Tag Archives: White-tailed Eagles

Good News on Little Bit ND17 and brief news in Bird World

Sunday 3 July 2022

“Camaro with hay bale” by La Chachalaca Fotografía is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

Do you live in an area where farmer’s are baling hay or straw? and using baling twine? It was baling twine mixed in with some other nesting materials that caught on the male Ospreys talon at Osoyoos and pulled the chick off to fall to its death. Dr Erick Greene at the Montana Osprey Project finds literally tonnes of baling twine in the Osprey nests he studies. He also finds dead chicks and others nearly dead and tangled. If you live in a farming area help our Ospreys by spreading the word. Here is an information pamphlet that Dr Greene prepared – it is quick and to the point.

Click to access balingtwine.pdf

It is surprising that the nest at ND-LEEF is still holding. It looks like bits and pieces of it are falling away each day. Mum and Dad are still bringing fish to the nest for ND15 and 16.

15 was on the nest when the adult arrives with a nice fish. Soon 16 arrives.

I believe 15 kept the fish!

There is an update today on ND17 – and it is a good one. There is that sweet baby. It appears that individuals have been showing up at the clinic wanting to see 17. Please do not go there. The clinic staff has addressed this issue in their posting. ND17 is doing great and it is the clinic’s business to help him so that he can be returned to the wild. Everyone who works at a rehabilitation clinic is overworked and underpaid – it is a very sad situation in many instances where they do not get celebrity birds and good donations. Send them a thank you letter! Tell them you don’t expect a reply. Make a donation! Give to your local rehabber — I keep saying clean old towels but gosh, they are much needed. Give the towel a second life, too.

Isn’t he adorable?

Problems with nests and falling out of nests happens everywhere. It has been awhile since I checked on the two White-tail Eaglets in their nest in the Tucholskie Forest in Poland. Last time I remained somewhat cautious about the second chick surviving. Their names are Uno and Duo. (The third chick was a victim of siblicide). Uno fell off the nest and spent 4 days on the forest floor. He must have glided – as he flew back up to the nest. There are now some concerns that Duo has not been fed since 1 July and Uno is taking all the prey. They are big eaglets – just beautiful. Both will hopefully survive.

Sleeping and waiting for food.

Last year, Karl II and Kaia had three storklets. One of those Pikne who stayed with Karl II for a long time having him bring her food before fledging. She hatched on the 28th of May and fledged 4 August. She has a perfect flight to Ethiopia where she arrives on October 24, 2021. Pikne stayed in Africa and set off for her return flight to Estonia. She was in Israel on 1 June 2022 and everyone was so happy to see her transmitter working. Sadly, on 6 June, she on a power line and was killed in the middle of nowhere in Turkey. Such promise. A day does not go by without adding another one to ‘the list’.

Pikne is the storklet getting ready to stand up at the front.

As ‘S’ reminded me last year, countries can make laws that power companies must make their poles safe for wildlife but the companies must follow through in a timely manner. Last fall we lost Solly in South Australia and the individuals that make up Port Lincoln Osprey were on a mission to get the government to fix the power poles. Must check with them to see how they are doing. It is, sadly, a worldwide issue for our beautiful raptors and storks. In Pikne’s case, it is thought that she was tired and landed to rest as there was no place to feed near that pole — so it is not just poles near feeding areas but all poles that should have a protective cover.

This is the nest of Karl and Kaia this morning. Bonus made no reaction to Karl II which means that he has accepted him as his father, the male on the nest and is home with the three siblings. This is such good news for the success of the intervention by Urmas and Dr Madis V. Actually it is fantastic news.

What can you do to help so that our beautiful birds are not electrocuted? Here is a story of a Bald Eagle and an individual who got their power company to retrofit the power lines – 12 of them – in their neighbourhood. Remember! Each of us can make a difference by seeking solutions for the birds that live where we do.

Birds on Utility Poles – The Electrocution Solution

Most everyone is following the story of Malala, the Red-tail hawklet meant for dinner but adopted by the Gabriola Island Bald Eagle family. This article covers this adventure from the beginning to the present. It is a really good read.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/7/3/2106484/-Dawn-Chorus-From-Abduction-to-Adoption-one-very-lucky-Redtail?utm_campaign=recent&fbclid=IwAR1Oka–04MqhvwMZ5rIbqPXoJicBNFR-BThdwbr-fqoJO4t_f5BJ9M09qA

Every once in awhile I feel compelled to give a shout out to the New Zealand government and specifically their Department of Conservation (NZ DOC). I wonder how many of my readers follow the exploits of the Royal Cam chick on Taiaroa Head? There she is – QT (Quarry Track) chick doing her morning stretches. What a beauty.

