It’s cold and there was more snow yesterday and some blowing wind last night!
There is good news today.
Pittsburgh-Hayes Bald Eagles have two eggs as of today at 16:07. The reveal came at 16:34. Congratulations Pittsburgh!!!!!!!!
Eagle Country had its second hatch today. My goodness these nests are going to keep everyone busy! Two precious bobble heads – a complete Eagle family for Valentine’s Day!
Dad’s got a bunny on the nest in celebration. Congratulations Eagle Country!
Mum isn’t even in the picture. I think Ervie hollers so loud she wanted some peace and quiet. There is Ervie and Dad just hanging out in the shed together. They look perfectly at home!
Ervie, we still love you. You are everyone’s Valentine.
Sadly the competition on the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest has continued today. In addition, I am not seeing a lot of food in the pantry on this nest like there was earlier. Certainly the Eagles begin to slow down on deliveries but it seems a little early at this nest. NE26 is certainly not treating NE27 nicely.
Those images of that feeding were at 11:14 this morning. Thirty minutes later they are a cuddle puddle.
Neither chick has a big crop. NE26 is clearly much larger than 27. If you were going by size now you would say Big sister and Little Brother.
A fish was fed at 16:00. NE26 ate. I could not see any evidence of 27 eating. It was in submission on the side all the while. I am certainly not liking what I am seeing in this nest. I wish that Samson would get on the nest and feed 27 while Gabby feeds 26 just like Harriet and M15 do in situations like this.
NE26 passes out in a food coma. Little Bit is up looking to see if there is any scrapes on the nest.
27 found a few flakes and then aroused 26 to look up to see what 27 was doing. Note the very nice crop on 26. If there had been enough fish, I am certain that 27 could have had its share once 26 was asleep.
A few minutes later an adult lands on the nest. NE27 opens its beak at 26. It is Samson and there is no good. The adults have been on alert for several days because of intruders.
There has been no more food brought to the nest or feedings since 16:00. NE26 is also hungry. I sure hope there is a whopper of a fish brought in late. As I mentioned, Gabby and Samson have been on high alert because of intruders and that will account for less food on the nest. Protecting their territory is their first priority. The eaglets are last. NE27 had a full crop last night and it will be fine – just hungry. Let us hope that 26 gets full and passes out so 27 can have a meal. I have to say that I am more than disappointed – and I hope that the intrusions stop so this nest can get back to normal. As I often say, the fortunes of the birds can turn on a dime. It can be intruders or bad weather or the heat of summer. Send all good wishes out to them.
This is the video of that great dinner yesterday when both Gabby and Samson were on the nest with the two chicks. Samson fed NE27 til he was super full. Tears.
Come on guys – let’s do that again tonight!
There is great news up in Minnesota. The first egg of the 2022 season was laid by Nancy on 12 February. This is the nest of Nancy and Harry. It is one of my favourites. Last year Harry was only 4 years old when he fledged two super eaglets! Congratulations Nancy and Harry.
Here is the link to their streaming cam:
And here is the video of that first egg of the season laid on 12 February. We will be on egg watch for #2 tomorrow.
Send all your warm wishes to the NEFlorida Nest. I really hope that 27 gets a good feed tonight. Make no mistake, this eaglet is not starving to death. But regular and sufficient feedings really help keep the babies healthy and stress-free.
Thank you for joining me. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: MN DNR Eagle Nest, NEFlorida and the AEF, Port Lincoln Osprey Cam, Eagle Country, and Pix Cams.
We really do have to spread this information to those that do not read bird blogs or belong to groups advocating for the banning of all lead in hunting and fishing equipment. Since the fall when hunting season began, wildlife rehabbers have, on their FB pages, testified to the huge toll lead takes on Bald Eagles. It isn’t just eagles – other raptors show up with lead poisoning, too.
I am going to attach the article that my friend sent to me about the use of copper bullets instead of lead. It is a really good read and after trying to take out the good bits and deciding they were all good, I hope that you can read it. I have been able to enlarge it as wide as I can.
The article makes it very clear that they are not against hunting. They simply want the hunters to reflect on their practices and change to ammunition that does not harm or kill wildlife. The return of the Bald Eagle after them being almost completely wiped DDT is being ‘stunned’ by the deaths caused by lead. There is an alternative: copper. There is another and that is stainless steel. A supplier in my City has the stainless steel and copper bullets priced at $1.50 a box more than lead. I do wish they would just stop buying the lead.
Today, Badger Run Wildlife Rehab posted the following information. I am copying and pasting it here to add to that included in the newspaper article. We can never get enough information and clarification!
“HOW are Bald Eagles exposed to the lead, which leads to their poisoning?
