18 April 2025
Good Morning Everyone,
Latest Update:
Dyfi: Idris and Telyn have three eggs!
Oh, Thursday was wonderful. We got to spend time with our granddaughter and her Australian boyfriend. We will have her in Winnipeg until the fall, and then she will be heading ‘Down Under’. Thursday has been busy and I did not check on many nests.
I am happy that we had ‘dinner and a show’. The deer came to the bird feeders while we had dinner in the conservatory. Josh so wanted to see a deer, and I had no idea that they were still coming to the garden. I have not seen them. It was magical. They stayed for about an hour and a half, eating birdseed.
Aren’t they adorable with the seed stuck to the end of their nose?
Iris caught herself one of those whoppers she is known for showing up with, to the envy of that male from the Baseball Park. No Finnegan. Ospreys are still arriving in Nova Scotia. I want to be hopeful for those heading to Montana.
Like you, tears will flow if this Finn returns to deliver a big fish to our Queen, Iris.
‘A’ comments: “Iris does appear to be searching for Finnegan. She is at least eating well – whenever I see her, she seems to have a large crop. But it is so sad that Finnegan has not returned to her. Is it Louis who is hanging around? Or is it some other osprey? Certainly, whoever it is is very persistent, as you say, and she is not happy about it. For that reason, I wonder whether it is in fact Louis, because surely she wouldn’t be so keen on protecting the nest from him. The fish, yes, obviously she doesn’t want him stealing that, but would she try driving him away? I’m sure if it is Louis, regular watchers of this nest would recognise him.
‘A’ notes on Friday: “This visiting osprey has brought Iris a nice fish (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcxvXwiAElI) but she is not interested and is obviously still waiting for Finnegan. And to me, that also suggests that this is not Louis, because Louis was a cad. He would have arrived empty-taloned and tried to mate with Iris. So at least this osprey is attempting to woo her, but still, she is not interested. At least, not yet. PLEASE come home Finn.”
I thought your readers deserved to see this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T03RYu5Z8s8.
Is Athena just the cutest thing? And aren’t her owlets just too adorable for words? I know they’re deadly enemies of our eaglets and osplets but they are truly the most exquisite creatures, are they not? And the little owlets are SO sweet. “
‘CG’ sends us news from Raptor Resource:
This year’s season of ‘The Falcon Bachelor’ flipped the script! As usual, Newman passed out roses – by which we mean food gifts – to a succession of female falcons. We spotted Julie 90/Z (a regular visitor), Kandiyohi H/34, Hope E/60, and Newman’s mate from last year, Elaine U/09! Elaine celebrated her second birthday and first year as an adult this spring, and we were excited to see a little less drama than we saw last year. Or so we thought!
Real Falcon Housewives of the Mississippi River
We have a nest box at the US Bank Building in La Crosse, Wisconsin, roughly five miles SE of Great Spirit Bluff as the falcon flies. Male Ardy 06/D, a 2015 hatch from Ardent Milling in Lake City, MN, has nested there with Karen 44/P, a 2016 hatch from MPL’s Clay Boswell plant in Cohasset, MN since at least 2021. We were quite surprised to see Elaine show up in Karen’s stead this spring. Or did she? For at least two weeks, Elaine flew back and forth between La Crosse and Great Spirit Bluff, chasing competitors away, receiving food gifts, and copulating with both males. Twice the courtships, twice the attention, and most importantly, twice the food gifts!
Elaine accepting food gift from Ardy
We’re usually wondering which falcon the irresistible Newman will end up with! But Elaine flipped the script by locking down two territories and two potential mates. Since she appeared to prefer Ardy – she certainly spent more time with him – we were wondering if Newman would end up with a mate at all. When Elaine laid an egg at US Bank La Crosse, we figured it was game over. Sorry, Newman! But Elaine confounded our expectations by laying her next four eggs at Great Spirit Bluff! As I write this…
- Elaine and Newman are in full incubation at Great Spirit Bluff. We expect hatch on or around May 5.
- Ardy is pursuing an unbanded two-year-old female. Addie isn’t caring for Elaine’s lone egg, but will probably lay her own.
- Elaine dropped by to visit US Bank on April 7 while Newman was busy incubating the couple’s eggs. She tussled with Addie, briefly chasing her away. Is she still locking down the territory and/or copulating with Ardy? We’d love to see how closely related the GSB nestlings are to one another, since Newman might not have fathered all of them!
- PS: In case you don’t know, mother Savanna was killed by a GHO June, 2023, while protecting her four eyases. No one replaced her in 2024. This scrape is worth a looksee. Great cameras with great views of the surrounding area from near the top of the bluff. I-90 and the Mississippi River below. Across the river is Wisconsin.
Mum and Dad were on the nest at the Sydney Olympic Park.
