Category Archives: bobbleheads

First hatch at Pont Cresor and Kielder Forest…late Monday in Bird World

25 May 2026

Hello,

It’s hot. We were out early with Toby and now we are inside, drapes drawn and AC on. Cavaliers are susceptible to many ailments (I don’t care, I will take good care of Toby forever) so that Toby cannot be out in the heat of the day. He has a ‘chill’ coat that is soaked in cold water and a chill mat and I have made ice lollies for him with bone broth. Interestingly, Don has a medicine that restricts him from being out in the heat, too. So I guess summer is going to be interesting!

The first hatch has happened in the Glaslyn Valley and it is at the Pont Cresor nest of Z2 Aeron and Blue 014.

There are still two at the nest of CJ7 and Blue 022 at Poole Harbour although I almost caught myself thinking there were three.

An aerial view of an ospreys' nest containing two chicks and three eggs, surrounded by twigs and nesting materials.
Aerial view of an osprey nest with three chicks and one egg among twigs and nesting material.
A close-up of a bird's nest containing two newly hatched chicks, with one chick facing upwards and opening its beak, while an adult bird is positioned nearby.

There are three osplets at the Moraine Preservation Fund Osprey Platform. Little is so tiny! I hope they get lots of fish and this baby survives.

An osprey nest with several chicks being fed by an adult osprey, surrounded by twigs, pine cones, and some debris.

Clark PUD in Washington State has three babies and no shade!

A close-up view of an owl nest containing several young owlets, surrounded by twigs and natural materials, with a background showing train tracks and green grass.

Newport Bay Conservany has two osplets that are getting their juvenile feathers.

A close-up view of an osprey resting in its nest made of sticks, with a scenic background of grassy wetlands and a winding river.

Three babies at Smallwood…

A bird sitting in a nest made of twigs and branches, with two chicks visible nearby.

Beautiful babies with Mum at Brevard in Florida.

Two osprey chicks sitting in their nest with a view of the water and a dock in the background.

Incubation continues in the Usk Valley in Wales.

Two birds sitting in a nest made of twigs on a tree branch, with a green landscape in the background.

Two little scrappers at Port of Ridgefield in Washington.

A bird standing on a nest with three chicks, surrounded by twigs and grass.

Please send the Dewey Beach every ounce of energy you can. One little osplet. Please, please let them have enough fish to keep this baby to fledge. Two small fish have come to the nest. Dad is trying but the adults have to be so hungry. This whole lack of fish ‘thing’ that is human caused is simply driving me to the brink.

An osprey perched on its nest, which is made of twigs and contains two small chicks, with a calm body of water and buildings in the background.

Incubation continues at Loch of the Lowes in Scotland.

An osprey standing on its nest overlooking a calm body of water surrounded by trees.

First fish from Jack at the Achieva nest came at 0832. The family was waiting. Mum got it and fed everyone.

An osprey nest with two chicks and one adult osprey perched on the edge, surrounded by branches. In the background, there are residential buildings and trees.
Two ospreys sitting on a nest made of twigs, with trees and a road in the background. A logo for Achieva Banking for Good is visible in the corner.

Chick 2 has hatched for Idris and Telyn at Dyfi.

An osprey standing near its nest, with three hatchlings visible on the ground among twigs and debris.
Two osprey chicks sitting in a nest made of twigs, with a scenic view of a grassy landscape and distant hills in the background.
A close-up view of a nest with several young osprey chicks and an unhatched egg, surrounded by twigs and nesting materials.

There are still three chicks at Rutland’s Manton Bay nest of Blue 33 and Maya.

Close-up of an osprey sitting in its nest with three chicks, near Manton Bay, with calm water in the background.

Three eggs being incubated at Lyn Brenig in Wales.

A bird perched on a nest against a backdrop of a river and trees, with the nest made of sticks and twigs.

One beautiful baby so far for White YW and Blue 35 at Foulshaw Moss.

An osprey sitting on its nest, surrounded by twigs and sticks, with a vast grassy field and distant hills in the background under a clear blue sky.

Frankie and Angel and their two darling osplets at Loch Doon.

An osprey standing on a nest made of twigs and moss, with two chicks visible nearby, set against a backdrop of trees and a distant landscape.

Dylan loves delivering Brown Trout to his family at Lyn Clywedog in Wales.

A close-up view of a nest containing several newly hatched chicks, with an adult bird standing nearby on the edge of the nest.

Life in the osprey world appears to be going well at these nests. There are, of course, many others, and we must check in on Iris. Tomorrow is the first day to vote on the name for NewGuy2. Please take part.

These two are hilarious.

An osprey is taking off from its nest, which is made of twigs and located on a raised platform. Another osprey is resting in the nest. The background shows a parking lot and greenery.
A close-up view of an osprey nest containing two juvenile ospreys, with one adult osprey sitting nearby, overlooking a parking lot and greenery in the background.

Rosie Shields brings us the latest news from Border Ospreys.

EGG COUNTDOWNDownload

I am excited that Aran and his new mate will have chicks in a few days. He was the mate to Mrs G, then Elen (who is now with Teifi), and it is just great that there was a platform and a female for this dedicated dad.

A pair of osprey birds perched on a nest made of twigs and branches, located on a wooden platform. In the background, a blurred view of a grassy landscape with logs and a grazing animal.

Mary Kerr posted a YouTube video of Teifi and his brother Tywi in 2020. Teifi will be a dad in a few days when his and Elen’s eggs begin to hatch. Teifi is the son of Idris and Telyn. https://youtu.be/x1ewvCXqql8?

Close-up of two juvenile ospreys resting on a nest, one looking directly at the camera with a serious expression, and the other partially visible with its head turned.

It appears that Richmond and Wendy’s first egg is not viable at 41 days.

A chart titled 'Hatch Watch 2026' showing incubation projections for osprey eggs, with highlighted dates indicating possible hatching periods based on past incubation data.

Kielder Forest news – and there is a hatch at nest 1A.

Chick 1 for Nest 1A

Dale Hollow Eagle cam is frozen on 24 May.

A young eagle perched on a nest surrounded by lush green leaves and branches.

The livestream has been turned off of the Falconshire Bald Eagle nest where Scout eats crumbs and picks at his injured wing. Will he survive? We will never know what happened because they chose to intervene to band the chicks but not to keep Scout in rehab. Banding is, in my mind, a good thing but it is an intervention on the nest. Why not help Scout? Instead of hiding what is happening just because they are overwhelmed by people who care? Caring people should motivate for good!!!!!!

The last screen:

Two young birds in a nest surrounded by green foliage, with text wishing them a safe path toward fledging.

Good night from Missey.

A fluffy cat lounging on a soft surface near a window, looking relaxed and content.

First egg of the 2026 Loon Preservation Society has been laid!

First Egg Laid on LPCs Live Loon CamDownload

Bird flu has been detected in a pair of goshawks in the UK.

The heat on the Canadian Prairies has kept us inside. Don sleeps more as his disease progresses. Sometimes Toby ‘allows’ me to check on the bird nests. Toby is a bit like a toddler when their mother is on the telephone and they want attention!!!!!!! And how can I refuse?

Close-up of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with black, white, and tan fur, featuring expressive eyes and a curious expression, sitting on a couch.

If you are living in the UK, I know it is HOT, with temperatures of 35°C. Geemeff told me. Unbelievable. Mark Avery, head of RSPB for 25 years, has included paragraphs on a hotter Britain. I have included those thoughts in their entirety. “A hotter UK: a report published a couple of days ago – click here – by the  Climate Change Committee contained the slightly chilling phrase ‘The UK was built for a climate that no longer exists today and will be increasingly distant in years to come.‘. That focuses our minds on what we need to do to adapt to the climate-mediated changes that are heading down the road anyway, such as increasing summer temperatures and increasing length of periods of what are currently abnormally high summer temperatures. 

It won’t be me who is living in my current late-Victorian semi-detached brick-built, no cavity wall house in 25 years’ time but whoever does will need to do a bit more than know which curtains to shut, which doors to shut (and when to leave them wide open) to cope with high temperatures. Our house has quite a lot of roof that faces south (which is why solar panels work pretty well) but only one small window that faces south so the sun doesn’t beat down into rooms in the middle of the day. And the front door, and largest windows face west (whence the wind often comes) and the back door faces east, so it is possible to flush hot air from the house when temperatures drop in the evening. Even so, sitting quietly, reading a book, with one’s feet in a bowl of cold water is still an option applied even in these times.

There is much food for thought on flooding, the viability of farming, wildlife and infrastructure in this report. Read it and please never, ever, consider voting for Reform or the Conservatives whilst they have their current policies of scrapping net-zero measures. “

It is not just Britain that is hot. And the water that holds the fish for our beloved ospreys will be warming. Life will be difficult. How can we help? Remember: Put a bowl of water outside. There will be someone who needs it, and you might not know. It could be Mama Raccoon, the Sparrow, the homeless cat or dog, that comes in the middle of the night. Water is life.

