Show me your smile

Continuing to give this JP "cyclops" raptor figure a new face. I've made new parts to replace his chewed off snout and chin, and attached them, but as may be apparent, he still needs some work.

I glued in the tongue next after attaching the snout and chin, while I could still fit tools into the mouth. None of the colour gradients on the mouth parts will probably be very visible by the end, but oh well, it was fun to make them, and maybe I'll reuse the idea for a bigger figure or one with its mouth open wider.

Tentative friendliness

Seaglets SE28 (younger, back) and SE27 (older, front) at Sydney White-bellied Sea-eagle cam got along well today. Here are some cute screenshots of that (includes views of prey).

Breakfast guest

A little friend showed up on the outside surface of the kitchen window to warm up for the day while I did the same.

(It's a wasp, so warning for a closeup of one of those.)

Just seaglets being alright

The Sydney White-bellied Sea-eagle cam regular live stream came back on around noon local time today. The chicks seem to be doing well and are eating well. Younger eaglet SE28 on the left and older eaglet SE27 on the right in above screenshots.

Post includes views of prey (fish and other), and some mild sibling rivalry.

Jaws for biting beetles with

That's one of the uses for them, anyway, according to the character's name. Starting to make a new face for the chewed up cyclops raptor. Also here are some edits I've already made elsewhere on the figure.

In addition to the trims I'd already made, to have the inside of the mouth match throughout the jaws, I carved out the old surfaces to make room for the new. Those teeth can stay, as they're close enough to the edges I'll just use them as part of the lips.

Then making those new parts with polymer clay. The figure's original palate had this "this way down the throat" arrow pattern, so I gave the new palate the same.

Eaglets figuring out their roles

Screenshots from the Sydney White-bellied Sea-eagle cam over the past almost-week. News have been a little scarce on how things are at the nest, but from what I've gathered food has also been scarcer for a few days due to bad weather, and the dynamic between the eaglets has shifted in such a way that the older eaglet SE27 has begun enforcing a strict pecking order. The increased sibling rivalry and its one-sidedness has caused the cam operators to shut off the YouTube stream for now to avoid upsetting people happening upon the nestcam. The nestcam is still streaming on Twitch, though, and updates are being posted.

The most important update, I think, is that both eaglets are getting fed, and despite the increased aggression, at least as far as I can tell there haven't been any significant injuries. Life has been tough for the younger eaglet SE28 recently, but SE28 is tough, too, and is learning ways to get by without openly challenging its sibling. Though things have been a bit more intense than usual for the past few days, sibling rivalry is normal, and the older eaglet being dominant is also normal, though it's understandably not a pleasant part of their life to watch.

There's one bonk in the screenshots, but otherwise they're from the other parts of their life (as usual, includes views of fish prey).

SE28 on the left, SE27 on the right moving a stick.

Masu yawn

 

Her cheek is flat in the last photo because I pet her between shots. That's how much of her face is fluff.

Two kinds of fishraptors at one nest

Myy on a rainy breakfast wait this morning at Satakunta ospreys nest #3.
Post includes screenshots of fish prey.

Painting Singer

With sculpting finished on this figure, I can start painting him! In this photo he already has a layer of light brown acrylic painted onto that finger I replaced. It should help blend the different materials a bit.

A rainbow seen from the window where I put him to dry that bit of paint. :)

Toebiter

Photogenic nest visits and intense fish deliveries at Satakunta ospreys nest #3. As that may imply, includes again screenshots showing fishes at various degrees of dead.

Ahti brings a big, headless fish for his fledgling Myy.

Body modifications

With Singerfigure's head sculpted, I also needed to repair a few things elsewhere.

This figure wasn't doing quite as badly as the cyclops when it comes to stray scratches and toothmarks outside the extremities, but there still were a few here and there that I filled up and did my best to blend. I did this little by little with epoxy putty left over from each pass of sculpting the head.

Seaglet days

 

Good morning, (left to right) SE28, SE27, and Lady at Sydney White-bellied Sea-eagle cam.

[Post includes a few views of prey, and a closeup of what I think is only an irritated and not injured eye on an eaglet]

SE27 blep.

Making a head out of spare parts

Putting together the pieces for fixing a halfway headless raptor figure.

Like I mentioned, I've already trimmed away the worst of the chewed up parts, and so this is what we're starting with.

Things from three raptor nests

Some recent and less recent screenshots from raptor nestcams I've been following. Includes views of fish prey, and some bugs.

Starting with a few from the Cornell Red-tailed hawks that I took back in early July and didn't get around to posting before. This lovely closeup features K-3, the youngest chick of this season.

And siblings K-1 and K-3 perching on a roof together. The two juveniles are still around, and the CornellHawks twitter has been posting updates about their adventures, though they don't show up on the livestream cameras much now. The nest is so unused this time of the season that there's plants growing in the middle of it.

Stay safe out there, so proud of you two!

At Satakunnan sääkset nest #3, osplet Myy also continues to grow more independent, and spend less time at the nest. Here she's having a big supper in the golden glow of sunset.

Landscapes with water dinosaurs

 

Making spare parts for a head

As I recently posted, I have two very broken raptor figures I want to fix. Here's making replacements for most of the tigerstripe raptor's head.

Nest visits

Slices of osprey life at Satakunnan sääkset nest #3 from the past week. Involves many a fish prey.

Myy having an evening preen.

Ahti brings a fish, and Myy mantles it.

Nuppu visits the nest to do some stick arranging. Ahti and Myy are in the trees on the right.

Virrella varran

Fight, then sleep tight

Lady with her days-old eaglets SE27 and SE28 at Sydney White-bellied Sea-eagle cam. (Warning for sibling rivalry, as well as some flies photobombing a few screenshots.)

Sleeping and eating arrangements

Satakunnan sääkset nest #3. Beautiful sunrise wing stretches by Myy this morning, after her second night spent outside the nest.

Myy sleeps standing up and deals with an intruder

More suspenseful times at nest #3 of Satakunta Ospreys. Fledgling Myy spent her second night post-owl attack at the nest. No disturbances, but she didn't seem very at ease sleeping on her belly like a nestling anymore.

Myy gets up and guards at the edge of the nest.

Eventually she dozes off and tucks her head under a wing. Usually birds sleep with their beak tucked into their back feathers, but Myy seemed to prefer having her beak in her armpit. Maybe it's a skill she needs to learn like any other. This is already a step in the right direction towards learning to roost in a tree for the night.

Newly hatched sea-eaglets

This year's clutch has recently hatched at the Sydney White-bellied Sea-eagle cam. Older chick SE27 hatched on July 29th, and younger chick SE28 on July 31st. (Warning for a couple of peeks at bloody fish in the screenshots.)

SE28 on the left and SE27 on the right, I believe, going by level of wobbliness. SE28's egg shell is still in the nest.

Painting Serene

Finishing the customization of that TLW raptor figure for which I recently sculpted a new lower jaw.

Starting with painting red the grey epoxy putty showing inside the mouth.

My fish!

Osprey fledgling and mother Myy and Nuppu at Satakunnan sääkset nest #3. Learning and teaching independence in various ways. Warning for a few views of a bloody fish.