Lead “toxicosis” occurs when a bird ingests lead. It’s a neurotoxin & at low levels leads to lethargy often where the bird does not have the energy to find food & simply dies of starvation. The more lead present in the system the more pronounced the symptoms can become including confusion, respiratory distress, convulsions, organ failure, etc. And it also depends on the individual bird. We have had a hawk test very low for lead in the blood (only about 6 ug/dL), but have severe symptoms which resolved following treatment.
There are 2 major ways lead gets into the environment where birds eat it. First, you have the waterfowl (especially swans, ducks, geese) that eat “grit” to help digest their food. Sometimes that grit contains leftover lead shot from 20+ years ago when lead ammo was legal for hunting waterfowl. Other times, it comes from lost lead fishing tackle/sinkers. These birds not only suffer lead poisoning, but predators that eat them also ingest the lead in their system. That 2nd group of birds that commonly suffer lead poisoning includes the birds of prey that eat animals that are tainted with lead. So other than eating tainted waterfowl (eagles, especially) these birds eat mammals that have been tainted with lead. Any gut pile left behind above ground by a hunter using lead ammo has left a yummy lead poisoned meal for any bird of prey finding it. Likewise, anyone shooting small mammals like gophers & prairie dogs with lead who leaves these carcasses above group also is leaving poisonous food for birds of prey.
Can mammalian predators also get lead poisoning by eating left over lead ammo? Yes, but mammals usually have much less acidic stomachs which makes them better as digesting lead particles before they pass through their guts. Birds also have “grinding stomachs” that further help to deliver lead to their bloodstreams.
A piece of lead the size of a grain of rice is enough to kill an eagle!”
Birds like Loons and Swans also suffer a very high incidence of lead poisoning because they ingest the lead sinkers that break off of fishing tackle. Geese and ducks have been protected with lead ammunition being banned they would skin the lead pellets off the water and eat them!
There are many hunters who are supporting the ‘Ban the lead Movement’ and spreading good information educating the general population. You can help, too!
All of the eagles and all those fluffy little chicks thank you for helping them! As well as the waterfowl who ingest all those lead sinkers!!!!!!!! Remember it is an easy fix.
Thank you for joining us this morning. All is well with Ervie. Him and Dad are spending the night on the barge at Port Lincoln and the camera appears stable! Take care. Oh, and before I forget, Dyson and all the garden gang want to wish each of you a very happy Valentine’s Day.
It is no secret that bad weather days can cause a disruption in the social behaviour of the eaglets on a nest. That is precisely what happened today on the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest of Gabby and Samson. NE26, the older and larger of the eaglets, pecked at 27 so that it missed at least two feedings. The younger sibling quickly went into submission protecting is head and neck even when approached by the older sib.
By mid-afternoon, around 15:18, 27 got up around the tail of the adult and had some food. Earlier it had tried to self feed on a fish. That was around 10:18. It is very sad when a nest that had been so civil gets disrupted. Fingers crossed that 26 will behave and Samson will have more fish on the nest.
Here are some images, with very little text, of the encounters between the two siblings. The final one is NE27 finally getting fed.
Competition for parental attention or food, squabbling if you like between siblings, is quite common in Eagle nests even when the pantry is full. All of us have seen this. NE27 did figure out how to get around NE26 because, by mid-afternoon, it was really, really hungry. NE26 had been fed and was also not as aggressive as it had been earlier in the day.
We have seen competition arise after big storms. It almost seems that the time between feedings and the bad weather causes the eldest to become hostile. I hope by tomorrow these two eaglets who were both fed equally with large crops have this sorted out! Both Samson and Gabby are superb parents.
Thank you so much for joining me. Take care!
Thank you to the NEFlorida Bald Eagles and the AEF for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.
Yesterday my friend, ‘R’ saw an article in her local newspaper in PA, the Philadelphia Inquirer, by Rita Giordano. Its title was ‘Copper Bullets could help with eagles being poisoned by hunted animals’. Today, one of the FB groups that I belong to trying to end lead poisoning in birds – both flying and waterfowl – posted some information. I would like to add fishing equipment to these topics, not just bullets. That article, ‘Those Bullets that kill Birds’ will be coming tomorrow. Sadly, those that hunt and fish with lead equipment will probably never read my blog but, hopefully, it will inspire you to reach out to those you know who do fish and hunt with the consequences and how they can help be part of the solution.
I am also working on Avian Flu and falcons. That is coming up.
It started off a wet yucky day in Jacksonville at the nest of Gabby and Samson. By mid-day, the eaglets were drying out. Poor Gabby needs to go to the stylist!
Gabby is an amazing Mum. I love watching her take care of her babies. She tries so hard to get them under her so she can keep them dry. She was also spread out like a huge Mumbrella at one time.
It’s a nice fresh fish for the family. Those babies are getting their mohawks.
