I am so happy that Toby and Hugo Yugo’s little kissing/licking fest touched your hearts. It is really easy to see why they bring such joy to our lives! SP wrote, “Mary Ann, you are my Santa! The Toby-HY love fest… I’ve only watched it three times… so far. xoxo”
Brock reminded me today that it is ‘essential’ to find a way to have water for the outdoor animals that we feed. This is easy if you live in an area where it never gets below freezing. Here, it can be problematic. You MUST be careful so as not to cause the little birds to freeze their feet and feathers. Because of these issues, I am reluctant to use a heater in the bird baths if there is any chance their little feet will stick and be pulled off! Luckily for Brock, there are two dishes in his heated feeding station – one for wet food and the other for water. He had several long drinks today!
The small sparrows and Starlings were busy eating snow. They don’t get as much as they would if there were a bird bath for them, but they do get some hydration, which is really important if you are feeding them.
I hope you did not worry about Gabby being away from her nest and leaving Beau to incubate for approximately 24 hours. This is ‘Gabby’s Way’. Every year, she takes a break before the eggs hatch. The first time I saw this panic set in, I thought she had died, leaving Samson to care for their family, but no. Gabby was having a ‘spa time’ – I liked to call it. Gabby is now home, and Beau was so happy to get off those eggs, he flew off the nest when he caught her flying in!
Beautiful Gabby back in the nest.
I decided to take a sheet out of Gabby’s playbook today while Anne was caring for Don, Toby, and The Girls.
You probably know someone who was or is a caregiver to another individual – their partner, a parent, another family member, or a friend. It is stressful. There is no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Caregivers are often ‘tired beyond belief’ and rarely take time for themselves. You might know someone who cared for another person and actually died before them. It happens more often than you might think. As Don’s illness progresses, I am trying hard to make sure that my life is a bit more balanced. So, going back to Gabby…I gave myself a ‘treat’ today. I spent the afternoon at the Dior counter today getting a ‘refresh’ from a wonderful woman who has worked for this French cosmetics company for 35 years. It was fun – and a reminder that each of us needs to create time to relax and laugh!
Moving back to our birds. As you know, Heidi and I have been monitoring osprey nests for mortality numbers and causes. Heidi sent this to me today and I thought that you might be interested, too.
“This was the presentation held yesterday on Virginia Eastern Shore by Dr. Watts and Ben Wurst. The presentation itself is only about 67 minutes long, and is very informative.https://youtu.be/bR8byYABd8s?s
A lot of takeaways. VV’s nests all had abandoned eggs. But, Watts’ data indicated the majority of nest failures were from brood reduction due to a lack of menhaden. Most of the eggs hatched, but most chicks didn’t survive. Interesting.”
Overfishing has led to the death of 60,000 penguins! The Guardian gives us the details. “More sustainable fisheries management could improve the penguins’ chances of survival. Conservationists are taking action on the ground, by building artificial nests to shelter chicks, managing predators and hand-rearing adults and chicks who need rescuing. Commercial purse-seine fishing, which involves encircling a school of fish with a large net and then trapping them by closing the bottom, has been banned around the six largest penguin-breeding colonies in South Africa.
It is hoped this will “increase access to prey for penguins at critical parts of their life cycle”, said the study co-author Dr Azwianewi Makhado, from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment in South Africa.”
I don’t know about you, but my calendar is counting down to the arrival of the ospreys in the UK! Of course, there is a big gold star at the beginning of April to remind me to be on the lookout for Iris’s return to Missoula, Montana.
Lots of couples are incubating. Eagles and Albatross.
You can watch the Royal Albatross Royal Cam Pair, BOK and WYL, in New Zealand. If you are not aware, the letters relate to the coloured identification bands on their legs. BOK (female) is Blue-Orange-Black with ‘K’ being for Black. WYL (male) is White-Yellow-Lime.
Today, the couple were reunited as they switched incubation duties. The note under the video reads: “WYL returns to the Plateau nest site to give his mate BOK a well-earned break from incubation. Watch him enter from the left of the frame to greet her, and after a brief reunion, BOK lifts off and hands over nest duties. Following a few vocal exchanges with the neighbors, she heads back out to sea. Join us live as we follow their journey through the 2025–26 breeding season! RoyalCam was set up in January 2016 by the Department of Conservation and the Cornell Lab has been collaborating with DOC since 2019 to bring the cam to life. To learn more while watching, view the cam at https://www.doc.govt.nz/royalcam“
At Port Lincoln, Dad was on the barge during the early morning hours having a nap. The camera panned to the old barge but no ospreys were visible.
Girri is such a character. She has even been incubating the remaining egg in the scrape on and off!
Just look at those juvenile feathers coming in!
Girri is a BIG girl.
There has been no news of any peregrine falcons from the CBD of Melbourne coming into care. This is great news!
Liberty and Guardian have been at the Redding Eagles nest.
More eagle news on Monday!
Signing off with Hawk Mountain’s migratory count for the week of 3 December. Osprey count way down. Bald Eagles up. Sharp-shinned Hawks down along with many others. My goodness…but a growth in Broad-winged haws.
It isn’t just at Hawk Mountain that some species numbers are beginning to plummet. In the UK, recognizing this horrific act, people are opting to name streets after our amazing birds in order that they not be forgotten.
I don’t need to tell you that Toby and The Girls make my life worth living.
After a day of frolicking in the snow, there is nothing nicer than napping on a toy duck.
Thank you so much for being with us today. We hope to have you with us again tomorrow!
Thank you to Heidi for sending us the link to that presentation on the Ospreys with Dr Watts and to SP for allowing me to quote them. I am also grateful to the owners of the streaming cams – Charles Sturt University, Port Lincoln Osprey, American Eagle Foundation, and NZ Dept of Conservation/Cornell Bird Lab – where I took my screen captures today and to the authors of the articles on providing water for wildlife in winter, The Guardian for covering the death of the African Penguins or OpenVerse for the image of the African Penguins.
It is the autumn equinox and here is everything you should know.
The Autumnal Solstice, or equinox, marks the first day of astronomical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and occurs on September 22, 2025. At this precise moment, the sun is directly above Earth’s equator, resulting in days and nights of roughly equal length, though atmospheric effects make them not perfectly equal. This seasonal milestone also brings winter to the Southern Hemisphere and concludes summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
What is the Autumnal Equinox?
A Moment of Balance: The term “equinox” comes from Latin, meaning “equal night”. While day and night are close to equal in length, the Earth’s atmosphere bends sunlight, making days appear slightly longer than nights.
Orbital Position: The equinox occurs when Earth’s axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, and the sun is positioned directly over the equator.
When is it?
Date: The autumnal equinox falls on September 22 each year.
Time: In 2025, it will occur on Monday, September 22, at 2:19 p.m. EDT.
What it means for the Hemispheres:
Northern Hemisphere: The autumnal equinox ushers in the start of fall and signals the end of summer.
Southern Hemisphere: For those in the Southern Hemisphere, this day marks the start of spring and the end of winter.
Additional Facts
Harvest Moon: The full moon closest to the autumnal equinox is known as the Harvest Moon, which historically allowed farmers to harvest crops for longer into the evening due to its earlier moonrise.
Cultural Significance: The autumnal equinox is a significant date in various cultures, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival in East Asia, which is often celebrated around this time.
Late updates:
Dyfi Osprey Project:
Little Buckaroo or Eeny at Dunrovin appears to have started its migration. Last seen eating breakfast on Thursday, the 18th of September.
Charlie is still at Charlo, Montana on the 21 September (Sunday). Gail Woodstock posted some lovely screen captures of this dedicated male.
At the Boulder County Fairgrounds, it appears the male is still present, too! Thank you for the screen capture and post – Barb and Bob Larsen. The ospreys are staying later. Does this mean a late and milder winter? I wonder. We still have ospreys in Canada, too.
SK Hideaways latest videos!
Two Harbors Eagles Cholyn and Chase (2025 Sep 19)
Chase brought a late lunch, having to dodge ravens during his meal. He managed to quickly finish his fish and then departed. Cholyn arrived later with a whopper fish, which she took her time to eat. She lingered into the late afternoon, chatting remotely with Chase, who we could hear off camera. It was a special treat to see them both.
367 Collins St. Falcons Dad M24 Boycotts Changeovers Till Mum F24 Sets Him Straight (2025 Sep 20)
After a typical morning of clockwork-like changeovers, Dad decided he wasn’t going to relinquish his egg time when Mum returned. She waited patiently for nearly 10 minutes before gently persuading him it was time to give up his boycott. He left without incident.
FalconCam Project, NSW Australia ~ home of Diamond and Gimbir (2025 Sep 17)
Gimbir was proud of his starling gift ~ the first time he’s brought one to Diamond, who historically has refused starling gifts except to feed growing chicks. She gave him quite an earful, about which he seemed somewhat confused. In the end she e-chupped him completely out of the nest box and proceeded to eat some of the starling. Maybe Di’s taste’s have changed.
After Lady and Dad woke the neighbourhood with a duet, SE35 and SE36 entertained themselves till breakfast arrived. Between beaky kisses, wingers, twig swapping, and napping, they were well occupied for the few hours till Lady returned with a nice, big breakfast.
