Tag Archives: YRK returns

Early Wednesday in Bird World

We are continuing to have a real blustery winter night with road conditions deteriorating. For the first time, our new furnace has decided that it did not want to work. As a result, I am getting to stay up and wait for the technician to fix/repair or whatever magic they can do to get us heat. Meanwhile, I am grateful that in our new addition we have electric heat. It is a great back up. The wait has given me a chance to check the nests again!

It is so wonderful to have YRK back on the nest at Taiaroa Head with OGK hopefully having a nice fish lunch. There are tonnes of Albies flying in and banking right above YRK. They are so peaceful to watch with those big wings.

Here comes another one.

Bazza is on the nest hoping for a fish meal when Dad flies in at 16:13. Immediately Falky flies over to the nest from the ropes.

There is a bit of a kerfuffle.

Bazza gets his fish! Bazza had a fish tail leftover around 06:00 and Falky got the morning fish so both lads will have a fish today. It appears that Mum and Dad are only bringing in 1 or 2 fish per day now trying to encourage the lads to be independent. So if they want more, they are going to have to go fishing!

Ervie has to be fishing. That lad is used to being fed first and lots. The other day when Ervie was on the nest all day was unusual. He was either extra hungry and tired or maybe it was his farewell day to his natal nest. Have you seen this before? Sometimes we begin to wonder why the bird is spending so much time on the nest and then, they never return. It is good to take nice long looks on days like that.

As it happens all of the PLO fledglings this year are males so that means that there will need to be more Osprey platforms or nests around the barge when these young men have their own families.

A pip was seen Tuesday morning at the Miami-Dade Bald Eagle Nest of Rita and Ron. There should be a new little one tomorrow – the third. Rita looks quite content as the end of Tuesday approaches. I hope the two older siblings are kind. Ron is a good fisher so there is lots of food for everyone.

Oh, and for all your Redding Eagle fans, I understand that the chat function will come alive next week. This nest has been recommended to me by someone I really trust. Thanks ‘B’. The female is Liberty and she is 23 years old so a very experienced Mum. Her mate is Guardian and he is 8 years old. Guardian is Liberty’s third mate. They have been together since 2019. Last year the couple fledged three: Honor, Glory, and Rebel. Liberty has fledged 24 juveniles altogether! Just wonderful.

Oh, she is beautiful.

This is the link for the Redding Eagle Cam:

I could be delirious from lack of sleep (just kidding) but yesterday I posted some images from the Achieva Osprey Nest. The one female kept bothering me. I knew it wasn’t Diane and I had looked at that face so much and then just now looking again. I am certain that this is Tiny Tot Tumbles. This would not be the first time she has returned to the nest. There is that distinctive thin V on the head with the heart. Jack is also happy to feed her! She is still as elegant as she was when she stood on the perch. If it isn’t it is her twin sister!!!!!!

If you do not know the story of Tiny Tot, please send me a note. I will be happy to tell you. She is one of the third hatch success stories of 2021.

Tiny Tot defended the nest last summer by herself and with Jack. She was incredible and, if this is really her, well….’It is so nice to see you!’

These are some images of Tiny Tot Tumbles.

Well, the technician has given us the good and bad news. I am off to bed. The blog might be quite late tomorrow!

Take care everyone. Stay safe. Be careful if you have wintery weathery.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Cornell Bird Lab and the NZ DOC, Achieva Credit Union, Redding California Eagle Cam, and Port Lincoln Ospreys.

OGK is all smiles as YRK lands

As I write this, I know that there are tears flowing in homes around the world and with the NZ DOC rangers. OGK has been incubating his egg (replaced 2 days ago with a dummy for safety) for 15 days straight. Today the rangers gave him 600 ml of liquids to ward off dehydration as he waited for his mate, YRK to return from foraging so the pair could change shifts.

