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.
I have held my breath. When Louis departed he was or had not been in good health with the two osplets being translocated because of his issues. I really did not believe we would see this beloved osprey male from Loch Arkaig return from migration, but I hoped.
Geemeff has confirmed another miracle. It is Louis and Dorcha.
Louis is home – that was him, I was right about that call! Goes up to cam post, departs 19.47.30, flies off, circles round, lands at 19.47.40. Welcome home Louis!!
Jackie and Shadow’s kiddos have been named: Sunny for the oldest and Gizmo for the youngest. Thanks 3rd graders!
Loch Arkaig: Gemeff writes that Louis and Dorcha might be home. Just waiting for confirmation from the Woodland Trust.
Ospreys are like buses – wait for ages and then two come along at once!
This is how Dorcha’s arrival happened:
13.58.57 An Osprey call is heard off camera – is it Louis? Sounds like him. I boosted the audio the better to hear the call.
14.04.19 An Osprey lands with a chirp – but it’s Dorcha, not Louis! Welcome home!
14.06.20 She departs, flying lochwards and disappearing into the distance. She’s quite hollow-cropped, I imagine she’s gone fishing. Perhaps already made an attempt judging by the green gunk on her right foot.
Louis video coming now – he stayed a few secs then flew off lochwards
I had not planned on sending out a post this morning, but Geemeff drew my attention to something and I think that it is something that we have to prepare ourselves for – the fact that Louis and many other beloved ospreys might not return this year.
I know that readers sometimes do not click on links and you might have missed this one in my Tuesday blog. Geemeff suggested that I pin it in print because people are concerned about whether or not Louis (or any of the others not already home) will return. George writes for the Woodland Trust:
“It is clear that Louis suffered some kind of illness last year that saw him perched in a tree for days on end when he would ordinarily have been fishing. While he did recover before the end of the summer it is likely that when he migrated he was not as fit as he has been in past years.
We believe he was two or three years old when we first saw him in 2017 so that means that while by no means ancient he is now getting on in years. There are a few individual outliers that live to 20 and beyond but the typical lifespan seems to be 10-15 years. He is in that zone now.
Migration is tough in either direction, We do need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that Louis might not make it back this year.
It is also important for everyone to process the fact that wild lives don’t tend to end neatly. If Louis does return this season he may be vulnerable to another younger male kicking him off the nest. Or his fishing abilities may go into decline. Remember that the beginning of his breeding career with Aila began with chick mortality because the pair were inexperienced. His middle years have seen him mature into an excellent father, but we can expect a tough time for chicks hatched in his declining years.
That is just how these things go. While it is upsetting for us to see chicks fail, it is natural.
It could be that he arrives back in fine fettle in the next week or two and we have a successful season. But we have to accept that might not be the case.”
Mispillion Harbour: Heidi keeps a close eye on these Delaware ospreys.
UFlorida-Gainesville: Sadly, that sinking hole we noticed has resulted in the loss of all three of Stella’s eggs with her new mate. Here is the announcement:
“April 1 2025: Hello Osprey fans! I have sad news to report. From the recent heavy rains, a hole opened up in the bottom of the nest and all three eggs fell through and were lost. Tragic and I am truly sorry this has happened to the osprey pair. This event happened once before at the old location of the osprey cam at the original UF ball field. We will keep the camera on in April to see if they repair the nest. I don’t think Stella will lay more eggs this season as she has laid four already. Ospreys are resilient and most likely will be back again to nest.”
Fraser Point: The intruders in the Channel Islands just don’t seem to let up. What a worry especially with two little ones on the nest. Stay safe Mama Cruz. And below is the announcement of the name for one of the nest’s eaglets!
High Spirit Bluff: Poor Newmann. He is a fantastic Dad and now he has yet another mate.
Kisatchie E3: ‘MP’ sends some news: “Today, three nice size fish came in so far… The eaglet is doing a good job tearing food apart as long as dad zips it open. The problem is mom comes in and interrupts her/him and takes it away which the eaglet isn’t happy about. I guess mom has to eat too. So, at eight weeks and five days it’s one day at a time. “
NEFlorida: Just look at Brodie! Isn’t she amazing? I don’t want her to fledge just yet.
NCTC: Scout and Bella’s triplets appear to be doing quite well.
Little Miami Conservancy: The kids are doing very well.
John Bunker Sands Wetlands: They are still on the nest, but they are itching to fly. The winds on this nest will certainly pick them up and send them off to soon. It has been a very special nest to monitor this year.
Foulshaw Moss: Blue 35 has returned to her mate White YW at their nest in Cumbria. I can’t wait for the season to start.
Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home: Heidi writes: 3/1 – Maryland Western Shore osprey nest: Marilyn and Arthur have their second egg, which was laid shortly before 10 pm on 3/1.
Cornell Red Tail Hawks: Oh, grand. Big Red laid egg 3 this morning!
Spring is coming! The arrival of certain birds signals the awakening of the land, the trees, the bushes, the flowers. For me it is the arrival of geese but for others, it is the Redwing.
Thank you for being with me. I am very grateful for all the news that was sent in today. Take care all. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me send this blog off to you today: ‘Geemeff, Heidi, MP, RP’, The Woodland Trust, Raptor Resource Project, CROW, Elaine Buckner, Pam Breci and Cowlitz PUD, Jeff Kear and UKOsprey Info FB and Llyn Brenig, Heidi McGrue and Mispillion Harbour, Gracie Shepherd and IWS/Explore (Fraser Point), Diane Lambertson and High Spirit Bluff, Kistachie E3 Bald Eagle Nest, NEFlorida-AEF, Little Miami Conservancy, John Bunker Sands Wetlands, The Guardian, Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home, Cornell Bird Lab
I hope that your start to the week has been a good one! It was certainly nicer in Winnipeg on Monday. The sunshine, no wind, and a warmer temperature are really starting to make me think that spring is truly coming. There was a male House Finch at the feeder this morning with the normal garden characters.