What’s happening? SE35 Steps Aside as SE36 Eats a HUGE Breakfast! (22 Sep 2025, 9:47-10:29 a.m.)
When Lady arrived with a whopper fish for breakfast, SE36 stepped right up to receive the first bites. SE35, typically, the dominant eaglet sat back and watched SE36 eat…and eat…and eat. The meal lasted for more than 40 minutes with SE36 getting most of that big fish. There was no aggression between the eaglets, which was a welcome sight to see.
Ventana Wildlife will be releasing condors! You can go to their website and sign up for this live event. No costs. I always watch these events. You learn so much and it is so exciting to see the youngsters go out into the world.
I want to thank each of you for taking the time out of your busy lives to check on how our feathered friends in Bird World are doing. I would also like to welcome the more than 5,500 readers from China who have joined us recently. It is so lovely to have you with us in Bird World! Welcome.
To celebrate, here is a lovely article in 10,000 Birds on the Raptors of Nanhui, Shanghai, with some beautiful images. Please check it out and see how many of our feathered friends you knew were in China. I am particularly fond of the Chinese Sparrowhawk.
Albatrosses forage at sea for an extended period after fledging, typically remaining at sea for 3 to 7 years or more before returning to their natal colony to find a mate and eventually breed. During this time, young albatrosses, known as juveniles, learn to forage and socialise in groups called gams to develop their courtship rituals.
Post-Fledging Journey
Years at Sea: After leaving the nest, young albatrosses will spend several years at sea, some for as long as 5 to 8 years, continuously foraging and only returning to land for breeding.
Socialization: Young albatrosses gather in groups of potential mates, known as gams, to learn complex courtship dances and develop their unique “language” for finding each other later in life.
Maturation: This period allows them to mature, molt their juvenile plumage, and gain the energy and experience needed for their first breeding attempt.
Return to Breed
Colony Return: Eventually, the adolescent birds return to their natal colonies.
Finding a Mate: They then begin the lengthy process of finding a mate and developing a pair bond before their first breeding attempt.
Breeding Frequency: After a successful breeding attempt, many albatross species take a year or more off from breeding to regain their energy and condition before their next breeding season
All the information that you could ever want to know about Albatross by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation:
The latest post from Ranger Sharyn Broni posted by Sharon Dunne.
Holly Parsons has posted some additional information:
‘A’ now has the latest: “Since our baby girl fledged on 16 Sepember, she has been steadily making her way towards South America. The tracker tells us that she is about 200 kms from the headland, heading north. She has stopped off in an area where she probably found food and is progressing well. She is a strong girl. She’ll need to be – her journey is 9000 km long. Safe travels beautiful albie. “
Many of you have been fascinated by the great prey gifts that Gimbir has been bringing Diamond. None of them were Starlings – we know that Diamond does not like Starling. Well, our poor little lad made the mistake of presenting a Starling gift to Diamond and she rebuffed him. SK Hideaways has it on video: https://youtu.be/7Fibnk3qEt4?
Gosh, is there anything cuter in the adult raptor world than a male peregrine falcon? Gimbir has certainly been winning hearts and minds with his generosity and excellent hunting skills. Will there be any eggs? Maybe not this year, but we will wait.
Tuesday afternoon was also magical on the Canadian Prairies. I sat in my friend’s garden, surrounded by the yellow leaves from the trees falling gently around us. Fall is truly here. It is one of the most loved seasons, yet each of us knows what follows. Winter should be a time of relaxation, sitting by the fire, reading a book, sipping hot chocolate or the best leaf teas wrapped with a soft blanket.
We are looking forward to spending several hours in the nature centre on Wednesday, checking out the geese and ducks while Toby is being groomed. There are places where dogs cannot go (understandably), and this is one of them. We have not been there for several months, so I am really looking forward to spending time on those very familiar paths.
The geese are still fattening on the golf courses and at the nature centres. They were in an area of our City that had been abandoned when one of the military bases closed. Now it is a building site. Where will those geese, who have returned to this same place each year, go now? What are humans leaving our wildlife?
We are taking away habitat minute by minute. The City I live in is no exception. For over a hundred years, the population remained stable at approximately 600,000. Now our City is a construction site with the population soon set to reach one million. It sprawls, and many city planners have, for decades, criticised this practice as it is now taking away good agricultural land, along with woods that are perfect for wildlife and birds. It makes me quite angry – the City should be safe, built up, not out, with good public transport. As it stands, things are so spread out that cars are almost a necessity, and every morning, the traffic jams reveal automobiles with a single person in them! I’d best not get started on my soapbox, or we could be here all day.
Researchers at Cornell, along with colleagues worldwide, are searching for missing birds. Here is one of the webinars that was posted, so we can join in their discoveries as well. https://youtu.be/sri3ciYgCS4?
It was an extremely sad year for the Black Stork nests in Latvia as reported by Maria Marika. As we know, we must mourn but also celebrate the success. As we take over habitat, the planet and oceans warm, there will be fewer successes unless we radically change our human behaviour.
“It was another windy day at WBSE and the chicks were left alone on the nest for most of the day. They are really developing their juvenile plumage now, especially SE35, whose feather development is well ahead of its sibling’s. One reason for this is probably the lack of food SE36 gets in comparison to SE35. I saw only one food delivery today, a gull, and SE36 was fed four or five bites of this (beause it happened to be in the right place at the right time) before SE35 intimdated it into a cowering defensive position, which it maintained until the food was gone. There were no late food deliveries as there have been on previous evenings and little SE36 went to bed with an empty crop. SE35 did relatively well, although would have preferred another two feedings. It is fortunate indeed that both eaglets were well fed on the previous two days. Here are the three reports, from today, yesterday and Sunday:
September 14: another fine day. Last night Lady slept on the rim of the nest, or just by them – disturbed at one stage by the possum passing. Early duets and she was off, returning after 6am and trying to settle in the bowl with the nestlings – but off again a after a short time. When Dad brought in a gull carcass at 7:50 she grabbed it and fed them both –for an hour. Dad came in and took off some of the scraps, with Lady very protective. He fed 36 a couple of bites, then Lady came in again and fed them a little more – protecting the food from him. Then Dad returned and fed them a little himself – and more when Lady took over and fed 35, then 36 – a massive feeding session. As the nest warmed up, chicks were panting – full crops too. They rested, sprawled out in the nest at times, moving into the shade when they could. Dad came in a couple of times and took off a scrap of bone. Late afternoon, Dad came with a whiting, claimed and fed by Lady, to SE35 first. Both ate – full and peaceful at end of day.
September 15: Lady spent most of the night on the nest rim, coming in very early to the bowl, then away. She returned as Dad brought in a Red Rock Cod at 6:15am, claimed by Lady and fed it to both chicks. Both chicks are calling now as the food comes in. A very warm day then, with both of the eaglets moving into the shade when they could. The parents were in and out a few times, with leaves – or nearby – but the chicks were mainly left alone on the nest. Lady came in at last light, but there was no more prey until just after 6pm, when Dad brought a fish. Lady then fed both nestlings before settling for the night.
September 16: Lady slept on the rim last night. She was off very early, then duets, with the nestlings joining in. Dad came and started feeding SE35 a fish scrap early, offered a bit to Lady, then she took over – though there was not much left. The eaglets then waited all morning until Dad brought a gull chick just after 2pm, on a windy afternoon. Lady claimed it and fed both, with SE35 getting most. SE36 has been venturing right to the nest rim, then returning safely to the nest bowl. Both chicks are calling on the nest now – begging for food or parental attention. They were waiting for more food all afternoon. Lady came to the nest just before 6pm, but with no food, then left again, flying to the perch branch. She returned to the nest bowl, settling on the nest next to the chicks. Will there be a late prey delivery again? (Spoiler alert: No, there wasn’t, and poor SE36 went to bed with an empty crop and a hungry tummy.)
At Collins Street, the three eggs are being carefully tended by both falcons, though mum is doing most of the shifts.
At Taiaroa Head, we are told, Miss SS Trig is further down the hill. However, I am not convinced she has not already fledged today because there is an albatross sleeping on her nest and according to Ranger Sharyn Broni, that albatross is her father, who is waiting to feed his girl. (I wondered why, if it is him, he has not called for her at all, though he has looked around and he is sleeping on her nest – also I believe Ranger Sharyn has actually confirmed his identity on her recent travels.So we will have to take her word for the fact that Miss SS Trig has not yet fledged and that there is a goodbye breakfast with dad awaiting her if she decides to head up the hill early tomorrow morning (17 September). The wind will determine her schedule, in all likelihood, but we are hoping she will stay at least another week, until her tummy mohawk (it really is most distinctive) has been shed.
I thank you so much for reminding me that the birds in our own gardens are the interface between ourselves and the natural world. We don’t need to filter these experiences through streaming cams from the other side of the world, although the chance to share the experiences of birds like the red-tailed hawks is something extra special (and a bird like Angel is something too precious for words).
Meanwhile, all appears well at Port Lincoln, where the night herons are doing well with the fish light it seems. They caught two fish in rapid succession the other evening. With three healthy-looking eggs, I do have some fears about the upcoming season – there is an aggressive quality to ospreys.”