It isn’t about raptors but if you happen to be near Mumbai, head over to see the art show and listen to a talk by my friend Pherozah Godrej.

Invitation to the 46th Monsoon Art Show at Jehangir Art Gallery, showcasing final year art students from various colleges in Maharashtra. Chief guest: Dr. Pheroza J. Godrej. Inauguration on June 19, 2026, at 5:00 PM, exhibition runs until June 29, 2026.

Beautiful Big Red and her babies. The oldest is just becoming steady standing.

A red-tailed hawk perched in its nest, overlooking two chicks among twigs and greenery.
Three red-tailed hawk chicks sitting in a nest made of twigs and branches, with a blurred background of trees and an elevated structure.

Ruth and Oren’s two hawklets are older at Syracuse University. Look at their juvenile feathers coming in and how good they are at standing.

Two juvenile hawks sitting in their nest surrounded by twigs and foliage.

Love White Storks? Knepp Farm’s Rewilding has brought them back to Britain and you can watch on their life stream: https://www.youtube.com/live/s0liN8AzykQ?

Two stork chicks interacting in a nest made of twigs, with greenery and a landscape visible in the background.

Geemeff’s The calm routine of the previous days changed today when Louis was kept busy keeping intruders away from the nest – while Dorcha protected the eggs, Louis chased away first a crow and later in the day an intruder Osprey. Neither got close enough to be a threat and Louis still had plenty of time to deliver two fish, taking the nest tally to eighty six. No intruders troubled the occupants of Nest One, and Garry LV0’s tally rises to eighty one after he delivered two fish to Aurora 536. The Inver Mallie forecast for the nest area is dry overnight with light cloud and light winds and a low of 9°C, continuing tomorrow with sunny intervals and a high of 20°C.
Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/XHVSJOXvl6U N2 Breakfast arrives for Dorcha on a damp grey morning 05.03.41 https://youtu.be/mt9KV0TNvi0 N2 Dorcha guards the eggs while Louis chases a crow 08.35.48https://youtu.be/wabw_lSDNBc N1 Aurora departs with her fish dangling precariously 12.41.19https://youtu.be/0U_yPezarMI N2 Louis is already on the eggs as Dorcha departs 13.47.12https://youtu.be/0JiykpnVbVI N2 Louis chases an intruder Osprey whileDorcha protects the eggs 18.45.56https://youtu.be/GYNsA8GWU84 N1 Garry’s in charge when Aurora departs with fish two 18.58.

You’re invited to join the friendly community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s fun, free and everyone’s welcome:

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


The Amersfoort Tower that has falcons in The Netherlands has another little one, Little Prince. He is doing so much better than Smallie that we worried so much about years ago!

A close-up of baby birds in a nest, surrounded by feathers and bedding material.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum – new couple? two eggs? three? hard to see. I did not see any fish brought on to the nest for the female. I hope I just missed the delivery. Looks like intruders about, too.

Two Ospreys resting in their nest made of twigs and branches, with a green landscape and pathways visible in the background.
Two osprey birds in their nest made of sticks and twigs, with green fields in the background.

Remember. Names for NewGuy2 posted tomorrow!

Thank you for being with us. I expect many more osprey babies to enter the world over the next couple of days. It is marvellous. I don’t believe I have ever worried about fish coming on a nest, save for the year that Aran was injured. What a contrast to the concerns in the NE US. Send wishes to all those nests, please – if the eggs hatch we need fish!

I have just learned that California has passed a law that would protect endangered species. I will find out more and report in a day or two. If this is true, it is wonderful – a real change from what is happening in Florida.

Take care. Stay cool. Remember to drink lots of water! Stay hydrated. See you soon.

Thank you to all of today’s contributors, whether it be videos, FB announcements, newsletters, or invites. We are grateful for all the camera owners who allow us to watch the lives of the birds, and we would be very grateful to know what has happened to Scout.

Iris and Blue 35

6 April 2026

Hello Everyone!

It could be a very busy day at the UK nests and in the western part of the US as favourable winds are blowing in the ospreys.

It has been confirmed that our dear Iris is, indeed, the osprey that landed early this morning on the Hellgate Canyon nest. I hope everyone had a good cry – a joyful one. Now let’s get that young male osprey back that was courting her last season!

Louis and Starr are already back. Starr was the first to arrive in Missoula. Their nest is at the Baseball Park – and despite all we think, Louis is a good mate to Starr and they raise 2 or 3 chicks to fledge every year.

Gosh, Iris looks good.

An osprey with spread wings standing on a nest made of sticks, with a view of an empty parking lot in the background.
An osprey spreads its wings while standing on a nest made of sticks. The background shows a parking lot and lampposts.
A close-up view of an osprey nest made of branches, with an osprey perched nearby. The scene is set against a parking lot in black and white.

Blue 35 has returned to Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve in Cumbria and is reclaiming her nest after Blue 717 got a little friendly with White YW.

We are waiting the arrival of Louis at Loch Arkaig Nest 2 in Scotland. His mate Dorcha will be delighted to see him land with a nice big trout.

Busy day at the Glaslyn nests:

A social media post detailing an eventful day at Glaslyn Valley, highlighting the presence of ospreys at the Glaslyn nest, with mentions of various birds and activities throughout the day.
A close-up view of two ospreys in a nest made of twigs, with one osprey standing and another slightly turned. The nest contains some moss and dirt. In the lower corners, there are additional images of ospreys, one in flight and another perched.

Lots of action at Loch of the Lowes.

Ospreys at Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre engaging in territorial behavior as one female osprey defends her nest from another.
An osprey perched on a large nest made of twigs, surrounded by trees and a scenic lake in the background. Two smaller images show the osprey in flight.

Thanks, Alison Copland. BoPH have created a genealogy chart. The Carey nest is the one for CJ7 and Blue 022, and it has a streaming cam.

A flowchart detailing the breeding history of ospreys in Poole Harbour from 2022 to 2025, including nests and individual codes for each bird.

Latest arrival news from Kielder Forest:

More males, at last!

One of my favourite males, Tegid Z1, Monty’s son, who breeds on a private nest, has returned safely.

A screenshot of a Facebook post detailing the return of a BTO ringed male osprey at Glaslyn, alongside a female osprey, with information about their breeding history and nesting partners.

So the males are starting to show up in Wales, too. Come on Louis!!!!!!!!!

The feeding is going very well at the Achieva Osprey platform. My goodness, if I didn’t know better, I would think this was a new male. (Maybe it is – I am not trying to start rumours here, just pondering the fish deliveries. I was never that pleased with Jack’s deliveries for Diane and the kids. Has anyone truly identified head markings?)

A bird sitting in a nest made of twigs, with a second bird perched nearby on a wooden post. In the background, trees and residential buildings are visible.

Bella and Scout’s two eaglets are doing just fine although there was a choking concern for the baby earlier on Monday.

Two adult bald eagles are tending to three fuzzy chicks in a nest made of twigs and straw.

Nature chat’s banner:

Interloping Common Buzzard laid 2nd egg today at Lesser Spotted Eagle Cam, as usual LSE pair hasn’t arrived for the season yet.

Hatch occurred yesterday for 2nd egg at Fort St. Vrain Station Eagle Cam, and pip observed on 3rd egg.

Pip watch continues for 3rd egg at ND-LEEF Eagle Cam.

Peanut has branched at the Winter Park, Florida Bald Eagle nest. Best be watching this energetic second hatch. She is going to take off fast!

News about California Condors:

A California condor egg resting in a hollow cavity inside a towering redwood tree, surrounded by mist and foliage.
Text discussing the California condor's history and its relationship with ancient megafauna, highlighting its role in ecology and conservation.
An image depicting a California condor with a tracking device, alongside a nest containing an egg, set against a backdrop of a coastal redwood forest and ocean.

Stop over and see the two little cuties that Jackie and Shadow are feeding and brooding. They are two little round teddy bears! So very happy for our darling couple.

Take care everyone. Iris’s arrival has made this day much brighter! We are all delighted. If Louis returns, I will be posting again. Otherwise, I will see you later in the week.

Thank you to ‘PB’ for her messages, to the owners of the streaming cams for my screen captures and for allowing us to witness the life of these incredible birds. I am grateful to everyone who posts on FB with information. Without your eyes, we might miss something!

Seren with Dylan and White YW arrives at Foulshaw Moss…

29 March 2026

Hello Everyone!

It is pitching down rain and Seren, Blue 5F has arrived home. She is now in the trees sheltering from the storm with her mate Dylan. Tears of joy!

An osprey standing on its nest with a green landscape and trees in the background, captured in a misty setting.

And another famous osprey is home – this time a grandfather!

