12 May 2025
Good Morning Everyone,
Sunday did not turn out as expected. We lost dear Dory at Audubon Boathouse*, and then I received word that the five Black Storklets in Jogdeva had been stomped, with at least two dying. My husband’s friend, who lost his wife, came to visit, and it was very emotional. Not the sunshine and laughter one might think of on Mother’s Day. Indeed, so many mothers are no longer with us that brings tears in itself — and I know that everyone would like to be with them just one more time to say everything that never got told, or to confirm their great love and bond. The lesson always is: never put off anything for a day if you can do it now. You might not have tomorrow.
*I am pretty bothered by this death. The boathouse underwent renovations/repairs. It has been known for aeons that the owls take the osplets and try to harm the parents. In this instance, it was a deadly attack on the female, rendering the eggs non-viable. While it is true that ospreys return over and over again to the same place to nest (it is their territory), it is equally valid that the new roof of the boathouse could have been fitted with red strobe lights at each corner. These are effective when used. The two organizations had the funds to accomplish this when the ospreys were migrating. At least they could have tried.
‘MP’ sent a screen capture of their favourite Mum – the female at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands near Dallas. Two beautiful fledges this season!
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am asking for your help. As you may be aware, I try to keep a Memorial Page of the raptors that died or who went MIA in a single year. We lost so many and then Akecheta and Thunder – well, I simply had to stop for awhile. Then we began to lose more and more. I do not wish to leave anyone off the list so this is what I would ask of you.
Please send me any information about any birds on streaming cams that either died or went MIA in 2025. I am including Annie, etc even though we do not know the precise date she went missing. Do not assume that I will have the name on my list. Your list could just read eaglets 1 and 2, Trempealeau Bald Eagle Nest, Wisconsin. If you have other information, please include it. Thank you so much! This will make a huge difference in me getting that Memorial Page as accurate and up to date as possible.
Heidi’s Osprey News:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 11th May 2025
A quiet day today, no intruders on either nest. The day started with a dawn tryst on Nest One, with Garry LV0 and Aurora 536 having two successful mating sessions. Possibly not enough mating activity to produce eggs this season and it is getting past the point of no return time-wise, but then again, the birds don’t read the manuals and may yet surprise us. In a repeat of yesterday Garry brought one fish today taking his tally to forty seven, and Louis brought two fish, taking his tally to eighty one. Dorcha’s first fish was a small lively flapper which she stayed on the nest to polish off before departing. The second, headless, fish was much bigger and she carried it off in a precarious beak hold, much as Aila did on this day in 2020 however Aila did an athletic mid-air transfer from beak to talons which we didn’t see Dorcha do, so hope she didn’t lose it as she flew off. Apart from some light overnight rain the weather was settled and sunny but more rain is forecast for tonight, with sunny intervals tomorrow. That’s still much better weather than Aila had to endure on this day in 2020 when she had to protect the three eggs which were the future famous lockdown Osplets from overnight snow flurries. Links to those events in the blast from the past section.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 20.40.14 (03.48.45); Nest Two 22.44.36 (04.12.36)
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/L7wUZ2nkFqk N1 Dawn tryst – successful mating for Garry and Aurora 04.44.29
https://youtu.be/L0KYI2VYpqw N2 Lively small breakfast trout – Dorcha polishes it off on the nest 06.38.45
https://youtu.be/9mV9VDy0nXc N1 Elevenses arrive for Aurora, a good sized headless trout 11.35.18
https://youtu.be/XEuoQfpCuVM N2 Dorcha leaves with fish number two in a beak-hold 17.46.10
Bonus watch – A short video about wildlife crime detection dogs and how they’re trained (starts at 26:00)
Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/IhjvqpMq1S4 N1 Intruder Osprey flies right over the nest 2020 (slo-mo)
https://youtu.be/WW7IBGOOjLU N1 Preparing the nest ready for the first hatch 2020
https://youtu.be/-v6-w-_3oDM N1 Aila does a mid air transfer 2020 (slo-mo)
https://youtu.be/BsF44kBqGG0 N1 A close shave for Louis – Aila nearly takes his head off! 2020
https://youtu.be/wqUvCjMwwio N1 Mumbrella: Aila protects her eggs during snow flurries 2020
https://youtu.be/yZkcVaa9o-A N1 Affric (Blue 152) and The Stranger return 2021
https://youtu.be/AGoiZjcwD3M N2 First fish of the day arrives at lunchtime 2023
https://youtu.be/UiJihpt7uEs N2 Dorcha ignores the second fish and leaves without it 2023
https://youtu.be/fwGRG7NNI4o N1 A Jay visits 2024
https://youtu.be/_xdZMQaEYA4 N2 Very late breakfast – fish number one 2024
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
I was extremely upset by the situation at the Black Stork nest in Jogeva County in Estonia. There were five storklets and an intruder. The latest news on Looduskalendar English Forum is “Two chicks confirmed dead, two chicks confirmed alive. Another egg we don’t know about.
