Happiness…late, late Friday in Bird World

19 June 2026

Hello Everyone,

I should say that for some of you it will be good night and for others, good morning. My intention had been to take a break, but then something ‘magical and miraculous’ happened. After 29.5 hours without food, the female at the Dewey Beach nest flew off. The male has not been seen for a day and a half and I hope that no harm has come to him but that is a long time to be away. Perhaps he was unable to find food. I remember many being gone for several days especially if there had been a storm. Duke at Barneghat Light was one of those about three years ago. Or was it two?

At any rate around 1600 the female, utterly starving herself, flew off the nest. She returned with what I would call a large minnow. Baby Dewey was ravenous. Mum didn’t start there – she kept fishing. The last count I had was either 5 or 6 fish being delivered, once she flew in with two!

Heidi calls it at six.

A bird nest at Dewey Beach with an adult bird feeding its chick. The adult has a fish in its beak, while the chick stands nearby, appearing eager for food.
A close-up view of an osprey chick in a nest, with an adult osprey partially visible, on a sunny day by the water. In the background, a glimpse of a coastal area with buildings is visible.

Another female, Jill, at Achieva, has been fishing to feed her two osplets and that kept Little and Big alive to fledge. The male is being the way the male has always been – Jack is not reliable. I do not know why and it could honestly not be his fault. Gulls and eagles as well as other ospreys steal fish. He is not a youngster, etc.

Post detailing the capture of five spadefish by ospreys, with timestamps and observations about their feeding behavior.
Two ospreys standing on a nest made of sticks, with one osprey holding a fish in its claws.

The news is not so good for the female that incubated her eggs and hatched three chicks all on her own. The male has shown up but too little, too late. Let’s hope that Mum and one chick can survive. Have a read:

A Facebook post from Twin Cities Metro Osprey Watch discussing the challenges faced by a female osprey raising her chicks after mating with a polygynous male, detailing the delivery of fish and the current survival status of the chicks.
A split image showing two bird nests. On the left, an osprey is standing over its chicks, holding nesting material against a blue sky. On the right, another osprey is perched on a nest with young chicks, set against a neutral background.

The first fledge for Irv and Stella at the US Steel nest. It was Sid! And, yes, he did return!

At Cornell, fledgling P1 made it back to the nest. Three gorgeous peachy breasts!!!!!

Two young red-tailed hawks nesting on a railing, with greenery and a street visible in the background.

At the Lesser Spotted Eagle nest of Milda and Madis, the two little eaglets seem to be doing alright. Remember – there could be obligate siblicide at this nest. That said, Madis is bringing in quite a bit of prey.

A majestic eagle standing over its fluffy chick in a natural nest, surrounded by greenery and trees.
A majestic bird of prey stands over its nest, which contains a small, fluffy chick. The nest is made of twigs and surrounded by greenery in a forested setting.

Iris is such a good Mum. She is so delicate feeding the baby. But she looks tired to me and thin – an I imagining this? I hope so. I think I am so used to her fishing for. herself and eating huge fish. Now she is focused on baby.

Close-up of an osprey on its nest, looking down at the ground among twigs and leaves.
An adult osprey interacts with a chick in a nest filled with twigs and dried grass.

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 19th June 2026

Today was all about fish! Despite the wet and windy conditions, magnificent fisherbird Louis just kept delivering fish, eight in all, this season’s daily total record. With the first arriving at 04.12 and the last arriving at 23.04, Louis certainly put in quite a long shift. The Nest Two total now stands at one hundred and sixty one, with one hundred and fifty nine brought by Louis and two by Dorcha. By contrast, Garry LV0 brought only one fish for Aurora, taking the Nest One tally to one hundred and twenty three. However, there are no chicks to feed, and with the nest cam going down for approximately four hours every morning, it’s neither possible to say what his actual total is, nor fair to compare him to Louis. Despite the constant supply of fish and bulging crops, the two chicks on Nest Two had a really vicious fight, started unwisely by one who then suffered swift retaliation, being pecked to the point that the other had feathers in its beak. Dorcha took no notice but did stop the fight when she sat on them. They will just have to work it out – hopefully Louis will keep bringing a constant supply of fish and the chicks will grow out of this stage soon. The weather was much wetter and windier than the light rain showers and gentle breezes forecast for today, and while more rain and wind is expected overnight and tomorrow with a low of 11°C and a high of 17°C, there should be sunny intervals tomorrow.

Today’s videos

https://youtu.be/vDIEbm8kKt4 N2 Early breakfast fish number one 04.12.16

https://youtu.be/0z5bnTmcWRk N2 Fish number two 08.09.56

https://youtu.be/Ff49SMJD_HQ N2 Fish number three 08.57.07

https://youtu.be/YZZMHmye6Tg N1 Fish number one and only 10.01.42

https://youtu.be/UMBHxaaZ3kc N2 Vicious chick fight, one starts, the other finishes 10.24.13

https://youtu.be/ypWDRcs6WYk N2 Fish number four 11.34.04

https://youtu.be/Eyx45dhh514 N2 Fish number five 15.09.46

https://youtu.be/58l8kPe1d_k N2 Fish number six 21.04.04

https://youtu.be/TPfTPsQ43Vc N2 Fish number seven 21.18.24

https://youtu.be/QUAHpWFWw8k N2 Fish number eight! 23.04.03

Blast from the past, this day in 2020:

The legendary queen of the mountain gave us an unforgettable moment on this day in 2020: Aila has a brain fade and decides to move an awkwardly shaped stick from one side of the nest to the other, apparently oblivious to the presence of her chicks. They duck this way and that trying to keep out of her destructive path, and when Aila finally leaves the nest, one of them delivers a parting shot with perfect emphasis.

Everyone’s invited to 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

I don’t like to end with saddness but tonight I am. Forsythe. Opal and Oscar have had two of their three chicks die from starvation. There is one adorable feathered chick on the nest. From my vantage point, the adults have abandoned this chick and will let it die on the nest. No one is there with it tonight and food has not come. Every once in awhile you hear a little cheep, cheep – calling for fish. It breaks your heart and this is what the ospreys are up against. So much better if there are no eggs or if the eggs do not hatch. No food for them. In two years, no food for the returnees even if they survived. The entire eco system is dead or dying.

A close-up view of a bird's nest made of twigs, with two chicks resting inside, situated on a platform above a grassy landscape and a small water body, captured by a surveillance camera.
A dimly lit camera view of a bird's nest made of twigs and branches, positioned on a wooden platform in an open field, with a pole-mounted camera in the background.

Please take care. I am going to take a break and I will be back with you on Monday. Please feel free to send me any news. I will definitely begin to put my blog together late Sunday after my friend Ruth goes home – I am looking forward to having a friend over. The Girls and Toby have a bit of a surprise for Don.

Thank you to Geemeff for her daily summary and videos, to Heidi and PB for their reports on fish and nests, and to all those who post on FB and to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to watch the beauty and the horror of the life events of our bird 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-05:0030America/Winnipeg06bAmerica/WinnipegFri, 19 Jun 2026 22:32:47 -0500 2021 at 22:32

    Thank you Mary Ann for these great updates. Prayers that Iris is ok. 💖🙏
    And all that are hungry.
    Have a good weeeknd and enjoy your friend over!🤗Linda

    Reply

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