An Osprey landing on the water with wings spread, surrounded by greenery.

I am writing this late Saturday with the hope and anticipation that Sunday will be a less dramatic day! A call has gone in to the people who installed the locks in our doors. They will be out on Monday with recommendations on how to ‘know’ if Don is getting out of the house. There are locks and devices to go over door knobs, but I have opted to have them tell me my options. An alarm system sounds best. It doesn’t need to be monitored. In Canada, that is often the most costly part. I am also going to get a digital door opener for all the doors. Then I don’t have to worry about keys. One set has already gone ‘walkabout’. My goodness…dear little Toby did get his reward. A nice piece of tenderloin and a bath after our last walk. The sidewalks are flooding and are like a slush cone. He was dirty and wet, so it seemed like a good time to try our first shampoo. (Normally, the groomers do this. He was incredible. He just stood on the mat in the tub and let me shampoo him!!!!!!!!!! He had such fun with the towels and loved being rubbed dry.

I have a feeling that this little puppy is gold-plated underneath all that fur. Whatever power in this universe sent this baby into my life really knew what they were doing. Indispensable.

Toby’s fur is quite long. He has had to wait a month since his last blood event to get groomed. That will be 11 April. He was so good in the bath, I wonder if he will let me trim him??? We have a lovely woman coming to trim his nails on Easter Monday, and she will show me how. Toby is a bit anxious about the groomer since she had to shave the matts off his tummy from when he had to stay at the vet’s for 4 nights in December. Poor baby. He might not look like he is show ring ready if I trim him but if it keeps his anxiety down, it will be worth it!

The Rod Stewart look! And he’s getting his Grinch feet.

A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel lying on a beige couch, looking directly at the camera with a slightly concerned expression.

White YW is one of my favourite UK ospreys. He and his mate, Blue 35, are at the Foulshaw Moss nest in Cumbria.

Here is the link to the Cumbria Wildlife Trust. There are two views and a replay camera: https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/osprey-webcam

There is now a YouTube station: https://www.youtube.com/live/8K0V8qFl1N4?

White YW looks good.

A young osprey stands on its nest made of twigs and branches, overlooking a vast open field with rolling hills in the background.

Samson also returned to the Borders Osprey platform. Rosie Shields writes,

A very quick note as it’s late and I’m not long back home but I had to share the good news that Samson arrived back today, some 2 weeks earlier than last year. He’s already brought sticks to the nest and has engaged in some crow bashing. I don’t have any photos as yet because the camera is throwing a small temper tantrum but, if I throw enough money at the system I’m sure it will work eventually!! 
Luckily, we had just finished doing some repairs to the nest following the severe battering it and the tree got during the various winter storms but Samson will no doubt not be satisfied and will furnish it himself in his own inimitable style. 
I’m delighted and relieved that he’s back. All eyes to the skies for Augusta now.

Windy and cold at Poole. Beautiful CJ7.

An osprey sitting on a nest made of twigs and branches, with a landscape view of trees in the background.

Blue 33 and Maya are already thinking about babies even in the cold wind.

Two ospreys sitting in a nest made of twigs and branches beside a body of water.

This wind might blow in more ospreys to the UK. Let’s hope.

Fru Rauer, the Norwegian osprey of some renown, is on her way home. She has a sat pak and her location will be announced the beginning of the week.

A scenic view of a coastal landscape with a large osprey nest in the foreground, overlooking a calm sea and distant shoreline at sunset.

The first feeding of DH13 (Decorah Hatchery) by Earlybird. https://youtu.be/ff_avdLYMKI?

A close-up of a bald eagle in its nest, surrounded by twigs and grass, with warm sunlight illuminating its feathers as it focuses on its surroundings.

Everyone saw the pip at Fraser Point for Cruz and Andor. It is now 2128, and there is some concern about activities at 1922 at the nest. It is unclear whether the chick has hatched or if there was a problem. We will find out in the morning. Fuzzy head now seen.

Close-up of an animal's head near a nest filled with straw and twigs, with a blurred background.
Close-up of a bald eagle near its nest, with a chick visible among the straw.

We are on pip watch for Irwin and Stella at the US Steel nest in PA.

A bald eagle resting in its nest at night, surrounded by branches, captured in black and white.

JBS24 at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands is getting a lot of air under those beautiful wings. The eaglet looks really good. Do you remember worrying about whether or not 24 would survive after 25 suddenly died? I do. So happy for the parents that they have one splendid eaglet nearing fledge.

A nest on a metal tower containing several eaglets, with greenery in the background.
A young bird sitting in a nest made of twigs and branches, positioned on a metal tower structure. The background features greenery, indicating a natural environment, and a logo for a wetland center is visible in the corner.

I am delighted that Richmond’s new mate has been named Wendy after the ‘Wendy Welders’ at the Richmond Shipping Yard. In World War II, my mother was one of those women!

There are ospreys – two of them – at Steelscape in WA.

Two ospreys perched on a nest made of branches and foliage atop a platform, with a view of an industrial area and vehicles in the background. Environmental data displayed includes weather conditions and time.
Two calico cats resting on a beige quilt.
Three pets relaxing on a couch: a gray cat sleeping on the back cushion, an orange cat curled up on the side cushion, and a black and white dog chewing on a stick on the front cushion.

Thank you for being with us. Keep your eyes os the screens! Second hatch at Decorah Hatchery and first for Irv and Stella. My reporting of the US Bald Eagles will slow as the UK and European ospreys arrive. Even with everything going on in the house at times, I am going to try and see if Heidi and I can get back near our record of monitoring 500 osprey eggs this season. So take care, let me know of any sightings!

If you are subscribed via Facebook, you may be missing posts. You can subscribe by sending your address and clicking subscribe. It is easy to unsubscribe. I do not send ads, but during busy times, you could get several posts a day. Alternatively, you can check my Blue Sky account and sign up: ospreylover.bsky.social.

Thank you to everyone who posted images and information on FB groups and to the owners of the streaming cams, we are forever in your debt. We would not be able to enjoy these amazing bird families without you.

Remembering Rosie while Ospreys arriving…here, there, and everywhere

24 March 2026

Hello Everyone,

Oh, gosh. I can’t keep up with eaglets hatching and ospreys arriving so…watch those eagle nests as I will be chasing after osprey arrivals.

The pair at the Port of Ridgefield have arrived.

Blue 33 and Maya arrived within hours of one another at Rutland’s Manton Bay nest! I am over the moon – and I will keep saying that. Geemeff has Maya’s arrival. https://youtu.be/Zc_Zd__2jZY?

Some want to argue that it isn’t Maya. As keen osprey observers know, the head of the osprey does not change, and Maya has a distinctive ‘X’ on her head. Thanks, Geemeff.

RSPB is giving a Zoom talk, ‘The Return of the Osprey’ in May. Here are the details if you are interested: Go to Eventbrite.co.uk. It is free. Below is the date and time for me.

Register on Eventbrite

Big Red and Arthur have their first egg as of the 23rd. Please consider joining the Cornell Hawk Cam Chatters if you are not already a member to keep up with the latest and learn when and where the live chats will take place during the hatch-fledgling period.

Osprey pair back at Cape Cod Mashpee, MA nest.

My goodness – I did say that they are arriving fast and furious.

Heidi’s watching a lot of nests and one of those is Seaside. We have Port of Ridgefield home so the rest should be arriving soon.

Heidi reports that there are now three osplets at Venice Beach and Golf Course Osprey platform as of 23 March!

The little one at Moorings Park is having some difficulties getting up to the table when fish arrive. It is having to wait but Sally is a good mum and the little one did get fish!

It takes a good food source and exceptional parents to have three osplets fledge – never mind four. I wonder if CJ7 and Blue 022 at Poole Harbour will go for another four this year? Their nest is waiting for them.

A memorial video dedicated to Rosie, Richmond’s mate who did not return this year to her nest at Golden Gate Audubon in the SF Bay Area, has been compiled. https://youtu.be/i4h2jIE8xuU?

Did I say get your tissues out?

Richmond loved putting sticks on Rosie’s back.

It is really hard to say goodbye to such a good Mum. Soar high, Rosie dear.

Thank you for being with me this evening. Osprey World is very busy – and so are the eagles and hawks. There will be some fledges soon – I might miss them so please send me the news. Take care.

Thank you to everyone for their wonderful videos, and to SF Bay Ospreys for a fine memorial video of Rosie and Richmond. To those who contributed news and images on FB, I am forever in your debt, as we all are to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to witness the lives of these incredible birds.

Egg at Venice Beach…Late Tuesday in Bird World

10 February 2026

Good Evening Everyone,

We have another Osprey egg – the first one laid at Venice Beach for the season.

The latest Kakapo chart sent to us by ‘J’:

JBS24 remains seemingly healthy more than 18 hours after JBS passed. This is welome news. HPAI ‘normally’ takes siblings closer together – so, it would appear HPAI is not the COD for 25.