I walked in and found these two on the sofa. When I see them together I choke up. Hope has the habit of not eating until Calico is finished. Even though I put down two separate dishes, she will wait. That appears to be something that Calico taught her when they were living rough under the deck of the house a few blocks away before Calico came in to live with us.
Star came to the feeder today. She looks like she is full of kittens. Oh, I hope they come here. The plan is to trap then, get them fixed so they can get out of the feral community, and get one of the cat rescues to help find homes for them. We posted images in all the local FB groups hoping to find out if either of these two belong to someone.
We had two new visitors today – a grey tabby and a solid grey. Are they lost? or were they dumped and hungry?
He is a beautiful British short hair. Not afraid. Ate two tins of food this morning. Just starving. Bless their hearts.
Brock has been visiting us for over three years now, and that’s a positive thing. However, he is looking pretty rough. I put dewormer in his food and always make sure he gets extra. We are turning the wood box into a heated home for him as he shows no sign of wanting to come into the house although he is more trustful.
Thank you SK Hideaways for giving us a memorial to Grinnell. I cannot tell you how overwhelming it was to remember Annie’s long time mate. It is hard to imagine that she is now gone, too. I don’t know about anyone else but I often check the Cal Falcons scrape and it makes me tear up seeing it empty.
As you might have noticed, the 2025 Memorial Page is not yet published. I had hoped to have it done by the end of March but it seems that things take at least four times what they used to! It is coming! It is coming because they deserve to be remembered, but it needs to be done correctly.
Geemeff has done a montly summary of happenings at Loch Arkaig and is sharing it with us. When the ospreys return, she will start her daily posts with videos. Thank you, Geemeff!
March 2025: monthly summary for Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust:
Welcome to season nine for the Arkaig Ospreys! George WTS opened the forum earlier this month and friends old and new have been coming to say hello and join in with this lively community. We’re more than ready for the return of our Ospreys, the nests have had a visit from the intrepid maintenance crew and everything is prepared for their arrival. Both nests have had a few non-Osprey visitors this month, see video links below. We were spoilt last year when Louis and Dorcha both returned in March, but April is more usually when they arrive and with luck we’ll see them any day now. Fingers crossed for a successful season this year, but check out the warning in the bonus section. The weather has been changeable, mainly wet and windy, but with spells of glorious sunshine. Here’s a reminder of last season:
‘J’ sent us one of those learning moments and will make you smile and feel good. She says, “Wild ranch heart helpline explains people what to do with young birds they find. This is one reaction that came in:
‘AM’ sent me a beautiful image of a Japanese White-eye sipping nectar. I need spring and these beautiful images from Japan certainly bring me hope. What a beautiful bird and a gorgeous image! Thank you, ‘AM’.
It is relatively quiet in Ospreyland and this means that if they are coming, it will be lots of fish hawks arriving around the same dates.
Black Storks:
Latvia’s first Black Stork to arrive home was Kergu who seemed to immediately attract intruders! https://youtu.be/ZV5ffh5UcXw?
Ospreys:
At the Eschenbach nest of Herbert the Germany osprey, mates are changing. Joan Castanyer writes: “The days pass and the new female seems to have everything under control: Herbert treats her as his partner and Hermine seems to have lost the dispute over the nest to a younger, stronger and more characterful rival. Nature is like that and Hermine will have her way. There is no point in looking down on the new female. We will end up giving her a name and loving her like we do with all the other fisherwomen.”
At Goitzsche Wildnis, Joan Castanyer comments: “Zeus is very fast and mates with Fjona like there is no tomorrow. The images in the video are a good example: in the middle of the afternoon and in three minutes he mates, leaves and returns with material for the nest and mates again. He only needs to bring a fish to be the male marvel.”
This means that the females at the two German nests, Fjona and Hermine have been replaced.
University of Florida-Gainesville: I am copying and pasting the information on the website. Stella is incubating three eggs.
“March 17-19 2025: Stella has laid a third and fourth egg! So currently, there are three eggs total that are being incubated. The first egg was accidentally buried by Stellas with a plastic piece and we think it is no longer viable as she stopped incubating this first egg before the other three eggs were laid.
March 10 Update 2025: Stella has laid a second egg today!
March 10 2025: Hello Osprey fans. Unfortunately Stella accidently buried the egg with some material on March 8th and has abandoned incubation of the egg because she cannot see it. We are hopeful that she will lay another egg. Stay tuned! Any questions, email me at hostetm@ufl.edu.
March 7 2025 Hello Osprey fans! Well, Stella has laid her first egg today! Keep watching to see what happens … Send me an email (hostetm@ufl.edu) if you have questions or want to share what you saw on camera (can send me photos!).
Feb 19th, 2025 Hello Osprey fans! It looks like Stella has found another mate! If you recall, Talon disappeared during the middle of raising chicks last year and one chick named Talon Jr (after the missing father) was successfully raised by Stella. This new male has been bringing fish to her and courtship is underway. Keep watching to see what happens … Send me an email (hostetm@ufl.edu) if you have questions or want to share what you saw on camera (can send me photos!). I estimate that we probably will see the first egg sometime in the first part of March. But who knows? This is Nature after all!”
Bald Eagles:
NEFlorida: Bodie really is up on that branch!
Two Harbours: Chase and Cholyn lost their first clutch this year. They have been caught on camera on their old nest mating. They are 27 years old and Cholyn is the mother of Thunder from the West End who is currently missing.
Fraser Point: Andor and Cruz busy themselves with feeding their beautiful little bobbleheads.
Big Bear: Today, we will learn the names of Jackie and Shadow’s eaglets. Shadow brings in so much fish – 9, 10, 11 a day – no wonder these two are growing like weeds.
Just look at that crop!
John Bunker Sands Wetlands: What a great year this nest has had. Two eaglets getting along so well, thriving under the watchful eye of devoted parents and now they are ready to fledge. ‘MP’ sent us a great screen capture.
Duke Farms: Early Monday morning two prey came in and all three of the eaglets – Harpo, Meechi, and Jupi (from oldest to youngest) – ate well. There was some initial bonking til the second fish came to the nest. There was a dual feeding. All is well.
