Iris gets lots of fish…Late Monday in Bird World

19 May 2026

Hello Everyone,

‘PB’ just sent these great images of Iris leaving with a huge headless fish – the third or fourth NG2 has brought today!

It remains damp and cold on the Canadian Prairies. Poor Toby has to have his feet washed every time he comes inside from running about. We have a small pond in progress, and he is drawn to the mud there!!!!!!!!! Spaniels love water. I am thinking of getting him a kiddie pool for the summer. He might not like it because he can’t swim but we will see. There are enough neighbourhood children that would enjoy the pool if Toby rejects it!

Like so many of you, I have lived a long life, one that allowed me to enjoy a time when nature was not under threat every second. Of course, we did not know then what we do now about how our behaviour was impacting the environment. What would we have done differently had we known?

There are things that I miss. We had the most magnificent Magnolia tree in our back garden and several Mimosa trees in our front garden. At the very back was a wall of bamboo at one time, later replaced by my father’s rose garden. He learned how to grow roses from his grandmother and mother – she had a huge stroll garden lined with hundreds and hundreds of rose bushes. There were Cardinals and Bluebirds that lived in those trees. I also miss the duck pond at the University of Oklahoma. I cannot tell you how many hours I spent there, joined later by my children. Whether or not it was our garden or the ponds and parks near to where I lived, there were always some kind of birds. Some were in drawers with old yellowed cardboard labels in the Sutton collection at the University. They fascinated me! It is nice when everything seems to be falling apart to sit back and recall the magic of our childhoods and how the opportunities we had impacted our lives today.

Like all of you, I have been distressed by the level of Avian Flu spreading across North America. I do not want to add to this, which means disinfecting the bird feeders and tables every 2-3 days. My plan, when the last half-bag of birdseed is finished, is to put out peanuts and those solid seed cylinders to try to avoid contamination. The bird baths and bowls of water have to be cleaned and disinfected, too. The rule is 1 part bleach to 9 parts water.

How to Clean and Disinfect

1. Empty & Rinse: Dump out the old water and thoroughly rinse the basin.
2. Scrub First: If there is stubborn grime or algae, scrub the bowl with hot water and a stiff brush before applying bleach.
3. Disinfect: Pour in your 10% bleach solution. Let it sit in the basin for 10 to 15 minutes to fully kill any germs.
4. Rinse Thoroughly: Dump out the bleach and rinse the entire bird bath completely with clean water until there are no traces of a bleach odor.
5. Air Dry: Allow the bird bath to completely dry in the sun before refilling it with fresh water. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Important Tips

• Frequency: Disinfect the bath once a week to keep it safe for your backyard birds.
• Alternative: If you prefer not to use harsh chemicals, you can achieve the same cleaning power by using a mixture of 1 part white vinegar to 9 parts water.
• Daily Maintenance: Change the water every day or two to prevent mosquitoes and bacteria from building up between deeper cleans.

NOTE: Do not use the brush used to clean the bird bath and water sources for any other purpose. Put it somewhere safe where no one can get to it and use it. I have been known to put these brushes in the dishwasher when I am running a cycle without any dishes to clean the machine.

I was so happy to see that Irv is serving up fish at the US Steel nest – a nest that shares the same river as the Glen-Hayes nest.

https://sportsmansparadiseonline.com/2026/05/18/maz-takes-over-stellas-fish-us-steel-nest

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Monday 18th May 2026

Another quiet day, a bit damp as rain fell in spells throughout the day, but otherwise peaceful with no alarms or intruders. Garry LV0 brought one fish for Aurora 536, taking his tally to sixty eight. Aurora stashed the remains of that fish on the nest and at the time of this report, near midnight, she is cuddled up beside it. Louis brought three fish for Dorcha and his tally is now level with Garry’s at sixty eight, with the Nest Two tally at seventy due to the two fish brought by Dorcha before his return. Louis loves spending time on incubation duty, and was moaned at by Dorcha for a good few minutes before reluctantly handing over when she returned after polishing off her second fish. Light rain is forecast all through tonight and tomorrow, with a low of 8°C and a high of 15°C.Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/b07a-dMixso N2 Louis brings a whole tiddler trout 10.02.10https://youtu.be/tQL5oriH2dQ N2 Dorcha’s second fish is a decent size 14.45.58https://youtu.be/aJ9dTcnY-nI N2 Dorcha chirrups at Louis but he won’t move 15.59.30https://youtu.be/2Vul7RV667I N1 Aurora calls and Garry brings fish 16.19.14https://youtu.be/GPQqVzFJ2bI N2 Louis happily exchanges fish for time on the eggs 18.36.52

