Happy Easter all!
OK. So EJ and Odin safely at LG, but what has happened to the LOTL cam. Haven't been able to get anything. It looks like it's going to load okay, then you get just a black screen. Let's hope they get it sorted soon. Margobird said they'd had horrible weather there yesterday, so maybe that knocked out something.
Well, I missed Odin's arrival but thanks to BigRab, there's a video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4EoYaRO6js which I plan to watch myself in a minute.
Busy day here, also amazed to see Trucker cam is now in Albuquerque - boy! does that guy ever cover ground. So I really have to follow him tomorrow (along with you-know-who) because I've driven that road and just love the huge wide horizons. But it's also Easter, so a bit of family stuff going on. Bought some lovely strawberries from the farm down the road and then went to supermarket and bought some naughty cheese (fattening double cream French Brie), mushrooms stuffed with all kinds of yummy stuff and simply couldn't turn down Haagen Dazs's invite to try - "at special introduction price" - new Java Chip flavor with coffee and chocolate chips. Was at Costco earlier and got some great asparagus and Wild Alaska Halibut. So we had a nice dinner, but ice cream still unopened - for now.
Hi Everyone!
We returned safely Monday night after driving 3 of the 8 & 1/2 hours in horrible thunderstorms. We saw where a lightning strike had caused a fire to burn even in the pouring rain along Interstate 90 near Rockford, Illinois. (Hometown of the band Cheap Trick!)
Some trip highlights included many, many Turkey Vulture sightings, a few Hawks too, 1 Osprey along Interstate 94 (there's no mistaking those faces!) and I saw either the female or male Peregrine from the Xcel Allen King Plant perched roadside on Friday. Tres cool! Enroute home I saw only 3 Bald Eagles (but lots and lots of Bald Eagle nests!) with 2 perched near their nest as was the other bird as well.
Maybe the Osprey I saw on the interstate was on their way here?
A pair of Osprey have landed at the Xcel Allen King Plant but they're not banded (ringed) so no one is sure if they're the same birds from prior years. Anyway, the nest was almost completely devoid of nesting material so they have alot of work ahead. Here is the link for anyone who might want to check them out:
http://birdcam.xcelenergy.com/osprey.html
The birds here are very active tonight. There was an unknown bird call about 30 minutes ago, I've heard the Cardinal giving his "chip" "chip" warning call and just now an American Robin making his alarm call as well. Maybe they don't like the migratory birds passing through (Chicago is along one of the major fly-ways for migratory birds) or maybe our resident Kestrels are doing a bit of night stalking? It will have to remain a mystery cause I'm off to bed now, folks. See y'all soon!
Welcome back Caerann! Sounds like a lovely trip. I'm just about to sign off for the night. Take care!
I guess everyone is going to be preoccupied by the general election over the next month! :)
Tiger Signature
Morning, all.
Thanks, Annette. I belong to an agility training group. We work on a collaborative system where everyone can offer helpful suggestions to others with problems. Basically agroup of friends.
Well done, Tweed!
Thanks to AQ and Caerann for pics, great. (Nice to have you back , Caerann, glad you enjoyed your trip it sounds good)
Cloudy but calm here today. It looks to me as if its a lot calmer at LG, too, so hope the birds can mate and nest successfully now without all that awful weather hampering operations.
Looking out at the patio this morning, two pecked out white eggs on the ground. They are about one and a half inches long and one inch diameter, so quite big. There has been a battle royal between magpies and crows going on this spring, but during the night I heard nothing. The garden and birdfeeders are deserted too, except for some bird song from the bushes. The odd bird or two perched high up in the bare trees, by the road at the foot of the garden. The resident pigeons, who are always around are nowhere to be seen.
ChloeB & Tiger's Osprey Data Site
Sat track schedule Spring 2014
LG 7 days; RW & SWT nil; LDOP varies
A magpie has just come back to peck the empty eggs, suspect identified, now all we need know is the who was the bird who lost their offspring.
....and one of the eggs has been removed.
Possibly pigeon eggs. Pigeons lay white eggs and breed all the year round. Normally two eggs.
Tiger: I think you are correct, the remaining egg is 42 x 27mm, which ties up nicely with this info.
http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob6700.htm
edit:
Crows have 4 eggs, which are greenish and spotted.
http://www.lboro.org/~wwatch/Infopages/crowsmagpiesandravens.htm