Friday, November 22, 2024
Saturday, November 9, 2024
Nest Cams and De-Stress Cams 2025
(For De-Stressing. 2025 may need a lot of that!!!!)
~~Per usual, as nests become active I will add them here.~~
BALD EAGLES
Florida Eagles First
Connie and Clive have their first egg, as of 11/18/24
11/21/24 second egg
Hatch of CE12 on 12/24/24
Hatch of CE13 on 12/26/24
These two would be named Dasher & Dancer
Both Fledged - can sometimes be seen around the nest
Nice Video of the Season
This pair is simply called: M15 and F23
2 eggs in the nest, E24 and E25
E24 hatched on 12/14/24
E25 hatched on 12/17/24
As of 1/28 something went wrong, both chicks dead.
Rodenticide??
Bird Flu??
2 chicks, no information
As of March uncertain if active
Gabrielle and Beau
1 chick hatched, would be named Bodie
Louisiana
At Nest E3: Alex II & Andrea II
2 eggs laid, both hatched, but only one chick survives
Eastern Tennessee
Johnson City
Boone and Jolene
As of March 6 one chick hatched
Bluff City
Frances (F) and Franklin (M)
Two chicks would hatch
Ohio
Bette and Baker
Egg # 1 2/19/25
Egg #2 2/22/25
Egg #1 hatches 3/28; Egg #2 hatches 3/30
Shepherdstown, WV
3 eggs, 3 hatch
4/19/25 - storm collapses nest. All 3 chicks lost. :-(
Hillsboro, New Jersey
As of March 6 there are three chicks in the nest
Minnesota / Iowa
DNF (female) and Mr. North (male - duh!)
Egg #1 on 2/11/25
Egg #2 on 2/14/25
As of 3/25 or so, one egg failed to complete hatch. The other never pipped. Nest Failure. :-(
There is also a nest at Tremplealeau. There seems to be a lot of drama at that nest. The male is very unreliable, and maybe has another nest across the river. 3 chicks hatched. Female is having to give most of care. 2 chicks lost in cold/wet weekend over 4/19.
Minnesota's Nongame Wildlife Programs
The monitored nest collapsed in 2023. This is a new one selected to follow. (different nesting pair)
And Now . . . the "naughty" eagles built a new nest nearby.
Guess they didn't like the voyeurism!
Late found nest cam, just west of Des Moines. They have been named "the Majestics".
California
Jackie and Shadow
Egg #1 laid 1/22
Egg #2 laid 1/25
Egg #3 laid on 1/28
As of 3/3 to 3/4 two eggs have hatched.
Third egg would hatch, but during a bad storm one chick died.
4/1/25 - Chicks are named Sunny & Gizmo
Liberty and Guardian
This pair is visiting the nest, but may not lay this year.
As of April 1, no eggs.
There are a few duplicates here, but quick access for other nests
GOOSE CAM IN EAGLE LAND
Clutch started 3/10
Hatch then Jump 4/14
Second nest on hatch watch as of 4/18.
WHITE-TAILED EAGLES
As of 3/10 there is 1 egg in the nest.
A second would be laid some unknown time later.
On 4/17 chick first noticed in nest. Now two!
1 egg laid
GOLDEN EAGLES
Bucovina / Romania
2 nests here. One appears to have 2 eggs as of mid March (Caliman and a new mate).
+1 a few days later. Not good in a Golden Eagle nest. Usually only 1 survives.
Second nest looks inactive.
First hatch somewhere around 4/28, give or take.
Estonia
Unknown how many eggs
Latvia
RED-TAILED HAWKS
As of the beginning of February Angel and Tom are working on their nest!! Ya!! They did not have babies last year, at least not in the tree with the camera. Hopefully this year they will raise a family. 💕
By Mid April it is apparent they have another nest. Cams off. :-(
Big Red & Arthur
Egg #1 3/27/25
Egg #2 3/30/25
Egg #3 4/2/25
First Hatch 5/3/25
NEW CAM
Ensley & Cliff
Different pair here, but also offspring of Syracuse University Sue & Otto
Egg #1 3/30/25
Egg #2 4/2/25
Oren & Ruth (Being Difficult!)
Oren is an offspring of Sue and her mate who used this nest for many years.
Those parents died a couple years ago, both, suddenly. Bird flu?
It looks like their son and his mate are taking up the new site that has a good camera.
In fact, looks like they have made TWO nests on this ledge. Double Apartment!
Even worse, triple apartment. They have selected a third nest in the ledge next to them, which "natch" does not have a working camera.
New Nest went Live on 4/24/25
Mon Valley Works - Irvin Plant, West Mifflin, PA
RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS
Egg #1 on 3/21/25
Egg #2 on 3/24/25
Egg #3 overnight 3/26-27/25
Hatching started 4/28/25
NORTHERN GOSHAWKS
Kanakull, Estonia
First Egg noticed 3/26
As of 4/1 there are 3 eggs
Latvia
(The above link also has an active nest for Buteo buteo [Common Buzzard] and European Kestrel)
PEREGRINE FALCON
Rochester, MN
Egg #1 3/22/25
Egg #2 Couple days later
There would only be 2 in the nest this year.
BIRD FEEDER CAMS
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Let's Get this Season Going!!!
Today was just a quick free flight at one of my very local bunny spots. We were not there very long as it was within 1/2 hour of sunset. Also, Seneca is still too high for great performance, but she showed she knows what this game is about. We did move one bunny, but no contact. She came to the lure when I called, although just a little delayed. Hopefully the cold weather will arrive, which will help shed those last extra grams and focus my girl's attention.