Others:
Golden Eagle Nest in Estonia: Kalju and Helju have only one egg to incubate this year which will cause it to be much easier to watch this nest. The first egg was crushed leaving the second to survive. The adults make frequent shift changes and it appears that part of the prey brought in on Monday was a Greylag Goose. Beautiful eagles.
The top image is from Looduskalender.
Latvian Golden Eagle: Nest of Spilve and Grislis. Spilve has laid her second egg on 30 March.
Image is from Looduskalender.
Here is some good summary information on siblicide in Golden Eagles. I want to point out that in places where food is abundant and the female feeds the chicks equally as we have seen in certain nests last year, the second eaglet survives. This was, of course, not the case with some nests so it is wise to be cautious when watching.
In golden eagles, siblicide, also known as “Cainism,” is a phenomenon where a stronger nestling kills its younger sibling, often due to competition for food or resources, and is estimated to claim about 80% of second hatchlings in some areas.
Siblicide, sometimes known as Cainism, is the killing of a sibling. It is typically the older and larger of the clutch. In many cases, when testing is done, that eaglet turns out to be a female.
We always ask ourselves why does this happen? Why do the parents not intervene? Well, as mentioned above, it does not always happen. About 20% (an estimate) of second hatch eaglets survive normally because of a nest in a rich area of prey. When siblicide does occur, it is because of competition for food which can be scarce, asynchronous hatching leaving one chick much older and larger, and of course, there is, in certain eagle species something called ‘obligate siblicide’ where the younger chick is almost always killed by the first which is then rewarded with food by the parents. This is typical of a Golden Eagle nest. The older and stronger normally makes intense physical attacks on the younger sibling. In one case, researchers counted 1500 beakings in an hour. The older chick may combine physical aggression with pushing the younger one away from food causing it to starve. Older siblings have also been known to push the other one out of the nest causing it to die.
So the Estonian nest will surely be safe because there is one egg. We might expect obligate siblicide to happen on Spilve’s nest.
Geemeff sends some news:
Utility company trying to help nesting Ospreys find suitable nests and prevent electrocution and / or power outages:
Thank you for being with us today. There will be no news published on Wednesday. We are going to get to meet the Prime Minister of Canada today. See you on Thursday! Take care.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘AM, Geemeff, J, MP’, SK Hideaways, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Sandy Richard, AM, Joan Castanyer,UFlorida-Gainsville Wildlife Extension, IWS/Explore, John Bunker Sands, Duke Farms, Eagle Club of Estonia, NE Florida-AEF, Butlereagle.com, capeCod.com
It was a bit of a cool Sunday on the Canadian Prairies, but we managed our first extensive walk at the nature centre of the spring. The trails were half snow and half ice with the geese gathering at Devonian Lake.
Goose prints on a small pond.
Nearer to home, there were ‘four’ grey squirrels announcing spring had arrived along with the two reds. Both Crows were present as were the Blue Jays. It felt good seeing them all in the garden filling themselves with cat kibble, peanuts, black oil seed, and cracked corn.
‘AM’ sent me this glorious image of spring’s arrival in Japan and graciously allowed me to share it with all of you. There is nothing more beautiful than the first blossoms of spring whether they are the cherry blossoms in Japan or the crocus popping its head up out of the snow in Manitoba. I cannot wait! Thank you so much, ‘AM’.
On the campus of Cornell University, Big Red laid her first egg of the 2025 season on the 27th of March and her second on on Sunday, the 30th. https://youtu.be/ZO-_WY0dmXA?
Big Red hatched in Brooktondale, New York, a mere seven miles from the Cornell Campus in the spring of 2003. She was ringed in October of that same year. It is not clear how many eggs Big Red has laid or chicks that have fledged. She has been ‘on camera’ since 2012 but she would have been breeding well before that – in fact, probably seven years prior she would have had her first fledge.
Her current mate is Arthur. When Big Red bonded with Arthur, he did not even have his red tail, but he proved to be a great provided wooing her with his squirrel deliveries. Cornell All about Birds says, “The male, Arthur, was named in honor of the founder of the Cornell Lab, Arthur A. Allen. He was first spotted on Cornell University campus as a fledgling in 2016. He is unbanded and has a paler chest, head, and nape than Big Red. The pair first spent time together in April 2017, after Big Red’s previous mate, Ezra, had died. The hawks completed their first breeding season together in 2018.”
Her previous mate was Ezra.
Big Red is internationally known. She is so loved.
Bald Eagles:
Big Bear Valley: They could not be cuter even with their blood feathers growing in. Two little miracles. Look at that chrome yellow gape (the corner of the mouth). You want to see a bright yellow-orange known as chrome yellow. Look at the feet of the adults, too. The deeper in colour, the more healthy the eagles. These two have their thermal down with the cutest of hints at their nestling life in the form of the dandelions still remaining on the top of their heads.
Little Miami Conservancy: There are now two hatches with some bonking going on within the nest!
WRDC: R7 fledged Saturday. BOGS caught sight of him/her later perched on a nearby pine tree.
News has come to me that the Bald Eagles in Alaska are starting to nest. We will be keeping an eye on the Glacier Gardens nest.
‘J’ writes: “The first of the three Centerport chicks hatched on the 29th.
Llyn Clywedog: Gorgeous Seren 5F sent Dylan into doing a loud sky dance on her arrival over the weekend. Geemeff comments, “Dylan arrived on the nest at 15.34, then must have seen Seren in the distance because he suddenly flew off and loud skydancing was heard nearby before she landed at 15.36.
Boulder County Fairgrounds: Mum and new male are on the nest.
Moorings Park: Ozzie is one of the cutest and sweetest little osplets. Feathers coming in. Full crop!
MNSA Koolpix Osprey Nest: First egg of the 2025 season laid on Sunday.
