Tag Archives: West End Eagles

Late Monday news in Bird World

25 July 2022

Oh, I hope that you had a good day wherever you are. Everything ‘seems’ to be fine in Bird World.

The rain has started pouring down – just a couple of minutes ago. Before that the three every-growing-larger Crow juveniles were having fun in the Bird Bath, eating their sandwiches and peanuts along with Dyson, the Blue Jays, and a host of sparrows. Dyson has to have a nest somewhere. She has a very short tail and I was told that she would line the nest with the fur. She is ‘quite large at the back end’ my daughter responded when she saw her. Baby squirrels soon? We hope. Lots and lots of peanuts were put out so everyone had plenty.

I just checked on the Osoyoos Osprey nest. I could not see the time stamps but Olsen apparently brought in at least one large fish to Soo today! There was an early one and one later and maybe some in between. The chatters were happy.

The smallest eaglet on the White-bellied Sea Eagles nest, SE30, needs a shampoo. There is fish juice stuck to all of the soft down on the top of its head. You can easily identify who is 30 and who is 29. 29 is also bigger. That extra day surely makes a difference at this stage. I stayed with the feeding to make sure that 30 got fish and it did! Lady tried 29 and its beak was closed and 30 moved to the other side for bites.

I am always asked if the female Ospreys bring fish to the nests. Oh, yes, they do! They normally do not do this until well after the chicks have fledged unless there is a need (for example, the male disappears or the fish deliveries are not enough). Rosie brought Brooks a nice piece of fish today. Brooks has been doing a lot of flight training.

Blue 33 landed at 17:52 with a really large fish – including the head. Two of the female fledglings had been on the nest fish calling to Dad when the third flew in wanting any leftovers on the Manton Bay nest.

It was delightful seeing all three girls on the nest and Dad. It is always nice to ‘see’ that everything is going to plan. It is not often you catch them on the nest and all seems well.

That is such a nice fish. I wish that Soo could have just one that size for her and the Osprey chicks in Osoyoos every day. What a difference it would make in their development.

Watching Osprey and Eagle families is very educational. You do not appreciate the necessity for good plentiful food until you have seen a nest suffer from lack of prey with stress lines in the feathers of the chicks and babies dying from starvation. It is the same with human animals.

There are so many Osprey nests and Daisy and Duke at the Barnegat Light nest have fallen off the radar. There the two surviving osplets are – goodness, full plumage – ready to go! (The third was accidentally pulled out of the nest cup at a very young age and died).

Every year I remember a friend telling me that if I really loved the plumage of the Red-tail hawk juveniles then just wait til I saw the fledgling Sea Eagles! But…I know we all have our favourites – there is nothing for me that can improve on the plumage of the fledgling Ospreys. I think they are much more beautiful than their parents! And wish they did not have to change. I would say the same for the Sea Eagles – juvenile sea eagles with their creams, golds, coppers, browns are smashingly beautiful.

The three osplets of Dory and Skiff are simpy adorable. They line up nicely for dinner and no one seems to want to cause the other any big problems. They are now standing and learning how to walk on their feet instead of their knees.

Oh, just look. Kissed by the peach at the nape of the neck and on the ends of the feathers with that dark eye line. How many young women wish they could get their eyeliner to look like that?

Dory did a great job – a big shout out – for this first time Mum. Skiff did, too!

The camera at Two Harbours in the Channel Islands panned around and caught one of the adults perched. Then they did nice close ups of Lancer waiting for a fish!

Lancer waiting patiently at time for a fish delivery – until she sees an adult and she really lets them know she is hungry!!!!!!!!!!

At the West End, Thunder was out on the Lookout Rock. Yesterday Akecheta brought Kana’kini a fish on the natal nest. I did not see any of the juveniles today. Did you?

At Fraser Point, Lilibet was on the perch and then on the nest eating a small piece of prey. Gosh, she’s gorgeous.

Ah, if you go to the Glacier Gardens Eagle nest and re-wind you can find spots where the camera does not have moisture on the lens. Peace and Love are getting big and they have been working their wings! I did notice that the rain has caused them to look a little ‘rough’. They will fluff back up quickly.

It is gently raining at the Big Bear Valley nest of Shadow and Jackie. Gosh it looks lonely without Spirit and her parents. Did you know that this is the one of the highest Bald Eagle nest in the US? The nest itself is 44 metres or 145 ‘ up in a Jeffrey Pine. The elevation is, however, 2164 metres or 7100 ft.

This is just a hop, skip, and jump through a small number of the nests we are watching. The nest of concern remains Osoyoos and it is doing well today. Fingers crossed and positive wishes for tomorrow and the next day. Thank you so much for joining me. It is such a nice change when the news is all good. Thank you so much for joining me. Please take care of yourselves. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their FB posts and streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Osoyoos Ospreys, SF Bay Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Friends of Big Bear Valley, Glacier Gardens, Explore.org and the IWS, Explore Audubon, Barnegat Light Ospreys, Sydney Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park, and LRWT.

Ervie went fishing and other early Sunday news in Bird World

24 July 2022

We are all starting to get ’empty nest’ syndrome as the Bald Eagle fledglings make their way into the world and the Osprey fledglings in the Northern Hemisphere begin flying, returning to the nest less regularly unless they are being fed by their parents there. Migration begins within a fortnight in the UK, some females leaving early while others hold on a little longer. The female Ospreys are out fishing – bringing whoppers to the nest larger than the males – feeding the chicks and themselves. Dad, of course, will continue to feed the fledglings after the Mums leave staying at the nest until the fledglings depart and then he will leave. For White YW at the Foulshaw Moss Nest in Cumbria last year, he continued to feed Blue 463 into September!

