp. It reminds me of how the season began in Wales last year. I hope the weather and life on the nest improves soon.

The fish flap. The wee little hatch of Idris and Telyn is under it but it appears that Telyn does not know. She knows something is not right as she is restless but not precisely what it seems or she would be moving the fish. The good thing is the nest cup is deep and there are two more eggs and a shell under there. Fingers must be crossed and positive wishes. It seems like we just watched this happen at the Manton Bay nest of Blue 33 and Maya. I hope the ending turns out as well for the Dyfi couple.

Later. The fish has yet to be moved. Seren can’t seem to find the wee hatch. Let us just hope this turns out alright. At this moment, the chick has been under the fish 90 minutes. I hope it is sound asleep in the egg cup while all of us worry.

Dylan has not been seen since yesterday. Dylan is normally very reliable and I am worried about him and what will happen at this nest. He is known to chase intruders as far away as 25 miles from the Llyn Clywedog Osprey nest stopping to pick up Brown Trout on the way home. There are three very hungry chicks on that nest with Seren. The weather has been terrible.

Seren has been fish calling and fish calling. She just let out a few loud calls. I hope that she has seen Dylan. John Williams who is on the chat and really takes care of this nest says that the weather has been so bad that Dylan might have had to go even further to get fish today. I sure hope that is what is going on!

Seren and Dylan’s three chicks calling for food. The intruder in the area is believed to be Dylan. The weather is terrible for fishing. John Williams has said that it is to improve tomorrow but right now Seren needs a fish of any size and shape for the babies! Oh, how I wish the Ospreys would stack up fish on the nest like some of the eagles do!

LOL. Everything is happening at once. Egg 2 has hatched for Idris and Telyn and it looks as if the fish has been pulled away a bit!!!!!!

The Glaslyn nest is fine but it is very windy and damp in Wales. Aran and Mrs G have their first hatch. Quite the cutie.

Aran brought Mrs G a nice Flounder after the hatch.

Aran sees the chick for the first time.

Everything seems to fine with Laddie’s eye at the Loch of the Lowes Osprey nest. Fish have been arriving and Blue NC0 has been feeding the three chicks. The two older boys are picking on the third hatch. Just so everyone knows.

After the initial terrifying time at the Manton Bay nest at Rutland with the fish trapping the two chicks and one being left exposed (Middle Bob) for 5-6 hours, life on that nest is back to normal. The three are in their Reptilian Phase and are growing like mad. I really like how Blue 33 acts as a security guard at the nest while Maya is feeding.

Mum was on the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest this morning at 07:14. She did not have a fish and was fish calling. She flew away shortly after. It is now past 11:00 and I have not seen a fish delivery on this nest yet. (I could have missed it!)

Little Bit 17 has, so far, had two feedings. The first was at 06:34 and the second was from 08:25-08:33. Lots of bites at the first feeding and a lot of fish at the second.

Life is good at the ND-LEEF nest.

DC9 has branched at the National Arboretum nest this morning.

This is a very short report on how the Osprey nests are doing – or not – with a check in on Little Bit 17 and the Ospreys at UFlorida-Gainesville. I hope each of you has a lovely day. My report this evening will be coming very late. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: CarnyXWild, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, LRWT, ND-LEEF, NADC-AEF, Dyfi Osprey Project, and Brywd Gwyllt Glaslyn.

Three fish deliveries to UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys!

6 May 2022

It is hard to believe the change in a few days. The intruders made it virtually impossible for the parents to get food to the two osplets on the UFlorida-Gainesville nest. That caused a lot of tension on the nest with the youngest chick, Middle, often getting left out. This morning there has been three – yes 3 – fish deliveries before 0900. Unbelievable. The chicks are certainly not fighting.

The first fish came in at 0642. Both were up. At the onset it appeared that Big had the advantage. Middle moved back and forth to the middle of the nest always returning to Mum’s beak. At 0746 Middle had a nice crop.

Big is to the left of Mum with the darker plumage and Middle is to the right.

Middle has a really nice crop! Lovely.