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/at5go-cg9A8  N1 Louis’ turn to dump a stick on Aila 2019

https://youtu.be/9_X4DMti3Gk  N1 I’ve got your back: Louis, Aila, and a stick 2020

https://youtu.be/W04J7cJyYss  N1 Aila screams until Louis brings fish 2020

https://youtu.be/Z6UfoL5Hb7c  N1 Time to go – Aila head-butts Louis 2020

https://youtu.be/0vfmJaN8vG4  N2 Little bird perches next to Dorcha 2023

https://youtu.be/Epa8-yc2CKU  N1 Louis warns away a distant intruder on his old nest 2023

https://youtu.be/M2Fz6H4TedA  N2 Unringed intruder on the nest! 2023 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/vHH0SsHb-Ls  N2 Dorcha practises her ballet moves 2024

https://youtu.be/oG-WC3EAf5E N2 Air on a Sunset: glorious sunset in quicktime 2024 (Classic Ospreys: JS Bach)

https://youtu.be/3hMF9N6hYbs N1 The second fish arrives and departs in 13 seconds as Aurora watches! 2025 

https://youtu.be/EXW79QoaRtU N2 Having declined the first, Dorcha grabs the second fish 2025

I really respect Ruth, the author of Raptor Persecution UK. Gamekeepers can be rather threatening/frightening people. She is a very brave woman.

For those who love the James Herriot series set in the Yorkshire Dales, they are not all nice and cheerful just like some of the big estates in Scotland do the most horrific things to our raptors.

The loon cams are live!

Donations are down to every wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre – including all of the dog and cat rescues. The Ventana Wildlife Society is having their major on line auction which might net you a tour of the Big Sur Condor area!

I want to add something. We praise those groups that are proactive and the Ventana Wildlife Society is no exception. 20 Condors died in Arizona from Avian Flu. The VWS set about getting permissions to vaccinate their condo. (Yes, a group of condors is called a condo!). The Ventana Wildlife Society, in partnership with the Oakland Zoo and Pinnacles National Park, vaccinated 98 wild condors (not those in zoos) from the Central California flock. 81 condors received at least the first dose, while 45 received the full two-dose series to protect against HPAI.

It was no easy feat with container cages needing to be built in a rather remote area! The determination of this small but dedicated group of individuals is admirable. It made me wonder why those who have access to chicks on streaming cams do not set about to not only band the birds but also to vaccinate them. A single dose vaccine has worked on mice and monkeys and would be ideal as it would be difficult to give the two-dose vaccine as eaglets and eyases are on the nest such a short time.

This e-mail contains all kinds of news related to what the Ventana Wildlife Society is doing.

We are approaching fledge for Big at the Achieva Osprey platform in St Petersburg, Florida.

I love Big Red and Arthur. It is so exciting to see Big Red let Arthur fully participate in family life – he has certainly earned the right. Arthur is so devoted to Big Red and their babies – the pantry is rarely empty – unless it is on purpose near fledge. I am sad that they lost one of their babies but we don’t seem to need to worry about P3 who is small but mighty.

New Guy 2 has now brought Iris three fish (so far) today! I am so glad that the rushing river calmed itself in time. Cornell Bird Lab caught one of those deliveries on video: https://youtu.be/RkGQmYEkZro?

My goodness Iris is loud when she sees NG2 arriving with a fish!

I am so glad that fish did not break those precious eggs.

There are three osplets at Patuxent. Oh, my goodness. I worry about those nests.