The three daughters of Idris and Telyn have been flying about. Paith has been spending time on a perch by the river while the other two come and go from the nest. Telyn brought her first post-fledge fish onto the nest today. It was a fantastic catch.

The Glaslyn Nest of Aran and Mrs G is empty as well…chicks will fly in if they see Dad coming with a meal.

The chicks of Louis and Dorcha, Willow and Sarafin, have yet to fledge. If you haven’t found this nest I would certainly put it on your list for next year. Great parenting but the weather is often dire at this alternate nest. When Louis’s mate, Aila, did not return last year – and all of our hearts were broken – he picked Dorcha and they took a nest out of view of the camera. This year the Woodland Trust put cameras on both nests. Maybe a new couple will take the old nest next year. If you look to the top right you can see the loch where Louis fishes.

This is the link to Louis and Dorcha’s streaming cam:

Yesterday was a great day for Olsen at the Osoyoos Osprey platform. They may not have been huge fish but there were lots of them. It is now 0900 and only one small fish has come on the nest at 0518. Let us hope the fishing luck improves!

The chicks at the Fortis Exshaw nest in Canmore Alberta are really getting big and they are wanting to start self-feeding. One tried this morning and caused a bit of chaos. Mum took over and all is well except for the camera which continues to have issues – it needs a good rain to wash it off – or is it condensation again?

Freedom and Liberty at the Glacier Gardens nest in Juneau, Alaska might want the rain to stop for a bit. Eaglets Love and Peace have scrambled to get under Mum to keep their heads dry!

The fox cub has been back sniffing for food on Andor and Mama Cruz’s nest at Two Harbours in the Channel Islands. I wonder where Lilibet is? She isn’t squeeeewing away at the visitor.

Lancer was on the natal nest at Two Harbours for about five minutes this morning arriving around 0822. One of the adults was on the nest around 0702.

As streaming cam bird watchers begin to turn their attention to nests elsewhere, if you love Peregrine Falcons, there are two in Australia. The scrape of Xavier and Diamond on the water tower on the grounds of Charles Sturt University in Orange and the family on the ledge of the CBD at 367 Collins Street. The streaming cams – three of them – at Orange operate year round. The Collins Street cam will come on once eggs are laid near hatching time.

Little Xavier is so cute..for those of you that do not know this nest, Xavier means Saviour and, like Alden who came in to help Annie when Grinnell was killed, Xavier helped Diamond. He is adorable and ever so funny with his prey deliveries. Sometimes Diamond reminds me of a ‘stern matron’ – she is also gorgeous but Xavier is just funny. They are bonding and courting now. Eggs the end of August or beginning of September.

Xavier brought Diamond a tasty treat today. Diamond does not like Starlings but they are plentiful. You will also see a variety of parrots brought into the nest – I am told by a good source that parrots are like sparrows around Orange. Too plentiful. Could this be a parrot of some type? Not many pigeons at Orange but lots and lots of them at the Melbourne scrape on Collins Street are brought in as prey items for the chicks.

Diamond was extremely happy and even ate the food gift in the scrape box!

This is the link to the box cam:

At the Sydney Sea Eagle nest, Lady has the two little eaglets tucked in but they continue to wiggle about.

Mum and Dad are sleeping on the perch at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge.

But where is Ervie you ask???????? Our beautiful lad is out catching his own fish!!!!!!!! Isn’t he handsome? I cannot think of anything nicer than being able to sit and watch Ervie catch and eat a fish. But, gosh, golly, I wish they would remove those spikes.

It is a great day when we get to see Ervie. He is looking fantastic. That satellite tracker doesn’t seem to bother him one little bit and it sure helps us keep track of his movements.

GROWLS has posted the simple fix that BC Hydro can make so that no bird is ever killed again. In the scheme of things, my expert in BC tells me that it will only cost pennies to make the poles a little larger so that the spread between the phases or phases and grounds is wider than 7′.

There is much more to say about BC Hydro and the urgent need for them to undertake a change in their construction methods. I have lots of information and am trying to put it together in a logical way for tomorrow or Tuesday. In the meantime, educate yourself. BC Hydro is a public company and the public want wildlife protected — things have changed and our public utlities companies need to change, too.

It is a hazy hot Sunday on the Canadian Prairies. The Blue Jays are getting peanuts off the deck, the Crows have been flapping about demanding their sandwiches and the Cooper’s Hawk has been hiding in the neighbour’s lilac bushes hoping to get its lunch. Both Hedwig and Little Hedwig have been to the garden and have escaped the eye of the hawk..in fact, my garden is so lush right now that the hawk doesn’t seem to bother checking out the feeders. All are hidden! I hope to get some good images for all of us but, first, I have to remove the screens from the new sunroom. They do not allow any decent images to be taken!

Thank you so much for joining me this morning. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday wherever you are. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their FB pages and their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: GROWLS, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Charles Sturt University at Orange Falcon Cam, Sydney Sea Eagles @Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park, Explore.org and IWS, Glacier Gardens, Fortis ExShaw, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, and the Dyfi Osprey Project.

Late Saturday in Bird World

23 July 2022

Oh, it turned out to be a cracker of a day in Winnipeg. Everyone woke to a forecast of rain and then the skies cleared. The paths at the nature centre were packed with smiling faces and everyone saying ‘hello’ or talking about the teenage goslings. It was fantastic.

Sleepy babies.

Teenagers – long necks and legs. Paying close attention to the adult’s instructions!

One lone America White Pelican in the middle of the lake — image cropped a great deal!

It continues to be quiet in Bird World. Seriously this is such a good thing.

Good news has come from the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails Ospreys. You will remember that the two gorgeous and almost fully feathered osplets on the nest were pulled off when Mum got her talon caught in monofilament line and nesting material. One died when it hit the ground but the other was saved by a passerby who knew what to do – and got immediate help! That chick was in very guarded condition at the time. This is today’s update and it is a little better.

