Dr Sharpe and a banding helper ascended, once again, to the top of the cliff where Thunder and Akecheta have their nest. The trio were banded today.
The banding took place at 13:10. You can still catch it on rewind. There are two bands. A metal federal band and an orange band. If the orange band is on the right leg it is a male. If the orange band is on the left leg it is a female. We will have to wait for the eaglets to show us their bling to know!
Can you see Akecheta on the top of the cliff at the back left? He is keeping guard.
Akecheta is making good and sure the humans are gone before he returns all the while keeping watch on the eaglets and the fishing boat going by.
There is one female and two males. The female is at the centre back with the males on either side.
Today, as we celebrate the survival of these three eagles, there is a back story to how Bald Eagles were restored to the Channel Islands.
This 13 minute video discusses DDT, DDE, and how – through lots of hard work – Bald Eagles like Thunder and Akecheta now breed on the Channel Islands. It is an awesome story.
Here is a map of the current eagle nests on the Channel Islands. I bet you watch many of the ones that have streaming cams!
Thank you to Explore.org for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.
You can count on the little eyases of Big Red and Arthur to put a smile on your face.
Arthur has certainly been busy filling up that pantry. I wonder if it is going to be a fur-lined nest this year??? L3 is currently hatching and there is a pip in L4.
Big and Middle at the Dale Hollow nest are incredibly beautiful. Hatched on 28 February and counting that day, they are 56 days old today. They will be with us for a couple of weeks longer. Take some time to check in on their nest before they fledge.
Hopefully they will continue to come to the nest so we can catch a glimpse of them like B15 at the Berry College nest who is 100 days old today. She popped in for a few minutes this morning and then off!
The two nestlings at the US Steel Bald Eagle Nest hatched on the 5th and 8th of April. They seem to be doing just fine. Thermal down is almost all in but the tops of their fluffy white ‘dandelion’ heads.
It is hot on that nest!
The pair are dreaming of fish – so is Mum!
All three chicks are on the rock and doing great at the West End Bald Eagle nest. Fantastic. They are still giving us reason to pause as they gaze over the edge to thee world that will be theirs way before we are ready for them to leave.
At the Redding Eagle nest, the list of name pairings has been short listed to three pairs. You must vote by 5pm the 26th (Tuesday) of April Pacific Time. The results will be announced that evening at 8pm Pacific Time.
It is free. Here is the link to vote so you can help name Liberty and Guardian’s two chicks who now weight between 5.5-5.7 lbs and are about a foot or 30 cm tall. Not quite the Canada Goose size of Spirit but they will be there soon enough!
They are gorgeous. It seems it was only yesterday that we were on pip watch at this nest!
I am shocked. I just checked on Little Bit at the UFlorida-Gainesville nest. He was still alive but being abused by Big at 13:18. This wee babe has gone through so much. It has an amazing will to live. Would love to see this nest turn around but Big has been after Middle all morning when there is food. It is a tough nest and there is definitely not enough food. Mum did get some off the last delivery. It is hot and she needs food too. I wonder what is causing the lack of fish?
Spirit who I mentioned is the size of a Canada Goose stands next to her proud Mum Jackie this morning.
The juvenile feathers are coming in on Harry and Nancy’s duo at the MN-DNR nest.
It is all good at the Two Harbour nest of Chase and Cholyn.
The two eaglets and the parents at the Decorah North nest are going well. Scary times in Iowa. If you live there the CDC has recommended taking down all bird feeders til the end of May.
And still smiling, the Pittsburgh-Hayes nest trio are good.
Mr President and Lotus’s Only Child is growing and doing well, too. Gosh, it is nice to run through the nest finding the chicks have eaten and are alive.
One of the fledglings at the Northeast Florida Bald Eagle nest of Samson and Gabby was on a branch this morning. Samson flew in with a fish later and there was no one on the nest. Samson ate a bit and left the rest. Later, one of the fledglings (I cannot tell which one) arrived for lunch! Excellent.
So beautiful in the light before IR camera turns off.
They grew up so fast. I remember when Rocket learned to self-feed before Jasper. Oh, I wish I could tell them apart now!
My earlier post had been sad. I hope that all of the nests continue to do well. I hope that Little Bit is released from its suffering. My next report will look at the UK Ospreys, the Storks, and all those falcons plus, of course, Big Red. But – I want to end with a really heart warming story of an Eagle family in the heat in Oregon who, with the help of a wonderful human and other helpers, saved it! Get a tissue. I needed this to end my day’s report!
Thank you for joining me today. Please take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Cornell Bird Lab RTH, DHEC, Berry College, Explore.org, Redding Eagles, Friends of Big Bear Valley, MN-DNR, Pix Cam, NADC-AEF, and NEFlorida Eagles-AEF.
UPDATE: All of the Denton Homes nestlings are now deceased. Sending positive energy that the parents do not also die from Avian Flu as well as the other nests in the area. Condolences to all at Denton Homes on the loss of these three precious eaglets.
Thoughts go out to all of the nests in the area including Mother Goose on the abandoned eagle nest and Mr and Mrs North at Decorah North and their two eaglets.