Collins Marsh Osprey Cam: Their FB posting says: “Osprey cam update…yes this is the current view of the camera…the inside of the tower! This past week the camera was brought down for maintenance, and in the coming days a new mount will be installed to help us maintain it for years to come. The birds will be back soon, last year they arrived on April 6th, so keep watching!”
Osprey House Environmental Centre, Australia: Parents George and Hope and their 2024 fledgling Marina were on the nest on Sunday together.
Rocky Lake/Waverley, Nova Scotia: Both ospreys are back.
Severna Park: First egg of the 2025 breeding season has been laid.
Balgavies Loch: An osprey has arrived. No confirmation of identity.
Wensleydale Osprey Platform: An osprey is there!
Heidi reports:
3/31 – Barnegat Light osprey nest: Duke arrived at the nest this morning, on the same date that he returned last year. Hey there, Duke!
Other Birds:
The Black Storks are reaching their nests in Estonia – and I hope they will also be arriving safely in Latvia, soon. Kergu is due to arrive at his nest today! Looduskalender Forum gives us the following information on this magnificent Black Stork: “Kergu Black Stork nest was found in 2022, but it has been there for longer. Probably even fallen down, and rebuilt again on the branches of the same aspen tree. During installation of camera I noticed that nest is only partly supported by the branches, so added some kind well visible exoskeleton to keep it more stabile (perhaps). In the end of March 2024 it seems quite good, but still, not fully safe.
Nest site is situated in Pärnu county, near wind farm development area. That was the reason to track Kergu, male stork who nested here last year, as well as reason to install webcam. There are proposed some mitigation measures, like preparing better feeding conditions in other sectors of home range. Hopefully results of those measures will be visible also through webcam in time. The measures are at the moment in planning stage, yet. So if somebody has ideas for mitigation measures in that situation, those would be valuable to analyse in current situation.
Kergu has rings (incl. left leg 7047) since childhood, he has been ringed in 2011 as one of three chicks in nest situated about 10 km of current Kergu nest. Three chicks fledged in Kergu nest in 2022 and they were in good condition during ringing. Female in this nest we did not know, most probably she was without of rings. In 2023, here we did not see female in nest. Kergu refreshed nest properly, few times neighbour male Nurme visited the nest as well as not ringed immature individuals. But in general Kergu was in nest alone, listening neighbour bird species, like woodland owls, passerines, etc.”
The nest is waiting! Pictures by Urmas.
Latvian Golden Eagle: Spilve laid her second egg on Sunday.
Port Lincoln Ospreys: “Ervie has been checking out the northern end of Boston Island but always returns to the main wharf to sleep.”
“Giliath obviously loves the town life as he just doesn’t want to go anywhere else.”
“Kasse also loves the town life of Tumby Bay”
Wilko is MIA. They are hoping he will check in soon.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We look forward to having you with us again soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘AM, Geemeff, H, J’, Cornell Bird Lab, SK Hideaways, FOBBV, Little Miami Conservancy, Tweed Valley, UKOsprey Info, Geemeff, Llyn Clywedog and CarnyXWild, Montana Osprey Project, Boulder County Fairgrounds, Moorings Park Osprey, Looduskalender Forum, LDF, MNSA Jay Koolpix Cam, Collins Marsh Osprey Cam, WRDC, Port Lincoln Ospreys
Thank you so much for being with us today. Our thoughts were with the people of Myanmar today as they dig their friends, family members, and even strangers out of the rubble of the 7.7 earthquake with their bare hands and any tools they can find. At last count more than 1600 people were declared dead. My son and I have friends there and in Bangkok – our condolences to all who lost a loved one.
If you are in the UK, Happy Mother’s Day! And to all our feathered friends there – to you as well!
Saturday was breezy and a bit chilly, but it turned out to be a day for restocking the cupboards. Before we left, Brock came to the garden door requesting another dish of roast chicken! He sure loves his roast chicken.
He is getting less frightened of me. I tap on the glass twice. That alerts Brock that I am coming outside with additional food for him. A year ago he would have run under the deck and waited for me to return to the house locking the door. Now he will sit about 30-45 cm away (12-15 inches) waiting. He suns himself on the rug and never rushes to leave. He is more comfortable. Brock has been coming to the garden since 2022 with Calico. His life is not easy but he is fed and now, thanks to a reminder by Geemeff, he is getting his de-worming treatment.
The Crows have been coming to the big table feeder for cat kibble. They are here every day. Soon I will need to make sure that there is ‘meat’ available for them as there will be babies to feed. [Taken through the conservatory window with the iPhone].
Just a warning. Today’s post will be shorter than normal. I had trouble with Meta (Facebook) and the posting of Saturday’s blog. I suggest that you subscribe so as not to miss any news. The blog is free and will always be free. I do not send any ads, and I will never ask for any subscription fees. You can cancel anytime. Usually, there is one post per day.
Geemeff sends us news:
Set backs and successes of raptor re-introduction in Northern Ireland:
Geemeff also sends us the arrival dates for dear Louis at Loch Arkaig and comments on the current state of UK ospreys;
“Speaking of arrivals, Dylan is missing Seren, and Elen is missing Aran. And we’re missing Louis & Dorcha. They arrived last year on the 28th and 30th March respectively, but that was the first time in March. All previous years have been April arrivals. I wish they’d hurry up and arrive, Maya is looking very eggy, any day now she’ll produce the UK’s first egg and we don’t even have either bird back, or even Garry LV0.
Here’s Louis’ dates:
2017 10 April
2018 6 April
2019 4 April
2020 5 April
2021 11 April
2022 11 April
2023 2 April
2024 28 March”
We wait in anticipation.
Osprey News:
Russell Lake, Nova Scotia: Oscar returned Saturday morning. He has already been fishing and being watched closely by Don and Connie Dennis!
Baseball Park Ospreys, Missoula, Montana: Star, the mate of Louis, has arrived.
Steelscape, Washington: Both adults are back on the nest.
Seaside, Oregon: Bruce and Naha have both returned on the 24th and 26th.
Smallwood: The first egg was laid Sunday morning.
