Some of the baby birds I met on this recent round of field work:
1. Limosa limosa, black-tailed godwit
2. Haematopus ostralegus, oystercatcher
3. & 4. Numenius phaeopus, Eurasian whimbrel
5. Tringa totanus, redshank
6. Charadrius hiaticula, common ringed plover
7. Pluvialis apricaria, European golden plover
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"Irish conservationists report that the magnificent osprey has successfully bred in the wilds of the Emerald Isle for the first time in almost 250 years.
Worldwide, ospreys are doing great—listed as “Least Concern” by the IUCN who add they are increasing in population. However their massive brown and white wings have been absent from Irish skies for two centuries after being hunted to extinction.
The last recorded osprey to nest in Ireland was found in 1779, writes the Ireland-based conservation group Golden Eagle Trust on Facebook.
Visiting ospreys sometimes stop on the island to rest, but almost since the signing of the US Declaration of Independence, no pair has ever deemed it a safe environment to raise young.
A nesting pair (ospreys mate for life) was discovered by experienced birdwatcher Giles Knight, the Environmental Farming Scheme Advisor with Ulster Wildlife, a conservation non-profit.
“Along with my son Eoin, I have watched the adults return to the same site since 2021, so you can imagine my excitement the moment that I saw three chicks and two adults this year,” said Knight in a statement. “It was a rub-your-eyes, once-in-a-lifetime moment; an absolute highlight of my 30-year wildlife career—like finding long-lost treasure.”
“With at least two of the chicks fledging this season, this is a huge conservation success story and indicates a healthy wetland ecosystem with plenty of suitable habitat and fish to bring this apex predator back to our skies and plunging into the Fermanagh Lakelands. Truly the return of a living countryside!” ...
The old Gaelic name for osprey was “Iascaire Coirneach”, meaning “Tonsured Fisherman”, possibly related to how its black eye band and white crown give it the appearance of the semi-bald tonsure typical of medieval Christian monks, the Golden Eagle Trust wrote on Facebook in a celebratory post.
“Now these birds are back in Ireland and breeding successfully, it is critical that they are left in peace so their numbers can continue to grow by returning year on year to breed,” Knight added in the statement. “We believe and hope that this could be the start of a raptor dynasty.”"
-via Good News Network, August 27, 2023
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Baby Dove Looking For A Home!
Hello all! Some of you may know that I have a mated pair of domestic ringneck doves! One is Puddleglum, this big, doofy, cackling, gray nerd.
And the other is Truancy, the prettiest peach lady and unrepentant seed glutton (also the daughter of @hellenhighwater ’s doves Arson and Larceny).
Like husband like wife
What you may not know is these two lay eggs like clockwork. Since I don’t know a lot of people looking for doves, I normally replace these with fakes or make the eggs nonviable before giving them back, and they’ll sit on them for two weeks before taking a week to make new ones. But this time, I MESSED UP—turns out I did not make them nonviable properly, and by the time I double-checked, I couldn’t just destroy them since they had gotten started.
SO, I am looking for a home for a baby dove or two! Here are the goobers at about a week old as of today (July 15):
One is way smaller than the other, so I waited to post about them until I was sure it was getting enough feed and care from the parents. But it seems to be doing really well now! They should both be old enough for new homes in about a month.
I already have one person interested, so I really just need one more. They are free to a good home (I’d like to see pics of your potential cage setup, and I can offer tips to new dove owners). I can’t gaurantee gender unless we do a DNA test, but I can get that done for $20 (for one bird) if you’re willing to reimburse me for that. I also offer a sandwich baggie of safflower seeds, the doves’ favorite snack.
I’m in southwest Ohio and am willing to drive a bit to meet you if needed. My family also has an alpaca farm that is hosting our August Alpaca Day on Aug. 19, if you want to make a trip of it! :D
Please PM for more details! And I will try to post updates here of the tiny floofs as they grow!
-River
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Three of the four baby crows plus one adult (the one who hurt her toe recently, back one of right foot, you can see it bent sideways)
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I caught this magnificent frigatebird chick in the middle of an absolutely enormous yawn but he somehow looks even more ridiculous with his mouth closed
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