5H1 made history today as the first fledgling Osprey in Poole Harbour, UK,, for 200 years. CJ7 and Blue 022’s chick really does love to fly. Here is a video of her landing on a subsequent flight….gosh, she is pretty steady on those legs.

The names of Louis and Dorcha’s two surviving osplets for the 2022 season have been released by the Woodland Trust. There were 2674 votes cast. The winning names are Willow for LW5 with 22.7% and Sarafina for LW6 with 20.5%. That was an amazing voting turnout. Thank you to everyone that took part.

That is Willow standing up. My goodness she is going to be dark like Dorcha. Stunning plumage.

Olsen had delivered several twiddler size fish and one nice one by 10:48 at the Osoyoos Osprey platform. He brought in another fish at 12:49. Thanks Olsen! Olsen appears to have a wee crop so he is eating. Remember it is like the directions for the oxygen masks in planes – put yours own and then help your child. Olsen and Soo have to eat in order to care for the chicks and keep their health up as good as they can in the circumstances of extreme heat. Soo immediately started feeding the two chicks. The rest of the day she has kept them covered when the sun was at its hottest.

Just a quick check on a couple of other nests. The juveniles have not been seen at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta but, there was a fly by this morning in the distance. Those nests sure do get lonely if you have been watching intently for months and then — everyone fledges, returns to the nest for prey drops after flying, and then…poof. Gone. Turn that love into making their world better! So instead of wondering if they survived, we can say with certainty that we have made improvements and a greater percentage lives to see their first birthday.

At the Two Harbours nest, you could hear Lancer squeeeeing at 14:47 as she flew onto the nest. She was so right. The adult flew in with a fish and got out of there really quick without getting its talons trapped. So nice to see you, Lancer.

I have been following the social media posts about the electrocution of Junior on Gabriola Island just off the coast of Vancouver Island in my country, Canada. The world watched the graciousness and the love that flourished on the Bald Eagle nest and their adoption of Malala, the Red-tail Hawk as a member of their family not as lunch. It touched the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

The tragic death of Junior, the fledgling eaglet, Malala’s friend and nest companion, shattered us.

I have noticed that some FB groups are no longer going to post any news about Junior. Of course, that is their choice but, please understand that this issue is not small and isolated. British Columbia has the largest population of Bald Eagles in the world. We are not talking about just ‘fixing’ one pole on Gabriola Island, what we want is an undertaking by BC Hydro to amend the way they construct the hydro poles immediately so that the space between the wires is wider than 7′, the length of a Bald Eagle’s wing. No bird would ever die again.

Make BC Hydro live up to what they say – words mean nothing without action behind them.

Of course, retrofitting those on Gabriola Island is paramount. More about this tomorrow but, please don’t let the story of Junior and Malala pass when something else comes in the news. We have a chance to make progress and — let’s do it. Do not let this opportunity slip through our fingers.

I am trying to find out the time of Christian Sasse’s talk on the electrocution of birds. It is possible that it will be on Wednesday afternoon at 1300 or 1330 Pacific time but, I am not certain. If we want to help the eagles we need to arm ourselves with an understanding of the problem and the solution! Thank you, Christian, for educating us!

Here is the contact information for BC Hydro:

Images on the Notre-Dame FB page show 3 juveniles flying around the nest and landing on a tree near to the nest tree. It has been really stormy there and some branches have broken. It is shocking that anything is left of that old Eagle nest!

Thank you so very much for being with us today. Please take care of yourself. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their FB postings and streaming cameras where I took my screen captures: Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, Bald Eagles 101, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Osoyoos Ospreys, Explore.org and IWS, GROWLS, and ND-LEEF.

Has Little Bit 17 eaten?…and other news in Bird World on Friday

22 July 2022

It is 0751 in British Columbia and Olsen, the male at the Osoyoos Osprey nest, is taking advantage of the cooler morning temperatures to get fish for him and his family. Already he has brought in two fish to Soo and the kids. Lovely start to the day and it will certainly help them when it gets hot.

The male at the Jannakkalan Osprey nest in Finland was just delivering another big fish to the nest the instant I went to check on the chicks. Of course, there are other big hunks of fish on the nest already. No one will go hungry. The female has been added to the growing list of ‘the remembered’ and the intruder female has not returned – a good thing. The chicks are big. I don’t believe they could be predated now. Dad will feed them and they will fledge. I wonder if they found the body of the mother? and if they will release their findings on what happened to her if they did find it?

At the ND-LEEF nest, a prey item was delivered to the nest by an adult at 0652. I do not know which of the fledglings got the drop but another flew in to the nest. The park staff say that Little Bit 17 was seen flying over the area at 0652:08 on the wide cam.

You can see the wing tip on the branch above the nest of the other fledgling.

The time that 17 was believed to have flown by is 0652:08. Here is a short clip covering the entire time period. It has to be viewed in conjunction with the images above. Sadly the cameras are not synched with one another.

The driving question is this – and nothing else matters — has Little Bit 17 had anything to eat since he was released at the park? Anything? Just ‘seeing’ him does not mean he has eaten! It has been more than 48 hours and it is clear that 15 and 16 know to follow the parent and go to the nest.

Junior’s electrocution by power poles owned and operated by BC Hydro made the news in Vancouver.

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/gabriola-island-bald-eagle-dies-electrocution?fbclid=IwAR13R_89H6w7K9Q7ivniSQVRdGylGUAah-EU-NO26ZBEgwRUKSyAR5I6Ch4

Is BC Hydro the agency that actually kills more eagles in British Columbia than anything else? Many think that is the case. It will take a raging public outcry and actions that will bring them to their knees. So if Junior’s life is to be meaningful cry but get mad! Bring BC Hydro to an agreement to get all of the poles on the island made safe for birds. — Then let’s move to the other hot spots where the eagles are killed on their poles.