Cowlitz: Osprey was on the nest on Saturday.
Lake Murray: Lucy and Kenny. There were originally three eggs and now there are only two. ‘H’ adds: ” It was noticed 3/29 at 00.45 an egg looked like it had a big dent, and Lucy moved the egg with her beak.”
Western Maryland Shore for Old Town Home: Marilyn laid her first egg on Saturday.
Llyn Clywedog: Seren Blue 5F has joined Dylan at their nest in Wales. Welcome home lovely girl. Dylan did a sky dance on her arrival. Oh, this couple is wonderful.
Achieva: Jack has disappointed me in his fish deliveries for his new female mate. Diane, his former mate, had to supplement the fish for the chicks and well, the eggs haven’t even hatched. There is a lot of competition and no doubt Jack has problems with gulls, other ospreys, and eagles for whatever he catches.
Baseball Park, Missoula, Montana (yes, again): Louis has now arrived and so both Star and Louis are on the nest! Thanks, Dr Greene!
Boulder County Fairgrounds: Dad has been missing. Mum has a new mate, it appears, who has brought her a fish and then there is an intruder. Thank you Noland MacDonald!
There were reports, perhaps over a week ago, of lights seen and shots heard by individuals watching the John Bunker Sands Wetlands Bald Eagle nest near Dallas. This is a very frightening thought.
Other Birds:
Despite a high number of deaths, there were still record numbers of Sandhill Cranes in Nebraska. Thanks, ‘PB’ for the article.
‘J’ sends me the post of our local wildlife rehabilitation centre, Wildlife Haven. (It is one of Calico’s favourites because of Dr Tess who is helping that turtle with its soft shell and her confidence in wildlife to adjust to their own physical challenges).
Thank you so much to all those that contributed to help my blog to be even better than it could be by my hand alone: ‘Geemeff, H, J, PB’, msn.com, pressreader.com, Connie Dennis and Ospreys of Nova Scotia FB, Montana Osprey Cams, Pam Breci and Steelscape Ospreys, Seaside Ospreys, Lake Murray Ospreys, The Smithsonian Magazine, FOBBV, Wildlife Haven, Nolan MacDonald and Boulder County Fairgrounds, Dyfi Osprey Project, Llyn Clywedog and CarnyXWild, Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home
The Facebook postings appear to be having a problem. The normal posting for Saturday is not there. If you know someone who is accessing my blog via FB, please ask them to subscribe!
I really hope you enjoyed that video of the turtle escaping Liberty and Guardian’s nest in Redding, California that was in the post Friday morning. That was one lucky turtle!
It snowed in Winnipeg. Then it snowed some more! The measurement in the garden was 43 cm. Our young man was not around so we did the shoveling which really took a lot of time – and energy. It was also chicken Friday so ‘The Girls’ and Brock had their Friday chicken dinners.
‘J’ sent me some news that raises some interesting questions. A real mystery is happening at the Pittsburgh-Hays Bald Eagle nest. Long time ‘Dad’ disappeared last year and is in the Memorial Pages. A new male appeared. Now ‘Dad’ has returned after more than a year, according to reports!!!!!!!
Was he injured and in rehabilitation and released, returning home? How do we know he is the original ‘Dad’? There are no bands that I am aware. We have not been able to find out any further information.
Osprey News:
Russell Lake, Nova Scotia: Oscar has arrived safely home! YEAH.
Oak Tree Nest, Threave Ospreys: Both ospreys are on the nest and working hard!
Loch of the Lowes: Does Blue NC0 have a new mate?
Foulshaw Moss: White YW is very popular. His mate Blue35 has not yet returned, but there are two unringed unidentified females trying to get his affections! Thanks J Kear and UKOsprey Info for the post.
UPDATE: Blue 35 is back!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fort Calhoun: ‘PB’ is keeping a close eye and notes an arrival.
Hellgate Canyon: Iris and Finnegan will have a lot of work to do when they return to their nest in Missoula. Iris traditionally returns on the 8th of April.
Birds of Poole Harbour: No one is going to mess with CJ7 and ‘her’ nest!!!!!
Dyfi Osprey Project: Idris and Telyn enjoying being back together.
HEIDI’S OSPREY REPORT:
3/29 – Moorings Park: Sally was struck by a GHO at 01:10, but she was not knocked off the nest. To my knowledge, there has not been a GHO problem at that nest before. Fingers crossed that Ozzie will stay safe. Little Ozzie is only 20 days old.
Bald Eagle News:
NEFlorida: The juvenile visitor that has been adopted by Beau, Gabby, and Bodie has been officially named ‘Juvie’.
NCTC: A bold owl sat near the nest while a meteorite flew by! Bella and Scout kept that owl at bay. https://youtu.be/UFfi8QFlj94?
Kansas Bald Eagles: Kanza is still the Only Eaglet. That egg is non-viable. Lucky Kanza! All that good prey just for you.
Big Bear Valley: Full crops for Jackie and Shadow’s kiddos. They are adorable. Little miracles. The two were having quite the little spat. Almost like Baby Hope and Hugo Yugo play fighting. Well, Daddy Shadow was on the nest. It was obvious he got tired of it, didn’t like them fighting, and went over and put an end to it. Yes, eagle parents to intervene. Some actually just sit on the eaglets (or osplets) to stop fighting/bonking.
Sauces Canyon: Betty Lou is the sweetest little eaglet.
Kisatachie National Park E3: ‘MP’ sends us good news: “The parents on this nest had some good luck today. They brought in a small fish first thing which chick got to tear a part. The second fish was a big bloody one without the head which dad eat, the head that is. Mom came in behind him and took it to feed chick and herself. Then, a great big Catfish was on the menu for the day. Although, no one in chat knew what it was because the parents brought it in bit by bit or piece by piece. Then, at the end of the day, the great big head was brought in which no one knew until she turned it over and then we could all see it was Catfish head. The pieces brought in were theorized as chicken filets up until then. Even the rangers thought that they had stolen them from some camp site.