Family portrait late Tuesday 10 February.

News of the Laysan Albatross from Hob on the island of Kauai:

The USK Valley is in Wales. The region has recently had its very first osplet fledge. In 5 weeks we hope to be welcoming the adults back to the nest.

SPO posts about the anticipation of the first egg at the US Steel nest:

Egg Watch Begins at the U.S. Steel Bald Eagle Nest as Familiar Patterns ReturnDownload

Jean-marie Dupart counted 61 ospreys in the Somone Lagoon in Senegal recently. They will be departing for their nests in the UK and Europe soon.

Scout and Bella have been so busy working on their nest. These wonderful pair lost their eaglets last year when their nest collapsed. It was a real tragedy – those beautiful babies had their juvenile plumage. Sending this pair good energy for a successful year.

SW Florida’s E26 stands on the rails in heraldic pose, is self feeding, and still loves to be cared for by Mum and Dad.

First egg for Franklin and Amonella. Here is the link to their streaming cam: https://youtu.be/N0DA2GlzCPc?

Eve and Kai are growing and doing so well. They are getting their ‘tails’ at the nest of Beau and Gabby.

That piece of fencing is still in the nest of Connie and Clive. Nothing can be done about it at this point. Notice where Quinn is standing. Quinn could have a pre-mature forced fledge. Let us just hope that this piece of human junk that made its way to the nest is not harmful to anyone and that it will be removed in the off season during camera maintenance.

R9 and R10 are doing very well at the Dade County nest, too. We have much to be thankful for despite the loss of three eaglets this season.

Gus and Willow laid their first egg at the Eagle Country nest in Florida on the 11th of January. Blaze has not been seen for some months. Skye was seen after Blaze went MIA.

How did a European Robin get to Canada?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/10/european-robin-canada-birdwatchers-montreal-rare-sighting-bird-aoe?CMP=share_btn_url

“European Robin – Roodborst (Erithacus rubecula)” by Martha de Jong-Lantink is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Thank you so much for being with us tonight as we catch up with a few of our bird families. Take care of yourself. Spring is just around the corner! But our bunch have ‘Valentine’s Day’ on their minds despite the fact that Toby’s ‘bunny ears’ arrived today. (Toby wasn’t so sure about these!) They are supposed to be a bit of a hat with ears, but we need some alterations!!!!!

We hope to be back with you the end of the week.

Thank you to the owners of the streaming cams, the authors of the FB posts, the creators of the videos, OpenVerse for its image bank, and The Guardian. My blog would not be the same without your talents and generosity in sharing.

First egg for Duke Farms Eagles…Late Monday in Bird World

12 January 2025

Good Evening Everyone,

I did not intend to post a blog today. The warm weather has energied all of us. We did a 4.3 km walk and then came home and dismantled the conservatory, scrubbed the floors, and rearranged the furniture. I wish Toby could do heavy lifting. He gets bored when Hugo Yugo wants to sleep and not play and now Toby is into tearing leaves off the tropical plants! What a mess they make.

We have our first egg at Duke Farms.

It is the time of year when some institutions offer honorary adoptions to support the essential work they do for our raptors. One of those is Ventana Wildlife, which manages the California Condors at Big Sur and Pinnacles. You could adopt – Redwood Queen, mother of Iniko (1031), who survived the Dolan Fire. Redwood Queen was the mate of Kingpin, who died, but she is now the lead condor in the flock.

Eagles at Decorah North.

Milda, the White-tail Eagle, was on her nest in Durbe County, Latvia on Monday.

Ospreys in Abu Dhabi! Here is the link to the streaming cams: https://www.youtube.com/live/3HOYTC_Ws3M?

I do love the eaglets – they are the cutest little things but my heart throbs at the sight of a tiny osprey or eyas.

I really ‘need’ Jackie and Shadow and Jak and Audacity to have at least one healthy eaglet this year. It would make 2026 so much better. Both couples are working on their nests.

Crap. The Mum at Winter Park was attacked by an owl. Ondabebee caught it on video. https://www.youtube.com/live/3HOYTC_Ws3M?

Jean-marie Dupart counts ospreys in Western African along the coast of Senegal. We are so grateful for his diligence, dedication, and the sightings of banded birds. Thank you for your report. Gosh KA9 sounds like a familiar osplet…let me see if I can find out where it is from.

Of course, KA9 is a male that hatched at Llyn Brenig in 2022. Ringed 4 July 2022. Parents are LJ2 and LM6.

Screenshot

We did lots of walking and cleaned up the conservatory, moving furniture, etc. Then we made SK Hideaways’ scone recipe #2. Delicious.

Oh, I wish I were a little younger. I would open a facility for people with dementia where they had free access to gardens, animals, baking -. Most talk about the time for some things, but it doesn’t seem to happen in the free way that it should. Keeping minds and bodies busy is paramount.

I will share one of these with each of you virtually!

Thank you so much for being with us for this very brief blog. I cannot promise that there will be another til the end of the week or next Monday. In the meantime, please do take care of yourself.

Thank you to everyone who posted information on FB. We appreciate your generous sharing of information and videos. Thank you to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to watch our beloved raptor families.

GHO at Eagle Country…Monday in Bird World

12 January 2025

Hello Everyone,

Gabby and the babies are on the big screen this morning. Gosh, they are big! It is windy and looks like rain coming to their nest.

Late note: Colonial Beach osprey cam is now live. We have lost a condor. Ventana Wildlife reports: “We recently found condor Vincent (892) deceased in Big Sur. He was just starting to come into his own as a breeding adult condor, and we are heartbroken to lose him so early in his life and when it was looking like he and condor Kodama (646) were about to nest.”

Thank you for all your lovely notes and supportive comments. We have had a good weekend. The weather has not always cooperated, especially on Sunday when we had pounding sleet during our walk with Toby (yes, we do get out no matter the weather). Today it is warm and the lads are in for a long walk – at least 3.6 km. We need it! And I cannot tell you how uplifting it is to go outside, even if it is for five minutes!

We hope that you had a lovely weekend. Did you watch that little sweetheart at the Winter Park, Florida Bald Eagle nest? And did you remember to put in a name for C14 at the Captiva nest of Connie and Clive?

The Winter Park eaglet is so cute!

The Winter Park female spent most of Sunday protecting her eaglet and 35-day-old egg from an intruder that was rather persistent.

It has been a gorgeous weekend. On Sunday, it will be 0 °C. We woke up to a fresh blanket of snow Saturday morning, and temperatures of -7 C. Toby was more than eager to get outside and go for a walk, and he was really excited when Miyoung arrived for haircut day. She is heading home to Korea for the New Year’s celebrations and to spend a month with her family. We are so very happy for her. It has been a true blessing to be able to count on her to come to our house, cut and style our hair in the conservatory, with Toby and the Girls looking on in awe. There should be more mobile units of all sorts – including dog grooming – for our ageing population. I have managed to figure out grocery delivery. Some people told me that they ordered too much because of the delivery charges – don’t do that. We want to cut down all waste, right? Just order what you need. The charges are a % of that, and you might be able to get free delivery by signing up for a service. Obviously, these conveniences are different wherever one lives! We have lucked out with the groceries, the snow removal, haircuts, and Ann. My next task is to try and organise friends and family to commit to coming one weekend afternoon a month. Those little breaks and Don’s ability to socialise with many different people make a huge difference. Keep that in mind if you or someone you know is in a similar situation.

Toby really enjoys his ‘Bully Sticks’ from Iceland. They help clean his teeth and are good at helping with the anxiety he is having. At the moment, he is wearing a sweater. The four days in the vet hospital matted his beautiful, long fur on his tummy. Poor Guy. He will go for a shave on the 17th.

Hugo Yugo got caught in Toby’s new car seat! You might recall that Hugo Yugo and Calico were quite interested in Toby’s stroller when he was a tiny pup. Well this very soft velvet carseat has caused a lot of commotion – no interest from Toby, however.

Missey has discovered a new spot to hide. I created a pile of wicker baskets – Toby chews on their handles – behind one of the sofas. Missey has taken it over. Toby can’t get back there and there is a nice window.

Baby Hope always sleeps on Don’s bed during the daytime. No one bothers her there and she does enjoy getting away from Calico once in awhile.

I might have missed it but I saw E26 getting fed ‘something’ dug up in the nest. I did not see a prey delivery on Saturday happen prior to 1600- but, please correct me. I want to be wrong. I know that road kill had been delivered and this looks like left over bones from it.

It was hot in Fort Myers.

M15 is OK. Flew in but nothing in his talons. Eaglets can go without food. E26 does not look like it is ‘starving’ – do not get me wrong but in the heat they depend on hydration from the prey. Fingers crossed for a nice whopping meal before bedtime.