“Wednesday: The littles were up and stretching at 6am and the breakfast fish arrived at around 06:08 courtesy of ever-reliable Dad. Lady was quickly in to take control of the feeding, with SE36 finding itself in prime position at the table. It was too intimidated though by its older sibling and went into submission pose, allowing SE35 to push past and take the front spot and the first of the food. But SE36 was still closest to the fish, and had the courage to turn its head and take occasional bites when Lady offered them. It was a good-sized fish and eventually, both nestlings ate a large breakfast.
When I checked back at lunchtime, SE35 was in a food coma and SE36, despite sporting the most gigantic of crops, was still eating like a small feathered machine as Lady fed him still more fish. Oh my goodness those eaglets were full. After yesterday’s lean pickings, I’m sure they both enjoyed the food overload they got today. They have become very vocal in recent days, chittering away to each other on the nest and vocalising to their parents whenever food approacheth. Oh they are the cutest small people. SE35 is starting to show caramel colours on its breast and head feathers and will soon begin to resemble a juvenile sea eagle. SE36 is still a huge ball of fluff with some feathertips on its wings – at least two or perhaps three days behind its older sibling.
At Collins Street, dad brought in such a large pigeon (I think) at 15:24:20, he could hardly get it up onto the ledge. It was as big as he was. Mum was less than impressed, after all his hard work, and stayed on the eggs, so he dived off the ledge again with his prey, at which mum looked rather surprised but still didn’t move. I presume he ate it himself, or stashed it on a floor above the nest (he glanced up there before diving off the ledge). At least there appear to be enough workers back in the Melbourne CBD to feed a good crop of pigeons for the falcons to feed their chicks once those eggs hatch. Dad is obviously a good hunter – that really was a very large catch.
Dad returned with empty talons soon after 16:28, and the pair had an animated conversation before mum dived off the ledge and presumably headed off to the pantry for the pigeon remains. Finally! Egg time for dad. He is such a cutie. A very neat little falcon. And his sweet little voice is adorable. Mum is back at 17:27:30. Another changeover at 18:02:30. “
The cam operator gave us some great closeups of the little sea eaglets and their gorgeous juvenile plumage coming in.
“Here is yesterday;s ranger report:
The eaglets both ate a large breakfast at around 10am this morning, with SE36 doing particularly well at this feeding. Both chicks finished the meal with huge crops, and spent the rest of the afternoon resting in the sunlit nest. The weather has improved, with the winds dying down and no rain today, so things are drying out and the fishing is easier.
September 21: A lovely sunny day. Last evening, Dad brought in a last prey offering, another young gull, and Lady fed them, though SE35 ate most. SE36 found a last scrap itself. Lady spent most of the night beside them on the nest rim. A quiet morning until Lady herself brought in a young gull. SE36 did quite well at this feeding. Both are picking at things in the nest. Then, in the late afternoon, Dad brought part of a fish, having already eaten himself. He fed them a little first, then Lady took over until all was gone. As the eagles called, the youngsters joined in too at the end of the day. Both adults settled nearby.
And today (22 September), the eaglets both ate a large breakfast at around 10am, with SE36 doing particularly well at this feeding. Both chicks finished the meal with huge crops, and spent the rest of the afternoon resting in the sunlit nest. The weather has improved, with the winds dying down and no rain today, so things are drying out and the fishing is easier.
These two are starting to look so grown up (especially SE35). It is scary to think that they are nearing the time when their privileged life on the nest will be exchanged for their annual losing battle with the currawongs.It seems so futile – all the hard work the parents have put in and yet it is destined to be fruitless, with the fledglings unlikely to survive without human intervention (and even with that assistance, their futures are very uncertain).
At Collins Street, the incubation continues, with the three eggs looking good and being well looked after by both parents. Mum headed off at 06:14 this morning to get herself some breakfast, and little Dad quickly arrived to take over, making his tiny chirping noises. The way he talks to the eggs is so adorable. He loves these chicks before they’ve even hatched.
At Port Lincoln, mum is still waiting for food – nothing has been brought in so far today. There are usually two fish (or one huge fish) brought in per day, but I am not confident that this is going to increase sufficiently to feed a family of five when these eggs hatch. I do hope the Fish Fairy is ready for action because I fear she is going to be needed on this nest this season. I do wish they would stick to two eggs.
Mum is doing the vast majority of the incubating at Port Lincoln – some days, dad spends less than an hour in total on the eggs, with mum taking care of the rest. She is doing a great job, but as I said, I’m hoping the fish supply will step up when the eggs hatch – as things stand, mum isn’t getting enough for her own needs. “
Pat Burke got the cutest screen capture of the little sea eaglets, who are a month old now.
TE3 is still hanging around the natal nest in Tempeauleau Wisconsin. This gorgeous juvenile was raised by her Mum basically single-handedly. Many thought the eaglet would not survive, but she did and what an amazing eagle she is going to be. Thank you Bud Whillock for these great images that you shared on FB.
The American Bird Conservancy announces a huge win:
ABC is celebrating a much-needed win for seabirds with the announcement that the U.S. Department of the Air Force (DAF) has suspended its proposal to use Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge as a site for commercial rocket landing pads. ABC was among the first organizations to raise concerns about the plan and request further study on the potential impacts on the more than one million seabirds that nest on the tiny Pacific Ocean atoll each year. The DAF’s pause on their plans gives seabirds like the Brown Noddy and Red-tailed Tropicbird breathing room and keeps this important site a safe refuge for birds, for now.
As our population grows, the impact on wildlife is enormous.
The ospreys are almost all gone on their journeys to their winter quarters. Iris is no longer at Hellgate Canyon, and Charlie is no longer at Charlo, Montana. A few linger in Nova Scotia, and one of CJ7 and Blue 022’s fledglings was photographed in Poole Harbour.
It appears that the male at the Boulder County Fair Grounds osprey nest is still at home, too.
Swoop continues to deliver to the fourth hatch, known fondly as Eenie or Little Buckaroo, at Dunrovin Ranch. Lin Lawson did a physique comparison between the father and the juvenile.
Connie Dennis reminds us that this is the number of days we have until they return in Nova Scotia:
Each of us will be sitting on pins and needles waiting for Iris to return to Montana next spring! Lovely montage Lucille Powell, thank you.
There are still some ospreys in Manitoba! Marlene Mitchell caught this one where we go to see the Pelicans.
At the Golden Gate Audubon nest site – lamp and crane – one fledgling and the parents that remain are Beacon, Rosie, and Richmond. “At 128 days old, Beacon has now lingered the longest of any of Rosie and Richmond’s offspring. And apparently her calls for more fish are working, as she received two separate deliveries today, after visiting the Whirley Crane several times. Rosie also visited the crane. http://www.sfbayospreys.org”. https://youtu.be/sT1WdpdP4-Q?
Rosie is still there on Thursday. Thanks, Lucille Powell.
Cumbria Wildlife Trust gives us the remarkable story of White YW and Blue 35 at Foulshaw Moss, who raised three chicks, with White YW now 17 years old and Blue 35 fourteen years old. And then, White YW feeds and cares for another’s fledgling. A good read. White YW and Blue 35 are two of my favourite osprey couples in the UK, often overlooked.
It is that time of season when there are summaries and highlights. Cornell Bird Lab takes us through the life of the Barred Owls. “Relive five unforgettable moments from our 2025 Barred Owl Cam, sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited! This season was full of fun and heartwarming memories as this feathered family raised their two adorable owlets, Moss and Maple, in a nest box nestled in the backyard of WBU Founder and CEO Jim Carpenter. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/HfW9vYw2HSY?
It is also cam maintenance time for both the ospreys and the eagles.
Gabby and Beau continue to work hard on their nest in NE Florida, with Gabby even trying out the egg bowl. Will we have eggs early this year? We wait to see.
Duke Farms nest is waiting for its eagles.
There was an eagle at the ND-LEEF in South Bend, Indiana, on Tuesday.
The Maori, along with North American Native Tribes, along with many other cultural groups, believe that birds carry messages, especially when someone dies. A lovely short read from The Guardian:
Toby wants to know how many people remember Murphy the Bald Eagle who incubated the rock and then got to raise an eaglet? Thanks National Geographic!
Thank you so much for being with us today! Take care of yourself. We look forward to having you with us again next Monday.
I want to thank our notable contributor, ‘SK Hideaways’ for their videos highlighting the nests we are following as well as the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, other individuals and institutions who create videos and the authors of posts such as Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, and all others, often too many to name but whom I have tried to cite in bold. I am very grateful to you and to the newspapers and journals that still cover environmental issues as they relate to our precious feathered friends. A special thank you to Raptor Persecution UK for keeping us well informed about what is happening to the raptors in the UK. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.
Calico wants me to add an essay, “The Thin White Line,” from Emergence Magazine. She thinks it is thought-provoking.
Thank you so much for being with us today! Take care. See you next Monday.
I want to thank our notable contributor, ‘SK Hideaways’ for their videos highlighting the nests we are following, ‘A’ for their Australian commentary, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos and the authors of posts such as Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, and all others, often too many to name but whom I have tried to cite in bold. I am very grateful to you and to the newspapers and journals that still 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.
