19 August 2026
Hello Everyone,
We woke up to a cool morning. It was 10 C. The young man who clears my snow wrote to find out when I wanted him to start. I giggled. I guess when it snows – please, let’s not think about that now!!!!!!!
Little Four is much loved at the Blackbush Beach nest in Prince Edward Island. It is peculiar that he spends so much time on the nest. No fish yesterday but a small headless fish arrived at 0840 this morning. I have not had a chance to check for further deliveries. Some worry that Little Four won’t learn to fish. Remember. Ospreys do not learn to fish. 61 million years of adaptation and they know how to fish – no one has to teach Little Four. Most juveniles do not catch their first fish til they leave the nest on migration. This is why it is so important that the parents feed them up and fatten those bodies because fishing is not easy!
There will be skirmishes at times.
I thought I had a video of Ervie fighting with his siblings, but instead, the only one I have now is Ervie catching a puff. For those who don’t know, Ervie was the third hatch of 2021/22. He learned to fish by catching pufferfish!
We love you, Ervie. Now we wish he would get a mate!
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 18th August 2026
None of the adults were positively ID’d today, but an Osprey was seen eating fish near Nest One this afternoon, and a chick was seen eating fish on Nest Two around the same time. A chick was observed on and near the nest this morning but whether the same chick or her sister could not be determined. The Nest One fish tally remains at two hundred and one, and the Nest Two tally rises to an estimated four hundred and thirty nine. George WTS informed us a part for Nest Cam Two has arrived and someone should be making a site visit tomorrow to fit it. Fingers crossed that will get the cam back on line, but grateful thanks meantime to LizB for her off-cam reports. After a wet night it stayed damp with light to heavy rain and overcast conditions throughout the day, and a high of only
14°C. The rain will continue overnight with a low of 12°C, changing to thundery showers and light winds tomorrow – which might not be the best conditions for a site visit! – and a high of 16°C.
Bonus photos – Aurora 536 was sighted in Poole Harbour 18th August 2025 by Mark Wright:
You’re invited to join the friendly community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s fun, free and everyone‘swelcome:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam
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Some have worried about Shadow being lonely. Shadow had his chortles answered this morning by KD1, and they have been spending quite a bit of time together. I do not think we need to worry about Shadow. SK Hideaways has the pair on video: https://youtu.be/dRcazZ1Jk3k?
I am so happy for Shadow.
I really hope that Gabby will be returning soon – it is normally in September. Beau is already back at the NE Florida nest awaiting his much loved mate.
At Hellgate Canyon, fish is being delivered elsewhere, it appears. No one slept at the nest. Wensi shows up fish calling once in awhile.
Those last glimpses of this family will be very precious because we do not know when we will last see each one. No crystal ball. But in our hearts, we wish them and all the other ospreys safe journeys and a return next spring.
Please do check out the little sea eaglets. They will grow very fast!
The only surviving osplet at the Chesapeake Conservancy has a name!
The third hatch died from siblicide at the Osprey House Environmental Centre in Australia. I now have serious concerns for the middle chick, chick 2.
Blue NC0 is establishing herself at the Alyth nest for next season and her new mate, Clyde, is in for a learning session. Blue NC0 is one of the best fishers I know!
It is time for us to go to the Farmer’s Market – every day there is at least one outing with me and if Ann is here, the lads get more than one. Doing new things, doing familiar things, being around people, being around animals – it is all good!
Grumpy. Not another photo!
Take care, everyone. Ospreys are winding down their season and I still have so much data to file. I will be back with you later this week when I get a chance to catch up on the work part of why I am watching these amazing birds – their mortality or should I say their life?!
Thank you to SK Hideaways and Geemeff for their great videos and summaries, to the people who post on FB including our Heidi, and to the owners of the streaming cams, I am so ever grateful to you for allowing us to watch these raptors. They enrich our lives.
Hello Mary Ann
Thanks for the blog today. If it’s any consolation, I’m having my snow blower picked up next week to get it ready for winter. I told him I might want a smaller more manageable machine, as what I have is big and bulky. Tires are flat, it’s hard to turn, spout needs to be turned manually, handle for it is broken.
So happy for Shadow, I think he will be okay. Was surprised to see all those flowers being laid out for Jackie! Wow! What a display, even a bald eagle made out of something,….
Enjoy the day, hope Don has a good time if Ann is there…
Take care and may God bless ☺️🩷
Thanks Mary Ann for the updates and pictures today! Glad it has cooled some there ! Still very hot here with thunderstorms popping up in the late afternoon and evenings. So we will
Be glad for some cooler weather to arrive here too!
Thanks for the video of Ervie with his puffer fish! I hoped he had found a mate by now too!
I’m happy for Shadow to have company too !
So glad little 4 got some fish! Hopefully fish deliveries will keep coming!
We will sure miss Iris and her family
When they leave for migration. Wensi has really grown up to a beautiful Osprey! She has the greatest parents !
Take care and see you here soon!
Linda
You gave me a smile. I am fortunate to have a young lad who does the snow for a very small monthly fee. It’s just that I’m deciding when to start paying that fee. We are told we will have a mild winter. It is decidedly fall!
Iris really is the ultimate cougar, with four pretty cute young husbands so far. It would be lovely if one would stick, and perhaps Clark will be the one. But then I hoped that Finnegan would hang around – I do wonder what happened to him. He and Iris made a wonderful couple. But Iris simply gets on with it. Another year, another gorgeous young husband. We certainly will miss her dreadfully, but let’s hope that’s no time soon. She has already proved herself immune to stereotypes and statistics! She’s written her own script. I’m just grateful we’ve had the privilege of knowing her.
I missed your birthday and I am so sorry – happy birthday, Alison. Iris is something and Wensi is an incredible juvenile. I like Clarke. I want ask for much but it would be grand to have another season with the pair of them.