Chick at Hellgate doing well, RJ does the shake shake and gets that fish hook out of its talon…late Saturday in Bird World

13 June 2026

Greetings Everyone,

My goodness.

First up. Some good news. At the NCTC nest of Bella and Scout, RJ got a fishhook attached to a stick stuck in its talon. That chick did the ‘shake, shake, shake’ and got rid of that nuisance. Well, it is more than a nuisance. Could have caused permanent harm or death. Here is the video: https://youtu.be/Kx5Fw2LwQT8?

Sad news coming from the Salmon River Bald Eagle nest. ‘PB’ writes, “1:41 Salmon nest baby 2 gone confirmed with Idaho Fish and Game. Parents brought more twine in, and Sweet #2 was by mom’s foot when she left, took the twine and the baby with her. He managed to hang on to the far left side before falling, and they had someone check, and he was confirmed dead.”

More information from the Missoula team:

Post about the hatching process of a baby Osprey, detailing the egg's structure and development.

Cutie Pie waiting for some more fish.

An osprey standing on its nest made of twigs and branches, with an empty parking lot and trees in the background.

Clark brought several fish and then a mid-afternoon whopper!!!!!!!

An osprey standing on a nest made of sticks and branches, with a fish partially visible in the background. The scene is set in a parking lot area, indicating the nest's location.
Two ospreys in their nest, with a view of an empty parking lot in the background.

Oh, my heart.

A close-up view of a young osprey chick sitting in a nest, surrounded by dried leaves and grass.
Close-up of a young osprey chick resting in a nest made of twigs and grasses, with some greenery in the foreground.

Wide open. Iris seems to be getting more fish around its beak than in its mouth.

An adult osprey feeding a chick in a nest, with the chick visibly begging for food.
A close-up view of a young osprey chick being fed by an adult osprey, with remnants of fish visible on the nest.
An Osprey chick is being fed by an adult Osprey in a nest, surrounded by nesting materials and greenery.

I hope that baby got some fish – it is definitely hungry.

More fish for Iris! Clark, I want to hug you. This time Clark ate the head but the fish is big and it is getting late.

Two ospreys in their nest with eggs, perched on a structure made of sticks and twigs, with an empty parking lot in the background.

Baby gets feed while Clark keeps watch over it and Iris.

An osprey stands on its nest surrounded by twigs and branches, with two chicks visible in the nest. The background shows a parking lot and trees.
Close-up view of a young osprey chick in a nest, with a glimpse of its parent's wing in the foreground and other chicks visible nearby.

Two precious babies and baling twine on the Charlo Montana nest. Please make some calls if you are in the area. Try the biologist for the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Audubon Society. This is human-caused!

A newly hatched bird chick is resting beside an unhatched egg on a bed of pine needles and small debris.
An adult osprey is seen close to its two newly hatched chicks, which are pecking at an eggshell in a nest made of twigs and other natural materials.
An osprey is sitting in a nest, gently inspecting a single speckled egg surrounded by green vegetation and twigs.

I dislike the camera at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. No rewind. There are babies. You can see movement but that is all I know.

A bird of prey sitting in a large nest made of twigs and branches, with a park and playground visible in the background.

Just look at the temperature on the nest at Dewey Beach today and our precious Little Dewey.

An osprey standing beside two chicks in a nest made of sticks, with a scenic backdrop of water and buildings.
An osprey standing in a nest with a chick, surrounded by sticks and branches, overlooking a waterway and buildings in the background.

Menhaden are a big deal for the ospreys that live in the NE.

Map displaying fishing fleet locations near Reedville with annotations for schools of menhaden fish and probable set locations marked in red circles.

D3 and D4 nearer and nearer to fledging at Decorah.

Decorah Eagles: DH3 and DH4 Climb Higher Before First FlightsDownload

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch ArkaigFriday 12th June 2026

Today was much calmer after the upset of losing little Chick3 yesterday. Early this morning Dorcha removed the body and disposed of it in the forest, leaving the two remaining chicks more room and a cleaner environment. There were some minor intruder alarms but none came close enough to be caught on nest cam, and both males had ample time to fish, and in Garry LV0’s case, to take over egg-sitting duties and release Aurora 536 to eat and stretch her wings. Sadly it does look like their hard work might be in vain because today is Day 43 and Osprey eggs usually hatch between 37-42 days. However, there is still a very slim chance that their egg might hatch, many eyes are watching Nest One hoping for a chick for them this year. Aurora returned to the nest with fish shortly after the cam came online, almost certainly caught by Garry and with his other delivery, the Nest One tally now stands at one hundred and fourteen. Louis brought three fish today and the Nest Two tally now stands at one hundred and thirty two. The thunder didn’t materialise but the showers did, with frequent dry spells throughout the day. However more rain is forecast for tonight and tomorrow, with an overnight low of 10°C and a high of 14°C tomorrow.

Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/BZs0k59dgeQ N1 Unfortunately there’s no sign of a pip 02.11.42 (zoom)https://youtu.be/lppct_pvTHc N2 Early breakfast, fish one is still flapping 05.41.39https://youtu.be/_tczuzhplOk N2 Dorcha removes the remains of tragic little Chick3 08.09.00https://youtu.be/34AODPhClto N1 Aurora appears with a fish when the cam comes online 08.25.02https://youtu.be/gjkV9TBdV1A N2 A second whole trout arrives 14.55.39https://youtu.be/HWDQIKWiWac N2 Fish supper for the family, fish three today 19.18.57https://youtu.be/PvnULhnXmC8 N1 Fish supper for Aurora, second fish today 20.20.03

Bonus Osprey longevity info – for those who feared Louis was too old to return when he was late back this year, at thirteen or fourteen years old he’s not even half as old as the world’s oldest known Osprey – Iris of Hellgate Montana. She’s been nesting there since 1999, and yesterday, at the grand old age of thirty or thirty one, she hatched another chick! First hatch of her clutch of three eggs. Congratulations Iris and new mate Clark!

Come and join the friendly community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s friendly, fun, and free!

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

You need to be vocal. Not only is the price of timber causing habitat loss at a time when we need trees more than ever, but tourism and luxury hotels are now threatening wildlife and our precious birds. In Manitoba, our Premier and everyone I know have been protesting AI data centres. I am glad our leader is Indigenous. I am proud that he is protecting wildlife habitat in the north. But I still need to be vigilant because my City seems to be doing the opposite! Please have your say when you hear about new developments – with strong united voices, we can invoke change. We just have to be patient sometimes. We cannot give up!

‘The birds will fly away’: can Albania’s flamingo revolution keep its wetlands free from Trumps and tourists?https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/12/albania-flamingos-wetlands-trump-tourists?CMP=share_btn_url

Quiet Eagle brings us an update on little eaglet Snow that was in the nest that slid at Traverse City and survived! https://youtu.be/j756uY1hbZE?

I want to close with an image of one of our local ospreys. My grandson, Jeremy, sent it to me. It is a short video and this osprey has a fish.

We have a growing number of osprey in our City. People are putting fish into the retention ponds for them. That might be an idea for some of you in the US, where there is a fish shortage. :))). I can’t seem to post the video so here are some screen captures. Look at the size of that fish. Wow.

A bird, possibly an osprey, perched on a pebbly beach with water in the background.
An osprey takes off from a pebbly beach, carrying a fish in its talons, with water in the background.
A bird flying low over calm water, reflecting its image on the surface.

We have rain or storm clouds brewing overhead. So much rain! There should not be any wildfires, and the trees and shrubs are doing incredibly. It is a green paradise with a touch of pink or red! There are now four fledgling Starlings – I probably said. They fascinate me. Tonight they are eating a New Zealand dog nugget that is a whole meal – Toby said he didn’t mind since we ran out of minnows and hot dogs! The weather is cooler – 14 C. I wonder if that makes them need more food to stay warm?

It’s too grainy. I so wish I had my long lens camera!

They are so cute and have entertained us all day.

Two small birds perched on a feeding tray filled with grain, surrounded by greenery.

I want to thank you for being with us today. Please take care. We look forward to having you with us again soon.

Thank you to everyone who posted information on FB, with or without images, and to Geemeff for her daily summary of the activities of the two nests at Loch Arkaig, Scotland. I want to thank the authors of newsletters and articles that provide us with a wealth of information. To the owners of the streaming cams, we are grateful to be able to watch the lives of our feathered friends and their growing families. I also want to thank the Guardian for their continued reports on the environment and wildlife and last, but not least, Jeremy, for remembering me and sending me that great osprey video to share with you.

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-05:0030America/Winnipeg06bAmerica/WinnipegFri, 12 Jun 2026 20:09:49 -0500 2021 at 20:09

    Thank you Mary Ann for these updates. Yes that twine needs to go. Thanks goodness the little one got the fish hook out of his talon 🙏 those little starlings are so cute.
    So glad the fish and the little chick are doing well at Iris and Clark’s nest.
    Prayers for all who need them and see you here soon! Have a good evening.
    Linda

    Reply

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