It was the same for Harriet, M15, E19 and 20 at the Fort Myers Bald Eagle nest on the property of D Pritchett. The one difference between Harriet’s eaglets and Gabby’s is their age and their plumage. E19 and E20 have their juvenile feathers and the rain and cold can be controlled by them – but not by E26 and 27 yet.
still Harriet tries to stuff those big babies underneath her!
R1 and R2 were soaking wet when they woke up at the WRDC nest in the Miami Zoo, too.
Ron and Rita’s nestlings look more like eagles now. My goodness. They are catching up with E19 and E20.
The Osceola Bald Eagle nest looks dry. The Mum was there feeding the eaglet this morning even though it can easily feed itself now.
It is difficult to tell if there is a pip on the first egg for Andy and Lena at the Captiva Osprey nest. Lena has been rolling the eggs and calling for Andy to bring her some food! He brought in a small fish earlier but she is still hungry.
The poor Mum at the Duke Farms nest is under some snow! Dad has brought in food and has done some rotations in the incubation rota with her.
It is pretty nice down in Louisiana. Kincaid always looks so lonely on the nest when he is there by himself, just like the little eaglet at Berry and Osceola. The truth is that Bald Eagles are solitary birds, most often. It probably doesn’t bother them at all – just me! Anna is going to feed that entire fish that Louis just brought to Kincaid! His crop will pop.
The forest rangers are going to add an IR light that will light up the canopy of the tree, more sound, and a new camera. The sound they have now is incredible. This morning Kincaid was food calling and those little cheeps just tugged at your heart strings.
Are you a fan of Bonnie and Clyde, the Great Horned Owls that took over the Bald Eagle nest on Farmer Derek’s property last season? If so, the GHOWs are back! They have visited the nest but no egg was laid last night.
You can see one of the Owls on the branch above the nest at dawn.
Remember that the owls are active during the evening and night – and most active at dusk and dawn. Once Bonnie lays her first egg, she will remain on the nest taking some breaks with Clyde providing food.
Here is the link to this camera:
On the 11th of February, three days ago in Orange, Australia, that little cutie pie Xavier chased a Wedge-tailed Eagle – the largest raptor in Australia – out of his territory! The encounter was caught on the new tower cam. Xavier, you are amazing.
This is the best I could do from the streaming tower cam. You can see the wings of the Wedge-tail eagle in a downward stance to the right of the image. Below and to the left you will see a small dark spot. That is Xavier.
Here is a 3 min 20 sec video on this magnificent bird so you can see how large a Wedge-tail Eagle is and then you can marvel more at Xavier’s ability to get it out of his territory. A short introduction to the Wedgie.
We are in the midst of another blizzard. The snow coming down is not big flakes but it sure is blowing. I thought I caught Dyson eating the nut cylinder but when I cropped the images it was Scraggles eating all those nuts. Dyson is sure missing out! Yesterday, no one in the garden had hardly touched this lovely nut cylinder and by the end of the day, Scraggles might well have eaten it all. Do squirrels get tummy aches?
The snow is sticking to Scraggles’s fur.
I love how Scraggles moves around eating the seed cylinder and hanging on. That cylinder was more than triple the current size when Scraggles started out. He is eating well and looks quite healthy except for his tail which is actually growing back. We believe he had a bad encounter with one of the local cats.
The Sparrows are all puffed to stay warm.
I put some chopped peanuts, meal worms, and Bark Butter balls on the snow for those that wanted to eat off the ground. It was nice to see the Starling and the Sparrow sharing the food.
Little Red has decided to stay inside his penthouse today. I have not seen him out at all. That suet he ate yesterday should keep him full for several days.
The Port Lincoln Osprey cam is offline again. It has just not been the same since the big storm. Hopefully it will be back up shortly and we can check on Ervie.
Thank you for joining me today. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: NEFlorida and the AEF Bald Eagles, SWFlorida and D Pritchett, Duke Farms, Osceola Bald Eagles, KNF Bald Eagles, Captiva Osprey Cam, Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, WRDC Bald Eagles, and Farmer Derek.
I have spent the morning sorting books and clearing out paper and all that gets accumulated before you realize it. In the midst of all of that I found a really nice letter from the Director of the 1000 Islands Environmental Centre in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. I think that each of you will be interested in the contents of this letter – indeed, I know you will.
“Bald eagles typically have a clutch of 1-3 eggs laid in late February or early March and hatch approximately 34-36 days later…Observations on the nest of the 1000 Islands Conservancy Zone confirmed a successful hatching with video and photo evidence of eaglets. Over the weekend, additional video of the nest was able to show that the adult pair have successfully hatched four eaglets.”
This is an extremely rare occasion. Nowak continues, “Successfully hatching four chicks in one nest is a very rare occurrence for bald eagles and it is an event to celebrate and safeguard. There have been very few documented cases of nests with four eaglets, and despite the success the eagles have had to this point, the adults face a significant challenge to provide enough food to sustain the young eaglets until they are independent this summer.”