The three eaglets of Thunder and Akecheta still cause us to hold our breath when they go near the edge of the nest. In their discussions yesterday, Sean Peterson and Lynn Scofield of Cal Falcons said that there is no Avian Flu present on the West coast (yet).
Thunder and Akecheta brought in 9 small fish for the trio yesterday. They have all learned how to ‘hork’ – eating the prey whole almost choking it down! I hope they continue to bring in fish to the nest – no more Coots!
Baby has a full crop and is getting shade from the adult on the nest of Chase and Cholyn at Two Harbours. Blink and the wee fuzzy one turned into an eaglet!!!!!!!! with thermal down. Gosh.
Middle (Little) had a fish tail and a pin fish this morning. He is on the nest being extremely vocal about wanting more food.
Little or MiniO fledged on the 22nd of April at 06:46:14. It is not clear if this was intentional or the wind gust took her off the nest. She has not been seen since fledging. The moderator of the chat said that Lori Covert intends to look for Little MiniO when she returns (I do not know when that is).
The hatch of L2 at the nest of Big Red and Arthur is proceeding nicely. This image is now about 3 hours old. That little one is almost out then. A good shove to the shell might do it. Earlier it appeared that a third egg might have a pip.
Arthur is keeping the pantry stocked.
The arrival of a Robin prompted Big Red to get up and eat a bit. You can see the crop on L1. Both L2 and L3 are now hatching. You can see the progress in the front two eggs. This nest is going to get super busy – and exciting – as these chicks hatch. Notice the bright yellow cere on L1. How gorgeous. The cere is the fleshy covering at the base of the upper beak.
L1 can hear its sibling and is mesmerized by that beak chipping away at the shell. If you look lower L2 has cracked its way around the egg. It will not be long.
There is some exciting news (for me anyway) coming out of the UK. Mrs G and Aran’s 2017 third hatch, Z8, was spotted at Loch Gruinart.
Z8 hatched just before midnight at the Glaslyn nest on the 29th of May 2017. He fledged at the age of 54 days on the 22nd of July 2017. This is the first official sighting of him! Excellent. I hope that we hear more about Z8 now that he has been spotted in Islay. He was a third hatch osprey!
Here is the FB announcement:
Other good news is that chick 3 who had remained in the crumbling eagle nest and nicknamed ‘Velcro’ has been reunited with chick 2 in the temporary nest in Illinois. These folks worked long and hard for these amazing eaglets who have not fledged but are the size of a Canada Goose. Congratulations to everyone at the Illinois Raptor Centre for this incredible effort.
To read about this journey, please go to the FB page of the Illinois Raptor Centre and scroll down – read from the bottom up – from when the nest collapsed.
The two Dale Hollow Eaglets have done so well. The sibling rivalry or food competition is all over between Big and Middle. They are now 55 days old and one of them is standing on the rim of the nest today.
They may have had some lean days but today was feast day and both have eaten so well and have such filled crops that they are ignoring a fish on the nest! Does it get more wonderful than that?
Everything seems to be fine other than being damp and getting potentially more rain later at the MN-DNR nest of Harry and Nancy.
It is 15:04 on the UFlorida Osprey nest. Little Bit continues to cry for food. The older siblings have no crops. It is very hot on the nest and all are food crying now. Wish for a miracle! That is what it is going to take – a miracle. The pattern has been for only one more fish to come in before bed and the two big ones are already ravenous.
As I wrap this up we are still waiting for fish to drop from the sky on the UFlorida Osprey nest, a hatch at Cornell (or two), and Little or MiniO to return to the Captiva Osprey Nest. Some believe they might have heard her calling. Send positive wishes to all the wildlife struggling on the Canadian Prairies with the torrential downpours and the flooding.
Thank you for joining me. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages: Loch Garden and Other Ospreys FB, Illinois Raptor Centre, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, UFlorida-Gainesvlle Ospreys, MN-DNR, DHEC, and Explore.org.
There is so much news in Bird World. I simply cannot keep up. At the same time, most of it is all wonderful! That is a good thing. My report will be short. Many things to do after listening to the wonder session with Cal Falcons.
Jackie and Shadow are amazing. While we have rain warnings here on the Canadian Prairies, our beautiful Eagle family in the Big Bear Valley had a horrific snow/ice storm.
Here is a video clip of Jackie and Spirit. What a great Mum Jackie is!!!!!!
This image was taken at 13:45 and things are much improved.
Cal Falcons. Mark May 5-6 as hatch days. Gosh, the Q & A with Sean Peterson and Lynn Schofield was really and truly informative. I learned so much! And I am posting it for you so you can listen if you wish. There were a couple of takeaways from this session that I found quite interesting. The first was that Alden was known to both Annie and Grinnell and was accepted by Annie and Grinnell. He had been seen for 1 or 2 months. Neither of them ever tried to chase Alden off the Campanile. On at least one occasion, Alden brought a prey delivery to Annie while Grinnell was alive. Again, no action by Grinnell. There is speculation that Alden was going to be a ‘nest helper’ for Annie and Grinnell and that is why neither of them were antagonistic or aggressive to him. The second was that a falcon has super eye sight for about a mile. They can spot a prey item. Grinnell was killed within a mile of The Campanile. Annie might have seen Grinnell being killed and that would contribute to her bonding with Alden so quickly.
