15 August 2025
Hello Everyone, Good Morning or Good Evening,
Late News: The two cute little hobbys in the UK were predated by a goshawk only a few moments ago. Oh, how sad that is.
If you blinked, like I did, the end of the school term was two months ago in Canada and wow – they are loading up those school bags and preparing to head back to classes. What happened to those long dog days of summer? Traditionally, we have short summers and long winters with temperatures colder than Mars (or so the meterologists report). It can get to -38 C but, either my memory is totally faulty or things are changing, since we no longer have month after month of temperatures in the -30 C range. Still, I do not want winter to arrive.
Until then, we will make the most of every day, heading out for walks and picnics until it is so cold that Toby requires a parka and boots. One place I am looking forward to is Chickadee Trail – feeding out of hand those precious little birds that stay year-round.
Toby had his first grooming today. His cute little report card said he was ‘relaxed and responsive’ with ‘skin and coat in excellent condition’! That made me smile. He is resting by me, chewing on one of his Bully Buddies – Blueberry and Yak Milk. Yes, our animals eat healthier than we do! Bullie Buddies are from Iceland and are organic and contain no chemicals. They are solid and will not splinter. Check them out. Our trainer says they need these to help them calm, to clean their teeth, and to teaching them what they can and cannot chew.
How could you say ‘no’ to those eyes? (And yet you must if you want a clam and happy dog that others want to be around).
The highlight of the week has been the hatch of WBSE 35. Lots of fish on the nest. WBSE 36 was still working to get out. The hole is getting larger.
SK Hideaways has the cutest little video capture of WBSE 35 helping 36 gets its shell off! And some great bites into that beak of 35 by Lady! https://youtu.be/gNial0KwZyk?s
Oh, the little SE look like little fluffy snow people. Adorable. I shall be watching this nest closely as it is very dear to my heart.
‘A’ writes: “Meanwhile (and for this moment, more importantly) we have two healthy-looking active sea eaglets who are both eating well from a veritable smorgasbord Dad has brought to the nest in a frenzied of proud parental excitement. Both have been eating well today – at lunch, SE35 was so stuffed to the gills, it turned away from the table, allowing SE36 to continue eating well. These two are adorable, Lady is experienced, and Dad is doing his job wonderfully well, despite all the rain. Yesterday, while SE36 was hatching and SE35 was resting from its lengthy hatch, Lady sat all day in the rain, water puddling on her back, with the littles warm and dry in her underfluffies.
The currawongs are bold this year, proving a nuisance already, attracted by all the food laid out on the nest (currently two nearly whole fish and the remains of what was once a largish bird, I believe). Lady is honking at something higher in the tree that sounds like currawongs to me. It sounds as though Dad is also higher in the tree and alerting, with the currawongs squawking and occasionally swooping if Lady’s movements on the nest are any indication. We can’t see them but we can certainly hear them and Lady’s ducking and snaking of her neck as well as her vocalisations definitely suggest the presence of a currawong or three higher in the nest tree. Finally, there is silence, except for Lady and Dad’s occasional squonks, and Lady returns to lunchtime feeding. At 12:59 she switches to the bird carcass and feeds some of that to the eaglets.SE35 has returned for seconds and SE36 is still finding it all a bit difficult – it probably can’t even see properly yet.
These two are the sweetest little sea eaglets. Fluffy little white babies with the cutest little wings. I just adore them at this early stage. And the fact that they both appear strong and healthy and active, eating well, with two caring and competent parents, is such a blessing. “
The second big event in my estimation is the return of Beau to the NE Florida nest he shares with his mate, Gabby. She usually arrives between the 8th and 12th of September, just about the time Iris is taking off for parts south.
There is much concern as many of the streaming cams will be going offline now that the raptors have fledged. ‘B’ wrote, “I am also sad, because the word from the Trempealeau chatters is that they will be turning off that cam in the next few days. I forget whether they are saying the 15th (which is Friday) or whether it is on the weekend. But I have gotten attached to TE3, who has still been on the nest or perching nearby quite a bit. I haven’t seen her today since 11:10 am CDT, and she doesn’t seem to be perching in cam view tonight (as she has many recent nights). Hopefully i will see her again before the cams are cut off — or maybe I should hope I don’t see her and can trust that she has finally successfully dispersed. But I do worry because TE3 seems to still be fed so much by Mrs. T that I wonder if she doesn’t yet have the skill to make it on her own. I have great respect for Mrs. T raising TE3 pretty much alone, but I do worry whether the absence of the second parent means that TE3 missed out on some training and experience. (It helps to remember, though, how successfully M15 raised two eaglets on his own when Harriet went missing.)”
T3 is a strong eaglet raised well by a single Mum – an adult added to that Hall of Fame along with M15 and several others including Mrs Decorah North. They are incredible and there are, no doubt, many more that suffer the plight of their mate having another nest and almost abandoning them completely. Mrs White Rock comes to mind with two eaglets who have been seen soaring over the trees.