There are the four nestlings being fed by Mum. Can you imagine how busy those parents were providing food?!
Here is a video of one of those feedings:
And guess what? The four eaglets fledged!!!!!!!! So if anyone ever asks you if you know of a Bald Eagle nest fledging four, you can now say ‘yes’ with confidence. This is one of those really feel good stories.
Today, I have spent more time cleaning than checking on the birds. Ferris Akel has his tour going on behind me and he has made me really miss the ducks in our City. I am just counting the weeks until April when they return.
In other Bird World news, we are still eggspecting Liberty to lay her second egg today. Lots of people watching and waiting. I continue to check.
UPDATE: Liberty laid that second egg today, as expected, at 14:42. I have to say I even felt for her as she was in labour! Congratulations Liberty and Guardian.
Andy is giving Lena a bit of a break at the Captiva Osprey nest. We are now on pip watch for this couple. It remains unclear to me if the owner still intends to shut off the camera after a hatch. The Ospreys have had bad luck in the past with the Crows taking the chicks. My understanding is that the camera is to be shut down until such time the chicks would be too big for the Crows. We wait to see.
And sadly, the camera at Port Lincoln is off line again. This is the last available image of Ervie and Dad on the barge. I always keep these. You never know if this will be our last sighting of Ervie for some time.
UPDATE: The Port Lincoln Osprey Barge camera is now up and streaming again. Ervie is watching the water! That is a good sign. Oh, wouldn’t we love to see him catch a fish off that barge! And not a Puffer or a Toadfish, please, Ervie.
It is a beautiful blue sky with sun here creating deep shadows on the snow. It is -19. Today’s garden adventure is brought to you by Little Red. A week ago I put a suet bell on a hanger for Little Woodpecker. Someone has been working very hard because they got the heavy suet off the holder, took it across the snow and got it on top of the small wood shed in the back. At that point the suet got stuck on a branch. (I lay them on top of one another on the top so the birds can get inside and hide if Sharpie comes!). That someone is Little Red! What a surprise. He deserves every bite of that suet. What a character! And a hard worker.
There is the object of desire. That little squirrel really managed to get it quite far.
Little Red got big bites of the suet. He would then run up to Sharpie’s post and eat it in the sun and then run back and get some more.
Isn’t this squirrel adorable?
Oh, the joy and the giggles these garden animals bring!
Thank you so much for joining me today. Little Red says to remember to leave some food for the squirrels, too! Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or FB page where I took my screen captures: Redding Bald Eagles, Explore.org, Captiva Osprey Cam, and 1000 Islands Conservation Zone FB page.
Good night from Thunder and Aceta at the West End Bald Eagle Cam on Catalina Island. Looks hot.
It is fantastic that the camera at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge is up and running again. We can see the comings and goings of Dad and – of course, our dear Ervie. Saturday morning (Australian time) both were in the shed.
Ervie and Dad both flew off together a 09:13:07. At the time, I did not know what has caused them to be frightened.
Then there it was – a motorboat!
Ervie returned to the barge – four hours alter – at 13:47.
Ervie flew off the nest again. He returned at 14:03:34. It looks like he has been in the water. I wonder if he was caught anything? He has certainly tried. I did not see a fish delivery but am told that Dad did, indeed, bring in a fish for his boy. Fantastic.
How lucky we are to still be able to watch the trials and tribulations of our Ervie! He was gone for nearly four hours during the time the boat scared him and Dad off the barge. Then the returned, left again, and is back. I do hope they post the information from his tracker for that 4 hour period. Wonder where he went?
Are you a fan of Eagle Country? If so, you will be delighted to know that Abby and Blazer had their first hatch today. Congratulations!
While Eagle Country has a hatch, Pittsburgh-Hays has their first egg of the season. It arrived at 18:22:43. Gosh, things are really starting to happen quickly.
At the Redding California Bald Eagle nest of Liberty and Guardian, we will be on egg watch for Saturday the 12th! Liberty laid her first egg on 9 February at 15:19:43.
It looks like the first tour to see the nest of Anna, Louis, and Kincaid at the Kisatchie National Forest was a success. The Rangers are really trying to raise awareness about the Bald Eagles and next year they plan to have another camera with the couple in another area of the forest.
Kincaid hatched on 12 January. This eaglet is growing fast. Lots of gorgeous thermal down and juvenile feathering appearing. Kincaid has tried to brood and the poor ‘big thing’ can’t get under Mum any longer. Awww.
We are on egg watch at the Redding Bald Eagle nest of Liberty and Guardian.
It is hatch watch at the Captiva Osprey Nest of Andy and Lena on Santibel Island. No pips yet.