Here is the link to this session.
Another fish came to the UFlorida-Gainesville at 16:11:37. The feeding finished at 16:47:55. Little Bit got nothing. The problem is that the two big siblings are now requiring more and more food and both are intimidating the wee babe. If another extremely large fish comes on board before night, finger’s crossed. I am not hopeful, however.
In part, one of the biggest issues is how the female stands to feed the chicks. If she would point her head at the rim so that Little Bit could get between her legs or on the opposite side, he might have a chance of some food.
Lena has been calling for a fish delivery. I wonder if she is hoping she can get Little (MiniO) who fledged this morning back up to the nest for some food.
There is absolutely nothing more beautiful than Big Red looking down at her new baby and it looking up to its wonderful Mum.
Iris has been spending time today at the nest just like she seems to do every afternoon.
The winds are roaring around the Channel Islands Bald Eagle nests. Everyone at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta are holding on!
It is not nearly as breezy but the wind is blowing and it is wet and dreary at the MN-DNR nest of Nancy and Harry and their two eaglets.
Big and Middle shared a fish at 09:38. These two are looking really good and there is absolutely no rivalry. It is truly wonderful – even when there are not a lot of prey items.
It is Earth Day and this is a very good reminder from Rosie and Richmond!
Wishing Everyone a Very Happy Earth Day. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or FB pages where I grabbed my screen captures: SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, DHEC, Friends of Big Bear Valley, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, MN-DNR, Cornell Bird Lab and Montana Ospreys, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wldlife, Explore.org, and Cal Falcons.
Today, the American White Pelicans began arriving in Manitoba. Groups of about 30-40 flew over a couple of hours ago heading north. The Juncos and Robins are here and the other song birds are arriving in large numbers. Do I dare tell them we might have more snow tomorrow?
There is a really nice article on the naming contest for Alden, Annie’s new mate. Did you know that they received 3x the amount of votes for the name choice than any previous chick naming contest? That is fantastic. We love the growing interest in the raptors and their stories.
This is a reminder that the Q & A tomorrow, April 22, is at noon Berkeley time. There will be another one on 6 May when it is expected the eyases will hatch.
The two White-tail eagle chicks in Poland at the Tucholskie Forest nest have eaten well and both had nice crops before night.
Akecheta and Thunder worked together to bring three small fish to the nest today- one for each of the eaglets today! Talk about team work. In the image below, the eaglet on the right has a fish while the one in the middle is looking on at the self-feeding.
The eaglets are 44, 42, and 40 days old today.
There is lots of activity at the Captiva Osprey nest with birds flying by. Middle (Little) has been flying in and out and Little (Mini) has been getting some height under its wings. Both have been home with Lena anxiously awaiting some fish deliveries from Andy.
Two beautiful Ospreys with their Mum, Lena.
Here is a video clip of both chicks calling for fish and Middle (LittleO) getting some air under the flapping of its wings. Those wings are beautiful. It won’t be long!
Big Bob and Middle Bob at the Dale Hollow nest are doing fantastic. I used to be able to tell by the white at the edge of the tail but now I have to look more closely. It is Big on the right and Middle on the left. Beautiful raptors.
I missed the feeding but both have nice crops and there is evidence of a delivery and feeding in those bones. The two eaglets are 53 days old today if you count hatch day.
Iris has spent a bit of time at her nest this afternoon. There is some precipitation falling and people are about. They do not seem to bother her in the least.
Iris loves to give you the ‘snake eye’.
At 19:59 we get a good look at the hatch on the Cornell Campus Red-tail Hawk nest. Progress is definitely being made. Hope this wee one doesn’t get tuckered out. That was one hard shell and membrane to get through!
Here is the progress at 20:48. You can clearly see the beak! Oh, this is so good. The wee one can breathe and surely it will not be much longer now.
Big Red appears to be assisting somewhat in the removal of that shell.
It has been quite the day. From previous pips and hatches I really did expect L1 to be dried off and fluff this morning. It has been a long slog for it and Big Red who has not left the nest. It will be such a relief when this chick is completely out and eating some of that bird tomorrow. L2 could be with us and by then there could be another pip. Little Bit had a good feed – finally – at the UFlorida Osprey nest and all the others including this hatch seem to be fine.
Thank you so much for joining me this evening. I had hoped to just remind you of the chat with Cal Falcons tomorrow and announce L1’s hatch – but, never mind, all is well. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Explore.org, Cornell Bird Lab and RTH, DHEC, Tucholskie Forest Eagles, Montana Osprey Project, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife.
The number of intruders or interlopers – or floaters – causing tense interactions at or near nests is becoming increasingly more alarming. We have seen Grinnell at Cal Falcons chase a female intruder from The Campanile only to be killed. Both Alden and Annie have, since, had to defend their territory with one male interloper coming right into the scrape while eggs were being incubated!
