Late, late Friday in Bird World

18 September 2026

Greetings Everyone,

It is very late on Friday night. Toby and I have been at the hospital for most of the late afternoon and very early evening. What a delight it was to talk to Don’s ‘neighbour’, Heidi. Heidi is a walking history book – born in Lubek, Germany in 1942. She told me how, when the wall went up, her mother stuffed food and treats in her pocket because she knew Heidi and her friends were crossing a little ditch into ‘the East’. I told her how I spent time woodfiring pottery in Mecklenberg. The region of Mecklenberg is also home to many, many lakes with ospreys!!!!!!!!!!! We learned something from one another. As for Don, he has been given a drug that appears to have had a dramatic negative impact on his independence. I am hoping that miracles do happen.

Toby just lives his best life at the hospital. He loves everyone and now stops and chats – after three weeks, long-time patients recognise him. A sweet girl starts waving a wand when we come through the locked door to Don’s ward. Toby always loves chatting with her and getting some pets. One of my greatest joys is seeing him bring happiness to others – and I am so thankful that we had him trained to be a therapy dog so he can be shared with them in hospital or in care homes. He is an incredibly ‘good’ dog – he only barks with other dogs. Is it some kind of canine symphony? or when he sees ‘a cat’ out in the garden and it is not one of his sisters. He does not jump or scratch or lick without getting some kind of signal from the person (that signal I have to work out – it is like a silent yes going through some sound wave I cannot here).

Still best friends. This is every morning…if it didn’t happen, I would worry. It is their way of getting to eat breakfast together as long as their waitress brings their plates!

A calico cat sleeping on a perch beside a sleeping dog on a soft surface. The scene features sunlight lighting the room and a view of greenery outside the window.

But, enough…is Iris still here?

The latest Iris ever stayed in Missoula was September 11th. She is still there, as far as I can tell! Remember all the comments about Iris looking tired and a bit dishevelled? I am pleased that she is staying later and eating a lot of fish to build up her system so that her migration and return are successful.

An image showing stadium lights with a bird flying by, capturing a moment when Iris, an osprey, exits the lights.

A compilation all about Iris:

An osprey, named Iris, standing on a wooden post while eating a fish, with a blurred natural background.

Charlie is still at Charlo, too!

A bird perched on a wooden post overlooking a scenic landscape of fields and mountains under a partly cloudy sky.

Missing Idris and Telyn along with their cute kiddos? Dyfi have put together videos like no one else!

Screenshot of the Dyfi Osprey Project YouTube channel, featuring a grid of video thumbnails organized by year from 2011 to 2026.

Geemeff’s last summary:

Final daily summary for Loch Arkaig Season Ten: Friday 18th September

A few little birds thought about paying a visit then changed their minds – neither nest looks very appealing in the prevailing wet grey conditions. Our Osprey family are well on their way to their wintering grounds after a very successful season. Dorcha returned early on 4th April and both Garry and Aurora returned on the 7th, stopping in first at Nest Two before going to their own home at Nest One. But then we waited, and waited, and Louis didn’t arrive. It was getting tense and people were starting to write him off and then like magic, he turned up on the 17th looking fit and well and ready to start the new season right away. While Garry and Aurora got off to a slow start eventually producing just the one egg which didn’t hatch, Louis and Dorcha produced three eggs and hatched three chicks. Sadly the third chick faded away after only five days, but the other two grew big and strong and fighting fit. Perhaps a bit too much fighting, despite a steady supply of 481 fish from Louis and 5 from Dorcha, however both females went on to fledge and migrate and their feisty natures should stand them in good stead for their future prospects when seeking nests and mates of their own. The season ended on 4th September when Louis paid a final visit to the nest, and we wish them all fair winds and plenty of fish, and look forward to seeing the adults back next spring for Season Eleven.

WTS George will post this season’s highlights video here in due course, and then the comments will close until that glorious day next March when they reopen and we all return for Season Eleven. Meantime, you can join fellow followers of the Arkaig Ospreys on Facebook or over at Adam’s site, and chat about all things Osprey over winter:https://www.facebook.com/groups/829595230542720https://walkingwithdaddy.com/osprey/

Many thanks to Woodland Trust for installing the nest cams and providing us with such a thrilling look at the wild world of the Ospreys while protecting our precious ancient woodland for the generations to come. Thanks also to the People’s Postcode Lottery for sponsoring the nest cams, and to everyone who participates and makes this forum such a friendly and informative space. Farewell until Spring 2027!