We are one week away from the autumn solstice. It is a beautiful Saturday on the Canadian prairies. It is 24 C. The sky is a hazy light blue with the sun beating down on the garden. The cranberry bushes are turning flame red, the leaves have been turning for some time, and early in the morning, sitting on the deck with Toby and a coffee, we can hear the geese far above us honking.
Time passes too quickly. Not two blinks ago, the children were getting out of school for the summer holidays, and now they are back. We are even having our annual street party tomorrow. It felt as if the last one was just months ago. Do you ever feel this way? Like time is melting between your fingers? Still, it will feel like aeons until Gabby and Beau have their first egg. Time will drag til the ospreys return, and then it will fly again!
I am happy to report – thank you to all the good energy you sent – that Baby Hope is completely healed and new fur is growing over her injury! I cannot tell you what a relief this is. We worried that she would continue to scratch at the injury so that it wouldn’t heal. Toby is also fine. He is a little ‘stiff’ going down the stairs but he is back to wrestling some with Hugo Yugo. They continue to sleep together in the big dog bed. It is so sweet. Missey and Calico are well, too. I cannot ask for more.
So what is happening in Bird World? For the most part, the ospreys are gone. Tiger Mozone reminds us it is approximately 178 days til they return in the UK. What will we do without them? — Watch Port Lincoln! And the Bald Eagles, right?
We will start with two video offerings by SK Hideaways to get us excited! None other than Monty and Hartley and, of course, our favourite Big Bear Valley Eagles – Jackie and Shadow.
San Jose City Hall Falcons Hartley & Monty (2025 Sep 14)
Monty arrived to tidy up the nest prior to Hartley’s arrival. Their meeting was a veritable beaky kiss fest. Guess three successful broods is the key to a successful relationship.
Heidi reports that the male is still at Field Farm feeding his two juveniles who fledged mid-August.
It has gone quiet at Rutland Manton’s Bay Osprey platform.
Making the departure of Blue 33 and Maya complete, Colin, the Cormorant has moved into the nest!
As I shift the blog to Mondays until the first hatch at Port Lincoln, I hope to fill you in on some of the books that Calico and I have been reading. Yes, it has been more than two years, and we are still having story time – four cats and a dog! Here are our first offerings. Some will make great holiday gifts.
The Naturalist’s Notebook for Tracking Changes in The Natural World around You by Nathaniel T Wheelwright and Bernd Heinrich (2017).
It is a beautifully illustrated book with gilt edges and just the right size to hold and read comfortably. The authors discuss their ancestors and how they learned to observe the changes in the natural world, day by day and month by month. In the back is a five-year calendar divided by the seasons, reminding us to be present in our lives. I am particularly fond of the extensive calendar, which allows me to easily compare the arrival of the Starlings, the fledge of the Blue Jay babies, and the first honks of the geese flying overhead to their winter homes. It would make a lovely gift for someone just beginning to learn about the world around them, or for someone like me who wants to keep track of what is happening in my garden. $24.95 CDN.
The Company of Owls by Polly Atkin.
This is a review on Goodreads – and it is spot on! Atkin, like Wheelwright and Heinrich in The Naturalist’s Notebook for Tracking Changes in the Natural World around You, observes owls that live near her. She doesn’t travel far and wide, and like so many, she is not a professionally trained expert in the behaviour of owls. She is a person, just like all of us, who loves animals and birds and is a keen observer of their lives. That review reads: “Polly Atkin does not profess to be an expert on owls or anything else. This refreshing book brings the love of birds, especially owls, right from her heart to yours. It also brings the sights, sounds, and weather (oh, the weather!) of England’s Lake District right into your sitting room.
In The Company of Owls, we are treated to the author’s observations of the owls that choose to live near her. This nips off to other places she’s lived and visited, which adds richness to her descriptions, but it is her ‘home’ birds, and particularly one year in their lives, that is the primary focus.
The author has wonderful descriptive powers, and it is no surprise to glean her interest in poetry from her tale. Her description of the bog habitat where she went looking for short-eared owls is superb, although given the daily walks that provide the basis for her writing about her local owl family as they grow, it is amazing that there is no hint of repetitiveness.
Atkins supports her story with solid research, comparing owl numbers now with the records since Victorian times. These details tend to slip in as anecdotes, and more narrative quotes combine to give a really good picture of how owls have fared over the last century or so.
It’s a very personal record, and she isn’t afraid to reveal her own mistakes, which brought me back after a slight dip in attention in the middle of the book. On the whole, I think this is a really good book for the cosy bird lover, and people who like to know all the birds on their patch, rather than the twitching variety. I’m a patcher, of course.”
Both of these books take a very personal look at the natural world that is around them. They are inspirational to each of us to look just outside our back door – we don’t have to travel the world checking off lists – great things are happening beside us – now.
The power couples of Florida’s Bald Eagle streaming cams are returning to their nests and restoring them for the new season.
M15 and F23 have been home at SW Florida working on their nest.
Beau was absolutely delighted when Gabby arrived home to their nest in NE Florida early.
Ron and Rose are at the WRDC nest near Miami.
Now what is going on with Connie and Clive at Captiva?
In California, Andor and Cruz are at Fraser Point.
‘A’ is keeping a close eye on the Royal Cam chick for us as well as the others in Australia.
“Dad came in a couple of hours ago and fed his big girl breakfast. She was very excited to see him, and watched him closely as he took off after the feeding. It is hard to think this may be the last time they see each other. We (the viewers) hope not because Miss SS Trig still has what the viewers are calling a belly mohawk, with quite a bit of tummy fluff we would like to see gone before she leaves. Her feather development when compared with dad’s this morning was obviously still a week or so away from being ready, so we do hope she doesn’t get overexcited (or caught in a storm Lillibet style). Miss SS Trig is 229 days old today (Lillibet fledged at 219 days, the second youngest ever, the youngest being 218 days old a few years ago). And that number I was trying to read the other day wasn’t 555 at all – her number is YE55 (so the E looked like a five and the Y was further around her leg and not readily visible). This may become important later on, as she will lose the GPS device with her first moult, I presume. I did read something about this being a better GPS device but can’t remember what it was.”
Wow. Doesn’t SE35’s feather development over the last few days astonishing? So much more advanced than SE36, who is still a fluffball with few discernible black lines along its wings. This afternoon, the pair have been left alone on the nest in the dappled sunshine, working as hard as they can at converting fish into eaglet feathers. The effort is obvious, as they are flat out like a lizard drinking (sorry – old Australian saying). SE36 has a huge crop so has obviously eaten well today. SE35 is never hungry so there’s no need to update you there! Oh they are exquisite at this age, are they not? Every bit as gorgeous as they were last week and probably just as beautiful as they will be next week when their plumage will be completely different to what we see today. (In other words, they are absolutely lovely every single day of their growth, from the moment they hatch to the day they fledge, and even then, their plumage has many stages to go through before (hopefully) they finish up looking like Lady and Dad.
I did mention to you that the juvenile red wattlebird in my garden has breast plumage that reminds me of the young falcons but from doing a bit of reading, I think those vertical striations (in either greys or caramels with cream) must be common to many (perhaps most) young birds – the red-tailed hawks have a similar pattern. Obviously, it is an excellent camouflage because it is very similar to the way objects appear when struck by the rays of the sun glinting through leaves.
But I digress. I came here to Olympic Park to say that the littles are doing fabulously well, as usual. Lady is such a devoted mum, and Dad, despite or perhaps because of his advancing years, is an incredibly reliable provider, even in difficult conditions. I have to believe that is the result of his experience – he must know exactly where he can fish when the winds are coming from a particular direction or when there is prolonged rain or whatever the prevailing conditions are. These are the advantages of old age I suppose. And Lady is no slouch herself – she often brings in a late afternoon fish when she has the chance to stretch her wings. It’s easy to forget how old these two actually are. Their fertility appears stable – two fertile eggs per year.”
Incubation continues at Port Lincoln Osprey barge.
It has been a wonderful year at the Osprey House Environment Centre. If you didn’t follow the nest, the fledgling from 2024, helped the parents to care for the little ones in 2025. It turned out marvellous. The babies thrived and now the first one has fledged.
Incubation is still going well for the falcons in the CBD of Melbourne at 367 Collins Street.
Little Gimbir is winning hearts and minds as he has proven to be an exceptional hunter and provider for Diamond at the Charles Sturt Falcon scrape in Orange.
The Wedge-tailed Eagle is the largest in Australia. This is a short film, 18 minutes by Filming Wildlife, of this large raptor hunting! https://youtu.be/TEJ7gSYUOek?
Meldrs, the Golden Eagle fledgling of Spilve and Grislis, no longer comes to the nest in Latvia but is out following the adults, learning to hunt.
‘L’ from South Carolina sends me the most gorgeous images of a Cooper’s Hawk that visits their garden often, drinking at the bird bath. It is a reminder that we should all put out water for the birds that stay and those, so thirsty, that are passing through on migration. (The hawk is enjoying a Shrike lunch).