The streaming cam is once again working at the Boat House Osprey nest on Hog Island. The chicks are doing well! Yippeee.

The Mispillion Osprey nest is vacant this morning. Are the fledglings and the parents down by the harbour?

There is a lovely video that has been compiled about Sky at the West End nest. Have a look…beautiful Sky.

As I sit and watch the three juvenile Crows fly about my garden, get their sandwiches, and bathe in the water, here is a smile from a wildlife rehabber about a female crow that broke her beak. Kindness. Everyone needs it.

Suzanne Arnold Horning caught up with the Ls and Big Red last night. Here are some of her great images.

Can you follow instructions? do Laundry? clean? make a specific lunch? Your local wildlife rehabilitation clinic might be looking for volunteers. It is normally a commitment of 4 hours every week or fortnight for a period of 6 months. Have some time? want to do something for wildlife? Give them a call or check their website. They might be taking applications.

That is a quick check this morning on some of the nests we have been watching. I hope that you have a lovely Friday wherever you are. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Fellowship of the Crow, Explore.org and IWS, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and the DDNR, Audubon Explore, GROWLS, ND-LEEF, Osoyoos Ospreys, Finnish Osprey Foundation, and Suzanne Arnold Horning.

Early Tuesday in Bird World

19 July 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

We woke up to more rain with the promise of tornadoes in some parts of the Canadian prairies. When I first moved to Canada, tornadoes were rare – something that I knew a lot about coming from Oklahoma where F4s are the norm. Now everyone knows what the word ‘tornado’ means. It is 21 degrees C – almost half of what it is in parts of the UK and Europe. I am grateful for the rain – wells are full and so are lakes – instead of a drought and fire. The garden birds are happy today. Way too hot yesterday. Thunderstorms are headed to Llyn Clywedog in Wales but it looks like Glaslyn will be spared. The temperature at Heathrow Airport hit 40.2 C, a record. My thoughts go out to all the animals – human and not – around the world who are experiencing drought, massive flooding, fires, heat, or all of the above. We live in very challenging times.

In Finland, the female has returned to the Janakkalan nest. I have been missing her visits. Thank you ‘C’ for the time stamp. Reviewing footage, the Mum of the two beautiful osplets has tried to eat but she cannot keep the food down. She appears to be weak and tired. Her ‘ps’ is like water – not thick cream. It is so sad but we must be thankful that the chicks appear to be healthy, regardless. Dad is bringing in plenty of fish. One can eat well and the other one is getting there. There are, of course, fish squabbles and both wish their Mum was well and was feeding them. Send positive wishes to this nest – for Mum, so the chicks don’t get sick, for plenty of fish, and for cool weather as Mum is not able to shade the babies if it gets hot as she is normally not on the nest. This is a good thing since it appears that she could have trichomonosis which is highly contagious.

Rain is falling on the Ironwood Tree in the Sydney Olympic Forest. Mum is keeping SE29 nice and warm and we are waiting to see where SE30 is in the hatching process.

Very first bites of fish for SE29. Sweet.

The last osplet, Farne, has fledged from nest 1A at Kielder at 11:10. The Mum of the three fledglings, Mrs YA, has a real task ahead of her keeping these fed. This may hinder her own preparation for getting her weight and fat levels up for migration. I wonder what will happen at the time of migration? Normally the UK females leave earlier than the males leaving the Dads to feed the young ones for 2-3 weeks. Once the fledglings fly south the Dad will leave.

Thanks to Suzanne Arnold Horning we still have wonderful images of Big Red and Arthur’s Ls flying around campus, accepting prey drops, and catching their own.

Cutie Pie L4. Notice that the juvenile hawks have the loveliest blue eyes, sometimes blue-green or blue-green. As they mature, those baby blues will turn dark espresso brown.

Brooks flew off the nest on the morning of the 18th and has not returned. Richmond and Rosie are on the nest. I wish we had some understanding on what happened to Molate. GGA said that they will not retrieve Molate’s body while Brooks is still in the area. So sad for this lovely Osprey couple in their beautiful nest on SF Bay.

Golden Gate Audubon mentioned that some of the chicks in this area actually go to other Osprey nests where they are fed. This apparently happened in 2018 when one of Richmond and Rosie’s chicks moved to another nest and was fed and stayed there until he left the area. That was Brisa.

At the Glaslyn nest of Aran and Mrs G, it appears that Blue 498 fledged this morning. Congratulations! The only chick remaining on the Glaslyn nest is 499!

Both of the fledglings sitting on Aran and Mrs G’s perch! Gosh, they look like they are going to be dark like Mum.

Padarn and Paith on the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn. Pedran fledged on the 15th of July. Waiting for these two to test their wings. Gosh, look at that crest. Gorgeous.

All of the chicks of Dylan and Seren’s at Llyn Clywedog have now fledged. what a fabulous year for this nest!

Dorcha continues to look quite fine after the scare with the blood on her abdomen/leg the other day. Louis continues to get the fish on the nest and the weather looks pretty good today. It is about 24 there today.

One of Blue 33 and Maya’s girls was on the Manton Bay nest this morning fish crying to Dad. These were the first to fledge and it is rare to catch them on the nest at Rutland.

Annie and Alden, the Peregrine Falcon couple on The Campanile on the grounds of UC-Berkeley might be wishing that Lindsay and Grinnell Jr would find their own territory!

What a gorgeous sunrise on the Channel Islands West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta this morning. Thunder even came to the nest and paid a visit at 05:45.