15 days is a long time. YRK was not the only mate to be out foraging for a longer period. There are several others now that have been away for 13 days. The rangers believe it is because there is a marine heatwave around parts of New Zealand and Australia at the moment. These are extreme weather events that used to occur periodically and now happen 4 to 5 times more often. In this instance, it is extreme heat, not cold. This might have meant that the fish were not located where the birds predicted they would be and they had to go further to forage.

YRK flew in at 14:43 New Zealand time to the sheer delight of OGK. The morning calm gave way to strong winds with lots of Albies flying in at mid-afternoon. Maybe some of the others who have been at sea for so long are among them.

Who says that birds do not smile or have emotions? Just look at OGK’s smile. If you know of anyone that feels that way, you should show them this beautiful pair of Royal Albatross getting reacquainted with one another after 15 days!

Here she comes and he is smiling.

Who says all landings have to be perfect!

Oh, that must feel good to OGK. It is called Allopreening. Preening is when a bird cleans their feathers and allopreening is when they do it to another. It looks like a nice head massage to me!

OGK does some allopreening.

It is much better in a video clip! OGK knows that YRK is arriving before we see her. He immediately begins to do sky calls. What a devoted couple!

This morning Bazza woke up and ate the fish tail that was left over from the previous evening’s fish. Later, Falky arrives at the nest and waits like Bazza normally does for a delivery. Falky got lucky! He mantled that fish for a long time fearing that one of his brothers would fly in and take it away.

In the image below Falky is doing a perfect mantle. He has his wings apread out and down along with his tail so that others cannot see if he has a fish or not. It also helps him protect his food.

There is at least one sibling about and I think it is Bazza. Falky has a time trying to walk with that fish on his talons.

Falky eventually moves the fish over on the ropes where he finishes it off. Meanwhile Bazza is on the nest hoping for a delivery. He might have to wait all day. The parents are delivering fewer and fewer fish to the lads believing it is time that they are out fishing for themselves.

Ervie has not been seen on camera. That does not mean that he is not on the barge somewhere; he has not been on the nest begging for food which tells me that Ervie has been doing some fishing and is out finding his own meals. Hopefully he will return to the nest one more time so we can see that handsome bird. If not, surely the locals will follow his tracker and submit some images of Ervie out living the life of a young Osprey.

At the three Bald Eagle nests I have been monitoring, the eaglets are all well fed and they are doing great. Some of you will have noticed that E19 has been much less aggressive to E20. Normally, the beaking/bonking stops during the second week. The eaglets can support their heads and their focus is better. By this time, they have also learned that food is available and stable – everyone gets fed.

Harriet and M15 thought they would get a chance to have a meal with some of those tasty leftovers on the nest but, guess what? E19 and 20 woke up! Those two seem to be sleeping or eating, eating or sleeping.

Look at how big those wings are getting. Those two can scramble up that nest bowl if they want! E19 did take a tumble backwards today allowing E20 to really chow down but, there are no worries here. Everyone is fed and happy, even Mum and Dad.

M15 is really good at feeding the babies.

Both the eaglets at Hilton Head and Miami-Dade are also doing well.

Eggs were being rolled up at The Hamlet today. Gabby was busy aerating the nest bowl and rolling them around.

That nest looks nice and soft.

She is listening.

Oh, the next two weeks cannot pass quick enough! So excited for the hatch on NEFlorida’s Bald Eagle nest. I have quite the soft spot for Samson and his mate.

Jackie visits the nest that holds much hope for her and her mate, Shadow, up at Big Bear, California this morning. It is a beautiful crisp winter’s day in northern California.

All is well in Bird World. It is such a relief to see YRK back on the nest and OGK flying out to sea. The rangers will return the egg and remove the dummy later today, probably. It is always good to have wonderful news. They had hydrated OGK this morning so he is also good if it takes him awhile to find fish with the unusually hot weather.

Thank you for joining me today. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Cornell Bird Lab and NZ DOC, Friends of Big Bear, NEFlorida Bald Eagle Cam and the AEF, and SWFlorida Bald Eagle Cam and the D Pritchett Family.