Wishing all of the new little bobbleheads full crops and a safe fledge.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care of yourself. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, news, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘H, J, MP, PB’, PIX Cams, Pittsburgh-Hayes Eagle Cam, UKOsprey Info, Woodland Trust (LOTL), Foulshaw Ospreys, OPPD Fort Calhoun, Osprey Research Project/Hellgate Canyon Ospreys, Birds of Poole Harbour, Dyfi Osprey Project, NEFL-AEF, Little Miami Conservancy, NCTC, Deb Stecyk, Kansas Bald Eagles, FOBBV, IWS/Explore, Kistachie Forest E3 Eagle Cam, PIX Cams, Ventana Wildlife Society, Moorings Park
The predicted snow storm to bring 25 cm to our region began about ten minutes ago at 1616 on Thursday. Big flakes are blowing in the garden. The grey squirrels are still gathering peanuts and the Starlings are eating. The Crows, Jays, and a female Downy Woodpecker were here earlier along with Little Red – who has just appeared again – and the Sparrows.
At the end of the day, the ruler tells me that more than 35 cm of snow fell in the garden. We need the moisture and it is so beautiful and white!
Cornell Red-tail Hawk Cam: Great News. Twenty-two year old Big Red, Cornell’s Iconic Red-tail Hawk, has laid her first egg of the season on Thursday.https://youtu.be/RCChvBTKMVs?
Osprey News:
Birds of Poole Harbour: National UK news reported on the presence of Maya’s daughter, 1H1 (2022) at the nest of CJ7 and Blue022. (Posted on UKOsprey Information)
Kielder Forest: Blue K13. She landed briefly on another nest. Hers is nest 6. All of her three chicks were sadly lost, along with so many other nests, to the unseasonal weather in 2024.
Loch of the Lowes: A male visits the nest of Blue NC0.
Geemeff comments: “NC0’s potential suitor is interesting – he’s not the Dark Intruder, but is he the Pale Male, or a new one? The action took place over 55 minutes, I condensed it into a 4 minute clip. This is what SWT says:
A male landed on the nest next to NC0 at 13:44 this afternoon, and spent around 55 minutes quietly sitting alongside her. After engaging in a spot of ‘nestorating’ and a failed mating attempt he flew off, leaving her alone to enjoy last night’s fish supper on the ‘Split Birch’. Weather conditions are making it hard to make positive comparisons with footage of various males from last year, however this bird does not look to be the osprey known as the ‘Dark Intruder’ who defended the territory last season after the death of her long term mate, LM12. It could be possible that it might be the ‘Pale Male’ who destroyed the eggs and tried to claim the territory as his own, or another male entirely- at this stage we can’t be sure and will need to watch to see how things play out. One things for sure, things are about to get exciting!
Boulder County Fairgrounds: The female has arrived home to the nest!
Dyfi Osprey Nest: Telyn has arrived home to her Idris! Geemeff says: “Idris was so happy to see Telyn, he brought her a fish and then mated with her while she was eating it 😃
In this heavily edited clip shortened from 53 minutes down to one minute: Telyn Blue 3J arrives at 12.40, looking in very good shape. Her mate Idris arrives with a fish at 13.15, and she grabs it eagerly. Idris leaves shortly thereafter, and Telyn takes her fish and flies up to the high perch. 13.33 Idris returns and flies up to join Telyn where she’s eating her fish on the high perch. But instead of joining her, he proceeds to mate with her! The cam operator zooms in and we see Telyn is clutching her fish determinedly while Idris goes to work. He flies away leaving her to her meal. Welcome home Telyn!”
Goitzsche Wildnis: JC comments: “Zeus is still waiting for his Fjona. He looks restless, scanning the horizon, as if his gaze were guiding his partner to reach the nest. There is a touch of melancholy and sadness in this solitude of Zeus. No other female has passed by the nest looking for an opportunity to nest. Hopefully this situation has its hours numbered. We’ll see how the day presents itself tomorrow 😀.”
Bald Eagle News:
NEFlorida: Bodie has learned so much from his nestmate. He has learned to steal food, to share food, and to let the juvie enjoy his own prey. He is now jumping up and down and flapping and soon Bodie will be flying with JV.
Thank you so much for being with us today. We love having you with us. Take care of yourself. Go outside and smell the spring air, listen for birds and geese, walk through the trees, and just sit still. We need to take care of ourselves, one another, and our wildlife.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: “EJ, Geemeff’, Cornell Red Tail Hawk Cam, Birds of Poole Harbour, Kielder Forest, Woodland Trust (LOTL) and Geemeff, Boulder County Fairgrounds, Dyfi Osprey Project, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, KCAL, NCTC, Deb Stecyk, PIX Cam, Little Miami Conservancy, White-Tailed Eagle in Nizhnyaya Kama National Park Russia, San Jose City Hall Falcon Scrape, The Guardian, Joan Castyner, Kistachie E3 Bald Eagle Cam, The Dodo
Thank you to everyone for sending in news items. It is much appreciated and it is all too easy for me to miss something which is important. So, we are going to put the news items in my inbox up front today.
‘J’ let me know that the much loved Latvian Golden Eagle Spilve, mother of the late Klints, has laid an egg. In 2020, Spilve laid her first egg on 29 March. It is believed that she has not been breeding since then – at least not at this nest. https://youtu.be/DOj7tYjk1j0?
“EJ’ sent me a wonderful news article. Imagine gold fish ponds everywhere ——–imagine ponds and large holding tanks, no deeper than 3 feet – full of koi. That sure would put an end to hunger on some of those osprey nests! I remember marveling at the adults at Collins Marsh one year. The normal fish were small and one day the adults found a koi pond. I wondered if it was a garden centre or a home. Their babies ate well then.
Port of Ridgefield, WA: ‘BHA’ writes: “Sorry the photo isn’t very good – this is on my t.v. New camera is great, complete with date and time this year (which doesn’t show in this picture). As you can see it’s a beautiful day here in the Pacific Northwest. 🌞”. The couple laid three eggs last year with only one chick reaching fledge (2 DNH).