When did we realize that the life of our feathered friends is not just fluttering around and singing at sunrise and dusk? It is becoming quite worrisome.
Rosie was incubating eggs at the SF Bay Osprey nest at the Richmond Shipping yard when an intruder arrived. Richmond does not seem to be around and well, just have a look. The adults that have eggs and chicks that depend on them need to be hunting for food not defending nests in situations that might injure or harm them fatally.
It is happening everywhere and events such as these are causing a lot of anxiety. This morning an intruder with a fish tried to land on the Llyn Clywedog nest with a fish after Seren had laid her third egg. Dylan chased it off! Is it my imagination or is it worse this year than last?
There is a real lack of suitable nesting sites. Ospreys have adapted well to various human made objects such as the Whirley Crane in SF or the light stand at the University of Florida in Gainesville. I just learned the other day that there is an Osprey nest on top of one of the light stands at the University of Manitoba. I had no idea. Ospreys will use human made platforms – what they require is that the sky be wide open so they have a 360 view of any predators arriving. Otherwise Ospreys like the tops of dead trees. Bald Eagles like trees but trees – good old sturdy trees – are in decline. Ron and Rita took to the Papadam nest that Ron Magill constructed and, as I have mentioned a couple of times, David Hancock of Hancock Wildlife in British Columbia is construction eagle nests with sun shades! In San Francisco there is a real desire to have some of that prime real estate that The Campanile provides. Good trees and good territories with a growing number of birds looking for them tends to cause much distress.
It is a joy to see these two eaglets after the very rough start at the Dale Hollow nest. Both hatched on the 28th of February. If we count hatch day, they are 51 days old now. More growing, more wingersizing, and more jumping to do before fledging. Thankfully we will be enjoying them for awhile longer.
An adult brought in a small fish. Little Middle stayed back watching. Little Middle has not forgotten that he needs to be cautious. They have had days of many fish and then not much. Hunger could bring out the cranky side of Big. This is typical of eagle nests where the parents tend to show the older eaglets that sometimes it is feast or famine in the wild.
Little Middle moves up to eat before the fish is all gone, thankfully.
Cornell Bird Lab has posted a possible pip watch for Big Red and Arthur. They say they are in uncharted territory with four eggs. We will all be learning something. We will all be anxious to check on the status of this Red-tail Hawk nest first thing!
Wednesday morning. Cornell called a definite pip. Bit breezy there at times today.
You can see the pip in the third egg from the left as Arthur rolls the eggs this morning.
Big Red and Arthur are going to be really, really busy by the weekend.
B15 is 97 days old today. Pa Berry and Missy continue to come to the nest and to bring fish. Sometimes B15 self-feeds and sometimes she wants Mum to feed her. She tried both approaches Tuesday afternoon. It is such a joy that she is staying around the nest – getting strong, figuring out how to live on her own one day.
Well, the first fish of the morning did not arrive until 11:11:14 and it caused tension on the UFlorida Osprey nest at Gainesville.
Each of the chicks was hot and hungry and had been anticipating a nice piece of fish much earlier. As a result the eldest was cranky and Little Bit didn’t help itself by pecking at Big!
As you might well imagine a hot hungry bigger sibling wasn’t too happy and Big turned around and pecked Little Bit until he went into submission. Little Bit needs to not be so cheeky.
What was interesting to me was that, after a couple of minutes, the Mum got tired of the nonsense of the fighting and moved the fish and all three got in line and ate. Well done Mum!
Little Bit went and did a ps at 11:34 and went back to join the line. He has a bit of a crop forming and there is still fish left. Behave Little Bit!
There is a new study that is out in The Guardian this morning warning that protected areas aren’t always protecting the wildlife they should.
A quick check of what is happening in some of the nests.
Idris and Telyn have their second egg at the Dyfi Nest in Wales as of yesterday, the 19th.
Dylan and Seren 5F have three eggs at their nest at Llyn Clywedog as of today.
The Foulshaw Moss nest of White YW and Blue 35 also have three eggs as of yesterday.
Everyone had a chance to eat fish at the Captiva Nest. Mum Lena is feeding Middle (Little) while Little (Mini) has his own fish on the left.
The two osplets are watching a Crow fly over head. Aren’t they just so beautiful? Look at those amber eyes and that plumage. Gorgeous. Did I say I love Ospreys?
The three eaglets on the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta are still on the nest. Oh, these kids make me nervous.
Just look at the size of the eaglet standing by Thunder being fed. My goodness. Check out the size of those legs. Wow.
It is certainly a gorgeous morning with that deep cobalt blue water and golden glow filtering on the Two Harbours nest of Chase and Cholyn and their little one.
Voting closes today for the two eaglets of Liberty and Guardian. Be sure to fill in the form and get it in by 5pm Pacific time today! The link to submit a name is below the image.
At the Northeast Florida nest of Samson and Gabby, both of their eaglets have now fledged. Congratulations Rocket!