This year has seen at least 10 supplementary feedings for QT and a few of the other chicks on the peninsula. Her parents are YRK and OGK. Just like Janika could not provide enough food for her storklets alone, neither can YRK. There is little talk on the Royal Cam FB group but the much beloved OGK was last seen on the 19th of May. Some believe he came in on June 10 but that is not confirmed and many believe it was not him but, rather, YRK. OGK doesn’t choose to not return to feed his chicks. He is one of the most devoted Royal Albatross I have ever seen. He is either injured or dead. Two years ago OGK suffered a leg injury and returned limping after 40 days. If the 19 of May date is correct – he is missing for 46 days now. Send all good wishes his way, please.

US Steel Eagle 4 (USS4) is in care from tumbling out of the tree with severe feather injuries but USS5 is doing great – learning how to fly and returning to the nest for prey from the parents. Congratulations 5 – you are doing very well, indeed.

‘H’ reports that Dory has really mastered the art of feeding her three osplets on the Boathouse Osprey nest – making sure that each and everyone has bites. Dory purposefully gave Little Bob several nice mouth fulls this morning. Fantastic. Thank you ‘H’.

Dad was in early with fish for Mum and the two osplets on the Osoyoos Osprey Platform. It was 0554. Fingers crossed!

That is a brief look at some of the news today. Everyone seems to be doing well.

It is not a good image – taken with my phone at a distance. But this is the tiny rabbit that comes to the garden now grown – 4x his size. Grass and birdseed!

In celebration of ND17s progress, I am sending each of you a virtual piece of that Yokohama Orange cake…Sorry to all food designers. Fall plate and spring flowers! But delicious cake…it was worth all the effort.

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

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB postings where I took my screen captures: Humane Wildlife Indiana, The Eagle Club of Estonia, Bieliki Online Bory Tucholskie, NZ DOC, ND-LEEF, Explore and Audubon, Pix Cams, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, and GROWLS.

Thursday morning in Bird World

21 April 2022

The snow that was forecast did not materialize in southern Manitoba and Winnipeg. That is wonderful! We needed a break from the last storm to melt the snow and to be outside. The birds needed a break in the weather, too. Sadly, there is another special weather advisory for the southern part of Manitoba starting tomorrow morning through Sunday. Perhaps we will only get the wintery rain. Oh, the poor Wood Ducks. They have just arrived.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: The Q & A session on Cal Falcons is at noon in Berkeley! When you go to the YouTube site and set the alarm reminder, it will confirm your local time – hence the confusion. Thanks ‘B’ and ‘S’.

You can tell by Big Red’s demeanour that ‘something’ is happening. She does a little wiggle and then you catch her with this focused look as if she can see the eyas advancing in its pecking. Of course, she can hear it cheeping and, apparently, so can the other three. Some believe that this encourages them to hatch faster so they can join their sibling. That would be grand.

Arthur revealed the progress of the hatch when there was a shift change.

Hatching!

The White-tailed eagle nest of Tula and Borek in the Tuchola Forest had three eggs. The eaglets hatched on 8, 12, and 14th of April. There are only two surviving eaglets today. Siblicide is not as widespread in White-tail Eagle populations as it is in Golden Eagles. That said, when the third eaglet hatched the eldest at this nest began immediately to beak it. There was 6 days difference in their age and size. I believe the two surviving are hatches 1 and 2. I will refer to them as Big Bob and Middle Bob to try and keep things straight.

Today, Middle was clever and crawled up leaning half in and half way out of the nest cup so it could get some food. This is a very determined youngster. The eldest had eaten and so the youngest was not tormented. I hope that these two survive just like the two oldest hatches at the Dale Hollow Nest.

The nest is 25 metres above ground on a 140-year-old pine tree. The White-tailed eagles have been using the nest for four years. At another place in the forest, eagles had been nesting since the late 1990s on a 160-year-old pine near to one of the fish lakes. So for 25 years eagles, at some location in Tuchola Forest, WTE have been breeding. There is a year round protection area around the nests extending 200 metres in any direction.

The nest is located in this large, 46 sq kilometres, nature reserve in northern Poland. The two main types of trees are the Pine and the Oak Bartek. It is the oldest oak tree in Poland believed to be 686 years in age.

“Polek i Bartek w jednym lesie stali” by Polek is marked with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

The park is full of rabbits, deer, and 80 species of birds. There are also nearby rivers for fish. It is anticipated that there should be plenty of food for the adults and both of the chicks.

There are about 1200-1500 pairs of White-tailed Eagles in Poland. Their conservation status is ‘very scarce breeding bird’. Most of the eagles live in the northern areas of Poland.

Here is a link to this White-tailed Eagle nest in Poland:

Both eaglets were being fed well Thursday morning:

Idris and Telyn were watching the train go past the Dyfi Nest in Wales. Two eggs. We will be watching for the third tomorrow.

Little (or Mini) is still on the nest with Lena and has not fledged yet. Middle (Little) took off this morning about 10:05 for a flight and is perched on some greenery near the nest. He is probably going to watch for when Dad delivers a fish. This morning Lena has also had to chase away an intruder, another Osprey.

