Birders' Nest

Started by Mozart, July 19, 2009, 09:34:22 PM

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Pohjolas Daughter

Hard not to be checking in on the bird nest cams this time of year.  Fun to see the eggs hatch and the little ones being fed.  Though I must admit, hard to watch the osprey cams.  Those chicks can be quite nasty 'bopping' on their siblings--sometimes leading to their death.  :(

Love looking at the barred owl chicks with their cute little flat faces.   ;D https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/barred-owls/

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

mabuse

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on April 23, 2021, 08:29:02 AM
Hard not to be checking in on the bird nest cams this time of year.  Fun to see the eggs hatch and the little ones being fed.  Though I must admit, hard to watch the osprey cams.  Those chicks can be quite nasty 'bopping' on their siblings--sometimes leading to their death.  :(

Love looking at the barred owl chicks with their cute little flat faces.   ;D https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/barred-owls/

PD

It's a great website. Thanks for the discovery !

From Europe, I already used to watch these webcams every day: https://www.birdfood.co.uk/webcams
...

For me, the hardest thing to see is when raptors prey on the nests of smaller birds ... That's really terrible  :(

Pohjolas Daughter

#122
Quote from: mabuse on April 23, 2021, 12:32:37 PM
It's a great website. Thanks for the discovery !

From Europe, I already used to watch these webcams every day: https://www.birdfood.co.uk/webcams
...

For me, the hardest thing to see is when raptors prey on the nests of smaller birds ... That's really terrible  :(
Oh, good!  I'm glad that you are enjoying it.  Someone told me about an app that Cornell created for smart phones which I downloaded (It's free by the way).  It's called Merlin and I really like it!  It helps me to identify birds and to learn more about them.  They have ID packages for much of the world.  Here's a link to it:  https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/download/

Thank you for your link.  I'll happily explore the nest cams a bit later today.  :)  And, yes, it's hard to see birds go after and destroy other birds' eggs (or even take their chicks for food!).  Mother Nature doesn't follow Disney guidelines that's for sure!

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

mabuse

 :)

On the same website, there is also currently a webcam into the nest of a little 'great tit' :
https://www.fr.vivara.be/webcams-en-direct/mesange-charbonniere
It is particularly charming...
Nesting, here, is much faster than with large birds.


Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: mabuse on April 25, 2021, 04:08:52 PM
:)

On the same website, there is also currently a webcam into the nest of a little 'great tit' :
https://www.fr.vivara.be/webcams-en-direct/mesange-charbonniere
It is particularly charming...
Nesting, here, is much faster than with large birds.

Sweet!  :)

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

Pohjolas Daughter

Fascinating story about a red-tailed hawk chick being raised by eagles (in western Canada):

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bald-eagles-raise-red-tailed-hawk-1.4151033

As an aside, I've also been following a hawk cam at Syracuse University.  One of the three eggs started to hatch this morning!  At around 4 something.  Surprised to see at one point that Sue (the female hawk parent) actually ate a tiny bit of the shell (where it had been pipped) and then gently picked it up and set it back down (using the hole to pick it up).  Hadn't seen anything like that before.  Otto is the name of the male hawk.

The cameras were set up due to a kind donation of a lovely woman when her husband passed away 16 days after being diagnosed with leukemia.  They were/are both avid birders.  You can view the cams here:  https://thecollege.syr.edu/alumni/nest-cam/

She (Anne Marie Higgins) has a Facebook page in which she provides updates.  :)  https://www.facebook.com/pg/redtailedhawktales/about/?ref=page_internal

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

mabuse

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on April 27, 2021, 08:42:44 AM
Fascinating story about a red-tailed hawk chick being raised by eagles (in western Canada):

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bald-eagles-raise-red-tailed-hawk-1.4151033


That is a very impressive document  :o

The maternal instincts of some animals can really be very strong...
In the news or on the Internet, we often find testimonials about this kind of interspecies relationship :
https://www.livescience.com/59097-interspecies-animal-moms-photos.html
https://www.straight.com/blogra/708856/when-animals-dont-attack-adopt-unexpected-interspecies-parenting

(I enjoyed the story of the male sheep adopting the baby elephant who lost his mother  :laugh: : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnXYiSY99yw )