Emergence Magazine is launching its next volume, Seasons. I am attaching a link to a film, Crying Glacier by Lutz Stautner. The author says, “In the trickling, creaking, and gurgling heard through hydrophones and contact microphones, sound artist and composer Ludwig Berger listens for the voice of Switzerland’s dying Morteratsch Glacier. Directed by Lutz Stautner, this short film follows Ludwig on one of his many visits to the glacier, where he gathers its hidden sounds, the pop of centuries-old air bubbles and the groan of ice, inviting us into the intimacy of listening to more-than-human voices. One hundred years from now, we may only be able to hear the sounds of glaciers through recordings like these.”
Dedicated individuals continue to fight to end the industrial fishing of Menhaden if the osprey and other species are to survive in the Chesapeake Bay and region.
It’s migration. Please encourage everyone to turn off their lights!
One lucky little gosling.
Your smile for the week comes from Toby who is busy excavating peanuts in the flower pots where the squirrels have hidden them!
Very pleased with himself.
Toby had his operation on Tuesday. He can’t have a bath for another week and a half! He is so dirty and stinky!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for being with us today. We hope that you had a lovely weekend and were able to get outside and enjoy lots of fresh air and bird song. Take care. We will be back with you again on Monday the 22 of September. Fall will have officially begun!
I want to thank our notable contributor, ‘SK Hideaways’ for their videos highlighting the nests we are following, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos and the authors of posts such as Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, and all others, often too many to name but whom I have tried to cite in bold. I am very grateful to you and to the newspapers and journals that still 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.
Oh, the sun is shining and the sky is blue! Everyone has now been fed and watered after a frolicking night of little raccoons on the deck eating cat kibble. We hope that each of you has a lovely Friday and a great weekend.
Late update from Rutland:
Late news from Foulshaw Moss:
I am starting to write this blog on Tuesday morning while Toby is at the vet clinic. He has been gone for four hours, and I miss that little bundle of energy. Toby went in for a neutering and will come out with that, but it turned out he still has all of his baby teeth. They didn’t fall out and should have, but are rather crowded with his big boy teeth. There was already some plaque building up, so they are coming out as well. Hugo Yugo is looking for him. Did I say that they are inseparable? And the vet fears that HY will try to wash Toby’s stitches. Oh, my. HY just decided to give Calico a good go! It is a good thing that Toby will be relatively sedated when we pick him up later today.
Hugo Yugo took really good care of Toby when he wasn’t feeling well. HY washed Toby’s face and slept with him, but didn’t wash those stitches as far as I know (of course, I was asleep, but they were quiet and I presume sleeping or they would have been romping all over me).
It rained on Thursday morning. There was something about the sky – it was dark. It was 20 °C, but it felt much colder. Watching Brock come for his meal made me realise that winter is coming sooner than I want! Brock is starting his 4th fall coming to the garden. He must have had a place to stay warm in the winter, or he would not have survived. Where is it? We have the heated food and water bowls ready for him. I contemplate having the carpenter make him a two-level house where he can sleep on top under a lamp and have his food below. But would he use it?
Miyoung came and cut our hair, and guess who wanted to help her?
Inseparable. Toby is feeling better. Him and HY are just cuddle buddies – and they are always looking for trouble. Good thing Miyoung likes dogs and cats!
Hope. Baby Hope is fine. She is getting new fur on her injury, and I now have some sedative tablets to help her get to the vet if necessary in the future. What a relief! As each of you knows, our pets mean the world to us, and when anything happens or when they are unwell, we do not rest and we worry and fret for them. They are family.
It is nice and quiet. All of the cats, Toby, and Don are sound asleep. A new season of the Marlow Murder Club is streaming – lovely with a nice cup of tea. And thank goodness, the Christmas teas are coming online. We have a favourite, and soon, some tins will arrive from across the pond. This is our holiday treat! Tea and scones. Yes! Good way to start fall, which will officially be here shortly.
As of Monday, the following male ospreys were still seen in the UK: Blue 33 at Rutland, Blue KC6, known as Teifi, and unringed Aran are still at Glaslyn. Blue KL5 is at Loch Garten, and Blue KS6, known as Dinas, is from a private nest in Wales.
As of Thursday, these ospreys appear to be around the UK: Samson remains at the Border Ospreys (see below), feeding his two fledglings. 9K5 was at Usk at 0859, and Heather Cormer was still seeing KS6/Dinas at Glaslyn.
Heather Corfield from Glaslyn stated, “There have been no reported sightings of Aran since Friday, so he could have left. We thought Teifi had though as we had not seen him after Tuesday 2, but he reappeared on Monday 8.”
Iris is still at Hellgate Canyon on Monday, and she was photographed on Wednesday, the 10th, eating a large fish in her favourite tree. She was also there on the 9th. And guess what? Iris was on the snag tree eating a large fish on Thursday, the 11th. She is in no hurry to leave. Good for her for waiting and fattening up on that nice fish.
Samson is still at Border Ospreys with the two fledglings! Augusta departed about a fortnight ago.
Fledgling Blue 7M5 from Llyn Brenig has now migrated. Last seen last Sunday, the 7th of September 2025.
SK Hideaways’ great videos keep us up to date on so many nests! (You may see a couple of these twice within the blog):
West End Eagles, Haku & MV ~ Catalina Island (11 Sept 2025)
After roosting on their night perch, Haku and MV met at the nest for bonding nestorations and a little mischief. Haku continues to try for beaky kisses, but MV resists. With this morning’s rejection, Haku took to nibbling MV’s tail instead. Interesting to watch the progression in this young relationship.
Lady was steadfast and determined to keep SE35 and SE36 warm and dry throughout a blustery night and into the morning. Except for two short feedings and an even shorter break, super mumbrella sheltered her eaglets.
367 Collins Street Falcons ~ Female F24 and Male M24 (11 Sept 2025)
A changeover became a non-changeover when Mum, F24 realized there was a prey gift from Dad, M24, that she hadn’t seen the day before. She departed with it, but not before M24 thought his egg time was over. He soon returned for a bit more time with his beloved eggs. Dad’s chirps continue to bring me to my knees. So adorable.
Big Bear Valley, home of Jackie & Shadow (9 Sept 2025)
It’s always special when Jackie & Shadow visit at this time of year, as nestorations don’t start for another few weeks. They spent the night perched on their favorite roost tree and then greeted the sunrise on the lookout snag before starting their day. Later, one of them perched on the cactus snag with two ravens.
While SE35 continues to show dominance, SE36 shows superior wisdom and resilience. While patiently waiting for SE35 to fill up, SE36 sidesteps up the nest, arriving in prime position to receive bites once SE35 is sated. It’s a fascinating story of perseverance and, ultimately, survival.
The last of Geemeff’s offerings from Loch Arkaig for the 2025 season!
Geemeff’s Final Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 10th September 2025
Season Nine has been such a successful season after the worries of last year. Not only did Louis return, but he was at his best, delivering 437 fish which together with a pair from Dorcha made a season total of 439. They hatched three chicks and fledged two, Darach 7P0 and Breac 7P7, and all four family members left on migration looking strong and healthy when they made their final appearance on nest cam. Louis has now fledged fourteen chicks, six with Aila and eight with Dorcha. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 returned and appears to have found a mate when Aurora 536 turned up and claimed the nest, accepting fish from him, mating with him and seeing off Affric 152 when she turned up. Once Aurora left on migration however, Garry turned his attention back to Affric and delivered fish to her too, bringing a grand total of 141 to the nest for which ever female turned up, he doesn’t appear to be fussy, he just wants a mate. It will be interesting to see what happens next year, it’s looking good for chicks on Nest One, but from which female? We had the thrill of Breac’s sighting in Spain just fifteen days after he left Loch Arkaig, and also that of Aurora, sighted in Poole Harbour three weeks after her last visit to Nest One. Fingers crossed for more sightings – we wish our Nest One and Nest Two Osprey families fair winds and plenty of fish, and have our fingers very firmly crossed for safe passage for all and a safe return by the adults to Loch Arkaig for Season Ten next Spring.
Grateful thanks to George and Woodland Trust for allowing me to clip bits off the livestreams. Many thanks to everyone who’s watched, liked, or commented on my videos – special thanks TibbyJ for bird IDs and keeping me updated on all the action by sending fishmails, Steve for his amazing fish stats and LizB for off-nest reports. After some IT problems (grrr), I hope to have my season highlights video completed soon and will post it here, it will also be available on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@GeemeffGeemeff. Thank you to People’s Postcode Lottery for funding the nest cams and selecting my postcode a couple of times this year for the minor prizes – hoping for the big prize one day!
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 20.36.37 (06.02.00); Nest Two 20.29.50 (06.04.49)
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 9th September 2025 The usual small birds visited today, and one exciting big bird – a handsome Buzzard paid a brief visit to Nest One. Last winter a Buzzard visited quite often, so hope this one, or a cousin, will drop in again. The press has been highlighting how early autumn fruit is out this year amidst concern for wildlife finding sufficient food later on. Woodland Trust would like your help to document fruit ripening dates by logging your observations on Nature’s Calendar. Link in the bonus section. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 20.45.50 (
05.37.31); Nest Two 20.36.27 (05.58.22) Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/Yo60gLBcOcY N1 Handsome Buzzard pays a brief visit 17.27.30 Bonus action – help Woodland Trust track how fruit ripening dates are changing over time and contribute to research on the impacts of climate change on our wildlife: https://naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.uk/
Lucille Powell caught Rosie at the Whirley Crane at the Golden Gate Audubon Osprey platform (the first for her and Richmond. They now use a light stand).