The second fish – to the astonishment of everyone – arrived at 0810. Middle was right there but Mum moved the fish to the other side of the nest. By 0812 Big was settled in eating. Mum continued to feed Middle then alternated with Big. Middle cleaned his beak at 0827.

Once again Big is on the left and Middle is on the right. What a nice fish!

Big gets full and leave and Mum continues to feed Middle. Big will move back up again but both had nice crops and, in the end, of the two fish were fed pretty equally.

I don’t think anyone believed it but Dad flew in with another small piece of fish at 0847. Middle took advantage of the placement. Everyone ate, including Mum and all are full.

All will be nicely hydrated and full for the long hot day ahead.

It has been a really good morning for Mum and the two osplets.

The weather in Gainesville is currently 23 C reaching a cooking high of 32 C or 89.6 F. It is going to be really hot up on that nest. Dad was smart to go out early and fish while it is cool before the fish go deeper in the water. Winds are 11 kph with a humidity of 88%. Hot and humid.

Excellent news on a nest that had one incident of siblicide and a second chick suffering due to a lack of food. Today is a good day. We will celebrate that!

Thanks for joining me this morning. I am off to check on the falcons, hawks, and eagles. Take care all. See you soon!

Thank you to the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey streaming cam where I took my screen captures.

Early Sunday in Bird World

1 May 2022

Eggs are starting to hatch in some of the European stork nests as well as the falcon nests in North America and the UK. It is a really exciting time for bird lovers of all species. Even the White-bellied Sea Eagles (WBSE) are starting to work on their nest in Sydney, Australia. I cannot believe how fast time flies – like a falcon!

This morning, 1 May, at the nest of Wilma and Wilfried in Lindheim, Germany, the 5 White Stork eggs began to hatch shortly after dawn. Two hatched right away and a third is pipping. Hopefully, the other two will come quickly also. The previous male at this nest, Wilheim, lived to be 30 years old, disappearing in 2020.

Lindheim is a short distance north and slightly west of Frankfurt.

The countryside is gorgeous.

Here is a link to this streaming cam:

Bukachek and Betty have five White Stork eggs at their nest in Mlade Buky, The Czech Republic, too. Soon there will be storks hatching everywhere! If you travel to Spain and Portugal you will also see storks everywhere- nests on top of all the buildings! I am told that this is true in parts of Poland – . Storks are symbols of joy and the promise of a bright future. No wonder they are looked after so well and welcomed.

Here is the streaming cam for Bukachek and Betty:

At the Black Stork nest of Karl II and Kaia in the Karula Forest in Estonia, Kaia shows Karl II their fourth egg this morning. Karl II is the banded stork with the transmitter. Kaia is so tiny. This is their second season together. Last year there were three hatches and each fledged.

This is the link to Karl II and Kaia’s streaming cam:

The White-tail eaglets in the Tucholskie Forest in Poland had a big feed resulting in huge crops and sound sleep.

This is the link to this camera:

At the Weissenburg Peregrine Falcon nest, three of the four eggs have hatched. The first hatch was on 12 April quickly followed by the second on the 13th and the third on the 14th. The fourth egg was deemed to be non-viable. The chicks will be ringed when they are older.

Oh, a little cuddle puddle.

This is the link to the streaming cam for the falcons:

That is a quick look at some of the nests in Europe that you may or may not be familiar.

Oh, goodness, you want to see little eyases in the US? There are three – one newly hatched – at the Manchester, New Hampshire scrape! So cute…There is one more egg to hatch but it might not. There is no pip. And sometimes only one out of three or four falcon eggs hatch. The smallest wee babe hatched during the early morning hours and is already dry while the others know to hold those pink beaks high and keep them open for food

Here is the link to the falcon streaming cam in Manchester, NH:

There are also two eyases at the falcon scrape in Utica. These two hatched on the 27th of April. You can see how quickly they have grown compared to the wee ones at Manchester. Cute.