Pohjolas Daughter

#127
Quote from: mabuse on April 27, 2021, 03:34:41 PM
That is a very impressive document  :o

The maternal instincts of some animals can really be very strong...
In the news or on the Internet, we often find testimonials about this kind of interspecies relationship :
https://www.livescience.com/59097-interspecies-animal-moms-photos.html
https://www.straight.com/blogra/708856/when-animals-dont-attack-adopt-unexpected-interspecies-parenting

(I enjoyed the story of the male sheep adopting the baby elephant who lost his mother  :laugh: : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnXYiSY99yw )
Thanks for those links!  I had seen two of them before:  the one with the cat mothering the ducklings and also the one of Pippin (? that big black dog) looking after the faun.  :)

By the way, the first red-tailed hawk chick pipped its way out of the shell (at Syracuse University)  yesterday around 7 p.m.

PD

EDIT:  Just saw three different kinds of woodpeckers (alas not live) within a period of about 5 minutes on the Cornell Feeder cam:  a hairy (male), a red-bellied woodpecker (male) and the huge and striking pileated woodpecker (also a male).   8)
Pohjolas Daughter

mabuse

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on April 28, 2021, 09:23:18 AM
By the way, the first red-tailed hawk chick pipped its way out of the shell (at Syracuse University)  yesterday around 7 p.m.

https://thecollege.syr.edu/alumni/nest-cam/

Good !
The image is of very high quality.

(I don't wanna watch the squirrel get skinned  :-[ )

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: mabuse on April 28, 2021, 02:33:00 PM
https://thecollege.syr.edu/alumni/nest-cam/

Good !
The image is of very high quality.

(I don't wanna watch the squirrel get skinned  :-[ )
Yes, these days people often volunteer to be moderators and can zoom in and out, etc. on the nest or the birds too.  :)

You have to develop somewhat of a "thick skin" when watching raptors feed/hunt.  It's what they do though.  They have to eat too.  And imagine how much more of a problem we'd have with an over-population of squirrels, chipmunks, voles, etc., if it weren't for raptors?

Best wishes,

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

mabuse

Probably I am indeed too sensitive...  0:)

But you are of course right that you should not blame them for hunting other animals !

Moreover, personally, I appreciate very much that at night the owls come around my house to hunt mice.
For that, I think they are really the best  >:D

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: mabuse on April 29, 2021, 05:27:51 AM
Probably I am indeed too sensitive...  0:)

But you are of course right that you should not blame them for hunting other animals !

Moreover, personally, I appreciate very much that at night the owls come around my house to hunt mice.
For that, I think they are really the best  >:D
Oh, neat that you have owls in your area?  What kind of owl(s) do you have that visit you?  :)

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

mabuse

I do not know very well because at night it is difficult to see them...
But on the other hand, I can hear them screaming from the top of the trees.
I personally appreciate their presence very much  :)
...

About the tit:
There are 6 eggs !

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: mabuse on April 29, 2021, 06:11:35 AM
I do not know very well because at night it is difficult to see them...
But on the other hand, I can hear them screaming from the top of the trees.
I personally appreciate their presence very much  :)
...

About the tit:
There are 6 eggs !

Eggcelent!  :)

I just took a look at the Merlin app that I use and see that they have bird packs for Europe (I just typed that in their search engine).  I don't know where you live, but they have one for Scandinavia, one for the Iberian peninsula, one titled Western which covers "Birds of western Europe from France to Germany and also one for Britain and Ireland.  If you have a smart phone, you could download the one for your area (if you live in Europe that is)...again, they are free.  They also have various recordings of common bird sounds by species.  You could listen to some of the sounds that the various owls make to help you figure out who (pun intended) is making it?  :)  For the heck of it, I downloaded their birds of western Europe one (currently downloading it).  I should also download the ones for Scandinavia and Britain and Ireland (since we have a lot of people from the UK and Ireland here.  One other cool thing that you can do with it is take a photo of a bird and ID it that way...or go through a series of questions which helps the app to narrow down which bird you are likely seeing.
Pohjolas Daughter

Pohjolas Daughter

Hawk chick No. 2 came out of its shell yesterday at SU.  One egg left to go!