R1 and R2 are really getting their juvenile feathers. These two are beauties at the WRDC nest. When they sit up light R1 is doing, some people see a big frog – others see a Buddha. R2 is busy looking over the edge of the nest. So far this human made nest has worked really well for this family. Well done Ron Magill of the Miami Zoo.
The eaglet at the Osceola Bald Eagle nest is self-feeding and doing a great job of it!
What a majestic bird.
Yesterday, I posted information on what happens during week 3 for the little eaglets. B15, the chick on Pa Berry and Missy’s nest at Berry College in Mt Berry, Georgia, is right there. B15 has really grown. Look at the crop, the big feet, and the mohawk. Perfect development for its age.
The fans of Ma Berry did not take to Missy at first but she has proven herself to be an enthusiastic and responsible Mum this year to B15.
[Just a note. Ma Berry has been seen having baths in Alabama. She seems to be well – and easily identified by her deformed foot.]
Adorable B15. Love the hair do!!!!!!!
Gustave Axelson wrote an engaging article about his family trip from New York to Algonquin Park near Toronto to see the Canada Jay whose population is declining. When they returned home, his teenage son- who had no interest in birds prior to the trip – was posting bird images on his Instagram feed. Apparently, according to Axelson, birdwatching is now considered ‘cool’. I can’t think of a better way to help the birds than to engage your children and friends with them. It is how to raise their awareness but also, when they care and have empathy with these amazing creatures, it helps to secure the future for them. Everyone can help!
The title of the article is “The Magic of Birds” and it is in the NYTimes. I hope that you can open it. It is a really uplighting read.
Let’s all do our part. Introduce someone to the love of birds that you have this spring. Then ask them to pass it along to another person. Soon…there are huge numbers of people loving and protected our feathered friends!
Thank you for joining me today. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Berry College Bald Eagles, KNF Bald Eagles, Redding Bald Eagles, Captiva Osprey Cam, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, WRDC Bald Eagles, Osceola Bald Eagles, and Eagle Country.
Please not: This is a static post. Updates on eggs laid, nestlings hatching, will come in subsequent blogs. I will not update this particular page. Thanks!
The day started off with a beautiful morning sunrise at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest of Samson and Gabby, NE26 and 27, commonly known as ‘Little Bit’. This nest was and is often called ‘The Hamlet’.
It is going to be partially cloudy in Jackssonville, Florida with none of the horrid rain the eagles had the other week. It is 22 C. The wind is blowing at just 8 kmh.
NE 26 hatched on 26 January with 27 hatching on the 25th. Tomorrow, NE26 will be two weeks old!
Nice siblings making a cuddle puddle.
They are a couple of wiggle worms eating and sleeping and moving all over their big nest.
The little nestlings are becoming curious about the environment outside the nest.
Samson and Gabby make sure that both eaglets are full. No one is left out. There are no worries at this nest about Little Bit not getting his share.
In fact, Little Bit hogged most of a feeding today. Meanwhile, 26 sat and watched. 26 still has a crop from an earlier feeding!
Even so, both were fed as much as they could hold.
These little cuties know where the food is but they are not curious like some of the older eaglets on other nests – yet. Notice the clown feet stage is upon us! These two are right on time in terms of development. Those footpads and talons are growing. They are turning yellow and if I could get a close up of their talons we would see that they are now black, not pink.
You can also see the dandelions from the natal down slowly being replaced by their thermal down.
These two are well fed and very healthy. Their eyes are clear. There is no hint of the Avian Pox that Legacy had last year and just look at those fat legs and bottoms!
More feedings! That is Little Bit up front. This is some kind of bird that Samson has brought to the nest.
The feedings are averaging 30 minutes a session – that is a far cry from when these two were ‘wee ones’ and could only eat a couple of flakes of fish at a time.
The eaglets spend between 75-80 days, typically, in the nest before fledging. The first 35 or 40 days are spent eating and growing. We sure see that. The second half their flight feathers come in and they work on skills, such as wingersizing, to help them after they fledge and playing pinecone which helps them learn to grip with their talons.
We are entering week 3 (days 14-21) for both of these eaglets. You will see some changes. The natal down will disappear from their heads last. It might look like they have mohawk hair cuts. Pin feathers will begin to grow in. You will also notice that Gabby and Samson fill up the eaglets even more so that their crops often look so big they can hardly move. It is an exciting time for these babies. At the end of week 3 they will look less like little fuzzy babies and more like eagles.
The feathers will grow and cover their ears, too. It is so exciting – and, at the same time, a little sad. They are so cute when they are wee.
If you haven’t been watching Samson, Gabby, 26 and 27, these wee ones are growing fast. Here is a link to the streaming cam:
Thank you for joining me today. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the NEBald Eagles and the AEF for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures today.