Geemeff sends us the daily summary for The Woodland Trust and Loch Arkaig:
Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 17th April 2025
After the excitement of the first egg arriving yesterday, today fell into a steady routine. Louis delivered two fish taking his tally to thirty seven, he and Dorcha spent time on the nest, sometimes together, sometimes taking turns off the nest. A Hooded Crow nearby, not seen on nest cam, made the pair startle and fly off the nest but not for long, and the egg, barely seen in its cocoon of moss, was mostly kept covered from the light rain. The second egg is due in three days, should be sometime on Saturday, but delayed incubation is being practised until it’s laid, and this egg won’t suffer from being left unbrooded for short periods. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 returned with some bedding and spent some time doing nest prep and surveying his territory. The overnight forecast is for mist turning into light rain tomorrow but there should be some dry and sunny spells.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.37.43 (05.23.58); Nest Two 21.40.39 (05.29.07)
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/94MaMt_CENM N2 Dorcha carefully tends the egg 01.23.30
https://youtu.be/CnwSIqV7HJ0 N2 Dorcha nibbles the first fish before leaving Louis to egg-sit 08.58.47
https://youtu.be/d4JCzUL6RlA N1 Garry LV0 brings bedding and stays to survey his territory 09.14.28
https://youtu.be/ObDC3cxYrsI N2 Second fish arrives but the pair are troubled by unseen intruders 16.10.05
Bonus watch – the Beò Airceig initiative founded by Achnacarry Estate, Arkaig Community Forest, Forestry & Land Scotland and Woodland Trust Scotland to revitalise an area larger than Edinburgh:
Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/d3Y9CGoYsvY N1 Bold Hoodie takes advantage of Aila’s absence 2020
https://youtu.be/UPtm4jmy9Zo N1 Louis finally manages to subdue a tricky stick 2021
https://youtu.be/mZYG9XNCof8 N2 How to tell Louis & Dorcha apart 2022
https://youtu.be/NIeUiK4R_r8 N2 Noisy helicopter gets Louis & Dorcha’s attention 2023
https://youtu.be/GITGVoOkg2o N1 & 2 Hercules caught on both nest cams 2023 (split-screen zoom)
https://youtu.be/n974C1G3zig N2 Moody cloudy sunset 2023 (time lapse)
https://youtu.be/SGa5_hOLmmg N2 The second egg arrives! 2024 (zoom)
https://youtu.be/oJc06aWLkAg N1 Garry LV0 brings fish but no one comes for it 2024
https://youtu.be/DUPOg7KJH_U N1 Affric calls for fish but Garry brings a branch 18.07.48
Why not come and join the friendly community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s fun, free and everyone’s welcome:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam
Rodenticide is never a good idea. This is why:
“It’s difficult to give a precise number of poisoned mice an eagle needs to eat before succumbing to rodenticide poisoning. The exact amount of poison that will cause death in an eagle depends on factors like the type and concentration of rodenticide, the size and health of the eagle, and how much of the poisoned prey is consumed. However, it’s clear that eagles can be poisoned through secondary poisoning, meaning they can die from eating prey that has already ingested a lethal dose of rodenticide.
Here’s what the research shows:
The effects of rodenticides can persist:Even after an eagle has eaten poisoned prey, the effects of the rodenticide can last for several months.
Rodenticides are lethal to various animals, including eagles:When a rodent eats bait containing rodenticide, it can take days for the poison to take effect, causing internal bleeding and eventually death.
Eagles can be exposed to rodenticides through their prey:Eagles that eat poisoned mice or rats are at risk of secondary poisoning.
Exposure to rodenticides is widespread:Studies have shown that a significant percentage of eagles tested have anticoagulant rodenticides in their bodies, indicating widespread exposure.
Rodenticides can be a cause of death:While rodenticides aren’t always the direct cause of death in eagles, they have been confirmed as the cause of death in some cases.
The amount of rodenticide ingested is crucial:The lethal dose of rodenticide varies depending on the specific chemical, but it can be relatively small.
OPPD Fort Calhoun: First egg of the season!
Foulshaw Moss: Third egg for White YW and Blue 35.
FOBBV: Sunny and Gizmo are strengthening their wings! https://youtu.be/bF-40dLc2Ik?
Charlo Montana: Lola and New Guy – will they get acquainted? Is she still holding out hope for Charlie like Iris is for Finn?
Friends of Dillon Ranger District, Colorado: Ospreys home. https://youtu.be/sAPm-K3NyLI?
SW Florida Bald Eagles: M15 and F23. Gorgeous couple. Offseason but thinking of the future. https://youtu.be/pvCpxYiIB_Q?
Latvian White-tail Eagle Nest, Durbe County: Milda and Zorro have two little eaglets! Liznm catches a feeding for us: https://youtu.be/uJUZL1D295g?
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, CG, Geemeff, MP, PB’, Montana Osprey Project/Cornell Bird Lab, Cornell Bird Lab, Sydney Sea Eagles, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, OPPD Fort Calhoun, Cumbrian Wildlife Trust, FOBBV, Charlo Montana, Friends of Dillon Ranger District, Vija, Dyfi Osprey Project, Raptor Resource Project, Liznm