Fish was on the menu for C14 at the Captiva nest of Connie and Clive! Oh, how I love it when those eaglets get to eat fish.

It is so good seeing those two healthy eaglets at the Dade County Bald Eagle nest of Ron and Rose. There is also news that R5 has been photographed at a golf course at Palm Beach, Florida. —–Imagine if they had not received their bands we would never know. So happy about the survival of these eaglets!

These two are so big.

I had the loveliest note from ‘N’ and I wanted to share the Eagle Country news with all of you that they sent me: “Wanted to update you on the latest journey we are blessed with at Eagle Country. We have a pair of Great Horned Owls (Willow & Gus-EC announced names yesterday). We miss the eagles being at the nest of course but am embracing this opportunity to learn about more about GHOW with the incredible cams there. Skye has been seen on the river cams (we see eagles daily there) and was last seen Dec 16th maybe the 31st at the nest. She has failed to bond this season with one of many suitors that have been about. Blaze has not been seen in months this season

Video from Androcat  of egg lay, prey delivery.  https://youtu.be/GtF6pTvDiDM?si=VMwa-NOa2Ub5io4S

Facebook post from Eagle Country (we are also getting a replacement cam for River 2, on it’s way) https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17esUgTbXj/

Love what Eagle Country has said “It’s been a beautiful reminder of why this place we call home is named Eagle Country. Country means the whole wild story, not just one chapter. Nature is wild. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

SK Hideaways videos, week of 4 January 2026

AEF-NEFL Eagles:  Gabby, Beau, NE32 & NE33
Courtesy American Eagle Foundation/NEFL Eagle CamOps https://nefleaglecam.org/
Nest Cam 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouWBQoVFegI
Nest Cam 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQrJv_Dt4tY
Cam 3 (Approach view) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImHK7o8UHXE
Nest Cam 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2KxnZtnI6Q

NE32 & NE33’s Food Comas and Hay Blanket Escapes (2026 Jan 10)
NE32 is 11 days old; NE33 10 days. They’ve got their second down and are beginning to sprout pin feathers. All that growing requires lots of food and all that food results in food comas. Here are some of those food comas as well as a look at their keen ability to escape the hay blankets that Gabby and Beau sometimes pull up over them.
Video: https://youtu.be/mQKieXGtd0M

NE32 & NE33 Crawl to the Pantry + Gabby & Beau’s Seamless Changeovers (2026 Jan 6)
NE32 is 6 days old; NE33 is 5 days old. They’re seeing more and moving more, including galumphing over to the pantry for snacks. Gabby and Beau are providing ample nourishment for these adorable, growing eaglets. 
Video: https://youtu.be/13nHkRpPt2Y


FOBBVCAM Eagles: Jackie & Shadow
Fluffed Up Nest Ready for Pancakes & Chick-Proof Rails (2026 Jan 5)
Jackie and Shadow have added fluff to the egg cup and built-up the rails around their nest. With Jackie’s fertile time occurring from January to April, we wait with giddy anticipation and hope for another successful breeding season. (5 Jan 2026)
Video: https://youtu.be/E6xPBIEXv9k
Courtesy FOBBVCAM | Friends of Big Bear Valley
Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE
Wide View Cam (Cam 2): https://youtube.com/live/LCGYWfbyBWc
LIVE Recap & Observations https://bit.ly/3Md8TSz


Two Harbors Eagles: Nest of Cholyn & Chase
Cholyn Brings Lunch ~ Ravens Want It ~ Chase Shoos Peregrine Away (2026 Jan 8)After a brief morning chat at the nest, Cholyn and Chase departed to a secret hideaway. Cholyn later returned with a tasty fish, but had to defend it against a raven before consuming it in peace. Chase arrived as sunset approached to defend the nest again ~ this time a swooping peregrine falcon was the culprit. Both Cholyn and Chase made quick work of their respective unwanted intruders to get on with the next eagle task at talon. (2026 Jan 8)
Video: https://youtu.be/2bUHUX55g-0
Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies, explore.org, Two Harbors Eagles Cam Ops
Eagle Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5T2eHM8tcI
Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yx7RKxpyzQ



West End Eagles: Nest Residents in Flux ~ Catalina Island, CA
Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies, explore.org
Nest Low Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfuqjSNXZ14
Other Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmmAzrAkKqI
Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kad6O4nF6bg

Plot Twist ~ New Female and Male Tinker, Beak on Nest (2026 Jan 9)
The new female and male met on the nest for the first time. We watch and wait as this ever-changing story unfolds for the West End eagles. (2026 Jan 9)
Video: https://youtu.be/8Q7FQ9AcTOU

Masked Eagle Takes to Nest ~ Visitor Perches On Hillside (2026 Jan 9)
There was an eagle on the nest for the first time since 1 January. There is some discrepancy about whether it is Haku. I personally don’t think it is. What do you think? There was another eagle perched on the hillside as well. There have been no confirmed sightings of Haku since 1 January and none of Akecheta since 30 December.)
Video: https://youtu.be/T3i1xbltjPU

Speaking of hanging around, how blessed are we that Girri continues to chase her parents, Diamond and Gimbir, for food, and that she’s such a strong flyer? Seeing reports on Girri just makes my heart beat bigger and warmer. Good weather and a big strong fledgling – what a difference.

The theft of the peregrine falcons in the UK:

“In the 90s, the UK trade in peregrine falcons was domestic, but it is now almost exclusively geared towards serving the market in the Gulf states. The UK exports more live raptors than any other country, and the UAE is the largest importer. “Over the past 10 years there has been significant growth in the falcon breeding industry,” said DC Steven Irvine, who has been investigating this trade.

Trading captive falcons is entirely legal, but what is not legal is the trafficking of wild birds into the captive trade. It is not known how many of those exported birds are wild caught, but police have identified at least some that are.” Read more…

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/08/wildlife-matters-and-it-may-be-causing-untold-harm-upon-nature-in-the-uk?CMP=share_btn_url

Then we have the ‘meanies’ around the world – not just in the UK – that shoot our beloved feathered friends. Unbelievable.

Peregrine found with gunshot injuries – police appeal for information – Raptor Persecution UKDownload

There is a new couple at the West End nest that once belonged to Akecheta and Thunder. No sightings of Akecheta for nearly a fortnight.

Ferris Akel caught images of both Big Red and Arthur during his tour of the Cornell Campus on Saturday the 10th.

For your enjoyment, some beautiful slo-motion video of backyard birds from Cornell: https://youtu.be/oZvA2eL_Sho?

It is now less than 60 days til we expect the first osprey to land in the UK. Who will it be? Seren Blue 5F at Clywedog? Blue 33 or Maya at Rutland? Blue 28 at Rutland?

Of you can’t wait that long, Moorings Park thinks they might have an egg this week – Harry and Sally are home.

‘A’ sends us a long commentary from Melbourne – thank you! “I was a huge fan of Beau when he was V3, as you might recall, and was thrilled when Gabby warmed to him (in her own time) and decided he was worth training. Beau was young and totally inexperienced at being a mate (and of course Gabby is one very demanding female). But he got there and look at who he is now. The most devoted of mates and a perfect dad. I adore watching the tandem feedings (where Beau usually feeds NE33 while Gabby feeds NE32, I have noticed, although occasionally it is the other way around), especially when he is feeding bites to Gabby that she in turn feeds to NE32, or vice versa.

What I do notice is that when Beau is doing a feeding on his own, he always makes sure that the food is shared between the pair, with a bite for NE32 and then a bite for NE33. These nestlings do have impeccable table manners, which helps a lot, but then I suspect the angelic behaviour at meal times is probably the result of knowing that they will each be given enough to eat so there’s no need for bonking. It just slows down their eating!! 

I am so glad that Gabby found such a wonderful mate after losing Samson. She deserved Beau, and as I keep saying, I loved that he was patient with her and not pushy, allowing her to move on at her own pace. I think they did have a special bond. Something made Gabby chose V3 rather than V9 or V13 or even V14. 

Suffice it to say that Gabby (and her nest) represented prime eagle real estate and there was much competition for both. It is interesting that a very young, inexperienced male should be the ultimate victor – it surely has to represent a choice on her part because otherwise, it would be most unlikely that V3 should successfully see off so many older, more worldly competitors to ultimately win her talon, so to speak. A true bald eagle love story. 

And now look at the results. Super parents in a relaxed, happy, mutually supportive partnership. What a truly adorable family they are.

Meanwhile, the pair at WRDC are also adorable, I agree with you about siblings. I think they are a major plus on a nest, and was really amused to re-read the story of Bodie and Juvie at this nest. I truly believe that was a huge plus for Bodie, and it was so typical of this particular family that they adopted Juvie as their own. I wonder what the motivation was for that on the part of Gabby and Beau. Did they understand the bonuses in the situation for Bodie? Or were they simply reacting instinctively to a young bird begging for food, in pretty much the same way as the parents of Junior did when they brought in Malala, the red-tailed hawklet, to feed to their own chick as lunch but then adopted?

