10 March 2026
Hello Everyone,
Morning news from Heidi:
“3/10/26 – R10 (band 6/9) unintentionally fledged this morning. R10 is the youngest of the two siblings. His brother, R9 (band 7/0) fledged on 3/4. At 07:20:56 this morning, R10 attempted to jump from the nest to the selfie branch, but he landed on top of R9 who already occupied that space on the selfie. The brothers both tumbled off the branch. Ground observers said there was no eagle on the ground, so R10 must have flown and is perched in a tree. Congratulations on your fledge, R10 ! We look forward to seeing you back at the nest soon.”
Also, the Raptor Resource Project has posted that the first egg of Mrs DNF would be Mr North’s, as DNF had not mated. As far as I know, Mr North has not been seen since the last altercation with UM. Mrs DNF is due to lay her second egg today.
It was a cracking day on the Canadian prairies on Monday. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and it was -12 °C with a bit of breeze. We had tea, cleared out more of the laundry room in prep for the arrival of the new set, and watched Toby feriously eat his chicken. He is possibly one of a handful of Cavaliers who are not allergic to chicken. It is good for his GI tract as it heals from ‘the incident of the incense’. We took him for a short walk. Then we had tea and Matcha flavoured Castella cake. I am trying to make that box of goodies from Japan last as long as I can!
Gosh, it was good.
I want to start with some really good news from Orange, Australia. Girri is still with Diamond and Gimbir, and this stunning juvenile was caught on camera by Cilla Kinross chasing Diamond. In the past seven years, I have not recalled a fledgling that stayed at the nest site this long. Consider it a blessing. If you read the information sent by ‘B’ in my blog a few days ago, you will know that only 35% of the Peregrine Falcons living in the San Francisco Bay area have survived due to HPAI. So smile! Rejoice! Jump up and down and scream with joy. We NEED good news from Bird World as we begin to approach Osprey season.
I wonder how much Gimbir’s DNA has contributed to this robust female? We know that chicks born to Diamond and Xavier sometimes had feathering problems. Many were unfortunate to fledge the moment stormy weather arrived. I do wonder.
I am expecting E26 to fledge at any moment. M15 will have his hands full protecting his territory and teaching his fledgling to hunt – skills vital to E26’s survival in the wild.
E26 is looking for food on the nest. E26 hatched on the 18th of December, making her (depending on how you count – I count hatch day) 55 days old today.
Now, hidden in the middle of this posting, is the reality of what might happen to the ospreys in the region of the Chesapeake Bay, including parts of Maryland and Delaware. I want to prepare you. In 2024, the adult ospreys returned from migration, laid their eggs, and then could not find food for their chicks, who died on the nest, many within days of fledging. In 2025, as noted by one of my monitors, the ospreys on Indian Creek laid their eggs and then, starving themselves, abandoned their nests. Hatches were few – but it is much easier to witness eggs not hatch than 70-day-old osplets ready to fly, starve on camera. So, please prepare yourself for what might well be a very difficult year in this region of the US.
Only eaglet at Duke Farms is simply a little sweetheart with clown feet who often incubates the egg when Mum doesn’t.
A little one with clown feet and pin feathers and thermal down at Duke and Quinn at Captiva nearing fledge still loving to be fed by Connie.
At the NE Florida nest of Gabby and Beau, the eaglets also still love being fed by Gabby or Beau. NE32 hatched at 1:00 am on December 31st 2025, NE33 hatched at 7:54 am on January 1, 2026 (Nightbot). They are healthy and simply magnificent. Beau and Gabby did so well this year!
Has Louis brought in more than 100 turtles? The nest is full of shells and a monster fish came in. Anna is doing well caring for the two eaglets.
Nola and Jazz are only two days apart at the E3 nest in the Kisatchie National Forest but their development and size tells a story of the difficulty at the nest early on and perhaps a gender difference as well.
In Malta, Birdlife International has condemned the reissuing of trapping licenses.
At the same time, Raptor Persecution UK wonders what in the world is going on with the investigation over the death of the Hen Harrier. Is everyone just ignoring wildlife offences?
Thank you for being with us this morning – ospreys are arriving at their nests. Richmond is patiently waiting for Rosie in San Francisco – send her good wishes to get home! We are within the normal early-arrivals frame in the UK, with Rutland and Loch of the Lowes. I am getting excited. Take care, everyone! Thank you again for your best wishes for Toby. We are not out of the woods yet. I am getting him tested for pancreatitis, just in case, as we had two raspberries of blood this morning – it is worrisome.
See you soon!
Thank you to Heidi and Cilla Kinross plus the owners of the streaming cams where I took my screen captures! I want to also thank Birdlife International and Raptor Persecution UK for their reliable and persistent investigations into avian persecution.