The Lost Words is a book by Robert MacFarlane, Fellow at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Its focus is on the words that the editors of the Oxford Children’s Dictionary removed. Its 128 pages, 27.9 x 37.6 cm in size, are gorgeously illustrated with the watercolours of Jackie Morris, writer and illustrator, who lives in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The missing words that concerned MacFarlane are the following: acorn, Adder, Bluebell, Bramble, Conker, dandelion, fern, heather, heron, Ivy, Kingfisher, Lark, Magpie, Newt, Otter, Raven, Starling, Weasel, Willow, and Wren. At a time when our focus as adults should be to strive to install the wonder of the natural world and our responsibility to it in the children, why, then, would anyone choose to remove words that are directly connected with our environment.
I mentioned this book awhile ago. I have returned to it many times always admiring the illustrations, such as the images of the Ravens on the forest floor amongst the fallen conkers. Conkers are the fruit of the Horse Chestnut Tree, Aesculus hippocastanum. Horse Chestnut trees can grow quite large. Ironically, the conkers are poisonous to horses and I believe, all other animals. The type of poison is called esculin.
That illustration conjured up a beautiful memory of the time my family spent in England. Up on the gorse was a Conker Tree. We had never seen conkers – it was something wonderful and new. The children played a game with them. First you had to drill a hole and run a cord through the conker and secure it with a nice big knot at the bottom. The children would then ‘conk’ their conkers trying to see whose would break first! It was free entertainment and kept them busy for hours.
The rolling hills with their public paths were marvellous places for the children and the adults to take walks and breathe in the air. We were fortunate to have a ‘gorse’ within 50 or 60 feet from where we lived. It was full of butterflies and birds and the most delicious blackberries. It was a time when children played outside with their mates. No one set in front of the telly or spent hours looking at screens. Bikes were ridden and trees were climbed. In the three years we lived in Lincolnshire, it snowed once. There was about 4 cm on the ground – just enough. Still, everything stopped. Children stayed home from school and anything and everything that could be used as a sled was used to slide down the hills of the gorse. I wonder what all those children would think about the snow in my garden today?
The nice thing about snow is that it can cause people to slow down. To enjoy a cup of hot tea and a book. To stop running around worrying about things that are not always that important, to pause long enough to take in the moments.
It seems like it is rather quiet in Bird World but, is it really? Eaglets are growing bigger by the day all the while their plumage is changing. Thankfully, none are ready to fledge. E19 and E20 spend time flapping their wings as does the Osceola eaglet. Other eagles are incubating eggs. It is not time for Osprey season unless they are in Florida. Diane is incubating 3 eggs at Achieva in St Petersburg while Lena, laying hers a month early at Captiva, will be on hatch watch this weekend. Annie and Grinnell are only dreaming of eyases. Today Grinnell had to tell a 2 year old juvenile female to get off the ledge of The Campanile. Cal Falcons posted a video of that encounter.
Ervie continues to fish call off the barge at Port Lincoln. We can hear him but we cannot see him.
Kincaid is 29 days old today. He is starting to walk. It is so cute to see those first ‘baby steps’. Louis brought in what looks like an egret (or a part of an egret). When it looked like Louis might want to eat some of it, Anna promptly arrived at the nest. To Anna, prey brought to the nest belongs to her and Kincaid, not Louis who brought it! Anna is pretty strict in that regard. Not all female Bald Eagles behave that way. Anna proceeded to try and remove one long leg while Kincaid, with an already large crop, waited patiently.
Kincaid is mimicking what Anna is doing as he grabs the other leg and pulls on it. So cute. Kincaid also keeps himself busy moving around nesting material. These little eaglets learn from watching the adults.
Kincaid is already making attempts at self-feeding.
Kincaid is, of course, not the only one trying out eating by itself. I posted an image of R2 at the WRDC nest a week ago eating a fish. The eaglets of Harriet and M15 are also attempting eating on their own. E20 has become a bit of a pro. It seems like all of the eaglets grew up faster than they have ever done previously. Does it seem that way to you?
At the White-tailed Eagle nest of Milda and her new mate near Durbe, Latvia, the snow has melted. Milda will be laying her eggs about the same time as Big Red in Ithaca, New York – the third week of March – if all goes to plan.
There is more snow forecast for Big Red’s territory. The temperature in Ithaca is 1 C.
What I like about the image below is that you can see the nest cup area that Big Red and Arthur have been working on. In Milda’s nest sprigs of pine with their cones line the area of the egg cup. It is so fascinating watching the couples prepare for the upcoming breeding season. It is so intriguing. I would love to ‘speak hawk’ and sit by Big Red and Arthur when they discuss what needs to be done!
At least five eagles poisoned, one dead, four in serious condition in Manchester Maryland. Was this lead poisoning? or was this something else more sinister to impact all of the birds at the same time? There is an investigation underway.