Season Ten 2026:

April 4 Dorcha arrives N2 12.21.56

7 Garry LV0 arrives N2 08.56.13

7 Aurora 536 arrives N2 13.38.44

12 Western Arkaig male JJ4 arrives N2 18.50.08

17 Louis returns! N2 17.57.42

18 Louis & Dorcha are reunited 06.37.28

26 First egg for Dorcha & Louis 06.56.29

29 Second egg for Dorcha & Louis 05.34.12

30 First egg for Aurora and first on Nest One in six years 19.18.37

May 2 Third egg for Dorcha & Louis 03.12.24 

June 1 First chick hatches! 12.40.39

3 Second chick hatches! 06.21.54

6 Third chick hatches 00.49.09

11 Sad death of little Chick3 10.00+

12 Dorcha disposes of the body in the forest 08.09.00

14 Aurora’s egg deemed unviable

July 8 Chicks ringed 8P6, 8P7, both female 

14 Chicks named Amber 8P6, Juniper 8P7

28 Fledge! Amber finds her wings 13.15.40 

29 Fledge! Juniper finds her wings 17.44.03 

August 8 Dorcha’s last nest visit 16.19.03

11 Dorcha seen off-nest

13 Amber last seen 19.37.44 

14 Aurora last seen 08.55.46 

16 Amber seen off-nest 

17 Garry last seen 09.34.53 

22-27 Aurora seen in Poole Harbour

September 4 Juniper last seen 08.28.16

4 Louis last seen 14.11.07 

1JW seen nesting in Spain at the Pego Oliva Marsh 

Seasons One to Nine highlights:

2017  https://youtu.be/1q-YUOB5y4g

2018  https://youtu.be/5-ihSqZbv_w

2019  https://youtu.be/0581sPj0_RY

2020  https://youtu.be/l30udB0KKcE

2021  https://youtu.be/01RR3gk-KAo

2022  https://youtu.be/FCzFusezbtM

2023  https://youtu.be/9uWupO0G9tY 2024  https://youtu.be/pgLrWvnETSY

2025  https://youtu.be/-kK4vb1OTiw

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

Heidi would like us all to turn our attention to Mum and Dad at the Port Lincoln osprey barge:

A split-screen image showing various scenes related to an osprey nest. The top left features a view of a pole with the ocean in the background, while the top right displays the osprey nest containing eggs. The bottom left focuses on an adult osprey perched on a rope, and the bottom right contains notes and graphs related to egg timings and observations.
A Facebook post discussing a live streaming osprey nest in Port Lincoln, Australia, detailing the history of egg abandonment by the mother osprey and the current situation regarding feeding challenges faced by the parents.

I am saddened by what happened at the nest of Hope and George at the Osprey Environmental Centre, and I hope fish fairies fly in to help Mum, Dad, and the kiddos. I am certain we can all help buy fish from our cookie jar stashes!!!!!!!!

It is the first time I can recall so much attention being placed on the importance of Menhaden. It is wonderful, but is it too late? Anyone reading my blog knows that I abhor any company of any nationality, including my own Canadian ones, wrecking the environment and an entire ecosystem! I really hope gillnet fishing will stop – everywhere.

Map showing Smuggler's Point and surrounding coastal areas with annotations indicating location.

Sea Eaglets are growing and getting beautiful feathering. SE37 still dominants the meals and sometimes SE38 has to wait but Lady is doing the best she can!

Two young birds in a nest made of twigs and leaves, with a timestamp in the corner.
A nest with a fluffy white chick resting on green leaves, surrounded by twigs and branches, and an adult bird standing nearby.
A close-up view of a sea eagle nest with several fluffy, downy chicks resting on a bed of leaves and twigs.

Dinner with Buzzards:

Country diary: Dinner time for the buzzard family is not a dignified affair | Kate Blincoehttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/18/country-diary-dinner-time-for-the-buzzard-family-is-not-a-dignified-affair?CMP=share_btn_url

Toby and I can attest that raptors’ eating habits are anything but organised. We have witnessed them plucking on our Japanese arch, on top of the fence, with feathers and fur flying in every direction when the wind blows. Lately, we have sadly been finding grey squirrel heads near the park where we like to walk.

The Reds seem to escape the tyranny.

Lots of sparrows at the feeders.

A flock of sparrows feeding on a bird feeder filled with seeds and peanuts, surrounded by green foliage.

The island was moved today and I just left the mess so tomorrow is going to be a day of ‘surface cleaning’ til Melissa gets here on Monday. I hope to have a short report for you with the ‘good news’. If not, it will arrive Sunday evening.

In the meantime, get outside. Enjoy the crisp autumn air. Go for a walk if you can. If not, breathe in what feels like really clean air. I love the smell of fallen leaves as you walk over them. They often remind me of my university days, heading off to the football stadium in Norman. It is interesting how scents/odors can transport us to another time and another place.

Thank you so much to Geemeff for that final summary on Loch Arkaig for the Woodland Trust, to those who posted images and information on FB, to the individuals fighting for Menhaden and saving the ospreys, to The Guardian for its environmental and wildlife reporting, and to the owners of the streaming cams – we are grateful.

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/Winnipeg09bAmerica/WinnipegFri, 18 Sep 2026 21:23:59 -0500 2021 at 21:23

    Thanks so very much Mary Ann for the updates and I pray Mr Dons medicine will workout ok 🙏
    Toby is so cute and very sweet ❤️
    I’m so glad Iris is still there and it is also very sad for me thinking that she is staying and visiting that light pole remembering her and her first mate.
    I do pray she will be able to migrate safely and return. 🙏❤️
    Have a good evening and see you here soon. Prayers for all who need them.
    Hugs 🤗, Linda

    Reply

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