Newmann is at the High Spirit Bluff scrape.
Cute little sea eaglets on the EagleCAM wet from the storm – but Lady did a great job protecting her precious fluffy bundles.
KCAL News follows the protestors who showed up to try and keep building development away from Jackie and Shadow’s nest in Big Bear Valley.
NBCLA reports on the protests, too, along with many other media outlets. Everyone loves and wants to protect these two Iconic Bald Eagles and their nest.
Gabby and Beau continue to work on their nest in NE Florida:
The West End eagle nest is busy – despite missing Thunder and Akecheta, let us embrace this new couple and hope that we have little eaglets to coo over in the new year! SK Hideaways caught them: https://youtu.be/NPkYfxPdXEA?
‘A’ reports from Australia:
“Here is our gorgeous girl getting her GPS tracker.
Look at how very well behaved and calm she is while the rangers get things sorted. She is such a grown-up albie. It’s so good to know we will be able to follow her on her travels. The New Zealanders really do get a lot of things right, don’t they? I’m so very fond of them. (Australians love to adopt successful New Zealanders, and happily claim numerous actors, comedians, singers and sportspeople as our own.) They’re like our little brothers.
More importantly, Miss SS Trig has her GPS backpack and a numbered yellow band on her left leg (I’m not certain but I think it might say ‘555’. Surely not.)
She is still at the headland tonight (Thursday 11 September), but she got some really good hovering done in the windy conditions on Wednesday (10 September), with so much air beneath those wings that I thought we might be seeing her fledge then and there. But she does still have some downy fluff to rid herself of, and I am hoping that keeps her at home for another four or five days.
What a gorgeous girl she is. She loves to closely inspect the camera (as she is doing here), which gives us some wonderful pics:
We will miss this adventurous little lady. She has been wonderful to watch.
At WBSE in Olympic Park, Sydney, both sea eaglets are doing well. Here are the ranger’s reports from today and yesterday:
September 10: An early post at 4:40pm, as a storm is approaching. The chicks were uncovered last night until rain started, when Lady moved back to the bowl to cover them as well as she could. The morning saw a wet Lady and damp nestlings. She did not leave then until 8:45am, damp and dirty. Dad finally bought a fish at 9:52am, grabbed by Lady and fed to the nestlings, mainly SE35. Then the nestlings were left alone, huddled together in the bowl, mostly with one or other adult nearby. The rain eased, and during the morning, both eagles brought in several sprays of leaves. Just after midday, Lady returned as rain started again. She left after about 30 minutes as the rain eased. Dad brought in a small fish at 13:21, again grabbed by Lady and fed to the young, mainly SE35 again. When rain started again later, she returned to shelter the eaglets. Another fish arrived at 14:35 – and another feeding, with SE36 doing well. Lady covered the nestlings again after the feeding, sheltering them from the light rain. As the rain became heavier, she spread her wings out.
September 11: Late yesterday afternoon, Lady left the littles again on the nest – and the wind was really strong. Then, she brought a big fish in at last light, eating well herself – then feeding the nestlings – SE35 ate well, then SE36. She then settled over them again on the nest. She covered them all night and in the morning looked quite wet. Dad brought part of a fish just after 6am and she fed SE35 a little, then covered the eaglets again when rain started. She was seen shivering to warm herself. Dad came to the nest around 9am – Lady was straight up before he could take the fish. Lady offered some leftover fish to SE35, turned away and then ate for herself. After a few minutes, SE36 moved closer and fed well until all the fish was gone. She had a quick shake of her wet feathers, then covered the chicks again as it was still raining. She got up again at 9:41am, with a shake and away, leaving them alone, both chittering away. She returned to cover them after a short break. Then, she was away again. Dad came in briefly, looking for scraps, and fed SE36 one little bit. Then he was off. The nestlings were busy grooming their wet fluff and itching, and the weather was improving. Dad brought in a gull at 14:42 and Lady fed both eaglets, SE35 first. Dad came in afterwards and fed a few scraps to SE36. Both, by then well fed, spent the late afternoon lying in the nest bowl. Another fish was brought just after 5pm, fed to the kids by Lady – both ate. She then settled over them just before 6pm.
At Port Lincoln, there are three eggs, laid on 4 September, 7 September and 11 September. Of course there is plenty of time for a fourth egg but let’s hope they leave it at three. I wonder whether the Fish Fairy could ensure four osplets survive to fledge if there did happen to be four viable eggs – it wouldn’t be easy, even with enough food to go around, because sharing it between four osplets would be exhausting and difficult for the parents. It’s too late to hope for just two eggs so the best we can do is hope this is it for egg laying this season.
At Collins Street, there are three eggs, and obviously, these two know that three is a good number. They are taking turns to incubate their eggs, and like the osprey pair at Port Lincoln, they seem to have a good relationship, closer than last year (whether they are a different pair or whether they are just more mature this season and know each other better, who knows).
At Orange, there are no eggs, meaning there was no fertilisation in the few matings witnessed between Diamond and Xavier before his disappearance and Gimbir’s efforts [might be lacking]. “
Backyard Bird Lovers reminds us:
Some avian species are disappering more rapidly than others.
Ducks are increasing in number because of the increase of wetlands and hunters partering with ‘birders’ and environmentalists.
No feathers! But the rare baby Lynx that came into care at Wildlife Haven in Manitoba. https://youtu.be/_cRbeF4ZF1E?
Thank you so much for being with us today. We are delighted that so many people care about the raptors (and other feathered friends) that we follow. Osprey season is winding down, and Bald Eagles are returning to their nests in the United States. As I have mentioned previously, the active nest at the moment is the White-bellied Sea Eagle nest in the Olympic Forest in Sydney. We have eggs at the CBD Falcon scrape in Melbourne and at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge. Mum laid her third egg on Thursday at the barge, and we should now be in the hard incubation stage. We wait to see what will happen at Diamond and Gimbir’s scrape on the grounds of the Charles Sturt University in Orange.
I am going to take a ‘sort of’ mini-break. There is a lot to do to get the garden in shape for winter, and a few continuing renovations inside that need my attention. As a result of a lack of nest activity, I will publish my blog just on Mondays until the Port Lincoln osprey eggs hatch in 36-42 weeks. So check in on Mondays! Book reviews, Red Bird discussions, Bald Eagle sightings!
Take care! See you on Monday.
I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘Geemeff and SK Hideaways, ‘, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos and the authors of posts such as Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, and all others, often too many to name but who I have tried to cite in bold. I am very grateful to you and to the newspapers that still 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.
Perhaps one final update from Seattle – 25B (as I have come to call the last-to-fledge) is still mostly hanging around the nest and as of yesterday, dad is still delivering fish (pictured). I have not seen 25A in over a week – perhaps he/she is in the area but fishing on their own already, maybe headed out to points south? I hope that B will start fishing on its own soon, too. 25A – one of the last times I saw it – was practicing on some land mammals (pictured) in a very cat like way, including losing interest once the mouse stopped moving. I also trust that dad knows what he’s doing – and isn’t waiting too long to head south. What a summer it’s been with these birds! Can’t wait to see them again next spring. https://www.flickr.com/gp/193514804@N08/xqa8vrBiT4
Teifi has been seen at the Glaslyn osprey nest and area on Monday. KL5 is still at Loch Garten. Female 1H1 from Poole Harbour nest 2 was seen catching fish on Sunday late.
Despite a couple of torrential downpours, the weekend was not ‘half bad’. We love fall and the energising winds that it brings. Summer clothes are being packed, with sweaters being made ready. Scarves, toques, gloves, and winter coats are at the ready. I really hope we do not need them for several more months!
As I write this, it’s a beautiful Friday evening, quintessentially fall, with a gentle breeze and golden light flooding the backyard. The birds have been eating and eating since early morning. Anne even had to put out more food mid-afternoon. So, today, they have had 9 gallons of seed. It is just after 1820, and almost all of it is gone. Even the Crows are coming in for nuts.
Saturday morning, the sky was out and there was a clear breeze. We had lots of migrating birds in the garden, heard by Merlin but mostly unseen. They included our usual Blue Jay family, the Crows, the House Sparrows along with American Goldfinch, Grey Catbirds, the Hairy Woodpecker, and House Finches! Merlin recorded a GHO, but I didn’t see it, so was it wrong or loud at a distance? We do have one that lives in the area. The squirrels were in abundance, and Toby enjoyed the idea of trying to catch a butterfly that was high above his head. It is a ‘crisp’ day, and in the oven is the last of the rhubarb in a crisp to be enjoyed with ice cream shortly. I love autumn. The cooler, clear air is refreshing from the heat and humidity, as well as the wildfires of summer. It gets down to 6 °C at night. Toby and I sleep under my grandmother’s quilts that she made as a young woman. The logs are stacked next to the log burner for use on a cool evening.
Sunday brings us the Blood Full Moon. Our day was up and down, no doubt thanks to the influence that it flexes.
‘PB‘ sent us the latest news on the necroscopy completed on MO, the Dunrovin first hatch that died recently.
Soar high, little one!
