11 June 2025
Good Morning Everyone,
It has been extremely hot, with the heat index exceeding 40 °C and temperatures reaching around 32 °C. The heat has reignited the wildfires north of the City, but the smoke and haze are now making their way south. The European Starlings left the garden a few weeks ago, and they have now returned for food and water. I believe it is because the fires have driven them south.
One of the juvenile Starlings who has eaten some cat kibble and is getting ready to jump to get some water at the bird bath.
Cat and dog kibble are perfect foods for Crows, Starlings, and Blue Jays. Leaving out a single bowl of water can be life-saving. Please do leave out water. Find a shallow dish. Fill it often.
The wildlife is being squeezed in every direction. The heat is causing the fish to go deep or to die. Pesticides are running off agricultural lands into streams and rivers, killing fish and contaminating the land and water. As I have repeatedly stated, commercial fishing in the Atlantic is driving many species to extinction. Omega is now using helicopters to drive the Menhaden from the shore to their nets at the three-mile limit. How can this be legal OR moral?
I have become more militant as I see the little osplets starving on the nests. It is something that can be stopped, but the voices of millions of people—and the votes—have to be there, or the Chesapeake Bay will be ‘dead’. The ospreys will be gone, along with the terms, the striped bass, the Rockfish, the Crabs, and the Terrapins. The Dolphins and Whales have already deserted the area.
PamBreci is stepping up. Please sign this petition! But don’t stop there. Contact the news agencies, write to the politicians, phone them! We need a tsunami to turn this around. Every voice counts.
You don’t need to donate. It is sent to the company to be posted on other sites. You can do this yourself. Please send it to every group and person you know. What we want is an end to commercial fishing in the Bay and a ten-mile limit in the Atlantic!
Thanks Pam for not turning away but getting mad and making a difference.
Some places stock the lakes. For example, Forestry England releases 45,000 brown trout into the Clywedog Reservoir for both anglers and ospreys. A family of two adult osprey and three osplets eat on average 525 fish per season (information comes from Forestry England).
Today, there are pictures of The Girls and Toby. I was reminded that it seemed I had forgotten my precious cats! No. Never. The Girls have been very busy watching the new bird babies in the garden. They are everywhere! The conservatory is a perfect spot to watch. It is like a hide. This morning we had a treat. Dyson was at the feeder along with the adult Blue Jays and the Crows. We have three grey squirrels now instead of four. Three adult blue jays. Two adult crows and four baby Crows. There appears to be only one Little Red. The Starling adults and juveniles come and go.
Calico and Hugo Yugo making themselves at home on the little table in the conservatory. Our little Hugo Yugo grew! She is nearly as big as Calico.
Sweet Calico who put her trust in us and came into the house two summers ago.
Baby Hope prefers to be out of the limelight. She is now two years old and is our miracle baby.
I have only seen one Little Red lately. Isn’t this one a sweetie?
Toby. What can I say? He knows who needs comfort. He never barks except at the Bissell floor cleaner, which he hates. He growls and chases it, barking his head off. Toby sleeps with his head on a silk pillowcase next to me like a human. Hugo Yugo sleeps in Toby’s dog bed below him. Going from a King to a Double bed was a bit of a shock, but I slept 11.5 hours on my new bed Wednesday night. It was sheer bliss waking up rested and refreshed. What a change!
Missey’s birthday is next, and that is the 15th. So a party is in order. She will be three!
Monday was a day of sadness, and it was coming from the UK. The third hatchling and the fledgling of Maya and Blue 33 at Rutland Manton Bay drowned Sunday evening. https://youtu.be/T8ug4xyIqTw?
Dyfi: Idris and Telyn have a second fledge! Brianne is their big girl first hatch.
Then word came that the little third hatch, Oakley, at Alyth SS had died of siblicide. Things were going well for the fourth hatch at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, but the tide has turned nasty again with the third hatch continually attacking little four. As I write, four had not eaten in 24 hours.
Foulshaw Moss:
Foulshaw Moss Nest 2:
Rutland Water Manton Bay: The baby fledges! So Maya and Blue 33 raised four to fledge. Sadly they lost one and we will wait the results of all the tests before making any attempt to find out what happened other than drownding.
Birds of Poole Harbour: Blue 022 delivers a late fish so everyone has a full crop before bed!
Birds of Poole Harbour Nest 2:
Usk Valley, Wales: The latest news:
Roundhouse Loch Doon: Gizmo has fledged! All chicks of Frankie and Angel are flying! Congratulations.
Lyn Brenig: It is a girl first and a boy second.
Orihula, Fremont, WI: Those chicks are doing well. See what happens when companies don’t take all the fish!
Loch of the Lowes: Failed nest, but what might we expect next year?
Foulshaw Moss (above)/Cumbria Wildlife Trust: Middle chick fledged Wednesday morning the 9th!