To ‘B’ I would say many things: People used to have an impact. I grew up at a time when the collective voice changed so much bringing an end to the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, and Women’s Rights. We are watching many of those rights be eroded, but, as someone said to me the other day, you can’t tuck your head under the duvet and think it is all going away. I do believe that collectively we can bring about change and the change I am talking about is the livelihood of our dear raptors. So what can you do? –This list is not complete. No doubt you will think of many things to add – write and tell me.
–Put out water. Water is life and plant trees. Trees provide shade, and birds need this for protection, nesting, and to cool down and live. Make your garden bird-friendly.
-Provide food if you can.
-Donate money and items to the wildlife rehabilitation and rescue centers near you. This can be anything from a monthly donation of $5 and up to clean used sheets, towels, extra bottles of beach, dishwashing liquid, puddle pools, toys, pet carriers, etc.
Donate your time. Become a volunteer to help at rescue centers. Help bring animals and birds into care centres. Do fundraising.
Volunteer to do clean up around lakes and rivers for invasive species of plants.
Share your skills in fundraisers.
Stop eating tuna. I want you to go and have a look at the Royal Cam chick. If your eating tuna or not meant whether this little beauty would survive or not, what would you do?
“Accueil » Fishes and Shellfishes » Today, when you eat tuna, you’re killing an albatross. Seabirds are victims of oil spills and other pollution. Plastic waste and ghost nets drifting in oceans are also threats along with invasive rodents on the shoreline. They are also victims of tuna fishing.”
Many reasons not to eat canned tuna: https://youtu.be/2USz2nEeqn0?
Educate people about the challenges of the sea birds, including climate change, resulting in warming waters and long-line commercial ships.
Keep the politicians informed.
Sign petitions like this one. BirdLife Malta wants lead banned. You can sign it even if you life elsewhere. Could you read the information?
One of the only magazine/journal/groups that I belong to currently is BirdLife International. A beautiful informative magazine arrives 4 times per year. One of the articles in the most recent offering is titled, ‘Taking Action. How you can help’. The article was about the volunteers counting birds on Migratory Bird Day – which is something you really should consider partaking in! Martin Harper, CEO Birdlife International writes, “I have seen first hand hoiw fragile and virtal green spces can be, as even a small loss can affect the future of birds. Yet, I have also seen what’s possible when people come together to protect breeding grounds, restore forests, grasslands and ewetlands, and change the way we treat nature. Thank you for making this day special. Keep looking up, keep speaking up, and together we’ll help birds and all life thrive” (50, July-September 2025).
That is just what we have been talking about. Another article focuses on the power of many, whereby hunters have been brought in to help critcally endangered species in West Africa. The 19 are being trained as hunting protectors and biodiversity regulators as well as inspiring communities to mobilise. It can be done – but it won’t be if we sit on our hands watching the telly. Everyone can do something – even phoning people to remind them where they can join up to help count migratory birds.
If you are looking to help and have $10 per month, consider BirdLife International. (Donations are tax-deductible.) Of course, there are so many rehabilitation and rescue centres that it is hard to know where to give our funds, especially as daily living becomes increasingly expensive.
Heidi’s Nest Note:
SK Hideaway’s recent videos:
Sydney White-Bellied Sea Eagles🦅 SE35’s First Meal 🦈 A Bobble-Palooza🤹 2025 Aug 14, https://youtu.be/OKS-RHvlBII
Sydney WB Sea Eagles🦅SE36 Struggles to Finish Hatching🐣SE35 Nicely Pushes Eggshell Away🧹2025 Aug 15, https://youtu.be/gNial0KwZyk
West End Eagles🦅Haku & MV’s Nighttime Shenanigans 🃏 Flirtation in Motion💞 explore.org | 2025 Aug 14, https://youtu.be/QHo8BM3zlmE
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 14th August 2025 The thunderstorms of the yellow weather warning fortunately failed to materialise, and once the morning mist wore off, the weather was settled, however Louis was having a slow fish day and only brought two fish to the nest, taking his tally to four hundred and twenty one (nest total 423). The chicks had a fish each, which as Steve Quinn’s stats just released for Week 19 show, is more than enough to sustain them. As always, Steve’s report is an interesting read, link is in the bonus section. Garry LV0 brought a stick to Nest One and did a little tidying, and apart from a Chaffinch and a few Hoodies visiting Nest Two, that was all the activity today. Drizzle and light winds are forecast for overnight with a low of 15°C, and a dry day with light cloud, light winds and a high of 20°C tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.59.22 (04.38.52); Nest Two 21.52.11 (04.55.02)
Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/uH7vzL-Kmy8 N2 Darach fights Breac and wins the first fish 05.53.47https://youtu.be/GA1DdGuHWAE N2 A Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) perches and sings 12.39.23