At least there’s still hope. And the parents are okay.
Now we’ll have to wait if the intruder can be kept away, and if the remaining storklets are well. “
The male had been missing since 5 May and there was a fight in the nest with some stomping on the storklets – intruding storks. Oh, please let two or perhaps three of them be alive! It also appears that the male might have returned. Perhaps he was only out of camera range trying to protect the territory.
To counter that, ‘TU’ reminds me: “There are lovely people who tries to make this world a bit better!!! In Makov, on station for rescued birds and animals they delivered 3 chicks and an egg to be adopted by couple of not releasable white storks Honzik and Johanka.” The foster parents are delighted! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J1utP1GG9s
Trempealeau Bald Eagles: T3 continues to do well.
Cornell Red-tail Hawks: O1 and O2 appear to be doing well. Big Red is loving every second of being a Mum.
Snow Lane Osprey Nest, Newfoundland: After raising two gorgeous fledges last year, Beaumont returned early and earnestly set about fixing up the nest he has shared for many, many years with his mate, Hope. Sadly, it now appears that Hope has failed to return from her migration this year.
This beautiful photograph of an osprey in flight was taken by Marc Lausier. Thank you, Marc, for letting me sharing this beauty with my readers. Please check out his website!
Muonio Nest, Finland: Both ospreys are on the nest. Waiting for eggs.
Janakkalan, Finland: Eggs are being incubated.
Paltamo, Finland: Eggs are being incubated.
Ylläslompolo, Finland: The nest appears unoccupied so far.
‘BAH’ sends us the latest from the Port of Ridgefield: “3rd egg laid at Ridgefield last Friday, but since then things have gone wrong on the nest, starting Tuesday when another couple raised heck for two days, fighting and dive bombing the couple on the nest. The female ended up with blood on her feathers. This continued through Wednesday, according to chatters. The eggs were not incubated through it all, and now chatterers say this is a different female on the nest. She doesn’t incubate and ignores the eggs thoroughly, but the male has started incubating again. But it’s no doubt in vain. Alas!”
Golden Gate Audubon Nest: Richmond and Rosie had their first hatch of the 2025 season late Sunday – Happy Mother’s Day, Rosie!
Did you know that incubation is the only time that adult ospreys will sleep lying down?
Baby Hope wishes everyone a terrific Monday!
Thank you so much for being with me. There is much more news. Also thank you for continuing to send in your Spark Birds. Your remarks are so welcome by all of my readers. So please do not be shy – and also, answer myt call for entries for the Memorial Wall. I need all the help you can provide. Thank you. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘BAH, Geemeff, Heidi, MP, PB, TU’, John Bunker Sands Wetlands, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Eagle Club of Estonia, Looduskalender Forum, csillagig65, Trempealeau Bald Eagle Cam, Cornell Red-tail Hawk Cam, Snow Lane Osprey Platform and Newfoundland Power, Marc Lausier and One-for-One Photography, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Port of Ridgefield, Colonial Beach, Smallwood Ospreys