I haven’t switched from osprey season to eagle season in my mind so I more than likely will miss many arrivals. One of those was Rose at the WRDC nest. She and Ron are busy preparing the nest. It looked like they were putting up the rails on Friday.
The cam operator at the NE Florida Nest of Gabby and Beau gave us some fabulous close ups of our couple on Friday.
Eagles are coming to the Kisatchie National Forest nest in Louisiana! Hello Alex. Thanks Tonya Irvin.
Jackie and Shadow need your help to stop a development in Big Bear. Please read.
Haku and MV working on the West End nest in the Channel Islands.
At the Dyfi Osprey Platform in the UK, Brianne is now 112 days old and she is still home. Idris continues to deliver fish!
Idris and Brianne were still at Dyfi on Saturday.
Dyfi dates: Dyfi Osprey Project: Idris and Brianne both seen today 06/09. Telyn last seen 23/08. Cwellyn and Honddu last seen 21/08.
At Glaslyn, Aran was seen on Friday. It seems that no one was seen on Saturday. The winds might have been perfect for a departure.
It looks as if Harry and Forest have started their migration leaving the Alyth SS osprey platform. Marlow flew earlier and poor little Oakley soared high before all of them.
Kids are still at home in Finland’s Ilomantsi osprey nest.
At Rutland Water’s Manton Bay osprey platform, both Maya and 8 began their migration on Friday, 5 September. This leaves Blue 33 to eat some fish to help him fatten up for his journey. He was still at Rutland on Sunday eating a fish in a tree.
The winds must have been perfect. Harry and Forest appear to have left the Alyth SS Osprey platform in the UK on the same day as Maya and 8 – 5 September.
9K5 is still at the Usk Valley nest in Wales along with Dad. Seen on camera Friday evening. No action on the nest on Saturday and things were really quiet on Sunday.
Sad news, but hopeful for a recovery for these ospreys!
Look at the migration map that Sunnie Day posted — get outside, yes, that is right. Go out and see them live!
Tiger Mozone recommends that everyone watch the 2004 film “Living the Dream” on YouTube. It is about the Loch Garten ospreys. Not giving anything else away. https://youtu.be/3JFZvHqM8po?
T3 is still around the vicinity of the nest in Trempeauleau, Wisconsin. Locals continue to take beautiful images of her sitting atop light poles, in trees, etc. Check out their FB page!
Heidi is reporting that Dad is still bringing fish to the two juveniles at Field Farm!
C20 and Charlie remain at the Charlo Montana nest on Saturday – Charlie came with a fish, and C20 has it at Roger’s Place. C19 was last seen on 1 September and assumed to have begun its journey. C20 was last seen on Saturday as was Charlie. Have they departed? The clean up crew is on the nest.
After SE36 joined in Lady and Dad’s duet, the two eaglets had some time to themselves. They enjoyed a robust game of tug-of-scrap, worked on coordinating their balance in the face of giant clown feet, cuddled, and stretched their wings and talons. It was a serious cuteness overload morning.
See video description on YouTube to jump to these highlights, if you want:
Second year Gimbir (2024 hatch) and Diamond successfully mated twice. If completely successful, Diamond will lay eggs in the next few days.
Courtesy FalconCam Project, Charles Sturt University N
Gimbir Cornered on Cilla Stones ~ Makes Great Escape ~ Brings Prey to Empty Nest (2025 Sep 8)
Diamond and Gimbir continue their courtship at full speed. During the day’s second pair-bonding, Gimbir got cornered on the Cilla Stones. When he got an opening, he exited the nest at full speed. Later, he brought prey, but Diamond was out. He waited a good long time before departing with the gift. Maybe he’ll try to gift it again later.
Courtesy FalconCam Project, Charles Sturt University
Gimbir is ‘very cute’ and he is beginning to take good care of Diamond.
FalconCam Project, Orange NSW Gimbir Brings Diamond First Food Gift ~ It Wasn’t Starling (5 Sept 2025)
An important next step in Gimbir’s courtship of Diamond ~ a food gift. She happily accepted the offering.
Courtesy FalconCam Project, Charles Sturt University
Jenny Powell caught Iris at home at the Hellgate Canyon, Missoula on Saturday.
Iris came to her nest with a stick for the rails shortly after 7pm on Sunday! Hello, Iris. So good to see you.
Some falconry history from The Archives of Falconry:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 7th September 2025 One little songbird and a lot of rain, with a goodly helping of wind too, was today’s action. However, there’s plenty of interesting content on the rest of Woodland Trust’s website, once you can tear yourself away from the Osprey FAQs and behind the scenes info,
and it’s always worth a trawl around. On this day in 2017 Louis & Aila’s very first chick Lachlan JH4 was still around, and Louis & Dorcha’s fourth chick Sarafina LW6 likewise in 2022 – both were still coming to the nest and Louis was still bringing them fish, links in the blast from the past section. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 20.44.58 (
05.53.18); Nest Two 20.42.04 (
06.02.19) Today’s videos: none
Bonus read – the vital role of managing the Woodland Trust’s estate for wildlife conservation:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 6th September 2025 A visit by a Tawny Owl to Nest One and a Robin visiting Nest Two was the extent of the action today but in previous years Louis and some of his female chicks were still around, links in the blast from the past section. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 20.56.10 (
05.50.12); Nest Two 20.47.50 (05.57.58) Today’s videos:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 5th September 2025 Breac’s sighting in Spain got an article in West Coast Today (
https://walkingwithdaddy.com/osprey/?ht-comment-id=27886985) and the usual handful of songbirds visited, otherwise no action on the nests today. But there’s plenty of action to look back on, all contained in Woodland Trust’s 2025 Osprey cam clips playlist:
They are calling it a dry autumn in the UK. Something similar is happening in Manitoba despite the rain we have. It is still drier than normal in our province.
While we openly back protection for nature, things are not going as smoothly as they should – up in the NE of the US and other parts of the USA and now in Asia.
If the bays, the oceans, and the seas are drained, there is no food for the seabirds, like the Albatross, that depend on these fish to survive. Please work to protect the water ways.
The fledgling at the Black Eagle nest at Sellati flapped its wings and then hit the rock face before sliding off. Did it fly?
Mum arrives and the eaglet clamours to get back on the nest. It is fine!
Fledge could happen any time!
From the Norway Osprey nest – thank you Anna-Liisa Heleniemi:
We have our second leg for Mum and Dad at Port Lincoln barge in South Australia.
Giliath stays close to Port Lincoln like dear Ervie did for years.
But where is dear Ervie and did he find a mate? Well, it seems he is staying around Port Lincoln and the barge, too. No word of a mate. Do we need PL to translocate some Scottish lasses?
Have you seen how an Osprey catches its fish lunch? Cornell Bird Labs has a great little film for you – it is amazing! https://youtu.be/doYuBVUUXZg?
They are the most amazing raptors.
American Bird Conservatory’s Bird of the Week: The Double-Crested Cormorant.
How can Puffins fly in the air and in the water? Want to find out? Cornell Bird Lab shows us: https://youtu.be/nz4kPuRjqOI?
Keeping an eye on the Hellgate Canyon nest of Iris. Iris had a fish early morning Sunday. Lucille Powell caught Iris for us:
9/7/25-08:02,08:13am MT- Owl Pole Cam- I am thinking this is Iris. She likes to perch on that branch of her favorite tree. If so,She had a lively fish that she enjoyed.. Good morning.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please enjoy your week! We will be back with you on Friday.
I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘Geemeff, PB, SK Hideaways, ‘, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos and the authors of posts such as Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, and all others, often too many to name but who I have tried to cite in bold. I am very grateful to you and to the newspapers that still 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.
It feels like summer again, but the tips of the trees tell me that it is decidedly pre-fall on the Canadian prairies. Migration is definitely underway. The ducks had left the pond at Assiniboine Park, while the Canada Geese are fattening up on the golf courses around the City. We continue to enjoy the fantastic weather and spend most of our time outside. The Girls (for the most part) and Toby are doing well, and I can tell you that a new sense of calm has come over the house. My husband is doing very well.
The only hiccup in the ointment is Baby Hope. Nine days ago, something happened. We do not know precisely what happened, so we cannot place blame. Baby Hope is injured. She had been play wrestling with her Mum, Calico. But then there is Toby. It appears that ‘something’ got caught in her fur and tore a slit through the fur about 7 cm or 3 inches long. Two days ago, it had healed, but today it is oozing again. The underlying issue is that Hope is partially feral. She will allow us to sit next to her and give the occasional strokes. I cannot put antibiotic ointment on the wound, but she allowed me to see it this evening. Tomorrow, I will see if any of the mobile vets have experience with ‘these cats’. Wish us luck. Hope never complains. I might never have known she was hurt if I hadn’t paid particular interest in her face that morning. She is eating and has never stopped. She loves flowers and always enjoys the ones I bring from the farm, which are pet-friendly. Send her some love.
And if Hope’s injury was not enough, then there is missing Xavier. My heart has sunk to great depths. It has been a wretched year. You might hear me saying that a lot.