There is good news coming out of Australia about WBSE 27. You might remember that twice, after fledging, 27 was taken into care. 27 was not taught by the parents to take care of itself. Once 27 fledged, it was taunted and chased by the Pied Currawong. Both times 27 was extremely dehydrated. The last time the Currawong had gathered and had pecked 27s head. When 27 was taken into care the last time, I hoped that rehabilitation would include flight training as well as training for getting prey. This takes longer than a two week stay in a clinic. Some wildlife rehabbers keep birds for 2 years to make certain they are capable of caring for themselves with confidence. It looks like 27 is getting that great training. The news is excellent!
Isn’t she lovely? And – yes – 27 is a she!
I wish that all of the sea eagles that fledge from the WBSE nest in the Sydney Olympic Park would not be harangued by the Pied Currawong. They chase them out of the forest. They never learn to fly or to catch prey. How many of them survive, if any, unless they wind up in care?
The camera is now working again at Port Lincoln. Ervie was on the nest and, at various times, in the shed with Dad. Sometimes he was in the shed alone. I cannot tell you if he had a fish but there was definitely a lot of fish calling.
Checking in on Jack and Diane at the Achieva Credit Union Osprey nest and Jack is busy delivering fish and helping incubate the eggs.
If you are into garden animals and song birds, with a few surprises, you might want to check out Wildlife Kate. She has several wildlife cams and is featured on Springwatch in the UK. Have a look. You might find something really interesting like Yew Pond, or the Kestrel Box, or the Woodland Pond.
This is Woodland Pond. The cameras are live with no rewind. Enjoy.
I haven’t posted anything about the eaglet at Berry College for a few days. Thermal down is coming in nicely. Pa Berry did a great job feeding the little one this morning. B15 is still walking around on its tarsus (not yet with its feet) and doing a lot of preening. B15 is doing great. Missy and Pa Berry are doing a great job raising this baby.
B15 is a sweet little eaglet. You can see how its plumage is beginning to change.
I will leave you with a gorgeous image of Jackie incubating her eggs at Big Bear Bald Eagle nest in California. Fingers crossed for a great season for her and Shadow!
Thank you so much for joining me today. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Friends of Big Bear, Achieva Credit Union, Wildlife Kate, Cornell Bird Lab and RTH, Berry College, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, KNF, Latvian Fund for Nature, and Sea Eagle Cam FB Page.
Oh, we started out with more snow this morning! And with it came the return of the European Starlings – a few of them! The phone caught the flakes coming down reasonably well. For now it has stopped and the small feeders with the butter bark, mealworms, and hand chopped peanuts have been filled for the third time. Gosh, they love those mealworms in the winter.
Poor things. This is before we cleared a bit between the piles of snow. You can see one Starling down with thee Sparrows trying to find seed that had dropped from the feeder.
There are at least 60-75 House Sparrows (at a quick count) in the Lilacs. Dyson, our seed sucking Grey Squirrel, has found a litre of Black Oil seed in the square feeder with the dome. He sits and eats and sways like he has his own personal swing. No one bothers Dyson when he is eating but they do hope he gets off balance and dumps a lot of seed below. We won’t tell Dyson that in the evening we put our special food under that feeder for Hedwing, the garden rabbit, who has been showing up at dusk and dawn and sometimes in the middle of the night. It appears he lives under our deck.
So my birds are fed and as happy as they can be til the wind and the snow start again in a few hours.
There is some good news in the world today and there is some very sad news regarding wildlife. Lots of animal rights issues rising to the top of the news. Brief highlights:
The City of Dallas, Texas is protecting two of the cities favourite raptors!
As Dallas protects, people in Britain are calling for criminal charges to be laid to the individuals that killed 2 of the 5 White-tailed Eagles reintroduced to the Isle of Wright. The shooting took place near or over a shooting estate. Chris Packham and other environmentalists have called for the end of killing animals for fun!
Criminal charges have also been laid against one of England’s footballers for dropping and kicking his cat. The fine is set at 250,000 GBP – yes, you read that right. You can find the story on line if you are interested. Now if we could please get all authorities involved and people educated on the rights of animals – and our beloved birds.
The one thing that sent my granddaughter to becoming Vegan six years ago was the culling of male chicks. At the time they were simply tossed alive into a machine not unlike a wood chipper. Today, Germany has ended the practice of culling the male chicks from the females.
Everyone continues to wait to see how the current H5N1 highly pathogenic avian flu will impact European birds. It has been around since 1998 according to virologist Thijs Kuiken. It is rearing its head this year in the UK and has already crossed the Atlantic into Newfoundland, Canada. At least one wildlife rehabber has had almost all the birds in their care killed because of it. Very sad. That was the Whitby Wildlife Centre. They will not be able to resume caring for the wildlife injured for at least 1 year, perhaps 2.