There will be an on line Q & A about the Cal Falcons on 22 April – that is Friday at 2pm Berkeley time. You can set a reminder!
Betyanka and Bukachek have their first egg at the White Stork nest in Mlade Buky The Czech Republic.
Thank you so much for joining me. There are so many nests with things happening that it is hard to keep up. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures: Capi Mlade Buky White Storks, Cornell Bird Labs, DHEC, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Dyfi Osprey Project, Redding Eagles, CarnyxWild, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife, Explore.org, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, and Berry College Eagles.
Right now it is hard to believe that snow will be arriving again in about 4 or 5 hours. All of the garden animals are out and about running around on the hydro lines and poles and checking to see if there are any corn kernels hidden in the wood in the little sheds. Dyson knows it is there! He will find it for sure.
Sharpie seems to have some competition in the garden now with a Cooper’s Hawk (note the curved tail). This hawk is much larger than Sharpie. I wonder if it is a female. Certainly didn’t need to worry about birds at feeders!!!!!!!! They took off but a few went down under the deck and Cooper knows they are there.
Besides the garden chaos with Cooper, there has been a mini-kerfuffel going on in my City today. To feed the songbirds or not? to put out feeders or not? in times of Avian Flu. I decided to ask the Cornell Bird Lab and also sent a question to Dr Thijs Kuken at the University of Erasmus in Rotterdam who is a virologist and studies Avian Flu. I have not heard from him. But the Cornell Bird Lab did send the following information:
“Hello,
Thank you for reaching out to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
We are paying attention to the situation. Avian influenza viruses occur naturally among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species. Wild aquatic birds can be infected with avian influenza viruses in their intestines and respiratory tract, but usually do not get sick.
There are no suggestions to take bird feeders down unless you have backyard poultry or work with poultry or other domestic birds. Of course, this may change as birds begin their migrations north.
Sarah Wagner, PhD Public Information Specialist Cornell Lab of Ornithology
It is recommended that you clean your feeders with a very mild mixture of dish soap and either white vinegar or bleach (very, very mild). You should allow everything to fully dry before using them. There are also recommendations that you clean your feeders every 48 hours. But do note, if you have feeders near poultry – as in a back yard poultry area), those feeders should be removed!
Checking on the UK Ospreys, Mrs G and Aran have their first egg. It arrived at 19:37! Aran saw the egg and went to get Mrs G some more bedding. Sweet.
Telyn and Idris welcomed their second egg at the Dyfi Osprey nest at 18:01.
Sweet. A nice fish for Telyn. Oh, Idris. You are a darling.
A small piece of fish with the tail arrived at the Dale Hollow Eagle nest late in the day. Big and Little Middle were decidedly hungry! It was nice to see the adult feed them both.
I know that the parents slow down the delivery of fish as the eaglets get older providing them with plenty one day and nothing another so they learn about living on their own. However, it sure was nice to see a piece of fish show up for these two!
Martin and Rosa’s eaglet at the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest is doing great. They have had some bad weather and it is still really windy there.
Akecheta has been busy protecting his three eagles at the West End nest on the Channel Islands. It looks like he was concerned about some gulls that were overhead this afternoon.
I did not see it but ‘B’ sent me a video clip of an intruder getting right in the scrape box at Cal Falcons. I am glad I did not see that event live. Thank you, ‘B’.
Sadly, the successful breeding and relocation programmes often cause a lot of floaters looking for nests that can be quite disruptive to established pairs with eggs or chicks. Or, sadly, cause fatalities.
Little Bit has a nice crop. You can see it in the ‘cuddle puddle’ on the nest. That fuzzy light grey marble looking thing is its crop! The nest has done well today. Mum has tried to keep those osplets cool.
Jasper at the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest took its first flight and has since made several others. Rocket is ‘thinking’ about flying. Jasper, however, seemed to have everything happen the day he flew for the first time. He roosted during a storm on the nest tree and, as the AEF realized, he was also hit by an owl! Needless to say he was tired and starving when he got back in the nest. Here is the footage of the owl attack.
This has been a very short newsletter. I hope that everyone is doing well. Take care and I will see you again soon – with more eggs being laid tomorrow in the UK! Thank you for joining me.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: DHEC, Brywd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Explore.org, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Dulles-Greenway Eagles, Pix Cams, and Dyfi Osprey Project.
This is a view of the storm that hit the other day. Today it is partly sunny but, there is another storm on its way. Winter continues for many of us!
Big Red and Arthur have snow. It seems every year Big Red will get encrusted in snow and ice and we sit and worry. She is used to the cold snowy wet weather living on the Cornell campus all her life (or nearby at Brooktondale where she hatched). Pip watch is the end of the week!
The Kakapo Recovery posted an announcement about their t-shirt fundraiser. That is incredibly wonderful – $27,000 is a wonderful amount for selling t-shirts. Well done. Waiting for ours to arrive!
This group and everyone associated with it does an amazing job trying to keep this critically endangered non-flying parrot alive. From changing transmitters, doing wellness checks, or ensuring birds that need care get off the islands to the Dunedin Vet – it is all fantastic.
