2nd hatch at Manton Bay…Late Thursday in Bird World

15 May 2026

Hello Everyone,

It is Thursday evening, and Toby and I are having our ‘quiet’ time. Thursday was a busy day working in the garden. We are so excited about planting the flowers and veggies this weekend! Our neighbour has finished the longest railing for the deck, and we will be looking for over-the-rail planters for shade flowers. The colour will be ‘red’ this year!

Unless something dramatic happens, I will take at least a day off to plant and enjoy being outside instead of checking the screens. I urge you to do the same!

Not wanting to start any rumours, but where are the fish for our Iris? There is some concern about the whereabouts of New Guy2 at Hellgate Canyon. Is he around? Is he bringing fish? A piece of a fish was brought in by a male, but was it NG2? All I will say is that if these males are going to fail Iris, then do it before the eggs hatch. Crap. I desperately want to be wrong about this – just like I thought P3 was sick. It isn’t, thank goodness. Maybe just sleepy and in a food coma????

The second egg has hatched for Maya and Blue 33 at Rutland’s Manton Bay nest! Congratulations.

A close-up view of a bird's nest containing several eggs and newly hatched chicks, surrounded by twigs and grass.

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 14th May 2026The forecasted rain held off, just the occasional shower, and nest life went on uneventfully today, no intruders or alarms. Louis delivered two fish to Dorcha, taking the Nest Two tally to sixty one, and Garry LV0 brought one fish taking the Nest One tally to sixty three. Aurora 536 made that one fish last a very long time, and it travelled a fair bit too. There was much discussion around eggs, chick hierarchy, fostering and survival rates. WTS George reposted his comment 

around expectations and the challenges of nest cam watching, link in the bonus section. Tonight’s forecast is partly cloudy and light winds with a low of 3°C, continuing tomorrow with light cloud, gentle breezes and a high of 12°C.

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/cUs6bSMpe4g N2 Dorcha calls enthusiastically as Louis lands with the first fish 11.17.48 

https://youtu.be/0F29q35-vd0 N1 Garry LV0 finally brings a fish late in the day 15.10.35 

https://youtu.be/BFJs2_2Iqog N2 Louis lands with fish number two, a headless trout 20.09.42 

Bonus read – the highs and lows of nest cam watching:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=33998383

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/FlMmlJjYav0  N1 Aila’s attacked again by an owl 2019

https://youtu.be/a82-7I-dU0A  N1 Musical nests: Aila & Louis hop on and off the nest 2020

https://youtu.be/d-HM-pAELtE  N1 Sleepy Aila manages an afternoon nap 2020

https://youtu.be/UQsvtAT9sAI  N1 Blue 152 pays a dawn visit to the nest 2021

https://youtu.be/V1vbOK3ewwc  N1 The Newsome Twosome are getting better at it! 2021

https://youtu.be/zsPVChFoZ88  N2 Dorcha and the big stick 2023

https://youtu.be/j4RTRS0Yni8  N2 Intruder Blue PU0 invades Nest Two 2023

https://youtu.be/bSxkqptK4Eg  N1 Louis mantles at an unseen intruder 2023

https://youtu.be/B_R0BHuZaZg  N1 Is it a Tree Pipit dashing across the cam view 2024

https://youtu.be/WPtsG8MRD6k  N2 Does an egg move by itself? 2024 

https://youtu.be/o_ES4CRH3LM N1 A male Tawny Owl visits 2025

https://youtu.be/xZrjpYMESsU N2 A Jay (Garrulus Glandarius) pays a visit to Dorcha 2025 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/lzo2elmyrE8 N1 A Great Spotted Woodpecker pays a flying visit 2025 (zoom)

Why not come and join the lively community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s friendly, free and everyone’s welcome:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam

Big Red and Arthur’s chicks are fine. https://youtu.be/C5XbJkZD5Zw?

A red-tailed hawk parent watches over two fluffy chicks in a nest made of twigs and grass.

You don’t see it very often, but Arthur got to feed his babies. Arthur would love to care more for his children, but Big Red can be very bossy in that regard! He’s rather good at this! https://youtu.be/KEBghI2Yml0?

A red-tailed hawk feeding its chicks in a nest filled with twigs and feathers. Several fluffy chicks are visible, eagerly interacting with the parent bird.

SK Hideaways has the video of Monty and Hartley’s foursome being banded. Have a look. https://youtu.be/xAj20H9x1OI?

Smile. An osprey saved.

Text post from NorthWestern Energy discussing the successful rescue of an osprey tangled in baling twine with the help of local wildlife organizations.
A person holding an Osprey, showing the bird's features and its foot for banding.

Fish continue to come to Achieva. Jack is doing well! Keep it going.

A close-up view of a bird's nest containing two young hawks perched on a pile of twigs and branches. The nest is situated on a platform high above a neighborhood with trees and a street visible in the background.
A nest with young birds perched on a large nest made of twigs, overlooking a suburban area with houses and trees, under a clear blue sky.

Thank you so much for being with us for this quick check-in. It is very windy outside, and we are in a ‘yellow’ warning – it is a huge dust storm! The temperatures are still warm – 23 C.

Take care of yourself. Go outside for a walk. Listen for the soothing sound of a bird singing.

Thank you to Geemeff for their always outstanding Loch Arkaig summary, to SK Hideaways for the great videos, to all those who post on FB with recent news and videos, and to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to witness the lives of our favourite raptor families.

Published by maryannsteggles

I went to the UK as a Commonwealth Scholar in 1990 and received my PhD from the University of Leicester in 1993. After three decades of university teaching, I retired to devote my time to the study of raptor behaviour. I am particularly interested in Ospreys and am working on a long term project on third hatch survival and siblicide in these raptors. My blog is a result of a fascination with my local wildlife and the desire to encourage others to love and care for birds! I live on the Canadian Prairies and prior to the pandemic travelled a lot. I am questioning the use of aviation fuel at the moment as we all strive to help our planet. My early research was in politics and art including British public statues exported to Southeast Asia and Vietnam Resistors that contributed much to Canadian ceramics. Books and articles were published on those subjects over a period of 3 decades. Now I am working on books for children so they can learn about the challenges our raptors face.

1 Comment

  1. Linda Kontol says:
    11 thAmerica/Winnipeg-05:0031America/Winnipeg05bAmerica/WinnipegThu, 14 May 2026 22:08:48 -0500 2021 at 22:08

    Thank you for all the updates Mary Ann! Prayers for Iris and NG2!
    🙏🙏❤️❤️🥚🥚🥚
    Thank you for all the updates.
    See you soon on here !
    Linda

    Reply

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