It looks like the MN-DNR nest is getting a bit of sun this morning. It will help dry out the nest of Harry and Nancy but will they get some of that snow and rain that is coming?

What is enfluffeling?

Jackie and Shadow’s 2022 eaglet, Spirit, sure loves it when the wind blows hard through the nest. She is working those wings today!

For all us worrying aunties and uncles, the cam operator did Zoom out and there are three eaglets on the West End nest. Relief. When the camera is in the normal position, you might only see two.

This is the view of the Glacier Gardens Nest this morning. Oh, it is beautiful. Liberty and Freedom should be returning soon.

It is a bright sunny day for Chase, Cholyn, and the little one at the Two Harbours nest.

The Redding Eagles are asking for you to vote for your favourite name for Liberty and Guardians 2022 hatches. Here is the announcement:

Friends of the Redding Eagles​ NAMING: Step 2: Vote for your favorite pair of names, just ONCE please. Click here to vote- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA…

Jasper and Rocket from Samson and Gabby’s NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest have both fledged. They have also returned to the nest. Yahoo. Today they were perched on a branch of the nest tree looking out. I wonder if they might do some tandem flying?

Mum flew in with a hunk of fish at 09:22 at the UFlorida Osprey nest. Look where where that one osplet is positioned for the feed! I believe this to be either Big or Middle. It is not Little Bit.

That chick got a lots of nice big fish bites while the other two were fighting at the back of Mum. It is difficult to tell who is who and the dark shadow is not helping. I first thought it was Little Bit on the rim of the nest but I believe that Little Bit is getting hammered by Big while it is Middle eating. But that is not a 100% certain ID.

The chicks are really, really hungry. Clever of that one to get up there to be fed. It walked away and fell into food coma. Smiling. Ah, is he playing possum? He looked up to see the other two eating. Wonder if he will return for some more fish?

That osplet would certainly like some more fish.

Sadly it looks like Little Bit is lodged between Big and Middle. This is not good especially with less fish coming on the nest and the hot weather dehydrating the little guys.

Little Bit cannot seem to get around the bigger sibling. He will be getting tired and dehydrated.

At 10:00 the Big sibling was laying on top of Little Bit.

I do not believe Little Bit did get any fish. The feeding was over and Mum went to brood the chicks.

I will monitor the UFlorida nest on and off today. What looked good a few days ago has now turned. Let us all hope that another big chunk of fish gets on that nest quickly so Little Bit can have some food.

This is the latest on the hatch for Big Red and Arthur. The image was shot in a change over from Arthur to Big Red. I am really hoping that is blood from a prey item.

Thank you so much for joining me today. Take care everyone. I will be back with what I hope is good news on Little Bit later today along with hatch news from Cornell. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Cornell Bird Lab, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Friends of Big Bear Valley, Explore.org, Tuchoskie Forest Eagle Cam, NEFlorida and the AEF, Redding Eagles, MN-DNR, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife, Cal Falcons, Glacier Gardens, and Dyfi Osprey Project.

Milda lays first egg of 2022!

17 March 2022

This year it seems that couples who have had difficulties in the last year or two are having success. I hope that this is the case with Milda and her new mate at the White-tailed Eagle nest near Kurzume in Durbe Municipality, Latvia.

On the map below you can see Kurzeme in the western region of Latvia.

Last year Milda lost her long time mate, Raimis, right after she had laid her eggs. Milda and Raimis had successfully bred on the nest in 2018, 2019, and 2020. 2021 would have been their 4th breeding season. It is believed that Raimis was killed or injured in a territorial dispute and did not return to the nest.

Milda tried to incubate those eggs in the cold weather without eating. She did so for eight full days. What an incredibly devoted mother. She had to eat and left the two eggs for approximately 5-6 hours in the cold weather of April. To everyone’s surprise, the two eggs hatched. But Milda was starving and there was little food and an on again off again male who watched the two chicks freeze to death while Milda foraged. It was a horribly sad ending for the breeding year but, much was learned about eggs and outside temperature. We also know that these big nests hold a lot of heat.

So this is a new year and Milda has laid her first egg at 18:09 on Thursday the 17th of March. Congratulations to Milda and her mate who I hope is as devoted to her as she is to her eggs and chicks.

The nest is in a forest area high up on Spruce Tree. The region is so beautiful. It will change from winter into spring before your eyes.

You can join in with all the other fans of Milda by going to the streaming cam below. There are some great chat moderators there to help you, too!

White-tailed Eagles are extremely rare in the Balkan Region. This nest has been used since 2014 and it is hoped that this year it will be successful for this fabulous Mum.

This is exciting. I am so happy for Milda. Thank you for joining me!

Thank you to the Latvian Fund for Nature for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.