But I’m rambling. It’s a lovely sunny 18C day today with a cool breeze and a blue sky. There are still fires in parts of the state but some rain overnight and the halving of temperatures have helped the situation immensely. Everyone In the family is safe. 

At Tataroa Head, the Royal Cam egg (laid on 6 November) is 66 days old today. The egg has been candled and we know that it contains a living creature that we presume to be a miniature northern royal albatross. That means we are less than a fortnight from pip watch. TOO exciting. I’m wondering whether the incubating parent is aware of the impending hatch – I’m presuming they can hear that a hatch is underway – and be reluctant to leave the nest during the hatch. Or whether the foraging parent has some way of knowing that a hatch is due and so hurries home for the hatch. 

Of course it is possible that they are remarkably unconcerned about the whole process, given the fact that the rangers remove the egg as soon as a pip is detected and take it to hatch in a supervised incubator, leaving the proud parent carefully incubating a dummy egg that suddenly ceases to emit any sound whatsoever. I do have to wonder whether that distresses them in any manner (it doesn’t appear to do so and fortunately, but somewhat strangely to me, there is no information to indicate any of the bamboozled incubating parents abandoning the suddenly silent egg. Maybe they just accept the happy ending and/or have learned to trust the intervention of the rangers, whatever form it takes. 

But to return to my point, the Royal Cam egg is due to hatch in 13 days (which is 24 January by my estimate). The egg takes many days to hatch, so I’m not sure what stage the 79 days takes us to. The pip? The hatch itself? I will have to look it up, but based on my memory of previous years, I think it means we should have a small damp fluffy person on 24 January. I will look it up to be sure but the timing of a hatch on day 79 is perfect – it’s two days before Australia Day. 

I’m so excited. I do adore the early weeks of a baby albatross, and this nest is such an easy watch because of its isolated setting and the rangers’ dedication. Intervention? These birds get squid smoothies when they need nutrition, electrolytes when they need hydration, sprinklers when it’s too hot, supervised hatching of the eggs in incubators, and regular general health monitoring throughout, and of course all nests have one chick only and the albatross is the most gentle of birds, so a bit of posturing and bill clacking is about as aggressive a watch as it gets. The birds are just exquisitely serene, as you would be if you planned to spend more than half a century drifting around the world on air currents. Their entire life is a meditation.” 

Thank you so much for being with us today. We will see you next Monday.

Thank you to those who post news on the various FB groups – what would we do without them?! And to the owners of the streaming cams who allow us to look into the lives of the Raptors, as well as news agencies and blogs that report on the atrocities that happen to our beloved feathered friends, such as The Guardian and Raptor Persecution UK. I am grateful to ‘A’ for her long commentary, to ‘N’ for writing in about Eagle Country, and to SK Hideaways and their amazing videos. Thank you all!

Girri soars high!

3 January 2025

Hello Everyone,

It is a full moon night on the Canadian prairies with a temperature of -16 C. Tobby and Hugo Yugo are curled up beside me on the sofa along with a couple of ‘Little Lambs’, Toby’s favourite toy. Ann spent the morning with Toby while I went to the hospital to see how Don was doing.

I felt really ‘proud’ and happy when the nurse sat me down, hugged me, and told me how well I was taking care of Don. You don’t think it – or I didn’t – his clothes are always clean, and so he is. I feed him, for the most part, whole foods, giving in to a love of cookies that his mother created by her excellent (and constant) baking when he was younger. His bloodwork is good, and he is very healthy given his condition. I know that many have expressed concern about his discharge back into the home, but the root cause was not his dementia, but rather a serious problem with his bladder that the doctors have now repaired. He was very alert today, and after I had been there for about an hour, his oldest friend, Andrew, arrived, and you could hear them laughing several metres away. I slipped out quietly, knowing that his other friend from high school would be arriving shortly. Ann stayed home, monitoring Toby to make sure he didn’t start haemorrhaging again. Toby is getting stronger and more like himself. It was so nice having him snore in my ear last night – I will NEVER complain again about that! Sometimes he is so loud he could shake the roof off the rafters.

Thank you for all of your notes. I want to publicly pass on a big shout-out to Heidi and her video that was included on Day 11 – many of you have downloaded that blog so that you can watch her handiwork repeatedly. She is exceptionally talented, and I am so glad that our paths crossed in this lifetime.

The nurses have asked me to rest up for a few days, so my posts over the next 2-4 days will be shorter and less comprehensive. As most of you can tell, I have a real soft spot for Gabby and now for Beau after adoring Samson for so many years. Those two little scrappers in NE Florida are adorable. And like all of the other eaglets in the nests, they are adored by their parents. My goodness, I wish we could sprinkle this type of eagle love all over the planet.

Girri is one of those great events from 2025. Having sobbed our eyes out with the loss of Xavier, we thought Diamond would not have any chicks. Then along came Gimbir, and well, everyone thought he was too young and inexperienced to be a Dad. Well, were we wrong? Diamond and Gimbir gave us one heck of a strong female falcon, and here she is flying above the trees near the tower! https://youtu.be/ECUH1DwWGao? It just doesn’t get much better than this at the Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam project.

It’s not a raptor… but this is a story everyone should know about. China has footage of a Wild Siberian Tigress with five cubs in Hunchun. Northwest Tiger and Leopard Park. This is thrilling news! They normally have 2-3 cubs so five is rare and is a great conservation success. Here is the link to the video: https://youtu.be/JaSsbkfC5N4?

The BBC reports, “Five Siberian tiger cubs have one very proud mum – she’s the first ever tiger known to have given birth to quintuplets in the wild in China. 

The family have been spotted in Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, which is one of China’s first five national parks and covers over 14,000 square kilometres – that’s around the same size as Northern Ireland!

It’s very rare for Siberian tigers to give birth to five healthy cubs, so it’s a big success story for the park, who say it’s likely that mum had the cubs back in June.” (27 December 2025)

It is all good for Beau and Gabby at NE Florida.

The AEF captured Gabby feeding Beau who then fed the eaglets with the food. How cute was that?

E26 is a massive eaglet. Want to bet we have a strong female here for M15 and F23 this year? Thermal down. Pin feathers. And quite enough food and more than enough love from Mum and Dad.

What a little cutie – the other only – at Captiva for Connie and Clive.

R9 and R10 are just adorable. Ron and Rose are doing a fantastic job at Dade County. Life is looking good!

One of my favourite all-time books about a human being changed by an encounter with wildlife was Raising Hare. Here is an incredible story about a Japanese island inhabited by Hares! Can I put it on my bucket list?

‘A place of darkness and light’: the uninhabited Japanese island that became a rabbit paradise https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/02/japan-island-rabbit-okunoshima?CMP=share_btn_url

I really do like those very short stories in The Guardian. Look under Environment, then Wildlife. 350 words or fewer. Always informative.

UK’s warmest spring on record led to rise in songbirds breeding, data showshttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/30/uk-warmest-spring-on-record-led-to-rise-in-songbirds-breeding-data-shows?CMP=share_btn_url

Time for Toby’s last medication. Oh, my dear darling little man. The sheer idea that I could have lost you is beyond my comprehension.

This week, I learned two significant things I would like to share with you, in the hope that one or both might help you in the future. If you know of anyone whose behaviour radically changes, from calm to agitated, please get them to the doctor to check for an infection. If you know or suspect they cannot pass urine, do not be shy about stating this. It is critical. Secondly, if you see any blood, watery or otherwise, in your pet’s vomit or diarrhoea, rush them to the vet. Do not sit around and twiddle your thumbs, I mean, rush. Toby’s life was saved because of quick action on my part and that of Dr Maryam.

Thank you so much for being with us today.

Thank you to the owners of the streaming cams that let us glimpse the breeding seasons of our wonderful raptors. Without them we would never see the joyful moments shared by these parents and their chicks! I would also like to thank The Guardian for their constant reporting on issues about wildlife. Thank you Holly Parsons or that great capture, to Cilla Kinross for her post and to the China Daily for its story on the Siberian Tiger.

Most memorable nests of 2025

2 January 2026

Hello Everyone,

I have been asked to share this urgent request immediately because of the timely nature of the legislative bill: I apologize for the size – maybe you can go to the Wild Heart Ranch FB for the details if you cannot blow this up.

What a great community of people we have in Bird World. When I look at the map of people who read my blog and treasure our birds, there are very few places on the planet where there isn’t someone who is not a member of our family. It warms my heart.