The camera is working on the Port Lincoln Barge and so is the sound. We just can’t see anything but the deck! Ervie was definitely there earlier. I had to turn the sound down. He even sounded like he was getting hoarse and then everything stopped. I hope he got a fish or flew off to find one.
Gabby and Samsons, NE26 and 27 are really changing. They are certainly no longer little fluffy balls. Today they had the rest of the bird on the nest following by some fish. They were really full!
The weather has really improved in Jacksonville.
It is a gorgeous day to incubate eggs over at Duke Farms in Hillsborough, NJ.
OGK has returned after three days at sea to relieve his mate, YRK at Taiaroa Head, New Zealand, home to the Royal Albatross. The image below is actually of YRK feeding the Royal Cam chick that I took late last night. How touching.
To date 26 Royal Albatross eggs have hatched out of 35. The other 9 will not hatch due to embryo deaths.
Dennis Brecht makes frequent and regular visits to the nest of The Love Trio on the Mississippi River near Fulton, Illinois. So far this year he has not spotted Valor I working with Starr and Valor II on the nest. This trio was extremely unique and popular. The question is: does Valor I have his own nest or has something happened to him? We wait for an answer. Brecht has contacted the Stewards of the Mississippi for assistance and finding the answer to the mystery.
The Ventana Wildlife Society is releasing a few condors into the wild currently. One of those was Condor 340 who was treated for lead poisoning.
Condor 340 hatched in 2004 in the Oregon Zoo. Its name is Kun-Wac-Sun. It was released into the Pinnacles National Park in 2005.
Wheeee. How beautiful. A wild Condor flying free again in the Pinnacles.
Kincaid at the Kisatchie National Forest Bald Eagle nest of Anna and Louis was 4 weeks old yesterday. Oh, this eaglet is getting so big! Finishing up getting its thermal down and you can see the tips of a few juvenile feathers.
I was so happy to see the Captiva Osprey Cam back up and running. Lena is rolling eggs and calling Andy wanting a fish and a break.
You can see the three beautiful eggs. Oh, let us all hope that by laying their eggs a month early this couple will be able to fledge Osprey chicks off Santibel Island.
Hatch watch begins this weekend.
Those are just a few of the many nests to check on. I am really hoping to see Ervie today with a fish! Take care everyone. Thank you for joining me.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Osprey, Captiva Osprey Cam, NEFlorida and the AEF, Duke Farms, KNF Bald Eagles, Cornell Bird Lab and the NZ DOC, and Ventana Wildlife.
The Port Lincoln Osprey cam is working!!!!!!!! There sitting close together having one of their silent conversations were Ervie and Dad. I noticed something different about Ervie. He has a nice crop and he displays the appearance of an Osprey who has been in the water fishing. Oh, Ervie, it is so nice to see you! It is so very nice to see you.
Liberty has laid the first egg of the season. It happened just a short while ago on 9 February at 15:19. She had a 5 minute labour. Congratulations Liberty and Guardian!
Here is a video of that exciting event!
Quick news report from the other nests:
The new female at the NCTC Bald Eagle nest with Smitty has some flight feathers missing. The missing feather/s were noticed today when she flew in to get a fish from Smitty. It answered a puzzle. One of the searchers for Bella found the feathers but noticed from images that they did not come from Bella. Mystery solved!
Lady and Dad have visited their nest in the Sydney Olympic Forest for two straight days. Oh, ask me if I am glad that Daisy isn’t trying to incubate eggs in that nest! This year the Sea Eagles stayed away longer than normal. It could be because they were harassed so much by the Currawongs on their last visit.
It is not breeding season. We will not be looking for eggs until June – two of them traditionally known as the heir and the spare.
Lady and Dad are alerting. Lady in front and Dad in the rear. They are letting the forest know they are home from Goat Island!
Staying in the Southern Hemisphere, the Royal Cam chick nicknamed Quarry Track or QT til it gets its official name, is growing and growing and growing. Parents OGK and YRK have literally been coming and going almost every 24 hours. The little one is working its wings and getting strong.
Ranger Sharyn keeps an updated log of the weights of all the chicks including the Royal Cam ones. The NZ DOC does DNA testing to see if the chick is male or female but sometimes, around 80 days, this can be done by comparing the weight of males and females. Here is the chart for QT so far:
Mum, YRK, is on the nest today.
Adorable.
When the Osprey nests stress me out too much, this is where I come for comfort. NZ DOC takes excellent care of its wildlife. Never a worry if there is not enough food for chicks or parents –supplemental squid feedings are always on hand. Here is your link to this at Taiaroa Head, New Zealand (on the South Island near Dunedin).
Thank you for joining me. I know that we all love Ervie and are so happy to see that he is fine – and there are many Redding and WBSE fans here, too. Stay safe all of you. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Cornell Bird Lab and the NZ DOC and Sea Eagles @Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park.