I think that image is very good and we so appreciate your sharing it with us. What a nice day for this couple to be home!
‘PB’ sent us the 2025 US State of the Bird Report and it shows numbers os birds are dropping significantly.
Patuxent River Park osprey nest (MD) – 3/26 the cam went live for the season, and I was delighted to see the same ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ at the nest. It’s good to see they both made it back.
Seaside osprey nest (OR) – Bruce returned on 3/24, and Naha arrived on 3/26. It’s always wonderful when a beloved pair are reunited after a long migration.
Crooked Lake osprey nest (IN) – An osprey pair is at the nest. The chat is referring to the male as Noble, and is referring to the female as ‘Mom’ (rather than Whitley), but I think it is the same female.
Moorings Park osprey nest (FL) – The chatters were fond of calling Sally and Harry’s only osplet ‘Solo’. But, on 3/26 the community bird club officially named the 17-day-old youngster “Ozzie.”
Other Osprey news:
Bassenthwaite/Blackgate Farm Ospreys: J Kear reports that both ospreys have returned to their nest.
Llyn Brenig: Blue 372 is eating a lot of fish and restoring her strength and health in time for breeding season.
Dyfi Osprey Project: Perhaps Idris is trying out for the Olympic pole vaulting team! Idris worked hard on that nest and now he can celebrate with his mate Telyn who returned today.
Birds of Poole Harbour: CJ7 got down to business and got rid of Maya’s 2022 daughter, Blue 1H1, and has been getting nicely reacquainted with her mate, Blue 022. These two raised four osplets to fledge – the little one won everyone’s heart for its tenacity!
Loch of the Lowes: Blue NC0 is some great fisher. She is going to be incredible shape.
Colonial Beach Ospreys: A mystery female appeared on the nest on Wednesday.
Sun Coast Ospreys: Sara and Sota have their second hatch.
Lake Murray: At least two attacks on the nest by other ospreys yesterday. Hoping resident ospreys, Kenny and Lucy, are safe.
Blithfield Reserve, UK: Male has returned to the nest.
It is possible that one of Bella and Scout’s eaglets is injured. Deb Stecyk reports that it could be puncture wounds. Please send good wishes. https://youtu.be/8KsYYqn5qOU?
Decorah North: Mr and Mrs DNF have a failed season. Their first eaglet tried for five days to free itself of a crushed shell before dying. The second egg is 41 days old today and deemed unviable.
Duke Farms: The triplets still doing very, very well.
Sauces Canyon Eagles: Betty Lou is growing and growing!
West End: The blood from the encounter off camera to save territory is drying on Haku as she stands proudly by Maiko.
Sutton Centre Eagles: They have their second hatch of the season.
Glacier Gardens: The male died last year. Mum was seen ‘eyeing’ a potential new mate in late December. Mum was at the nest on Wednesday.
Kistachie National Forest E3: E03 had at least one prey delivery today. I rewinded late in the day, but the eaglet did appear to have a crop earlier, too. 03 appears to have branched, slightly.
The nest appearance was an empty taloned adult.
Birds and their eggs were rescued from the California wild fires – what a nice ending for today!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to those who sent news, for comments, videos, articles, images, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘BHA, EJ, Geemeff, H, JK, LDF Golden Eagle Cam, Fox5Vegas, Port of Ridgefield, Birds & Blooms, OspreyInfoUK, Dyfi Osprey Project, Birds of Poole Harbour, Woodland Trust (LOTL), Colonial Beach Ospreys, Moorings Park Ospreys, Sun Coast Ospreys, NCTC, Deb Stecyk, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Duke Farms, IWS/Explore, Hilton Head Island Trust, Sutton Centre, Bartlesville, OK, Patuxent River Park, The Guardian, Crooked Lake, Seaside, Patuxent River Park, Lake Murray ospreys, Kielder Forest
Tuesday was an unforgettable day on the Canadian prairies. At 6:30 PM, I glanced outside and was mesmerized by one of the largest skeins of geese I’ve ever seen—more than 100 incredible birds soaring overhead! I only wish you could have witnessed the spectacle and heard their joyful honking with me. Spring has undeniably arrived; you can practically smell it in the air, and the snow and ice are finally melting away.
You may have noticed that we haven’t been out walking as much this winter. The trails have been treacherously icy. Although I’m usually accustomed to anything winter can bring, I took a spill once and quickly realized I needed to prioritize safety over stubbornness. Riding the indoor bicycle has been my alternative, but honestly, it doesn’t compare. There’s something profoundly uplifting about watching little birds flit around, nibbling seeds from your hand; those moments wash away any troubles and remind you of the beauty all around us.
Every year I find myself thanking Heidi for all of her reports. She has been such a big help in keeping up with many of the US arrivals and I will thank her today before I forget! [I also want to thank everyone that sends me news, images, articles, videos, or just lovely e-mails to chat. I do so appreciate them!]
Heidi’s Osprey Report:
OBX – Outer Banks osprey nest (North Carolina): Frederick and Betsy are back together.
Moraine Preservation Fund (PA): Mom and Dad have both returned for another nesting season.
Maryland Western Shore: Arthur and Marilyn have both returned to their dockside home.
3/25 – Geese have taken over the Sandpoint, Idaho osprey nest. Momma goose laid her first egg on 3/25. Keke and Keo are expected to return in about a week.
UK Osprey News:
Birds of Poole Harbour: CJ7 has arrived at her nest at 1828 on Tuesday! Blue 022 was very happy to see his mate! Geemeff caught the moment on video: https://youtu.be/UYSUPLELU5M? She will have to send Blue 1H1 packing!!!!!!! 1H1 has refused to leave. CJ7 even defended her nest against her mate on Wednesday! Things are confusing but osprey love is not happening yet. CJ7 will become fierce toward’s Maya’s girl – let us hope no one gets hurt.
Llyn Clywedog: Dylan has returned to the nest at 1650 on Tuesday.