There was a deep underlying purpose in asking you to contribute the joyful moments you remember from Bird World in 2025. Too often, we focus on the negative, even if that terrible event was only one of a dozen wonderful, glorious ones in a day. It is time for us to shift the way that we think – and believe me, I need to do this as much as anyone. Life has thrown a lot of extraordinarily difficult challenges at me this year – and I know that it has done the same to so very, very many of you. Sometimes I want to slide under the duvet and stay there for several days, hoping that whatever it is will go away. It doesn’t happen, of course. It is like some big furry monster just waiting for you to stick your head out. So now is the time to deal with it and bring the sunshine back into our lives.

I am going to start with a few instances to get the ball rolling, so to speak. Akecheta. The day when I saw Akecheta’s bloody head on Tor and Thunder sitting next to that other male, I was devastated. Maybe it was just the icing on top of the cake, the cherry on top of the sundae to different events that day, but it hit me so very, very hard. Then, when Akecheta was photographed on the Californian Mainland, I wept with joy. He was alive! But the real triumph was when Akecheta returned, healed and confident, to take his rightful place at the West End, sitting proudly with Haku looking out at the sea. The second instance that made me so very happy was seeing CJ7 and Blue 022 raise another clutch of four osplets at Poole Harbour. To raise two can be hard – three is difficult – but it takes extraordinary parenting to fledge four (and a source of good quality fish). https://youtu.be/mzG-D8kmI-s?

It has been a long time since we have witnessed the sea eaglets at the WBSE nest in the Olympic Forest survive. Most of the time, we cheer their growth, admiring their intelligence and beauty, only to worry that the Currawongs will drive them out of the territory or find them near the Discovery Centre, in need of care. This year, the Currawongs were outwitted! Yes, we lost the male 36, but there is no reason to believe that anything untoward happened to 35. She was a strong flyer. But seeing them fly in and out, getting food without falling into the Currawongs’ harm’s way, gives me hope for future clutches as well. Oh, there are so many. Iris returning to her nest.

Diamond mating with a very young male and producing a strong female who appears to be doing splendidly.

“There is something to appreciate in every moment of every day. Strive to 

find it as often as you can. Living with gratitude will change your life.” (Goodreads)

There are so many quotes. Find one that suits you and print it and look at it each morning when you open the fridge.

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” — Oprah Winfrey

There were a lot of wonderful memories in Bird World for 2025. Thank you for sharing some of your magical moments with the rest of us!

‘BF’: “Perhaps not the same as a highlight — in fact, this had the potential to be a “lowlight” — but an unusual situation that captured my attention was when an uninvited (and not related) juvenile bald eagle showed up on Gabby and Beau’s NE Florida nest looking for food.  It was rocky at first, but after a few days — and a few tussles — “Juvie” almost seemed to be an accepted member of the nest family (perhaps grudgingly?), along with Gabby and Beau’s own not-yet-fledged juvenile, Bodie.  All seemed to get along, it was surprisingly peaceful, and perhaps it was even a positive for Bodie to have the slightly older juvenile nest mate. Eventually Juvie moved on and Bodie fledged and dispersed and both are successfully off on their own.

‘PB’: Most memorable nest for me is Dunrovin and all that drama! Losing Mo due to a throat problem and then found by the river passed. Relieved Eenie fledged. That nest was so stressful when we almost lost the little ones falling off the side of the nest. I hope Dunrovin will fix the nest for next season so we don’t have to go through all that again.

“B’: “There are so many highlights for 2025 — for sure, every single hatch and fledge is a highlight to be remembered.  But I was especially pleased to see the successful hatch and fledge of eaglet Betty Lou for Audacity and Jak at the Sauces Canyon nest on Santa Cruz Island, since for Audacity and Jak it had been three seasons and four long years — with many broken eggs — since their most recent previous eaglet, Dina in 2021. 

Similarly, celebrity eagles Jackie and Shadow had spent many, many days the past two seasons at Big Bear Valley — through snow and winter storms — incubating eggs that turned out to be nonviable; it was wonderful to see the 2025 hatch of lively eaglets Sunny and Gizmo at Big Bear, the first for Jackie and Shadow since Spirit in 2022.  

The return of Akecheta to West End has been a surprise highlight.  We last saw Akecheta early in the year, lying on the ground, injured in an apparent territorial fight.  Then the cameras went out, and when they returned Akecheta was nowhere to be seen, and we were concerned for his survival.  It has been a real blessing that Akecheta has returned now to West End; we hope for mating and new eaglets in 2026.  As great as Akecheta’s return has been, the real highlight for me was the day in May when we heard the report that Akecheta and his distinctive blue wing tags had been spotted at Lake Casitas, many miles away on the mainland near Ojai, for that was when we learned that Akecheta had survived and was off in the world being an eagle.

oh, and how could I forget another whole class of highlights: the watching and waiting for the return of the migrating birds and the highlight it is when you see Iris or Louis and Dorcha arrive. Or seeing Beau arriving weeks early and waiting for Gabby.  These sorts of things are simple and repeatable, but they are something to celebrate each time.

‘R’: “My favorite ‘Bird’ story this year was following Iris. 🪺 And Jackie and Shadow’s success ❤️

My favorite non-bird item was definitely Heidi’s Christmas video to you ❤️💕and the pictures of Don and you!  I saved “Day 11 Welcome to Winter”, so I could look at the pictures again.Ever since I’ve known you, before  WordPress, I heard of Don, knew he was ill, and not as bad, back before COVID, but I never had a face to go with the name.”

‘N’: “I have many favs but this recent one comes to mind…caught this recently at Dade (speaking of our Florida nests). Made me giggle, which I can use often! 

Sibling pooping on sibling!

SP’: Oh, Mary Ann, with so much human tragedy in 2025, I was so invigorated to go back through the events of 2025 in Bird World only to discover an avalanche of happy, heartwarming, beautiful events throughout the year.  Here are way too many (in alpha order)! 

367 Collins Street Falcons: F23, M23, and 4 chicks
F23 and M23 had their talons full with 4 rambunctious chicks, but they raised and fledged them beautifully.
Dad Tries to Feed 5- and 2-Day Old Chicks Whole Prey (2025 Oct 5) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02vbdny7Bo0
Pre-Fledge Chicks Perform Acrobatics ~ Teetering on Ledge (2025 Nov 10) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_GfSbdrs68

AEF-NEFL Eagles:  Gabby, Beau, NE31, and Juvie
The arrival of Bodie (NE31) and Beau’s first foray into fatherhood were so special, as was the development of Gabby and Beau’s relationship. The “adoption” of Juvie by Gabby and Beau, and the ultimate bonding between Bodie and Juvie were simply beautiful.
Beau Tries to Feed NE31 for the First Time (2025 Jan 21) https://youtu.be/G4zea3983tw?si=RA0InJ2bNJkm5wYo
Bodie Branches Out ~ Juvie Shares Flying Tips (2025 Apr 5) https://youtu.be/cYTuJVPT8K4?si=tNR4bQZCq6EQRa7o

FalconCam Project: Diamond, Gimbir, and Girri (RIP dear Xavier)
Girri lifted our spirits as we mourned for Xavier. Gimbir stepped up to take on parental duties as he learned from pro mum Diamond.
Gimbir Brings 3 Starlings in 9 Minutes ~ Chick Gets First Meal (2025 Nov 6) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mynzf-kkOQQ
GIRRI FLEDGES at 43 Days Old ( 2025 Dec 18) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96yPLdvaixU

FOBBV Eagles: Jackie, Shadow, Sunny, and Gizmo (RIP Misty)
Jackie and Shadow mourned the loss of one chick as they raised Sunny and Gizmo to be strong, independent fledglings. It was such a gift after two years of failed clutches.
SC Stands Tall on New Clown Feet ~ BC Delivers Single Bonk (2025 Mar 23) https://youtu.be/sWFD087ffRg?si=ATZrG4B9dD3xnpqm
Golden Hour Moments with Sunny & Gizmo ~ Special Times to Remember Always (2025 May 15) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WraMnX8mFy0

San Jose City Hall Falcons: Hartley, Monty, Emma, Willow, Octavia, and Chico
For the second year, Hartley and Monty raised four chicks. There were so many delightful moments with all of them.
FIRST 2 CHICKS HATCH: One Gets Wild Ride Across Nest (2025 Apr 19) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9jZtIHqat4
Raucous Rooftop Food Fight ~ All 4 Chicks Win (2025 Jun 7) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9rt2B1BZ8A

Sydney White-Bellied Sea Eagles: Lady, Dad, SE35, and SE36
Despite a sad ending for SE36, the saga of SE35 and SE36 was a joy to watch. Family time was always a special treat.
SE35, SE36, Lady & Dad Spend the Afternoon Together Next Door (2025 Nov 10) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcaObXf4qpA

Two Harbors Eagles: Cholyn and Chase
Every moment with these two is a gift.
Cholyn & Chase on 22 Years of Mated Perfection (2025 Oct 21) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTbMUL24oMs


West End Eagles: Akecheta’s Return
AKECHETA RETURNS! (2025 Sep 24) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgFXKDnDrp0

I could go on (Betty Lou, Blue and Kaimana, TE3!), but I’ll stop here. Thank you for pulling this good news together to go on lifting spirits as you do all year long. 

