Deaths and Arrivals…Late Sunday in Bird World

17 May 2026

Greetings Everyone,

It is simply freezing here. We have our first Baltimore Orioles arriving in the garden, and we could even have snow. We went to pick up a few plants (they are horrifically expensive this year) and hoped to plant them, but no…they are in the house. Calico even took some bites out of one of them!

It decided to rain instead. We could use that to clean up the dust storm from the other day.

A male Baltimore Oriole taken with an iPhone – 19 metres away so pixilated.

A vibrant orange and black bird perched on a branch with green foliage in the background.

We are in the middle of this mess. Everyone is getting grumpy oping that spring will please come.

Radar image showing a storm system with rain and snow over the Prairies, highlighting a potential tornado outbreak in northern Nebraska. The danger zone is outlined along the borders of Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

HY and Toby horsing around.

A dog and a cat interacting playfully, with the dog's snout touching the cat's tail on a scratching post.

We will start with the sad and end with the wonderful.

Glen Hays eaglet, GH4, hatched on 4 April, was 43 days old when it died this morning. The other eaglet might not survive either. Please note that I am not saying this is Avian Flu. The cause of death can only be determined by a necropsy. I also do not want to start rumours rumming amuk but we should educate ourselves as to the cause of HPAI.

H5N1/Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu. Please listen to the massive impact that this virus has had on wildlife worldwide. Thijs Kuiken, the world expert on H5N1, speaks on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ImFD8sLFfvo?

I am including this because one of my readers and a great lover of wildlife wondered after the passing of the little eagle at Glen Hayes this morning might be stopped. If you listen you will understand how difficult this is. Avian Influenza began several decades ago. Thijs has written extensively on this – some non-scientific articles. I was introduced to him after posting that the two White-tail Eaglets at the Estonian nest had died within minutes with bodies taken for necroscopy and discovered to have Avian Influenza. This was the first known instance of spring nest deaths – til this time it was in the fall. What this means is that the avian influenze was now being spread through migration.

It appears that not enough fish have been delivered to the Old Town Home osprey nest, and at least one of the osplets has perished. This is not a surprise with the lack of fish in the region for ospreys. Many adults have abandoned their nests rather than let the eggs hatch and the chicks starve. Two known nests on streaming cams to have already failed are the Severna Park and VIMS, along with the nests mentioned in an earlier blog, not on camera, by a Virginia monitor.

A Facebook post discussing the feeding issues of two hatchlings in a nest due to a lack of menhaden fish brought to them, with details about their age, feeding history, and observations from a live cam.
An osprey feeding its chicks inside a nest, with one chick visible and two unhatched eggs nearby.

The weather may take a toll on Iris and New Guy 2’s hope for chicks. In addition to the rushing river causing fishing to be difficult, it is now raining!

An osprey resting on its nest made of twigs and other materials, overlooking a parking area in the background.
Close-up view of an osprey nest made of sticks, with an osprey sitting inside. The background shows a rainy parking lot and trees, with a train in the distance.

Kansas City Bald Eagles are ready to fledge:

Social media post about Osage the eagle's first flight and hovering experience, featuring exciting descriptions of its flight and the watchful presence of another young eagle, Kaw.
A close-up view of a bird nest situated on a tree branch, with two young birds, one spreading its wings, set against a green backdrop of trees.

It is just such a different story in the UK:

Two years ago, the little one in the clutch of four of CJ7 and Blue 022, was just the cutest little thing. So tiny amongst its big siblings and yet, today, it might have made history as the only 4th hatch ever to return from migration in the UK (or anywhere else for that matter). Known as ‘The Mighty Titch’ by Birds o Poole Harbour.

Post from Birds of Poole Harbour announcing the return of bird 5H6, referred to as the mighty titch.
Close-up of an osprey's foot with a band on its leg, standing on a nest made of sticks.

As Tiger Mozone points out, not all nests with four fledge four. I have not been able to check the returns for Manton Bay but it could be that this is a historial moment when for the first time in the history of UK ospreys, the fourth hatch has returned in year two!

We have the third hatch for Blue 33 and Maya at Rutland’s Manton Bay nest. That baby is quite strong, just like the first hatch.

A close-up of an osprey feeding its chicks in a nest, with a fish visible in the foreground and several young chicks peeking out.

P3 sleeping on Big Red’s talons.

A red-tailed hawk stands over its nest, which contains several fluffy, light gray chicks. The nest is made of twigs and is located on a ledge.
Four baby red-tailed hawks in a nest, surrounded by twigs and feathers.
A red-tailed hawk mother is seen tending to her four fluffy chicks in a nest made of twigs and grass. The chicks are huddled together on the nest floor, while remnants of prey are visible nearby.
A Red-tailed Hawk stands near its nest, which contains several fluffy, gray chicks among twigs and nest materials.

Achieva Osprey Platform is still doing well. Jack has stepped up in his fishing meaning Jill has only gone out once a day for the past couple of days. Chicks growing and Big could fledge the end of this coming week.

A nest on a pole featuring two birds, one chick and one adult, surrounded by trees and a view of a street in the background.

First Fledge at Venice Beach Golf and Country Club osprey nest!