I anticipate this will be my last season with her. I am feeling the urge to let her return to the wild in the Spring. I do like this bird Very Much! However, my love for her is beyond simple possession, and extends into letting her regain her free life, and go find a territory and a mate.
But first, let's try to whack some wabbits, and maybe a few squirrels.
Monday, November 4, 2024
October Vacation 2024
Tuesday, October 15
From Wednesday, October 16 to Tuesday, October 29 I was off from work for what is becoming my usual priority vacation. This two weeks was extended by an additional 4 days, 2 before and 2 after, as it falls between my mandatory work weekend. I did not have any extraordinarily exciting things planned for my time off, just spending it with my friends, and enjoying not having to go to work.
I began my down time by finally catching a good picture of the comet gracing our autumn skies. This is Comet C/2023 A3, also called Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. It was in the evening sky at this point, racing away from the sun to leave our solar system, to not return for what was calculated to be about 80,000 years. So, enjoy it while it is here.
On the evening of Tuesday, October 15, as I was taking this comet picture above, my friend Darla arrived from her home in Illinois to spend a week with me. She brought with her a small Ty Dragon, named Cinder, for me to have and to join a group of her friends in a FB page, where we should take pictures of our dragon doing fun things, and share with the group. It is a friend's group like Flat Stanley, only we won't write letters to anyone, just post travel and destination pictures. Darla's Ty Dragon's name is "Darla". She's pink.
Wednesday, October 16
Plans for the first full day with my friend were delayed as I discovered I had a flat tire. Upon taking the wheel off (thank you Rich) there was a large screw imbedded close to the edge. I took it, sporting my donut, to a local repair shop, where they were able to patch it and put it back on. At least this happened on a vacation day, and not a busy work day.
With this slight delay dealt with, Darla and I headed out for our first day's adventures. Having never visited it before, I decided we should go see the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota, which is where the Hormel Foods packing plant is located. On our way we stopped at the Nautical Bowls in Rochester, a "super foods" fad popular right now featuring acai palm berries, and other mashed and frozen exotic fruits, like mango, dragon fruit (pitaya), coconut, spirulina (they call it Blue Majik), chia and cacao (chocolate). It is topped with nut butters and sliced fresh fruits. It makes for a tasty snack/meal, and the guy at the counter helping us was super friendly. He looked like he should be on a beach somewhere, which being in Rochester, is a very long way away from a beach.
My time spent with Darla (the friend) would include lots of pictures of Darla (the dragon) and my dragon Cinder doing various fun things. Like riding the hogs on the statue outside the Spam Museum.
Hey Darla, how many Spam cans tall are you?
Oh, about 19, maybe 20 if you count the hair clip.
I am definitely in the 20 range.
There was an interactive game, mostly designed for kids ~ but hey, adults can have fun too ~ of challenging yourself to pack Spam cans against a timer, to see who is the fastest. I guess training for future factory workers. We packed them with dragons. As a side comment, check out the bean bag like spam replica. It was a soft, mushy bag, resembling the soft mushy ground pork that makes up the Spam product. Kinda gross, really.
That said, I had to buy several cans to take home. They had all the flavors, many which you will seldom see in the store. I picked a few exotic ones to try at future breakfasts or dinners. I myself do not really care that much for Spam, but it is quite loved by many cultures in the world. Here is a good article talking about all that:
Thursday, October 17
The following day would find us returning very close to where we were on Wednesday. Darla had arranged to meet up with someone in Iowa to acquire several more of her beloved Darla Dragons. They apparently come in a variety of sizes. Our journey would take us to Mason City, so we checked out a few interesting things in the area.
There was a sculpture garden that was kitschy,
and then a Frank Lloyd Wright house, that very much was not. Next to the FLW house was an interpretive building that told the history of the Stockman House and sold souvenirs and such. Darla likes architecture and frequently posts about it on her FB page.
After our tour of "art", both great and small we had dinner at a local spot with a car theme.
Darla also likes classic cars. In fact, she is rather a fan of just about everything from the 60s, and thereabouts.
I don't really care much about musicians in general, and not specifically any historical ones, but this is something that Darla is quite passionate about. So when on vacation you accommodate your friend who finds these things interesting.
Rather than write the details here, just follow this link:
We did visit the crash site memorial by the road, but did not walk into the field as Darla does not travel far easily. There are plenty of pictures to see what it looks like.
I include the following two pictures borrowed off the Internet. For many years my friend was the front female vocalist for a 60s tribute band in the Chicago area that performed hits from the Hippie Era.
Returning home that night we went to visit and shared dinner with my local friends Fox and Roman.
We had "Hot Pot". Rather than describe it, this video details how it is done. Fox is quite a fan of Eastern cuisine.
Friday, October 18
Friday was a quiet day, mostly. Darla and I stayed home. I did host a small cookout for a special friend and her family. No pictures of them. S'OK . . . I remember who it was. Just for this event I had purchased a new porch set. It's late in the sitting outside season, but will be really nice next summer. I also have an umbrella acquired previously, so had Rich go looking on his auction sites and found me an umbrella stand and a cushion storage box.
Saturday, October 19
Sunday, October 20
Monday, October 21
Tuesday, October 22
Wednesday, October 23
Thursday, October 24
Friday, October 25
Hooded Vulture
Barn Owl (with American Crow saying 'hello' at the end).
Andean Condor
Grey Crowned Cranes
Saturday, October 26
Sunday, October 27
Tuesday, October 29
Victoria Crowned Pigeon
Thursday, October 31
Happy Halloween 2024
The Real Horror happened five days later. 😮