Here is the link to the streaming cam at Utica, NY:

It is early morning in Captiva and Middle (Little) is waiting in his tree perch for Andy to bring a fish to the nest. Squint. It is the tree in front of the palm and Middle Little is at 3 o’clock. Just a tiny white dot.

Big Red and Arthur have already had a change in brooding. Gosh, Big Red must get ‘stiff’ hunched over those four wiggly eyases all night.

Just look at Arthur! Lots of people doubted if he would be able to cover all those chicks. Arthur, you look like a pro!

Breakfast for the Ls as the sun rises.

It is raining in many parts of the US and the three eaglets at the Pittsburgh-Hayes nest are positively soaked this morning.

Mum is trying to keep the two at the US Steel Irwin Plant nest dry – but the poor babies aren’t babies anymore!

It looks like it is a little wet at the Dale Hollow Bald Eagle nest where Big and Middle are waiting for breakfast to arrive.

It is raining at the site of the Minnesota DNR Bald Eagle nest of Nancy and ‘missing’ Harry. There is only one eaglet on the nest. Yesterday, E1 shoved E2 off the nest. Its injuries were such that it had to be euthanized.

The male, Harry, disappeared Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, Nancy caught a huge fish and brought it to the nest. Both of the eaglets were full as was Mum. She has, as far as I know, not been able to hunt since then. This means that E1 and Nancy have not eaten since Wednesday. There is an intruder that is stopping Nancy from leaving her eaglet. — This could turn into a very sad situation quickly for all.

Nancy tried to feed her only eaglet from the old bones in the nest yesterday.

She has found something this morning. Wet and continuing sadness, possibly.

The two surviving osplets at the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest are getting their beautiful juvenile feathers. Both are eating and the tension at the nest does not appear to have returned.

If you missed the Ventana Wildlife Society’s Zoom chat a few days ago, they have archived that discussion about the California Condors. They are in the process of rebuilding the ‘pen’ at Big Sur after the Dolan fire two years ago. Redwood Queen has an egg that could hatch any moment and much more news.

This is the latest tracking received on our sweetie pie, Ervie. He made a visit to Boston Island on the 29th! Wow. Ervie still hangs around the hotel and his favourite tree in Port Lincoln most of the time. I wonder how that talon of his is growing and healing? Ervie, if you could pay a visit to the barge we might be able to check! It sure would be nice to see you.

And last for this morning but absolutely never the least – the Peregrine Falcon scrape at The Campanile on the grounds of UC-Berkeley. It is the home of Annie and Alden (and 2 eggs of Grinnell’s). Cal Falcons likes data and they are predicting, from past experience, when Annie’s eggs will hatch.

Now I cannot be there but if you live in the San Francisco area, why not join Sean and Lynne and all the other CalFalcon lovers on 6 May? It looks like fun!

The ground in southern Manitoba is soaked and the water in the rivers continues to climb. Deer are trying to find dry ground, many walking along the railway lines that are slightly higher, in search of a spot and some food. Some communities are completely flooded. So far we have managed to keep the bird seed relatively dry in the garden despite the rain. The migrating birds continue to arrive and this includes the Ospreys that were spotted yesterday.

Our mayor, Brian Bowman, posted some images from inside the floodway yesterday. Some individuals are having trouble with seepage and flooding – I am fine. Thank you for all of your concern but so far, so good! This is a view of our downtown area facing St Boniface, the wonderful French area of our City. That large building is the Human Rights Museum.

@Brian Bowman Mayor’s Office

If I missed your favourite nests, I will try and include them in the next report. Thank you so much for joining me. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cam and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Cornell Bird Lab RTH, MN-DNR, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife, Pix Cams, Mayor Brian Bowman FB, DHEC, Cal Falcons, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Bielik Online Bory Tucholskie, Storchennest Lindheim, Ziva Kamera Mlade Buky, Utica Falcons, Peregrine Networks, Port Lincoln Osprey Project FB, and Eagle Club of Estonia.

Late Tuesday and Wednesday in Bird World

12-13 April 2022

We continue to shovel the walkways so that we can put down seed. Then it snows lots more and we do it again!