Everything looks good at the Boathouse Osprey nest of Dory and Skiff on Hog Island this morning. It is going to get pretty hot on Hog Island today…going up to 28 or 29 C with a 50% chance of rain.

No one slept on the Mispillion Osprey nest by the harbour in Delaware. Later Mum is on the nest with one of the fledglings feeding it and then enjoying some fish herself. I am surprised the other fledgling is not rushing in for some of that fish.

According to the chatters, fish of various sizes ranging from tiny to a little bigger arrived at 0501, 0516, 0534, and again at 0650 for Mum and the two osplets on the Osoyoos nest in British Columbia. Dad is making up in numbers what he isn’t able to supply in size with the heat in the region. Looks like it will be up to 33 C later today — it is 18 degrees C now. What a difference. Mum will be shading her babies!

I have seen no updates on Victor or Little Bit ND17 so far. It is 0939 CDT. All of the nests look fine but two which are worrisome. One is the nest in Finland which took a turn for the worst with one chick dying of starvation. The two older chicks, realizing that fish was at hand, learned to self-feed. There is also worry for Mrs YA at Kieldner nest 1A – how will she get herself in good condition to migrate while tending to all the chicks? Send them all your best wishes – and also for Brooks. I hope that he is safe and being fed elsewhere or that he gets himself home.

Thank you for being with me today. Take care. Stay cool if you are in an area of extreme heat. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their photos, videos, or their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Finnish Osprey Foundation, Sydney Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Suzanne Arnold Horning, SF Ospreys and GGA, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, CarnyXWild, Friends of Loch of Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, LRWT, Cal Falcons, Explore.org and IWS, Explore and Audubon, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and DDNR, and Osoyoos Ospreys.

Late Saturday News in Bird World

16 July 2022

The ‘sunroom’ – the reason for Little Red’s eviction from the ancient shed – is not finished but, I am enjoying sitting here until I am tossed out so the workers can finish the floor and the dry wall on the one wall. It is almost like having eagle vision – I have a clear view of the garden and the critters. For Dyson, this means that I now know for certain that he sees himself as the ‘dominant osprey in the nest’. Poor Hedwig the Elder had no peace trying to have its breakfast and I have discovered that Junior also gets chased by Dyson. I have seen this behaviour before but was not aware of the extent of Dyson’s reign of terror. Of course, he is far too cute and the shenanigans he gets up to so he can enjoy just one more peanut or another cup of bird seed are precious.

Dyson first made a mess eating the peanuts and leaving the shells,. Then he decided to stash them instead of sharing with Junior. There he goes running. (Sorry for the not so clearly focused image…his coat is beautiful and that fluffy tail has all grown back — which clearly leads me to believe now that Dyson is a ‘she’ not a ‘he’. )

The birds gifted me sunflowers in the Vermillionaire boxes for the hummingbirds.

I was not quick enough to even get a bad picture of Junior but, it was Junior. Last week when we had everything going on with Victor, I came home and found a dead Blue Jay in the front garden. There had been a big fight between a Blue Jay and Mr Crow with Mr Crow winning – and well, I thought it was Junior. For days I worried about the three juveniles but, alas, it was not Junior. I was able to confirm by a distinctive mark that only Junior has that I saw this morning. Relief.

The other thing the garden critters battle, sadly, are cats. We have a bylaw that states people are not to let their cats out of their house. Is it enforced, no. But it called enough attention to the problem of rising feral cat numbers that most people abide by the law. But some don’t.

The bylaw has helped. The sheer number of feral cats has had significant declines. It is just getting humans to obey the laws – it is not the cat’s fault. I do not know who owns this particular cat but a gentle tap and it is gone. It is impossible to keep them out and well, the cat doesn’t know it isn’t supposed to be outside. There are advantages to cats staying inside – they won’t get hit by a car, they won’t get bitten by bees and have to go to the vet, they will not get injured in fights with other cats, they will not get their fur matted with plant material, they will not get caught in traps…

It really is a simple fix and could save tens of thousands or more birds each year if we would only trim our trees and shrubs before or after breeding season…not during. And keep the cats inside! The Guardian just featured an article on this very topic today. That said, I was planning to write about this regardless. Now that I have an eagle’s 270 degree view around my garden and neighbourhood, I just noticed yesterday that the man across the lane cut down the top third of his tree. In that part of his tree were two nests: the Blue Jays and a Red-squirrel. We were alerted to the issues when a squirrel sat on the power line screaming its head off for the entire day on Thursday. Did it have babies in a nest?

If you or someone you know is cutting down or trimming a tree, if your City is cutting them down, take the time to tell them if there is an unseen nest. Two years ago we had to lobby our power company over a Cooper’s Hawk nest – they backed down and we got a commitment to fall only trimming. Everyone can do their part!

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jul/15/think-of-nesting-birds-before-pruning-your-hedge

Akecheta and Thunder continue to have trouble with juveniles coming to the West End nest in the Channel Islands. Akecheta had to escort another one out of the territory today.

There has been a fledge at the Loch of the Lowes. It happened at 10:06 this morning. So both of the osplets of Laddie LM12 and Blue NC0 have fledged. Congratulations Laddie, Blue NC0 and everyone at LOTL. Well done.

There are some concerns about Louis’s mate, Dorcha, at the Loch Arkaig nest. She has blood on her lower abdomen. It looks rather nasty. I had originally thought it might have come from a fish but not so sure. Did she get injured trying to move one of her big sticks?

Fish continue to come on to the Osoyoos nest. The last one was a little larger but it took only 3 or 4 minutes to finish it. One osplet got it all but the tail which Mum ate. Please send wishes for more fish on this nest…we need so much more. It is a bad situation with the heat. Mum needs much more food to survive and we have chicks getting juvenile feathers now…I am really worried about this nest. The parents have to eat as well as the two chicks…hoping the heat wave will end!