‘L’: 1. Beau at the NEFL nest brooding the eggs and the look on his face when “Bodie” hatched. In addition to Bodie being a single, a rogue juvenile showed up and stuck around for a few weeks providing additional entertainment. 

2. Audacity and Jak, Santa Cruz Island. Audacity laid 3 eggs, 2 broke and the third hatched. It was a miracle after several years of broken eggs for this longtime pair. It was pure joy watching “Betty Lou” grow up. 

3. Jackie & Shadow with 3 hatchlings! Unfortunately losing one but the other two survived given the names “Sonny” & “Gizmo.”

4. The trio of Scout & Bella lined up on the rails at the NCTC nest(unfortunately the nest collapsed)

5. The Trempealeau nest with TE3. Mrs. T deserved an award after practically raising TE3 alone. 

6. Gimbir taking over the nest after the male Xavier disappeared from the Charles Sturt University FalconCam nest. Diamond laying 3 eggs and little Girri hatching! 

‘J’: I obviously do not have a lot of memories this year, but one stands out above everything: WELCOME HOME AKECHETA!

‘SA’: Iris arrives home. Jackie and Shadow have two – Sunny and Gizmo. Cheta comes home to the West End.

‘TN’: It was a cracker of a year for Poole Harbour raising another clutch of four to fledge. Simply brilliant.

‘C’: Akecheta returns to the West End.

‘BA’: “As for favorite nest event of 2025, mine is probably the same as most everyone else’s  —  the successful hatching of Jackie and Shadow’s three eaglets, and the subsequent successful fledging of two of them. (The death of one was probably the saddest event for me, though I know it was probably best that they only had to raise two.)

Second favorite event was Gabby and Beau’s first successful year together raising an eaglet. (That too is probably a favorite of most others.) I know there were many other joyful moments in bird world. It’s good to have them balance out the sad moments.

(Really sad about CalFalcons last year…. haven’t yet gotten over the loss of both — and that nest that still sits empty.)”

‘J’: “Has to be Sunny and Gizmo hands down. Jackie and Shadow being parents gave me a new reason to want to live through my cancer treatments.’

‘K’: ‘There was worry that Louis might not return to Loch Arkaig. Seeing him land on the nest was the best moment for me all year. Louis survived what ailed him and came home to Dorcha.’

‘WL’: There are too many wonderful things that happened but two stand out for me amidst a lot of dismal nests. The first is little T3 in that nest in Wisconsin, raised only by its mother, no thanks to that two-timing dad. That chick was determined to live. The other was Iris returning to her nest. It was sad Finnegan didn’t make it. Maybe the new one will.’

‘A’: ‘The death of Xavier rocked my world to its core. Then an almost too-young Gimbir turns up. Diamond likes him. Diamond really likes him. Out of the sadness came a superb female falcon named Girri. Many of the latest fledglings out of that scrape did not make it. Girri is doing extremely well. Seeing Girri fly over the tower, learning to be a falcon from Diamond and Gimbir, makes me smile every day. It was the best thing to come out of the worst.’ ‘We cannot forget the falcon fledges from the CBD in Melbourne!’

Thank you ‘AK’ for this incredible card!

Thank you to everyone who participated.

The day my baby got sick.

Home from the vet and bright-eyed but sad because he cannot find his daddy.

Woolly and Mysterious Missey, who has a ‘mat’ that I must cut out. Don typically brushes her many times a day.

Precious Calico.

The little trouble maker, HUGO YUGO!

Sweet Hope.

Toby is sleeping upside down next to me. He is feeling better because he wanted to romp around the house with Hugo Yugo a few minutes ago. It is so very nice to have him home from the veterinary hospital. While I might have complained that there isn’t enough room in the bed with him on the pillow and HY in my arm, Calico at one side, and Missey near my feet – I sure would not want it any other way. The only one that doesn’t join in is Hope and maybe she will one day.

We wish you a wonderful 2026.

Thank you to everyone who participated and to the owners of the streaming cams so that we can watch these amazing birds and their families. I also want to thank SK Hideaways for their amazing videos that add depth to the stories. You are all so wonderful and my blog would never have the spice of life that it does without you!

Wishing everyone a wonderful 2026

29 December 2025

My dear friends in Bird World,

I cannot thank you enough for your best wishes. It isn’t easy to express how much your kindness and letters of support mean to me. I am as fine as fine can be under the circumstances. I slept for the first time last night. Nellie is going home on Tuesday and after she leaves I hope to begin processing all that has transpired over the past few weeks over hot mugs of tea. you will undoubtedly know that the British drink tea for everything – when I lived there any celebration or any issues were solved over a cuppa’.

Don is in the hospital, where he is safe, secure, and comfortable. He is currently in the ICU unit – urgent care. There is something significantly wrong with his bladder that is causing toxins to remain in his body. Those toxins could have caused the behaviour he was exhibiting. They are working on finding a solution to this problem. He will be moved ‘upstairs’ to the LAU Unit, where he will have an entire team looking after him – geriatric psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, home care workers, etc. Once he has been thoroughly evaluated and stabilised, they will work to find a safe and secure place for him to live. His condition has deteriorated rapidly, and my gut tells me that he will need to live where he can have 24/7 care and be in a secure unit where he cannot wander and get lost. Dementia is a terrible disease. Lewy Body Dementia is even worse with its horrific hallucinations. I am grateful to everyone who has helped and continues to support Don and me, and to our friends and family who have stepped up to take turns visiting him. Jaine came with her beautiful, smiling face and a bag of her favourite homemade chocolate-chip cookies. Their help and support are giving me the time and space to begin processing how our lives are changing.

I am also so happy that I have The Girls and Toby as well as Brock and the outside animals and birds – they get me out of bed to feed and clean after them which is extremely helpful. The problem is that it is too easy to cover one’s head with a duvet and shut out everything. I am responsible for their lives and I need to be strong for Don so that the team and I can make the best decisions for him that we can. He deserves that. He still knows me and I melt when his face lights up and he wants a kiss and a hug.

As we get to the beginning of 2026, I would love to hear from you on what your highlights of the 2025 season were. Please feel free to send them to me via e-mail or post them in the comments. I will put them in the blog on the 2nd of January. So please take part. I would love to hear from you. Let’s jog everyone’s memory about the wonderful things that happened this past year.

So thank you, and now, let’s get on with a look at a few nests! I hope to have a small daily report…I had thought a break might be good but I find, like you, that the birds bring much solace.

There is a pip at the Hilton Head Bald Eagle nest.

We are on pip watch for Gabby and Beau at NE Florida, and this baby just can’t come fast enough for me.

At SW Florida, E26 is getting a sweet little tail and some thermal down. M15 and F23 have been providing all manner of prey items – one, a RK cat – was removed. Thank goodness.

CE14 is one of the cutest little eaglets. Growing fast on the Captiva nest of Clive and Connie. Looks like another ‘only’.

Looks like Ron and Rose’s little eaglets are hoping for a bedtime snack!

Only nest so far with more than one hatch save for Superbeaks that had three eaglets with Froto passing. Let’s see how the others do.

We had hoped for the drama at the West End nest of Akecheta to stop. We had hoped that Haku and Akecheta could live in peace and raise an eaglet family. At the time I am writing this, Haku has been missing for a day with another female eaglet hanging around the nest. I hope that this is just a ‘silly something’ and life will return to normal there.

Or is it Haku? I cannot be certain. Akecheta seems perfectly at home sitting on Tor with this bird.

Gigi and Pat have been seen mating near the ND-LEEF nest in South Bend, Indiana.

I would love to see some ospreys on the Captiva Osprey nest, wouldn’t you?

Olivera and Hoots. Incubation of their two GHO eggs. Gosh, they are cute but I sure do not like them around the eagle and osprey nests!

I wonder how many trees had to be cut down just to make Christmas wrapping paper and napkins? Best to purchase gift bags and not write on them so they can be used over and over again!

Do you use Merlin Bird ID? Here is an article in The Guardian that you might find interesting.

‘It brings you closer to the natural world’: the rise of the Merlin birdsong identifying apphttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/27/merlin-ai-assisted-birdsong-identifying-app-bird-species?CMP=share_btn_url

Toby waiting for his walk with Ellen and Nellie. After Tuesday it will Toby and me hitting the snow!

Toby giving Nellie a good night kiss.

Thank you so much for being with us today. We hope your holidays were bright and that the new year is kind to each of you.

Thank you so very much to The Guardian for its wildlife articles, the owners of the streaming cams, and the authors of FB posts that helped me to write my blog this evening.