No chicks yet at the Cornell nest (Big Red did lay hers later than SU's Sue though).  Sometimes some of the birders who follow the Cornell hawks will drive up to Syracuse University to check out the hawks there and also to catch up with Anne Marie; it's about an hour's drive apparently.

There are also some nearby ospreys (a bit away from the hawks' nest but still on the Cornell campus).  It's been fun checking in on them too.  Unlike the red-tailed hawks, the ospreys migrate (and not together as a pair).  Hard to tell when they return to their nest areas who is with whom.  From what I understand, they're a lot more 'loosie-goosie' about finding a mate and they also will try to poach each other's nests (and sometimes mates!).  The red-tailed hawks, conversely, mate for life;  Big Red (the female) only took up with Arthur after her mate Ezra died.  They also live on the campus year-round.

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

mabuse

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on April 29, 2021, 06:59:01 AM
Eggcelent!  :)

I just took a look at the Merlin app that I use and see that they have bird packs for Europe (I just typed that in their search engine).  I don't know where you live, but they have one for Scandinavia, one for the Iberian peninsula, one titled Western which covers "Birds of western Europe from France to Germany and also one for Britain and Ireland.  If you have a smart phone, you could download the one for your area (if you live in Europe that is)...again, they are free.  They also have various recordings of common bird sounds by species.  You could listen to some of the sounds that the various owls make to help you figure out who (pun intended) is making it?  :)  For the heck of it, I downloaded their birds of western Europe one (currently downloading it).  I should also download the ones for Scandinavia and Britain and Ireland (since we have a lot of people from the UK and Ireland here.  One other cool thing that you can do with it is take a photo of a bird and ID it that way...or go through a series of questions which helps the app to narrow down which bird you are likely seeing.

Thank you very much for the information !
Even though I am not a great smartphone user, I take good note of this "Merlin" application and will try to come to it  :)

From my research, I think it's some "tawny owls" that come to visit me at night.
It is also the most common species of owl by my home in France :


Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: mabuse on May 02, 2021, 08:00:33 AM
Thank you very much for the information !
Even though I am not a great smartphone user, I take good note of this "Merlin" application and will try to come to it  :)

From my research, I think it's some "tawny owls" that come to visit me at night.
It is also the most common species of owl by my home in France :

Oh neat!  I did check on my app and typed in France in terms of location and one of the ones that came up was indeed a tawny owl (though they did list it as rare--at least for this time of year.  I do realize, however that France is a large country with varying geography and climates.).  They have a song and a call on there in terms of audio ID info.  I did also see a number of uploads to youtube if this helps.

Checked in on Big Red this morning and noticed that he first egg is cracked open and she has a chick!  :)  Egg number 2 has a few pip holes in it too.

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

mabuse

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on May 03, 2021, 05:09:59 AMI did also see a number of uploads to youtube if this helps.

I have used YouTube which offers a lot of choice, indeed  :)

In the past, bird watchers had to look for recordings in stores with beautiful sleeves !
https://www.discogs.com/fr/search/?limit=250&q=ornithology&type=all&style_exact=Field+Recording&page=1


mabuse

Quote from: mabuse on April 29, 2021, 06:11:35 AM
About the tit:
There are 6 eggs !


Here they are, so smalls  :-*

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: mabuse on May 03, 2021, 08:34:44 AM
Here they are, so smalls  :-*

I just checked in on them; all six of the eggs have hatched.  I suspect that they all heard mom or dad nearby as several times they stuck all of their little beaks up with mouths open!  A couple of minutes later, someone flew into the nest to check on them.  A shame that there isn't any audio.   Actually, it's there but very faint.  Or perhaps they're just trying to make it known that they are hungry?

Quote from: mabuse on May 03, 2021, 07:31:47 AM
I have used YouTube which offers a lot of choice, indeed  :)

In the past, bird watchers had to look for recordings in stores with beautiful sleeves !
https://www.discogs.com/fr/search/?limit=250&q=ornithology&type=all&style_exact=Field+Recording&page=1


I have a friend who used to listen to cassettes in her car while on long trips.  :)

PD
Pohjolas Daughter