Oh, I would love to send a big fish like the one that Dad just brought to the Mispillion Harbour nest over to Osoyoos! It is a nice lunch for everyone in Delaware today.

The three osplets are getting their juvenile feathers, too, at the Boathouse Osprey nest on Hog Island, Maine. They have been pancaked many times this morning..more problems with intruders it would appear.

Every once in awhile I want to remind you of special blogs or websites. One of those is Bruce Yolton – a bird lover and photographer – who covers the urban hawks in New York City. Today, he has some wonderful images of the Peregrine Falcons and Red-tail Hawks. Have a peek! urbanhawks.com

Image copyright. Bruce Yolton.

There were ospreys on the Henlopen State Park nest in Delaware today. Not sure who they are. Is this the same intruder that injured the Mum causing the three osplets to die?

Dear Victor. I love how Ojai Raptor Centre is helping Victor through the physical therapy. Everyone cross their fingers and toes and hope that they find out what is the cause of Victor’s problem. Poor Baby. You got this Victor!

It isn’t just Bald Eagles that raise other species, this showed up in my inbox today…an owl and a duckling.. So grateful that the duckling is precocial and can pretty much take care of itself if it finds water and plants to eat! Thanks Mama Owl.

https://www.sonyaz.net/foto-galeri/owl-mistakes-duck-egg-for-her-own-and-raises-it/521/?fbclid=IwAR2cJDFz7Tlp5UwB099kFhajw_DYxckz-hClWyLQTQyw2u1Ty3MQcDj510A

Keep Southern Royal Albatross male, OGK, father to Miss Pippa Atawhai and Quarry Track chick, in your thoughts. He was last positively seen on the 19th of May. It is unusual for a parent, especially one so devoted as OGK,, to be away for this long period of time. As is the practice of the NZ DOC, he will not be declared deceased until he does not return for the next breeding cycle in October 2023. Let us all hope he finds his way back to QT chick!

I have not seen any updates on Victor or Little Bit 17 this weekend. Perhaps on Monday. We know that Little Bit is working on his flying and Victor is getting therapy. Lots of fledging in the UK – too much to keep track of at times and intruders, many juveniles hatched from the nest in previous years such as KS7 and KS8 visiting Llyn Clywedog. KS7 fledged in 2018 and KS8 in 2021. Looking good! Continue to send your warm thoughts to all our birds.

Thank you for joining me today. Take care everyone…see you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams, FB posts, blogs, etc, that form my screen captures: Explore.org and IWS, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Woodland Trust, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and the DDNR, Audubon Explore, Bruce Yolton, Ojai Raptor Centre, Cornell and the NZ DOC, and the Dodo.

Victor is doing physical therapy and other brief news in Bird World

16 July 2022

Oh, everyone is watching for news about Victor so you will already have seen what I posted below – but, oh, Physical Therapy for Eagles. Makes me smile. All of us are hoping beyond hope that they can find what is wrong with Victor so he can be ‘fixed’. That is the key isn’t it: what is wrong with Victor?

What a great little video clip. Chase teaches Lancer to work for that fish!

The Mum at the Jannakadan Osprey nest in Finland was eating a morning fish and appeared to be much better at swallowing. What a wonderful sight. Could it possibly be that the fright for the health of the Mum is over? Oh, goodness,. wouldn’t that just be a blessing!

Thank you ‘B’ for sending me the latest update on Victor that was posted on the Ojai Raptor Centre’s FB page below the image.

Look at Victor having to work those legs.

Victor being held up so that he can work his legs.

“Physical therapy time! ORC staff Veterinarian Dr. Stephany Lewis uses this technique for physical therapy for our raptor patients, as well as an assessment and monitoring tool for animals with neurological diseases. Spinal trauma is extremely difficult to diagnose on avian radiographs, but should be visible on CT scan. The CT scan on this eagle performed at VMSG did not show any evidence of spinal trauma, though further review of the CT is still pending. A West Nile Virus PCR test and a toxic heavy metal blood panel are still pending and we will update as we know more about this case.”

Did you notice that old clean towel with the holes cut through to support Victor? Do not discard your old towels that are clean. Keep them, gather others from friends, family, and neighbours. I kid you not – they are used so much in the wildlife rehab clinics. Then deliver them to your local clinic. They will be ever so grateful!

Dear Victor. So many people are sending you love and support. You can do this little buddy! If you go to the Ojai Raptor Centre FB page they also have some videos of Victor working those legs. Please watch. He is working so hard.

There was also a posting by Humane Indiana Wildlife – not specifically about Little Bit ND17 but all the animals in their care. Take the time to read down closely. I am going to take a giant leap of faith and presume that Little Bit will also be required to have hunting skills and be independent before he is released. That is just terrific news. The staff had never mentioned this but surely it is their intention. Here is their statement on their FB page:

This morning I have another video of that teenage osprey with attitude. It is nest #3 — thanks, ‘S’. I am not sure whether to feel sorry for Mum or just roll in laughter.

Small fish continue to come to the Osoyoos nest – both chicks are eating and Mum got the tail but this nest has to be ‘hungry’. Thanks Dad for all your hard work trying to find fish in this hot weather.

There have been intruders around the Hog Island Osprey platform of Dory and Skiff. The three kids really know how to pancake when someone is around.

It is fish deliveries and practice eating at Mispillion as the two fledglings continue to have some fun flying. This nest has done well. It has been fun to watch Mum decorate. I wish I could send her the sunflower the birds planted for me. I think she would love the yellow.

If you love the Llyn Clywedog nest of Dylan and Seren in Wales, then you know the name John Williams. Last year he did a lot of spotting and driving and figuring to find out where Dylan was getting the Brown Trout if he wasn’t catching them at the Reservoir. He is the person who also gives us some great images of Dylan out fishing sometimes. Here is some more information on John but also the history of the nest if you want to keep a record.