The latest statement that I have found about the Glen-Hayes eaglets and whether or not the eaglet bodies will be retrieved:

“May 18, 2026 – GLEN HAZEL NEST STATUS

Status Update: Carol Holmgren, Executive Director, Tamarack Wildlife Center

Our hearts go out to all who love these eagles and are grieving. We have been blessed with 100% survivorship of eaglets from the Hays/Glen Hazel eagle nests over the past 14 years, while it is typical for 30% of eaglets to not survive until fledging age.

Kudos to the Glen Hazel moderator team for promptly noticing signs of illness in the chicks and notifying Tamarack Wildlife Center’s Executive Director and Licensed Rehabilitator Carol Holmgren on Friday morning, May 15. Carol immediately reached out to Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) colleagues, to loop them in that day, and has been in conversation since then. A few updates:

• It is FWS policy to let nature take its course at eagle’s nests and only approve intervention when there is a threat to the eagles that has a clear human cause such as fishing line entanglement or swallowing a fish hook. In this instance, the eaglets were ill, but not with a clear human cause where FWS and PGC would approve intervention. Much as that is difficult for us to witness, it is part of the natural history that eagles live with daily.
• The eaglets likely passed from Avian Influenza. Their symptoms and the progression of the illness is consistent with Avian Influenza, and they could have contracted it from ingesting goslings and geese that had been brought to the nest as food. We cannot know for certain without testing, but this is the most likely cause based on the evidence.
• The adults may also have been exposed to the virus. They typically have a stronger immune system than the young birds, and may be able to fight off the virus. Time will tell. We will be monitoring them. There is no treatment that can be given while they are free-flying. If one is on the ground due to illness, it may be able to be treated by a rehabilitator.
• Our hope is that their immune systems are strong and they can remain healthy.
• Our highest concerns at this point are 1. supporting the health of the remaining adult eagles and 2. caring for the moderators and community who love these eagles.
• Now that the two eaglets have passed, PGC has had extensive discussions about the risks vs benefits of accessing the nest to retrieve the now two deceased eaglets. They have decided not to pursue retrieval, in part to not stress the adult eagles through human presence at the nest.
• There is no practical benefit to confirming that the eaglets succumbed to Avian Influenza, beyond the human desire to know. The disease is known to be endemic in Pennsylvania now and there are no management actions that would be taken with that information.
• Due to the regulations and Acts protecting eagles and their nests, any access to the nest would also require both PGC and FWS support.
• PGC will be continuing to monitor the situation. If an eaglet should fall to the ground, they may pursue retrieval and testing since stress on the adult birds would be less, and FWS approval would not be needed.

Below is the full statement shared by our colleagues in PGC today. We appreciate the thoughtfulness with which they have considered this situation, and their continued collaboration.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) appreciates the concerns of the public regarding the eagles in the Glen Hazel Eagle Nest Cam, located in Allegheny County.

Wildlife watching opportunities, especially ones that can occur from anywhere thanks to wildlife cameras and digital technology, are a popular way for the public to learn and love wildlife.

Unfortunately, nature can be hard to watch at times. When situations occur on live wildlife webcams, including this eagle’s nest, human intervention is not always recommended or possible.

PGC evaluated the situation carefully and considered many factors including human safety and exposure to potential pathogens. Additionally, human intervention could further stress the adult eagles. Any actions must also comply with federal regulations related to the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. At this time, we have chosen to not intervene. If a safer opportunity presents itself in the future, we may pursue disease testing to hopefully determine what caused the death of these eaglets.”

I ‘love’ Blue 33 and Maya and I am so glad that the three little bobbleheads are doing so well. Those blue eyes and that light soft taupe down with their lovely back stripe and that black eye-liner. They are so precious….all babies are so cute but I do love the tiny little osplets before they hit the reptile stage!

The Girls got their favourite crunchy treats while Toby needed a new Little Lamb. These little squeaky toys were his first and to this day, some 15 months later, they remain favourites. This one is getting ready to celebrate Canada Day on 1 July.

Thank you so much for being with us. We wish you peace and calm.

Thank you to Geemeff for her extensive report on all things Loch Arkaig, to ‘PB’ for her great images and notes, to all those who posted information and videos on FB or YouTube keeping us informed of the latest happenings at the nests, and to the owners of the streaming cams, we are so very grateful to be able to share the lives of these amazing Avian families.