And one another announcement that I am posting from FB. A Place Called Hope is one of those wildlife rehabbers like CROW that really goes all out for its patients. This Osprey needs fresh whole fish. Do you live in the area? Can you help? Do you know someone who does and could help? Give them a call!
Yesterday I was asked if I get terrified looking at the three West End eaglets now that one fell off and landed on a ledge below. (Thanks to Dr Sharpe, the baby is back on the nest.) The answer is ‘yes’. Utterly terrified.
I pondered that question for quite awhile before and after answering. We recognize that there are risks every day for our feathered friends. An eaglet could fall off the nest, a parent could be accidentally killed and not return with food for the female and chicks, a predator could come and predate the nestlings, fishing line can arrive at a nest and cut through the little legs and wings. We know these things like we have memorized a list of everything that could happen to the birds. But, until it happens, the absolute fragile life that they live does not register completely. That is what it was like for me with Grinnell. Grinnell was always going to return on the ledge and bring food to Annie. Grinnell was always going to protect The Campanile. Grinnell was always going to make a huge mess plucking a pigeon for the eyases. Grinnell would always be there. Until he didn’t come home. The eaglets were safe on the rock until one of them fell off. Absolutely ‘B’ terrified and helpless.
Here is a very different image of that Osprey nest at the University of Florida at Gainesville.
Gorgeous wide open spot for a nest just the way Ospreys love it.
The osplets are really hot today. Mum is trying to shade them just like yesterday. Huge change beginning for Little Bit’s plumage. The back of his head is now oily black!
Look carefully. He is sleeping to the left of Mum. Look at the back of his head. Then look at the older sibling just left of Mum’s shoulder. They are all actively moving into the reptilian stage.
Feedings have been difficult to observe with Mum keeping her back to us.
Not a Raptor. Ferris Akel loves Roseate Spoonbills. Audubon has a lovely article about the oldest Roseate Spoonbill in the world and she is still raising chicks!
The two eaglets at the Dale Hollow nest are waiting for breakfast and lunch! It is often hard to tell them apart these days. Beautiful juvenile feathering.
Aran and Mrs G have been on their nest in the Glaslyn Valley protecting a piece of fish against a bunch of crows.
The rain has stopped at the Dyfi Nest of Idris and Telyn. Everything is fine on their nest.
Blue NC0 and Laddie have a wonderful day at Loch of the Lowes. This is just the most beautiful place for an Osprey nest. So serene. No motor boats, no people. Three eggs.
Louis and Dorcha seem to have settled on the old nest with camera 1 at Loch Arkaig.
As far as I know, Dylan and Seren Blue 5F have not experienced any other visits from the Goshawk at Llyn Clywedog.
And I have two new Peregrine Falcon nests for you. One is in Buckinghamshire in the UK and the other is part of the streaming cams of the Chesapeake Bay Conservancy. Thank you to ‘L’ and her daughter for news of the nest in New England!
The camera on the Buckinghamshire Nest is really good – nice and clear, good definition and a great view. Waiting for eggs.
Here is the link to the Buckinghamshire streaming falcon cam:
The second nest belongs to Boh and Barb and they also have four eggs this year. It seems to be a year for four eggs! Those eggs were laid on March 15, 18, 20 and 23rd of March. We are on pip watch.
Here is the link to the Chesapeake Conservancy falcon cam:
And last but never least, we are on fledge watch for Little (known as Mini on the Captiva Chat). She is 59 days old today. Should be flying soon.
On the right is Middle (Little) and on the left is Little (Mini). You can clearly see the difference in their size. If you watch the streaming cam check out the difference in their legs. Little (Mini) has long legs to help him fish! Middle (Little) has short stocky legs and she is bigger overall.
Both ‘babies’ (hardly babies anymore) had fish this morning at 09:45. There is Middle (or Little on chat) eating its own fish on the left. Middle fledged at 08:13:12 on April the 16th. The long thin legs are like those of Idris at the Dyfi nest and most believe that Middle (Little) is a male. Little (or Mini) is being fed by Lena. She is a nice big female it seems.
Middle (Little) could fly any moment it seems. Here is a link to the Captiva camera:
Thank you so much for joining me today. Please take care everyone! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Dyfi, Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Brywd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife, Buckinghamshire Council Falcon Cam, Chesapeake Conservancy, DHEC, CarnyxWild, A Place Called Hope, Kakapo Recovery, and Explore.org.
The sun is shining bright, the sky is blue with some clouds, and the Dark-eyed Juncos and European Starlings arrived in the garden three or four hours ago! There is not supposed to be more snow for another five or six days – thankfully.
Mr Woodpecker came for some of the suet a few hours later. Normally he goes to the suet cylinder with the wooden flap that helps him sit better but today he decided he wanted the peanut suet.
I love the rustic garden we have created that allows us to interact with wildlife in an urban setting rather than setting boundaries to keep the birds, the squirrels, the rabbits, and sometimes a raccoon separate and apart. We seem to have all found a way to coexist which certainly brings a lot of joy.