About me and the nest.

That is brief news this morning. Will be watching for a pip at the WBSE nest in Sydney. It looks like the little one at Chesapeake Bay will be it for Tom and Audrey this year! Grow fast..you are the youngest of all the babies of 2022. Take care everyone. Have a wonderful Saturday. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Ojai Raptor Centre, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Humane Indiana Wildlife, Osoyoos Ospreys, Explore.org and Audubon, Mispillion Harbour, and Explore.org and IWS.

Victor made the news!

13 July 2022

It was really fantastic to hear from ‘B’ that there are super donations going into Ojai Raptor Centre for Victor from the Fraser Point Nest on Catalina Island and for Little Bit ND17 who is in care at Humane Indiana Wildlife. They are much loved not-so-little eagles. Forever grateful to those that work in the wildlife rehabilitation clinics donating their time and volunteering so that the wildlife get the very best care they can have. They do it with love, not for money.

Victor made the newspapers today! California loves its raptors and it is always encouraging to see stories about the Big Bear Valley Eagles – the antics of Spirit and her parents, Jackie and Shadow and those ever adorable Cal Falcons – Annie, Alden, Grinnell Jr and Lindsay.

Here is that link:

https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2022/07/13/bald-eaglet-rescued-ojai-raptor-center-rehabilition-facility-after-fall-channel-islands-nest/10040561002/?fbclid=IwAR2OL-4wsCC13Z5tl4bOcm3enLhMe6tCPwwDX0vW2kA_16k2RcwCjrQIs2c

Again, some of those amazing eagles and ospreys get forgotten when there is a crisis. Takoda is one gorgeous fledgling. Mr President continues to supply him with wonderful fish. Looks like an early morning catfish.

Wonder if Dad will bring in a dinner fish?

Lancer is on the rocks by the Two Harbours nest late this afternoon.

It doesn’t look like there is anyone home at the West End Bald Eagle nest of Thunder and Akecheta.

If you love California Condors, the Condor Cam is up and running and there are Condors in the trees around the site. They are often there feeding on carcasses provided for them by the Ventana Wildlife Society.

Here is the link to the camera in Big Sur:

This is a very quick look at a few nests this afternoon. I have spent the day creating a flight path for the garden birds – and there is a huge mess to clear up. I hope that everyone is well. Check in on your favourite birds. Many are about and still coming to the nests for food. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Explore.org and the Institute for Wildlife Studies, Ventana Wildlife Society, and the NADC-AEF.

Ervie fishes with Dad, Fledge at Mispillion, and more

12 July 2022

Ervie. Bazza Hockaday caught Ervie fishing with Dad! He posted images of the two of them together on the FB Page of the Port Lincoln Osprey Group. Now, how wonderful is that? I am so excited. Ervie can fish with dad and not feel so rejected..he just can’t go on the nest near Mum! Remember how Ervie and Dad used to sit in the ‘shed’ and chat? Seriously, tears of joy!

Dad above and Ervie below with the tracker.

@ Port Lincoln Ospreys and Bazza Hockaday. 10 July 2022

The newsletter that I get from the Cornell Bird Lab is carrying an article on neonics, a pesticide, that is having a deadly impact on our songbirds. Have a read. Also consider, however, the fact that the ‘Green’ herbicides and pesticides used on lawns are toxic. Take, for example, the neighbour who wants the weeds killed so that they can put down a matt and then put on wood mulch — the ‘Green’ spray was toxic — it killed the weeds. They did not know that they could simply use vinegar.

Neonic Nation: Is Widespread Pesticide Use Connected to Grassland Bird Declines?

The three Ls (L3 is in care) are flying as almost as good as Big Red and Arthur. They are learning more and more about catching their own prey and in 2-4 weeks they will leave the territory of Big Red and Arthur and find their own place in the world of hawks. So thankful for Suzanne Arnold Horning who takes her camera to the campus each day and allows me to share her images of Big Red and Arthur’s family with you.

One of the Ls hunting in the pine trees. Big Red and Arthur have been moving them around to various parts of the campus for prey drops and hunting. Everything they do are lessons for the kids -. Once the Ls leave the territory, Big Red and Arthur are going to enjoy a much needed rest. We will then see them back on the nest checking things in the late fall or early November. Time definitely passes too quickly!

L4 – we worried and worried and it turns out he loved to climb over his siblings to get to Big Red’s beak – totally unafraid – and was one of the first two to catch prey and become an official juvenile. Here he is on top of a small shed stalking something and stretching.

L4 – cutie pie.

Ferris Akel just uploaded his tour of the Red-tail hawks at Cornell from last weekend. Here you go!

The storklets on the Mlade Buky nest of Bukacek and Betty are big! No wonder Bukacek was working on a second nest. No room for him and Betty!

Urmas and Dr Madis V’s experiment to raise the storklets of Jan and Janika continues to go very smoothly. Karl II has brought food in. Bonus watches the others and begins the same ritual to cause Karl II to be able to regurgitate the fish. Everyone looks nice and healthy on this nest and we know from the postings that both Karl II and Kaia have found the fish basket left for them by Urmas.

The storklets are losing their white natal down and those lovely black feathers are coming in. Bonus is in the front with the two metal rings.

At 13:30 ‘H’ reports that one of the ospreys on the Mispillion Harbour nest fledged. It was a beautiful first flight returning in about a minute and a half. Congratulations to everyone and to you ‘H’ who has watched this nest like a wonderful auntie and kept us informed. Now…when will the next one fledge?

There he goes!