It is nearing 23:00 on the 12th of April. The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) are closing all of the major highways in the province where I live. This is unprecedented and will actually be quite helpful in keeping people safe. For at least two days we have known about the historic storm that is due to arrive in a few hours and have been told to stock up on medicines, batteries, candles, food, etc. All of the schools are closed. As for me I am sitting back and waiting and watching the MN-DNR Bald Eagle nest south of me in Minnesota to see how this system plays out with those eagles.

The nest is in a severe thunderstorm watch area. The winds were gusting earlier. I caught a few minutes of the nest as it creaked and swayed.

It is currently raining and the nest is still blowing about but not nearly as bad.

This is the nest Wednesday morning. They have gotten rain but not the snow that we are experiencing that is confusing many of the smaller birds such as the Juncos.

There have been two recent visits of Ervie’s to the Port Lincoln Osprey nest. One was 17:42 on the evening of the 12th (last night). The other was this morning, the 13th in Australia. Ervie arrived and then left and returned with a puffer.

In the image above, you can see the missing talon. Ospreys only have four talons. The image below has caused a lot of confusion. Does the nail on the right top belong to a different foot? or the one with the missing talon?

Is Ervie missing one or two talons? or is one curled under? Everyone is looking very closely at Ervie’s feet.

I wanted to do a quick check of many nests this morning so we can see how they are doing.

The rain from yesterday seems to have stopped. Both Big and Middle Little at the Dale Hollow nest are dry and there are large pieces of fish on the nest. Little Middle had a nice feed earlier, too. So all is well with those two!

This nest has settled down.

This is the Llyn Clywedog Nest of Dylan and Seren. It is gorgeous. Dylan is notorious for bringing back trout to the nest! Sadly, yesterday, a goshawk came and sat on this nest. Goshawks tend to like to lure the Ospreys into the forest where they attack. Fingers crossed that it will not return!

Aran and Mrs G together on the perch first thing on the morning of 13 April. Aran at the back and Mrs G with her really dark face at the front.

Handsome Aran with his fish on the perch at Glaslyn later in the day. Did he bring it for Mrs G? where is she?

Idris and Telyn on the perches at the Dyfi Nest. All is well.

Blue NC0 laid her first egg on April 12 at 18:35. What a beautiful nest at the Loch of the Lowes – so soft and comfy – and personally, one of the most gorgeous sites in all of the Osprey breeding areas.

Laddie LM15 comes to take his turn helping his mate Blue NC0.

CJ7 has been bringing nesting materials into the alternate nest at Poole Harbour. Blue 022 has been seen sky dancing all over the place. I hope he stays at Poole Harbour!

All is well at Rutland Water. Maya is incubating three eggs. Fantastic.

If you are following the UK arrivals, here is a good chart for you.

Thank you to Friends of Loch Arkaig FB Page for posting his chart.

Moving back to North America, the three osplets at the U of Florida at Gainesville continue to do well. Little Bob is still with us! And that is a good day.

Strong winds took out the camera at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta on the 12th.

Calmer winds are forecast for the Channel Islands today. That is fantastic. Looks like the view is pretty good from Two Harbours already. That wee one of Chase and Cholyn’s looks so tiny in that huge nest!

Andy has delivered fish. Little (or Mini) is calling for fish in the image below while Big flaps its wings.

Gosh, those chicks of Andy and Lena’s are sure beautiful. They will surely pop the corks when these two fledge! It has been a good year for Captiva Ospreys.

Mr President and Lotus’s chick has a nice big crop this morning. That little fuzzy teddy bear of a shape has sure changed over the past week! No signs of bad weather at the National Arboretum Nest in DC.

It is a little wet and windy in Iowa at the Decorah North nest. I wonder if they are going to get any of the system that is impacting us?

This is an image of Majestic, the Ambassador Bald Eagle for Wildlife Haven, our local rehabber. She has been part of a fund raising campaign because of the Avian Flu. She has been moved indoors where she will be safe. Everyone loves Majestic!

