Pip Watch at Orange…Late Thursday in Bird World

8 October 2026

Hello Everyone,

It was such a beautiful day today – my day off from the hospital, and Toby, The Girls, and I made the most of it. We had extra walks, but always at 1000, Toby goes to the park to see ‘his friend’, a lady with a walker. He sees her and pulls me like a Husky pulling a sleigh. I can barely keep up! Toby loves this gentle woman who strokes him for about 10-15 minutes. If we are late, she waits and then heads home. Toby’s tail wagging, his rush to greet her, and her loving look make my day so special.

We almost finished painting the bathroom, worked some more in the garden, and cooked a curry dinner for our friend, Susan, who arrived at 1530. It was blissful. If you are caring for someone, I guarantee you that you need days like this to recharge.

The Guardian has a kind of’ good news story. Some species have been brought back from near extinction – we certainly know that ospreys in the UK are one of those but this article is about some different ones.

World must change way it produces food to avoid biodiversity collapse, says WWFhttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/08/world-must-change-food-avoid-biodiversity-collapse-wwf?CMP=share_btn_url

Lots of mail this week! I am working my way through your wonderful letters slowly.

‘J’ from Berlin writes, “I’ve just finished this book. It was interesting, but a hard read. The life of Emperors is so bloody hard I was only able to watch March of the Penguins once, it is just so heartbreaking.”

And then, ‘J’ adds: “After having finished the book I of course got unto the internet. And found a clip of the best moment of the book: the crew breaks the cardinal rule of filming wildlife and decided to intervene. Only indirectly, but by doing that they saved so many penguins and chicks!! 

BRAVO!!! https://youtu.be/2Co_hmLenD8?

‘D and M’ wrote about 367 Collins Street: “Somehow, I am able to get on to the falcons this year. Do you now how you can tell the Male from the Female?”

This is a good question and it is not easy to tell when the camera has such a long view – as compared to the ‘box’ that Diamond and Gimbir have at Orange. The female Peregrine Falcon will be ‘very large’ in comparison to the little male.

Liznm posted a video of the male feeding the chicks. Have a look! And look at the still capture from that video below. The female is large with a very prominent chest compared to the male – much larger head, etc. I hope this helps. https://youtu.be/IFmVTyYbHsQ?

Another good question is why are the male falcons smaller? The simple answer is: hunting ability. The male is normally responsible for bringing in all the prey for the chicks and the female. He needs to be able to manoeuvre easily at great speed. They are the fastest raptors on the planet clocking in at 350 mph on occasion. The female needs to be larger to incubate and brood the eggs and chicks! You might have noticed how hard it is for Gimbir to get the eggs completely under him at Orange or how difficult it is for even Diamond to keep three large chicks under her and warm.

Smile. My grandaughter lives in Australia now – and these incredible birds that are so fascinating to us are commonplace there. Here is a look at some of the birds of Australia…a bit of fun. https://www.youtube.com/live/r3qzpET2ghU?

The deadline for submitting your comments about Menhaden is quickly approaching – tomorrow! Debbie Campbell writes on the Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal FB: “I just submitted my public comments via e-mail to comments@asmfc.org

One is a lengthy, well-cited document, plus I did a shorter, concise version to paste in the comment section on the ASMF page.

Here it is. Once written, it only took a minute to submit.

THE DEADLINE IS MIDNIGHT ON FRIDAY!

Don’t procrastinate!

If you’d like to read the full detailed submission, send me your email and I’ll share it with you.

Please accept the attached document as my formal written public comment on Atlantic Menhaden Draft Addendum II for consideration by the ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Management Board.

I respectfully request that my full attached public comment be distributed to all members of the Atlantic Menhaden Management Board for their review and consideration and that the document be included in its entirety in the official public record for Draft Addendum II and the associated public hearing process.

I strongly support the most protective alternatives available under Draft Addendum II, including the maximum 50 percent reduction in the Chesapeake Bay reduction-fishery cap, from 51,000 metric tons to 25,500 metric tons. I also support measures that reduce concentrated harvest during ecologically important periods and prevent future increases in the coastwide TAC from automatically increasing industrial fishing pressure within Chesapeake Bay.

My interest in this issue is both personal and longstanding. I am a Maryland property owner and a Bay-adjacent property owner in Northampton County, Virginia. I am also the Editor and a founder of Menhaden Little Fish – Big Deal!, a member of SMRFO and the Virginia Saltwater Sportfishing Association (VSSA), a recreational angler, and a conservation advocate.

As explained in my attached comments, I believe the central issue is not simply whether Atlantic menhaden are healthy coastwide, but whether Chesapeake Bay contains sufficient forage, in the right places and at the right times, to support its predators and broader ecosystem while a concentrated industrial reduction fishery operates within the estuary.

Given the significant remaining Chesapeake-specific scientific uncertainties, I believe precaution is warranted. I therefore urge the Board to adopt the strongest protections available under Draft Addendum II, continue and accelerate Chesapeake-specific research, and treat these measures as an interim step toward ultimately moving the industrial reduction fishery out of Virginia state waters.

Please confirm receipt of this email and the attached document and, if possible, confirm that the complete document will be distributed to the Board and preserved in its entirety as part of the public record.

Thank you for your assistance and for ensuring that my complete comments are available to the members of the Board as they consider Draft Addendum II.

Respectfully,

Debbie Campbell

Editor and a Founder, Menhaden Little Fish – Big Deal!

Member, SMRFO

Member, Virginia Saltwater Sportfishing Association (VSSA)

Maryland Property Owner

Bay-Adjacent Property Owner, Northampton County, Virginia

Recreational Angler and Conservation Advocate”

Have you sent in a comment? Ospreys will become extinct in this region if this reduction fishing by Omega Protein is not stopped.

This is what they are taking according to the Saltwater Fishing Association and the quotas:

The first osprey chick has hatched in South Australia at Thistle Island.

The visit to Kangaroo Island in South Australia made the papers.

Mark your calenders. Pip watch at Orange is 9 October. Don’t blink and check the date on the screen…

Thank you for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to everyone who wrote in with questions. I am grateful to all who posted information and images on FB and to the owners of the streaming cams that allow each of us to marvel at the lives of these amazing birds. To the BBC and those who created videos whose links I included, we are always grateful for your talents.