Louis and Dorcha’s two osplets are being ringed at Loch Arkaig at this very moment! There is the proud mama Dorcha with the two before the banders arrived. Dorcha flew around at the arrival of the humans and her and Louis are now perched on a tree waiting for everything to be finished so they can get their chicks back! Will there be one big girl??? and a boy?

The camera is turned off and will come back on line when the ringers are finished.

The chicks of Louis and Dorcha have been ringed but no word about gender, weight, etc. Will post tomorrow when I hear.

Fledgling 554 is enjoying her freedom as she stares at us from the perch at the Llyn Clywedog Osprey nest of Dylan and Seren. 554 was the first osprey to fledge in Wales for the 2022 season – yesterday.

554’s other siblings are flapping their wings now, too….will there be a rush on fledging?

Idris has brought in 3 fish in three hours. Those three big girls will each have their own fish at the Dyfi Nest this evening.

It was a gorgeous day in the Glaslyn Valley. Mrs G looking over her nest full of osplets no doubt so happy that this season went superbly.

Since last year many of us have wondered what the fate of CJ7 would be. Would Blue 022 return? would they bond? would they have chicks? They did bond, they did have chicks….the nest was so deep that we could only get a glimpse of them. Now, here they are staring at us. Just gorgeous osplets. Congratulations – you two are famous. Right, you don’t care. Just clean up the environment so that Ospreys can have lots of non-toxic delicious fish, clean air, safe migration, and wonderful nests. Oh, right..and stop the shooting of Ospreys. Gotcha. We are gonna work on that.

Dory watches over three sleeping little ones on the Boathouse Osprey nest on Hog Island. Just look at how well their plumage camouflages them and how much copper/orange they are getting on the nape of their necks. So lovely and content.

Meanwhile, in California, Rosie continues to supply Brooks and Molate with goldfish. This is number 8!

To the delight of everyone Annie and Alden continue to pair bond in the scrape at The Campanile every other day it seems. This was yesterday.

If you missed it, Mama Thunder made quick work of that juvenile intruder yesterday. Here is a 40 second clip of the action at the West End Bald Eagle nest:

Lillibet wondering where Victor is in the middle of the night at the Fraser Point nest of Andor and Mama Cruz.

It is going to take a few days for the blood work to come back on Victor and for all other tests to determine what is causing him to lose his balance and not be able to fly. Here is an edited post by Dr Sharpe.

Thank you so much for joining me today. Both Little Bit 17 and Victor are getting fantastic care and as someone joked – “There will be a run on Costco trout, I want to eat what Victor is having!” Cute. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cam and/or FB pages or blogs where I took my screen captures: Suzanne Arnold Horning, Ferris Akel Tours, Mlade Buky Storks, Eagle Club of Estonia, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, CarnyXWild, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Audubon Explore.org, SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Cal Falcons, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Bazza Hockaday, Explore.org and The Institute for Wildlife Studies.

Victor is Rescued …and brief other news in Bird World

11 July 2022

Wow.

As we wait for Dr Sharpe to reach Santa Cruz and the Fraser Point nest of Andor and Mrs Cruz, I want to also celebrate the on-going success of the Black Stork rescue and adoption in Estonia. This is a video of Kaia finding the fish basket that Urmas left for her and Karl II to help with the food needed for four storklets when he placed Bonus on their nest. Bonus is one of two surviving storklets from Jan and Janika’s nest. The other storklet, Extra, is in the nest of Eedi who also has a fish basket.

It is thrilling to see this project working. With the rising temperatures, warming waters, fish dying, and streams drying up, we should begin to think of how we can provide fish for all the birds that require them to survive. This includes diverting water, raising and stocking streams, etc. I am certain you can think of many more ways but also big tanks – like those used to raise fish for people – could be provided for the birds. Yes, this is a big endeavour but, it is not too big that it cannot be funded with monies spent on human entertainment, like fireworks. One City. 19 million dollars. That buys lots of fish! Add up every city and town. (I will definitely not be invited to any Canada Day celebrations next year, for sure!)

We already know that the tanks for raising fish are enjoyed by the Ospreys because our fish hawks take the fish and make the fish farmers very angry! We also know approximately how many fish are needed by an Osprey family during breeding season. I believe this data would also be available for the rare Black Storks in Latvia and Estonia.

Intervention as a necessity at its best.

At 15:14 the first Welsh osplet of the 2022 breeding season fledged! It was 554 from the Llyn Clywedog nest of Dylan and Seren. Congratulations everyone.

Seren watches.

554 made a good controlled return. All is well. Congratulations everyone!

Mama Thunder got fed up with the intruder that has been harassing the kids and fighting with her and them. She gave that intruder the boot today!

Lillibet has come to keep Victor company while nearly 500 people wait and watch for the rescue team. Victor has been in the brush for 24 hours now – as Dr Sharpe makes his way by car and boat to save him. There seems to be a very special bond between this pair similar to that I saw in E17 and 18 at the Southwest Florida Eagle nest.

Everyone is urging Victor to hold only just a little longer.

Lillibet stayed with Victor until he left. Rescue time was 13:30:37. Dr Sharpe and his assistant wasted no time but they did show everyone that Victor was alive. He will now go to the Ojai Raptor Centre in Ojai, California. Thinking of donations – think about them as well.

Victor is protesting. That is good.

And he is off!

Wow. Terribly sad to see the two siblings separated but so happy that Victor was alive and protesting at the time of his rescue. Another great intervention, a very necessary one.

Thank you for all your good wishes for him today. This is wonderful. Dr Sharpe seemed to be very happy and relieved. Take care everyone. It has been such an intense day…I will see you tomorrow.

Thank you to Explore.org and the Institute for Wildlife Studies streaming cam at Fraser Point where I took my screen captures, to Lady Hawk for her video of Mama Thunder, CarnyXWild, and the Eagle Club of Estonia.