https://youtu.be/n-lvO51lcWg N1 Garry LV0 brings a stick and tidies up 14.21.41 (zoom)https://youtu.be/NDpDdbXKxiQ N2 Both chicks are on the nest when fish two arrives but Breac gets it 19.19.00
Bonus info – the fishing stats for week 19 ended 13th August (thanks Steve Q):
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=27364536
Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/7Z3dXSCx7jI N1 Who wants a fish? No one, so Louis takes it away again 2019
https://youtu.be/IxehDNQnTws N1 A little songbird visits before dawn 2020
https://youtu.be/fzFGKL_ShWQ N1 Aila brings the first fish of the day 2020
https://youtu.be/85HjtmwU31E N1 Why does everyone leave the nest in a rush 2020
https://youtu.be/qe3sErXlB98 N1 Sunrise time lapse (Classic Ospreys – Schubert) 2022
https://youtu.be/8EcjI8PmiSY N2 Little bird visits and does a balletic move near Willow 2022
https://youtu.be/HHrtWJO-cHE N2 Unidentified intruder LV(?): chase version 2022 (slo-mo, zoom)
https://youtu.be/zBUsLQqBJGU N2 Bold crow on the nest with Sarafina 2022
https://youtu.be/7tLsSt_pNfs N2 Sunset time lapse (Classic Ospreys – Bach) 2022
https://youtu.be/n82yRRBoSDc N2 Dorcha divebombs an intruder 2023 (zoom)
https://youtu.be/rcY16NgfPsw N2 Ludo furiously chases an intruder 2023 (zoom)
https://youtu.be/bJhNMD2vSXI N1 Garry LV0 mantles as an intruder flies overhead 2023 (zoom)
https://youtu.be/0OrTqJ8jBCs N2 Dyson the Hoodie looks at home on the nest 2023
https://youtu.be/ImqlNz9eqo8 N1 What bird flies across the cam view? 2024
CTV News reports that Peregrine Falcons hatched in the city of Edmonton, Alberta are being helped in the wild. https://youtu.be/8dwT96hzZ8A?
Foulshaw Moss:
Kielder Forest: Happy to have sightings of previous fledglings!
There are massive estates in Scotland. More land belongs to an individual who might be absent and whose property is managed by the Estate Manager. What happens on these estates can curdle your blood. Raptor Persecution UK follows one, Auch.
Birds of Poole Harbour: A record number of White-tail Eagle chicks fledge! “A record THREE White-tailed Eagle chicks have successfully fledged from TWO wild nests in England. The chicks were reared by White-tailed Eagles that were released as part of the ground breaking conservation project by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation to return this lost species to England.
Two different pairs of White-tailed Eagles successfully bred this year. This included the first chick in Dorset for over 240 years, and two chicks raised in a nest in Sussex.“
What is exciting to me is that CJ7 and Blue 022 are grandparents.
This is something that is monitored – it helps us understand the strength of some parents. Mrs G of Glaslyn, former mate of Aran and Monty, has many returnees, and they bred, producing grand chicks and great-grand chicks. It is good DNA and also some darn good luck. Now it is the turn for the attention to spread to this couple in Birds of Poole Harbour. Do you remember when CJ7 waited, lonely, on that platform, hoping for a male? Then Blue 022 came along, too late for eggs and hatches, but the pair bonded with all of the town! Everyone remembers who saw them. We prayed that they returned safely, and return they did. They have now raised many nests, including two nests of four chicks.
These are the four chicks from 2025.
Thank you so much for being with us today. I will be monitoring what is happening in Australia and New Zealand this weekend as the osprey season in North America winds down. The birds are on the move, and the great migration has begun. Remember to turn out your lights, leave out water, protect birds from hitting your windows, and ask your town and cities to turn their lights off. It would save millions of birds that die needlessly.
Next week, Toby, Don, and I are going to Hecla Island to check and see if there are any pelicans still catching fish around the island. I need a break from the normal routine and this is the perfect time of year to slip away for a few days. I will publish on the 18th and then the next time, the 25th, will get us back on our regular Monday and Friday schedule. Please send me any news or questions and I will answer them on my return. The plan is not to take my laptop and for this to be a really nice family time like we have on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Life is good. Finding balance can be achieved but it takes determination. I am ‘determined’ that this holiday, however brief, will be marvellous!
Take care everyone. Please go and see those adorable sea eaglets and check the other nests. Who knows – it could be the very last time you see those beloved fledglings or the adults. Send them your good wishes for a safe migration!
I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘A, B, Geemeff, Heidi, SK Hideaways, ‘, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos, including SK Hideaways, Cornell Bird Lab, and the administrators of FB groups such as Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, and all others, often too many to name. I am very grateful to you and to the newspapers and international birding groups, such as Birdlife International, that continue to cover environmental issues as they relate to our precious feathered friends. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.