A view of a nest with two young osprey chicks perched inside, with a scenic golf course and waterway in the background.

Two new hatchlings at Moraine Park. Let’s hope they have fish.

Two newly hatched osprey chicks in a nest with a fish nearby, captured on a live cam.

Do you love the Port Lincoln Ospreys? the idea that individuals are working hard to put up platforms to encourage the population growth of ospreys? It costs $20 AUSTRALIAN a year to join Friends of Osprey Sth Australia. They love donations, too – and look what someone just did: “Thank you to Mr Nev Dowling at Coolangatta for the donation of Electronic WIFI equipment for the upgrading of the WIFI link system for the Camera streaming system on the barge where the Osprey nest is located.”

That is wonderful!

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 17th May 2026

Both nests enjoyed a peaceful day today, no alarms or intruders. Garry LV0 brought only one fish for Aurora 536, while Dorcha received three from Louis. The tally for both nests now stands at sixty seven, except Garry is still ahead by two as two of Nest Two’s fish were brought by Dorcha, and possibly more as only fish seen on camera count towards the total and Nest One cam still remains down for a few hours each morning. The forecasted rain didn’t last as long as expected today and it should be dry tonight with a low of 3°C, and remain dry tomorrow until after lunch, with a high of 15°C.Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/BLGGKD34qIA N2 Better late than never – first fish for Dorcha 12.15.15
https://youtu.be/U7-A1r7oD3Y   N1 Aurora’s one and only fish today 14.13.53https://youtu.be/KzuLFblS-Zk N2 Fish & chirps! Second fish from Louis 15.10.40https://youtu.be/Cgf1kMyQWnQ N2 Late evening fish for Dorcha 22.00.34Bonus advice – what to do if you find a chick out of the nest:https://www.popsci.com/environment/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-baby-bird/

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/2xr0kHFi4BE  N1 Aila brings a new Louis-removal device 2019

https://youtu.be/2SeN0J1rxOg  N1 Close encounters of the bird kind 2020 (slo-mo)

https://youtu.be/Rh1aeXJkWng  N1 Co-ordinated stick work by Louis & Aila 2020

https://youtu.be/IW7bBXUG7QM  N1 Woohoo! Successful mating by the Newsome Twosome 2021

https://youtu.be/aip-ZV4vZ4g  N1 First fish delivered to Blue 152 by The Stranger 2021

https://youtu.be/akMXEPJOQIo  N2 Dorcha sees off intruder Osprey Blue PU0 2023

https://youtu.be/miF-Q3_MxDg  N2 Intruder Blue PU0 returns and very nearly lands on Dorcha 2023

https://youtu.be/9aC3rufAdio  N2 Dorcha uses her ‘scare crow’ voice 2023

https://youtu.be/5cCaq5kTqkI N2 First fish is number 100 and also season’s earliest! 2024

https://youtu.be/ebw5Gj3hh4A N2 Louis arrives with an unsuitable stick 2024https://youtu.be/ErDsAnWi3-E N1 A Buzzard pokes about inquisitively 2025https://youtu.be/JvJOyJzMabg N1 The Buzzard returns and does some preening 2025 (zoom) https://youtu.be/prod5jXGvEU  N2 Worth waiting for – nearly 24 hours after the last, a huge fish arrives! 2025

Wild Bird Scoop posted this. Have you read The Serviceberry? By Robin Wall Kimmerer? If you haven’t, I highly recommend it.

A split panel comic depicting an elderly woman planting a serviceberry tree for birds. The first panel shows her smiling while planting, the second panel features the matured tree with a bird perched on it. The third panel reveals the tree's first fruits with birds gathered around, and the final panel shows the woman reflecting on her actions while enjoying a drink on her porch.

Thank you so much for being with us today. We had a slow, calm Sunday! I loved every second of it. Tomorrow, Melissa comes to clean – what a blessing she is. Along with Ann, they make my life much easier. Take care of yourself. See you soon!

Thank you to every contributor who added information on FB and to ‘PB’, who has helped post information for herself and Heidi. I am grateful to Geemeff, who has now posted more than 5000 videos for the Woodland Trust! That is a great accomplishment. To the owners of the streaming cams, we are grateful for allowing us to witness the lives of these amazing birds.

Toby and Don sharing some of the love.

An older man smiling and interacting with a small dog that is licking his face while he gently holds it, sitting on a couch.

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 Lontol says:
    11 thAmerica/Winnipeg-05:0031America/Winnipeg05bAmerica/WinnipegSun, 17 May 2026 20:13:22 -0500 2021 at 20:13

    Thank you Mary Ann for all the updates. I’m so sad to hear about those eaglets at Glen Hayes. 🥲🥲
    Prayers it isn’t that Avian flu 🙏
    Little Toby and Hugo Yugo are so cute and playful!❤️❤️
    The weather is really strange. I hope it warms up there soon. 🙏
    I pray the fishing and weather don’t get worse for Iris and NG2 🙏❤️❤️
    Glad to hear of successful
    Fledges and those who are fixing to fledge too. Prayers for all
    Who need them.
    See you soon here
    Linda

    Reply

Leave a Reply