I received a note from a friend of forty years this morning. They live in a beautiful flat in New Zealand near a place where they can observe ducks and swans but, with the sale of the family cottage, they are now longing for a home with a large garden. Whether it is a large or small space, each of us can bring joy to our lives by helping our feathered or furred friends. In fact, it is often so much easier to manage a small space with a single feeder. Everything helps! Yesterday a huge flock of robins came to our neighbours. She didn’t have seed of any kind but she had dried cranberries, frozen blueberries, and some apples she chopped up. The Robins were very grateful.
The day started off really well for Little Bit at the UFlorida Osprey nest in Gainesville. Mum called and Dad brought another fish to her at 09:34.
Little Bit – in the middle – stretches its neck really far and gets some amazing bites of fish. This little one is not bothered at all when it comes to putting its head in front of Big sibling. Did I actually think at one time this wee baby would not survive? He is so feisty and what a great Mum he has. She tries each beak when she has flakes of fish. Not one of the chicks is ever left out. Slow and methodical. I am so impressed by her.
Big Bob (left) has its dark oily head today and has been seen doing a lot of preening as its new darker-grey wooly down comes in. Little Bit (middle) still looks rather soft and young. It is healthy – look at that fat little bottom. Middle Bob (top right) is in between the other two siblings. Tomorrow Middle Bob will look much more like Big Bob. The dinosaur phase is upon us.
Yesterday, at the Captiva osprey nest, the last fish was delivered around noon. Was recreational boat traffic the cause of no deliveries later in the day? I always wonder especially on a holiday weekend.
The first fish today came in and Middle grabbed it. I think Lena was planning on dividing it up but she didn’t get a chance. [Chat uses the term ‘Little’ when I say Middle]. I hope Andy brings in another fish soon for Lena and Little [Mini].
Idris brought in a super fish for Telyn at the Dyfi nest and then incubated the eggs for her so she could have a good feed.
Idris is one of my favourites.
Aran and Mrs G have both been on the alert this morning at the Glaslyn nest. No eggs so far – that’s a good thing.
Aran looking around from the rim of the nest.
Mrs G. looking at the intruder above the nest.
Both on the look out from the perch. There are still floaters around looking for a mate and a nest. They often cause a bit of chaos.
Yesterday, Blue NC0 laid her third and, hopefully, last egg of the 2022 season. If all three hatch, Laddie LM12 is going to be one busy male at the Loch of the Lowes. Last year the couple fledged two chicks.
Here is a short video clip of the third egg being laid.
Maya and Blue 33 (11) will have the first Osprey chicks to hatch on the streaming cams in the UK. I will alert you as we approach pip.
All three eaglets at the West End had a nice early breakfast. Thunder told them to stay away from the edge!
There were some gorgeous views from the Two Harbours nest at sunrise.
Chase wanted some time with the eaglet so he brought in a big stick and coaxed Cholyn off the nest. Sounds just like Shadow at the Big Bear Valley nest! You can see that stick to the side of Chase.
The Pittsburgh Hayes eagle nest would sure like some of that warm California Sun today. Everyone looks miserable. I can only imagine what that stock of fish smells like.
Unbelievable. Only Bob at the National Arboretum nest is no longer a fluffy little white teddy bear. Just look at that eaglet with that big crop. There is still some white natal down on its head.
The image below is the eaglet on 6 April. Twelve days ago! The saying is: An eaglet grows from three inches to 3 feet in 3 months. That is incredible.
Mother Goose has her eggs in the old abandoned Bald Eagle nest at Decorah North in Iowa. She seems to be doing fine. No disturbances and unlike dear sweet Diasy, Mother Goose has help.
The camera operator searched and found the Bald Eagles working on their new nest this morning. It is really windy!!!!!!!!
Harry and Nancy were both on the Minnesota DNR nest as snow was falling this morning. Everyone was having a big feast. Each parent was eating and feeding an eaglet. Beautiful.
Liberty and Guardian were both on the Redding Bald Eagle nest this morning too. It looks, from the size of all of these eaglets, that we are really going to be busy when they all start fledging at once!
Would you like an opportunity to name the two Redding eaglets? Here is where you go to fill in the form:
Names already used include the following: Liberty, Patriot, Spirit, Guardian, Conehead, Freedom, Hope, Peace, Shasta, Justice, Stormy, Windy, Lassen, Pi, Paddy, Poppy, Birdie, Bogey, Solo, River, Sky, Hope, Honor, Glory & Rebel.
The whole family was on the nest this morning at Big Bear after Shadow brought in a really super fish.
What a peaceful image. Spirit looking out on Big Bear Lake while Jackie finishes up some fish. Spirit has such a huge crop! Glad there was some fish left for Jackie.
While the ‘New Guy’ is incubating, Annie chases an unwanted male from The Campanile. Oh, and we so wished Annie would have some peace and quiet.
We are waiting for the announcement of the name for ‘The New Guy’.
Jan brought some moss to soften the nest that he shares with his mate, Janika. Their artificial nest is in Jogeva County in Estonia. It was built in 2021. Black Storks are very rare in Estonia and everything is done to encourage them to nest successfully. If you look carefully you can see that there are two eggs already in the nest.