The Manitoba Wildlife Federation is sponsoring a virtual talk/discussion on what is being done about Avian Flu in our province on 19 April at 7pm. Here is the link to sign up. It is free. Since it is virtual and if you are wanting to learn more about Avian Flu, why not sign up?!

Avian Flu Seminar

Hancock Wildlife in British Columbia is having a GoFundMe drive for nests for Bald Eagles. David Hancock is ‘the eagle man’ in Canada. Most of you probably know him. He reminded me today that when he was sixteen years old and living at Blaine Harbour, you would see white buckets on the fishing boats with eagle legs. Yes, the legs cut off. They would be shipped to Alaska for $2 a pair. That was 1954. Sadly, David says that the same attitude of neglect towards the Bald Eagles continues.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-new-home-for-our-delta2-eagles-nest?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer

Thank you for joining me today. We are busy trying to take care of the birds that come to our garden as best we can. The squirrels are tucked up warm and no where in sight. Take care everyone!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Osprey Project, MN-DNR, DHEC, CarnyxWild, Brywd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Dyfi, Scottish Wildlife, Poole Harbour, Rutland Water, UFL Ospreys, Explore.org, Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife, NADC-AEF, and Wildlife Haven.

Ervie is on the PLO nest! – and other Bird World news

12 April 2022

I want to start with Australia and this will be a quick blog so you can go see Ervie on the nest yourself. Thank you to ‘B’ for alerting me to his presence! Much appreciated.

Ervie has another Puffer fish. He lands in the cave and lands by Dad at 10:11. Oh, I hope they have time for a chat after.

PLO have zoomed in nicely. You can see that missing talon that is growing in ever so slowly. One of my readers commented about the sharp teeth of the Puffer and wonders if one of Ervie’s delicacies might have bitten that talon. Sure could have! It is likely that the Puffers are easy for Ervie to catch with that missing talon. Perhaps Mum and Dad are also supplementing fish???

Whatever caused Ervie to stay around Port Lincoln and the barge, I am liking it. It is the first time that we have been able to watch a fledgling Osprey months after they have flown.

In the image below, you can clearly see Ervie’s missing talon. You can also see that it appears it is growing in – like our nails, it is made of keratin.

The feathers are a little frayed.

Save for the talon, Ervie looks pretty good. It is just so nice to see him. Reassuring in a weary world.

Ervie. You are so adored!

It is always hard to imagine when the chicks are little on the nest that within a few months they will be all grown and flying. This evening I stopped in to check on Little and Middle (or Little and Mini) at the Captiva nest. They are beginning to hover but what caught me was Little. I have always called him a ‘he’ but she stood next to her Mum, Lena, and called out just like a female hollering at the male to get the fish in. Meanwhile Middle was trying to sleep and ignoring it all. Little didn’t stop after I quit taping her calling. Oh, no, she kept going. Every time she saw a bird and thought it might be Dad with a fish. Lena didn’t have to call at all. Too funny.

Little or Mini getting air under those wings. Won’t be long!

Little or Mini.

Middle (or Little). Elegant. Focused.

I wanted to check on the MN-DNR nest of Harry and Nancy. I was hoping to find a new stocked with prey and, with the Avian Flu in the region, a nest of fish. I found some turtles, some eaten, some not.

The winds are blowing much worse at this eagle nest than they are where I am living. I hope this baby gets under Nancy and holds on tight!

This is the link to their camera so you can check on them if you wish.

There is also a Peregrine Falcon cam. the couple have 1 egg in the scrape. I admit to knowing nothing about this nest but have added it to the list of my falcon nests for watching.

Spirit was looking out of the nest at the same time as Jackie. Oh, how cute this little eaglet is. Jackie and Shadow must be terribly proud.

The Pittsburgh-Hayes triplets have crops like Spirit. Nice.

I am going to close so that those who want to go and see Ervie can. Thank you so much for joining me. Thank you to my Eagle-eye Readers who spot Ervie and let me know. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: MN-DNR, Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife, Friends of Big Bear Valley, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, and Pix Cams.