OPPD Fort Calhoun:
Cape Henlopen: Tornado warning Wednesday night. Mum is holding tight with thunder and lightning, trying to keep the babies safe. Heidi reports on this nest below, but the storm and lightning were intense at this nest.
Couer de’Alene, Idaho: The situation is not good. Since 1 stopped punishing little 4, 3 has stepped up the attacks. I do not expect 4 to survive unless there is a miracle. It didn’t. The wee 4 fought hard to live. It died during the night.
Juurusvesi, Finland: Chicks are doing very well. Fish are arriving every two hours or so.
Heidi’s Osprey Notes:
Kent Island, Chesapeake: Tom is doing a nice job providing his family with fish. Chick 3 doesn’t always get to eat at meals, but thanks to Mom Audrey, s/he seems to be able to have its crop filled a couple times a day.
The Fortis Exshaw nest is another nest where the third chick has had some rough days with not much food. But lately, Harvie has been having some great luck with fishing, and Little 3 has been able to eat well for a few days. (Cam is black and white this season)
Cape Henlopen: There have been some very good days recently with lots of fish including some big ones, and chick 2 has been able to stuff his crop. Thursday however, was a lean food day, and chick 2 did not have much to eat. There were 10 fish, but they were all fairly small, so Chick 1 never got full enough that s/he didn’t care if chick 2 ate.
OBX (Outer Banks): These chicks are doing very well, and there’s lots of fish. Chick2 has started to catch up to chick1 in size.
I’m so proud of one of my ‘home’ nests…Mispillion Harbor. Della and Warren have done an exemplary job in raising their two osplets. They are 54 and 53 days old, and I think they may be two big gorgeous girls.
‘PS’ report from Seattle: “Visited July 8 and today, July 9. July 8 was just a quick peek at sunset – mom was tucked in with the two osplets, waiting on dad and a last fish of the day, perhaps. I was hoping for a nice sunset and got an ok one but nonetheless nice to wish them goodnight. July 9 was a short visit but what a short visit it was! I arrived to find mom watching over the 2 youngsters sleeping in the nest (windy and overcast day), and over the next 29 minutes dad brought in 3 fish! All some kind of sole/flatfish – one after another after another, he’d come in high from the west, swoop down against the wind before flaring for landing in the nest, then off again, then back – 3 times while I was there! Quite a show to witness. The kiddos look good – flexing their wings, eating well, and being relatively civil with each other, too. Hope mom and dad keep up the good work! Few pics here, rest at the usual spot (https://www.flickr.com/gp/193514804@N08/h36YS14h3R).
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch ArkaigThursday 10th July 2025
Chick2, Breac 7P7 looks like he might fledge ahead of older brother Darach 7P0, judging by the amount of wingercising he’s been doing, along with little bunny hops across the nest. He’s only a day younger than Darach, who’s also been wingercising – perhaps they’ll fledge within a few hours of each other like Vera JJ8 and Captain JJ7 did back in 2020. Not long now before we see how it all pans out. They’re getting plenty of fish from dad Louis, four fish today which takes his tally to two hundred and eighty nine, while over on Nest One, Garry LV0 turned up with a fish for Aurora 536, raising his tally to one hundred and eighteen. Steve Q produced the weekly fish stat analysis showing Louis is on track with previous years, last year excepted, link to the details in the bonus section. The weather was settled today and is expected to remain so. Tonight’s forecast is for partly cloudy skies and light winds, with a low of 14°C. Tomorrow is expected to be sunny, with a high of 26°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.29.16 (03.38.40); Nest Two 23.17.31 (03.47.38)
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/EKUJEJQ2_M4 N2 Early breakfast arrives but it’s a tiny tiddler trout 05.26.51
https://youtu.be/R5bwQmLA99g N2 The chicks tug over fish two, Darach downs the tail 10.18.19https://youtu.be/-aSYWT7lrrU N2 Hop, skip, but no jump yet! Breac prepares for lift-off 13.13.58
https://youtu.be/eYA98_Bx2aI N1 Aurora gets a fish from Garry 17.16.12
https://youtu.be/QoAql6aqmGA N2 Fish number three is a flatfish 17.53.52
https://youtu.be/5A6EdxuX8JY N2 Darkness is falling when Louis delivers fish four 22.55.43
Bonus info – huge new project for Woodland Trust and partners:https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/press-centre/2025/07/highland-estate-as-big-as-glasgow-to-be-revitalised/
Steve’s fish stats for Week 14:https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=26476166
Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/_iu1YJVku2o N1 Get a grip! Aila falls off her perch 2020 (slo-mo)
https://youtu.be/VMZvWZBGfmk N1 Louis is mobbed when he brings a fish 2020
https://youtu.be/9klb1W99PXE N1 Little nippers! Poor Aila! 2020
https://youtu.be/5bDQeEybGZc N2 Record smallest fish? minnow-sized trout arrives 2022
https://youtu.be/nnD0tCN49Bo N2 Chick2 suddenly lunges at Dorcha 2022
https://youtu.be/VXrDZxGxdZ0 N2 Louis does the housework while the family dine 2022
https://youtu.be/whUichthUIA N2 Early morning workout for LY7 2023
https://youtu.be/jcZQEBw36sc N1 No fish for Affric but Garry tries his luck anyway 2023
https://youtu.be/enEZd33NpbI N2 LY7 getting ready for take-off 2023
https://youtu.be/8K5xHkUZWuo N2 Chick’s not too grown up to want mum’s protection 2023
https://youtu.be/SRSKU62lfrE N2 Colourful sunset seen from Nest Two last night 2024 (time lapse)
https://youtu.be/HOdzu0e6hQc N2 Skydancing is heard nearby then Louis lands on the nest 2024
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 8th July 2025
There were a couple of intruder alerts but none seen on nest cam, and it didn’t put either male off fishing – Garry LV0 delivered two fish to Aurora 536, raising his tally to one hundred and seventeen, but Louis was in fine form and delivered five fish to Dorcha, taking his tally to two hundred and eighty one. He delivered three fish in under an hour before 5am, setting a new record Nest to Nest (N2N) time of only 6 minutes 26 seconds in the process. Darach and Breac continue to grow almost before our eyes, and Darach managed to decorate Louis with an ill-judged squirt. Louis is an old hand at chick rearing – this pair take his total to fifteen ringed chicks – and merely ignored it but departed quickly. The weather was settled today but is set to change overnight to light showers and light winds with a low of 14
°C, and the wet weather will continue on and off tomorrow with a high of 17°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.47.59 (02.42.44); Nest Two 23.30.08 (03.05.17)
Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/AxfPFYxXqZc N2 Louis overflies the nest before landing with breakfast 03.50.16https://youtu.be/VIgml9E8l7A N2 Second breakfast arrives 04.38.10https://youtu.be/gbMdYI__vZA N2 Record fastest N2N time (6m 26s) when Louis brings the third fish 04.45.40https://youtu.be/a5FV4CW1bN4 N1 Garry brings breakfast for Aurora 08.52.36https://youtu.be/YJOlWYRx83g N2 Louis brings a fourth fish and gets decorated by Darach 11.17.44https://youtu.be/harJ1LC4QA4 N1 Aurora gets a second fish from Garry 13.56.37https://youtu.be/-qWZNzfz6Xg N2 Dorcha keeps shouting even after she gets a fifth fish 20.32.04
Bonus listen – BBC Radio Scotland programme discussing the rescue of three helpless Osprey chicks from wildfires:https://youtu.be/zbuuKsnm2Ug
Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/eQ-H9XnoL-k N1 Who’s that visiting the nest? It’s the ringers! 2019
https://youtu.be/rY2duI6UrU4 N1 Magnificent super-fisherbird Louis brings two fish at once! 2019
https://youtu.be/dgMWXNUvbRw N1 Eine Kleine Munch Musik… 2020 (Classic Ospreys: Mozart)
https://youtu.be/gJ28U_EFMdg N2 Branching out: the family wrestles with a tricky stick 2022
https://youtu.be/TFJCxF4Z6x8 N2 Chicks unsure about a flatfish 2022
https://youtu.be/CASjS-XxceU N2 Wingercising in slow motion 2023
https://youtu.be/_IFRrJVjosI N1 Another fish for Affric after Garry’s second delivery attempt 2023
https://youtu.be/FuyIgvRXi3w N2 Hello LY7! Chick shows off his new Darvic ring 2023
https://youtu.be/d_21ncEqyMU N2 Dorcha on the nest and Louis nearby deal with an intruder 2024
https://youtu.be/FcIBmfScUJ8 N2 Still no fish from Louis: Dorcha gives up calling and departs 2024
https://youtu.be/VfO3nAk5XNQ N2 Dorcha pays a sunset visit looking wet – been fishing? 2024 (zoom)
‘TU’ sent me this update: “Well, there are more sadness and birds for the Memorial Wall. A few days ago, I think on July 4, a tailed eagle killed two big storklets in the nest in Lithuania. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlDz3mwwMbc“
Lovely White-bellied Sea Eagles at the Olympic Forest in Sydney sing their duet: https://youtu.be/Qi_kSz55q8k?
The hibiscus in the garden is blooming and blooming. Hot and humid. They think they are in the tropics!
We wish you a wonderful weekend. Take care. See you on Monday!
Thank you so much for being with us today. I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘Geemeff, Heidi, PB, PS, TU’, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos, including SK Hideaways, and the authors of posts and articles, including Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information. I am very grateful. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.