Big Red and Arthur have been taking turns incubating the four eggs. In fact, this year, Arthur has become a bit bolder in his attempts to get Big Red off the nest so that he can care for the eggs, too. We will be on pip watch at the end of the week. I won’t be able to sleep!!!!!!
In past years we have seen Big Red encrusted in snow, blow off by high winds, and drenched by torrential rains. With four eyases it will be imperative that they get under the adult until they are able to regulate their own temperature if bad weather hits the Cornell campus.
Big Red is certainly a good name for the Queen of Red-tail Hawks. She has the most gorgeous deep red plumage whereas Arthur is lighter.
You can really tell the difference in the couple’s colouring by looking at BR above and then Arthur below.
It has been a wonderful day, so far, at the nests. That is a great way to begin the week. Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey Cam, Captiva Osprey Cam and Window for Wildlife, Dyfi Osprey Project, Brywd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Scottish Wildlife Trust, LRWT, Explore.org, Pix Cams, NADE-AEF, MN-DNR, Redding Eagles, FOBBV, Cal Falcons, Eagle Club of Estonia, and Cornell Bird Lab RTH.
The sun is shining bright and there is a possibility that some of the snow will melt. The garden remains full of Juncos! They are all over our City trying to find food at feeders. People have been posting images of Robins eating suet. Poor things. Their migration should have been a good one without the snow storm! This morning, however, there have been about 30 Crows on my street. It is believed that the Great Horned Owl could be in the neighbourhood. They will escort it out!
At the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest of Samson and Gabby, Jasper fledged this morning at 11:12:49!
Rocket watches as Jasper opens up her wings.
And she’s off! Congratulations.
The UFlorida Osprey nest reminds me of Port Lincoln when you had Bazza, Falky, and Ervie lined up eating.
Dad arrives with a nice fish for breakfast.
Mum cheeps at him to leave moving the fish to the other side. Little Bit is right up front and is getting some of the first bites.
Little Bit just gets itself up to the front. Oh, he reminds me of Ervie!
I took a short video clip of one feeding. This nest – so far – really makes me happy.
Dr Sharpe is going up to fix the West End camera today so that we can continue to observe Thunder and Akecheta’s triplets. One of the eaglets has slipped off the left side. Thunder knows where it is and it is hoped that Dr Sharpe can put the baby back in the nest. Send best wishes their way!
Telyn laid the first egg of the season for her and Idris at the Dyfi nest about an hour ago!
There it is!
Little Middle has been over nibbling on one of the pieces of fish on the nest.
For those of you worried about the absence of the female eagle at the Duke Farms nest, she was in the nest this morning feeding the only eaglet. All is good!
Teo visited the only Osprey nest in Latvia!
Teo has been bringing fish to the nest. Two females have been seen at the nest and there was a mating attempt with one of them but there is no confirmation that either were Teo’s mate, Vita. We wait for her to return from her migration.
Here is the link to the Latvian Osprey cam near Kurzeme:
Wow. They are sure beautiful. Is it possible that we are looking at the difference in size now between the male and female juvenile Ospreys? Little Mini in the back with his long legs and Middle the larger female at the front?
Little Mini took off at 07:40:38 for a trip around the nest. He will take his 2, 3rd, and 4th flights today after fledging yesterday. So far Little Mini flies at 07:40;39, 08:06:57, and 08:07:59. you can go back and rewind to see this magnificent bird get the air under its wings.
Middle is watching Little Mini. Look above the palm tree on the right. You can see him.
It is going to be a perfect landing!
There is a theory about males flying first. Since the females are bigger 1/3, it takes longer for all their feathers to grow in compared to the males. Therefore, the males tend to fledge earlier.
Little Mini wants to fly again and again. Both chicks would like a big fish delivery, too!
Here is the link to their camera:
Karl II and Kaia are happy to be reunited in their nest in the Karula Forest in Estonia. They are so beautiful. Last year Karl II and Kaia raised three storklets to fledge from the three eggs that hatched.
Here is the link to their nest:
Suitable trees for nesting are becoming a real issue for all manner of bird species including Eagles, Ospreys, and Black Storks. Here is an article about this issue in Estonia. This is one of the reasons that many, including David Hancock at Hancock Wildlife and Ron Magill, Miami Zoo, are looking at alternative artificial nests.
Do you watch the Osprey nest of Alma and Ossi in Finland? Nesting materials are arriving.
Alma and Ossi have raised eight osplets to fledge since 2017. Here is a link to their streaming cam:
There is absolutely so much happening that it is impossible to keep up with all of the changes. While I am watching one fledge, another could be fledging on a different nest! It is a crazy time – but a good one.
Thank you for joining me this morning. All of the nests look good. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures and video clips: UFlorida at Gainesville Ospreys, NEFlorida and the AEF, DHEC, Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife, Eagle Club of Estonia, Duke Farms, Dyfi, Latvian Fund for Nature, and Saaksilive.
