Pip conirmed at Collins Street…Late Wednesday in Bird World

30 September 2026

Good Morning,

Update: Pip confirmed at Collins Street!

Toby, The Girls, and I slept in until 0940. For the past two or three days, I have finally been able to catch up on my sleep! We are getting ready to begin week 7 for Don at the hospital. We need to make decisions soon, and I don’t want to be exhausted and make the wrong one. It is more than difficult to decide what is good for someone else – physically and mentally – when another party (me) is so intertwined in whatever is decided. Don continues to reassure me, when he sees I am overwhelmed, that ‘It’s OK’. Instead of me patting his arm and reassuring him, he has taken to comforting me. It’s beautiful. He was so happy to see Toby yesterday! Animals make an enormous difference, and I wish everyone who has a loved one in hospital or a care facility would take their pets to visit them. The benefits show instantly in the smiles and the need to stroke them.

It is 15 C. Fall is definitely here. We now have the bright red of the maple trees, along with a host of colours from yellow to brown, and a range of greens, including a magnificent chartreuse. The first birds to arrive are blue jays. Did I tell you there are seven of them? They are so beautiful and stand out against the autumn foliage. Next to arrive are the red squirrels, then the greys, along with a host of sparrows and, last but never least, Mr and Mrs Crow. Their arrival brings me comfort. Everyone is safe.

Nature brings such comfort! Today is a national holiday. Ann will be at the hospital, and I think Toby and I will spend some time in the local parks checking out the geese migrating through the city. You hear their honks in the early morning and at dusk as they land on the river to avoid predation by the coyotes and foxes.

Friends of Loch Doon have posted their annual summary. If everyone in the US would pick a nest (even sharing a busy one) and keep track, we could publish similar summaries and keep them in an archive. Consider them historical and scientific documents.

The September newsletter from BirdLife International:

Sadly, too often, the beautiful Black Storks die from being electrocuted on their flyway from Europe to Africa. This was, of course, what happened to the devoted father, Karl II, in Turkey, several years ago.

Is there a pip at 367 Collins Street? There is a white spot on one of the eggs. Dad brought Mum a real treat – a Rainbow Lorikeet – today. Liznm has it on video: https://youtu.be/4DYXfUEZ5mA?

Lizmn also has a zoom video of the eggs: https://youtu.be/QUhEP9xAcVw?

The camera is now running again at Orange. Whew!

Diamond rolling those precious eggs.

No action in the Big Bear nest this morning, so far.

I love the California Condors. There are 105 of them now. There will be a release in October. Stay tuned.

This is Redwood Queen. She is the former mate of the late King Pin and mother of Iniko (1031), now deceased.

If you missed the documentary, Condor Canyon, here is the link -. It is a brilliant movie about the Condor hierarchy and their challenging lives. The story of Traveler gives us hope but everyone must work hard to rid the land of lead. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/uqMUafNHwco?

Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. We will be with you again soon — there should be a fluffy white with pink accessories chick on the ledge in Melbourne tomorrow! How precious.

Thank you to Lizmn for her videos, for everyone else who posted, for those compiling annual newsletters for the osprey nests in the UK, and to the owners of the streaming cams – our gratitude.