Roundhouse Loch Doon: Frankie and Angel were so happy to see one another they were doing ‘osprey kisses’.
Allin’s Cove West: The male arrived earlier and the female arrived on Tuesday the 25th.
Allin’s Cove East: The male arrived on the 24th of March.
Loch Arkaig: Please return Louis and Dorcha.
Frenchman’s Creek: It is hard to catch a glimpse of the Only Bob but it is doing fine. Pin feathers are coming in. Look carefully and you will see its little tail.
Loch of the Lowes: Blue NC0 waits for a dark handsome male to arrive at the nest in Scotland.
A dark osprey has appeared on Wednesday at her nest. I am awaiting confirmation to see if it is the Dark Knight from last season.
Glaslyn: Elen waiting for Aran to return today. Fingers crossed.
Dyfi: Idris waits for Telyn to come home.
Llyn Clywedog: An unringed female was on the nest with Dylan. We are awaiting the return of Blue 5F Seren, his mate.
Loveland, Colorado: Both ospreys are back at the nest.
Bald Eagle News:
Sauces Canyon: The miracle baby has a name!
Decorah North: The Raptor Resource Project posted the following:
“We are sad to announce that DN19 died in hatch. We saw the egg’s first external pip at 12:03 PM on March 20, but after four days of hatch in progress, all movement ceased. Hatch had been proceeding for about 103 hours at that point: longer than the longest documented hatch time that we could find, and much longer than the 24 to 48 hours post-pip that we usually see here.
As of this post, we don’t know why DN19 failed to hatch. As usual, DNF laid two eggs about three days apart. She and Mr. North incubated them through roller-coaster temperatures and some bad weather, but spring is unpredictable: if bald eagles couldn’t cope with weather variability, they wouldn’t be nesting here. The first external pip happened on schedule and things appeared to be proceeding normally…until they weren’t.
What about the second egg?
We finally got a good look at the blunt end of the second egg and confirmed that there was not, contrary to our Thursday announcement, a pip: good news, since it means that DN20 could still hatch. DN20 turns 39 days old today and we are watching for a pip.
We’ll be sticking to DN19 and DN20, even though DN19 failed to hatch. We’ll discuss future plans moving forward: nomenclature gets complicated, and I’d like to know what researchers have done in similar situations.
What will you do if both eggs fail to hatch?
If both eggs fail, we’ll try to retrieve them for necropsy and testing. We might not learn what happened, but there are causes – malpositioning, HPAI, environmental contaminants, injury – that we can confirm or rule out.
We would especially like the eggs tested for HPAI if neither egg hatches. Early on, it was believed that the disease was fatal to Bald Eagles regardless of age: if anyone had HPAI, everyone died. But it’s become clear that isn’t the case. If the outbreak is killing young at greater rates than adults, that could have serious implications for population health five to ten years from now.
Will the Norths reclutch if both eggs fail?
Right now, the North’s hormonal regime is driving incubation and brooding behavior. If egg two remains intact, they will probably incubate it for quite some time: long enough to interfere with any potential reclutching. But if it breaks or we retrieve the eggs, they might reclutch. We saw a reclutch at the North Nest in 2018 and reclutches have been documented elsewhere. Mr. North would need to bring DNF back into condition for reclutching to happen.
For you, the broken-hearted nest watcher, I quote Kaeli Swift: “Please, rather than shutting down those deep feelings you have for wildlife…lean into them. Teach your friends and neighbors and children to feel those deep feelings. Because it’s from that space that we can do best by wildlife…”. Thank you so much for taking this journey with us.
Hatch watch starts at our Fort St. Vrain nest on March 31st, and at our Trempealeau nest on April 9. If we have any new updates about the North nest, we’ll post them on our website and Facebook page.”
West End: There have been more territorial disputes it would appear. Haku arrived at the nest covered in blood on Tuesday. I know that we all cannot even contemplate that Akecheta and Thunder are not on this nest, but it would be good if territorial matters calmed down in this region. That is the problem with successful breeding – fighting over the best nest sites!
‘J’ has updated the information list on Bald Eagle season. (Thank you so much).
BALD EAGLES – SEASON 2024-2025
eagle nest dates chart from
facebook group Raptors of the World
any typos are mine
101 eggs laid:
6 broken
2 taken by ravens
4 non-viable
1 failed to fully hatch
6 eaglets died
44 hatched (incl those that died)
38 surviving hatches
4 fledged
0 fledged but died
CHICKS HATCHED
december: 6 hatchlings
january: 8 hatchlings
february: 6 hatchlings
march: 24 hatchlings + 1 not out of egg
14 december hatch 1 SWFL E24 † 26 january 2 eggs, 2 hatched, 2 died
17 december hatch 2 SWFL E25 † 28 january 2 eggs, 2 hatched, 2 died
19 december hatch 1 Superbeaks SB5 / Keke fledged 12 march 2 eggs, 2 hatched, 2 fledged
21 december hatch 2 Superbeaks SB6 / Barron fludged 16 march 2 eggs, 2 hatched, 2 fledged
24 december hatch 1 Captiva C12 / Dasher fledged 16 march 2 eggs, 2 hatched, 2 fledged
26 december hatch 2 Captiva C13 / Dancer fledged 16 march 2 eggs, 2 hatched, 2 fledged
11 january hatch 1 Dade County R7 2 eggs, 2 hatched
12 january hatch 2 Dade County R8 2 eggs, 2 hatched
13 january hatch 1 Dataw Skylar 2 eggs, 2 hatched, 1 died
14 january hatch 1 Dataw Whisper † 2 eggs, 2 hatched, 1 died
Thanks so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, Heidi, J, PB’, Outerbanks Osprey Cam, Moraine Preservation Fund, Western Maryland Shore, Birds of Poole Harbour, Llyn Clywedog, Geemeff, East Ayrshire Leisure, Woodland Trust (LOTL), Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, IWS/Explore, Raptor Resource Project, USFWS, Allin’s Cove East, Allin’s Cove West, Woodland Trust (Loch Arkaig), Audubon/Explore