At Orange, Australia, Peregrine Falcon Scrape, there is hope tinged with a hint of potential sadness. My heart sank when I saw this. I adore Xavier. His name means ‘Saviour’, and that is what he did – he saved Diamond’s clutch when her previous mate did not return after eggs were laid. Xavier took care of Diamond and the chicks, and she then bonded with this wonderful lad. Was that nine or ten years ago? This was posted on Thursday, and I know that you will be as concerned as I am for Xavier. Please send your good wishes to him!
In the wild, peregrine falcons typically live an average of four to five years, although they can live much longer, with some documented cases reaching 15 to 20 years or more. High mortality rates, particularly in their first year due to learning to fly and other factors, shorten the average lifespan, but survival improves for adults. The record for a banded peregrine falcon in North America is 19 years and 6 months. This fall, Diamond is at least 12 years old, and Xavier is at least 11 years old. Diamond arrived in Orange in 2015 and Xavier in 2016, and since peregrine falcons typically begin breeding at 2–3 years old, they would have been at least that age when they started their courtship at the Orange falcon scrape.
And then there was the missing MO from Dunrovin Ranch Osprey Nest, who was seen to have a very raspy voice. Sadly, she has been found dead. The other three have been returning to the nest. So sad. It has been a wretched year. Thank you ‘PB’.
‘A’ sends us the Ranger reports for the WBSE:
August 26: An early feed at 6am – both fed with no pecking, but SE35 had more. Then Lady settled again. Soon after another short feed. It was a sunny, warm morning. The nestlings were left uncovered in the morning for over six hours – parents often close by with duets and matings seen. Dad brought in a trevally (fish) after 12, and both ate more. Dad came in to the fishy remains later and fed them as well. Lady came with a really big fish after 3pm, and fed more. Seven good feeds today, and then last thing, Dad fed them a few extra mouthfuls. They were uncovered in the afternoon until Lady came in at last light. She was standing by them – will she cover them now?
August 27: Lady spent the main part of the night just covering the nestlings, rather than complete brooding. It was a milder night, and after an early morning duet, she fed them from the remaining tail end of the fish. Both ate, SE36 second. Later, SE35 was busy grooming its itchy down, with a very full crop. Dad came back with a bream just after 7am, grabbed by Lady and fed to the young. SE36 did very well. She then went to cover the chicks. After some time, Lady was up and eating some herself. She then fed them both well again – three feeds before 9am. Dad came in and ate some fish – the youngsters were full and not interested. Late in the afternoon, Dad bought in another two fish, and during the day there were a total of seven feeds. The day became cooler and Lady spent longer brooding than she did yesterday. At the end of the day, she was over the chicks, settled for the night.
August 28: Last night was colder and Lady slept over the chicks, only partly covering them as they get bigger. She left in the morning just after 6am. Dad brought leaves in early and later a big stick, dropped on the chicks and then moved by Lady. Both were bringing in more leaves – and the wind was becoming stronger. The chicks were huddled together in the nest bowl, uncovered all morning, though both eagles came in a few times – even the parents tossed by the wind. Of course the nest camera moving makes the wind seem stronger. Finally, Lady came to shelter the chicks at 1:14pm – covering them for some 90 minutes. Then she was up again, with the chicks cheeping for food. At 4pm, both parents were in but still no food. At 4:30pm, Lady settled on the youngsters again. Late in the afternoon, the wind eased a little – both parents were there, but still no prey. At dusk, Lady was settled over the hungry chicks, with a cooler night expected again.
‘A’ adds: “I did miss that crop on SE36. It’s a brave little eaglet. Such a cutie. When these two hatched, they were so similar in size it was very hard to tell them apart. Have a look at tiny little SE36 now. It’s half the size of its sibling. I can only hope it’s primarily a gender-based size discrepancy – otherwise, SE36 would have to be the smallest female I’ve seen on this nest. I wonder how many two-egg clutches have a female first hatch and a male second hatch and how many the other way around. Is it just my imagination or is a first male hatch with a second female hatch quite unusual? Perhaps we are very much aware of the large female first hatch dominating a smaller second male hatch because it leads to a lot of the bonking and siblicide problems we see on the nests, so it just seems that there are more of them. I would be very interested to know.
It is SO windy at WBSE – that nest is tossing around and there are lots of fresh leaves on the nest, shaken loose by the winds and brought by the parents. Today, there has been no food whatsoever brought to the nest, so the chicks have not eaten. It is 6.45pm and there won’t be anything brought in tonight. This is not good. I’m not sure why Dad has failed to provide – he is usually able to bring in something regardless of the weather, even managing to fish successfully in the rain. But perhaps the wind made today’s hunting impossible for him. So we can only hope tomorrow is more productive. It is very cold at nights and the chicks will be using a lot of calories keeping themselves warm now they no longer fit properly underneath Lady (she does have an excellent method of covering them though, her wings spread wide, so she is doing her best to keep them cosy).
I hate to imagine losing Lady or Dad. They are there on the Parramatta River all year round, and we love them dearly. But they are elderly – in their 20s, yes? And they are wild birds, living a difficult life. Two fledglings per year, none seemingly able to thrive in the wild, as far as we are aware. I wonder what happens to them once they do disappear from the area. I wish they would track the fledglings from this nest so we had some idea of their ultimate fate. It is so frustrating not to know.
But back to SE36. The daily ranger reports are the best way to tell what is going on – I find it fairly hard to watch at the moment, although both parents are making an effort to make sure SE36 is getting fed. I don’t need the stress, and I hate watching a younger smaller chick being intimidated and scared away from food. It is just more stress than I need right now. But this is the only nest at the moment, so I have little choice, though I am keeping something of a distance from the nest to keep from obsessing. That’s not good for my blood pressure or my mental health. And days like today, with both chicks hungry and no food for either, are too hard to watch.
At Taiaroa Head, the day draws nearer, and SSTrig chick continues to explore the headland and potential take-off points for her maiden voyage. Only a few weeks to go now – she’ll be gone in under a month. It’s so hard to think that after watching them for eight months, we are now going to have to wait several years before perhaps seeing them return to court and then to breed as adult birds. It never ceases to amaze me that they travel thousands of miles and return to within 50 metres of the nest where they hatched. It boggles the mind. And when they leave on that incredible voyage, they have never flown before, never fished before, never navigated before. It’s incredible. And yet these are the longest-living wild birds in the world, with Wisdom still breeding into her seventies. No wonder the albatross is the stuff seafaring legends are made of. No sailor would ever harm an albatross. “
SK Hideaways captures some of the rivalry between the SeaEaglets and news from other nests:
SE36 Bonks SE35🥊Chicks “Brood” Each Other🪆Lady & Dad’s Duets+Matings💞2025 Aug 26
Sydney White-Bellied Sea Eagles Lady & Dad
Lady and Dad started the day with a duet, followed by a peaceful feeding. SE36 worked on asserting itself with a couple pecks to SE35. The peck was returned each time, but the aggression was mild and brief. The finale brought some family time plus two more duets and two matings by Lady and Dad.
Courtesy Sea-EagleCAM@BirdLife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park
🪽Mum & Dad Welcome Egg #2🥚🥚Dad Cheerleads Effort🎉(2025 Aug 26)
367 Collins St. Falcons
Juvenile Overnights in Roost Tree 🌲 Visits Nest & Does Brief Clean-Up🥢2025 Aug 28
Big Bear Valley, CA, home of Jack & Shadow
What a beautiful and heartwarming surprise! A beautiful juvenile bald eagle spent the night in Jackie and Shadow’s regular roost tree while they were elsewhere. The nest visit took our break away. We cannot know if the visitor is Sunny or Gizmo, but it was a welcome visit nonetheless.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 28th August 2025 The usual – no activity on the nests today, but there’s plenty of interesting material to peruse from Woodland Trust, including history of the nests, sightings away from the nest, how to ID males and females, and fascinating facts from behind the scenes. There are clickable links on the Osprey cam page, and here are some of the direct links:
05.23.48); Nest Two 21.15.01 (05.33.41) Today’s videos: none Bonus watch – link to LizB’s YouTube channel for videos of Loch Arkaig, Nest Two in 2021, the Bunarkaig nest and more:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 27th August 2025
Today had the usual lack of action barring a few songbirds visiting, however we have plenty of interesting information from Steve and George to digest. Steve published stats with special reference to age of chicks at migration and the season duration of the adults, and George informed us of a new Nature Scot initiative called Nature30, with Loch Arkaig PIne Forest among the first four organisations, links here:
UK Juveniles have started making their way south to the West coast of Africa (or the Iberian Peninsula). The trio at the Foulshaw Moss Nest of White YW and Blue 35 left on the 13th and 14th of August. White YW remains in the area delivering fish to a fledgling from another nest!
Harry is still delivering fish to Forest at Alyth SS.
On Tuesday the 26th, there were four at Rutland including Mum, Maya!
Blue 3R7 is still at the Rutland Manton Bay nest along with Blue 33 on Thursday, the 28th. She is 110 days old today and is set to break a record for the longest fledgling to remain on the nest. Maya was there on Wednesday, but it appears she might have migrated. It is raining, and Blue 33 is delivering trout.
Brianne is still getting deliveries from Idris at the Dyfi Osprey Platform in Wales.
5R3 remains at Poole Harbour with fish deliveries coming in from Dad, Blue 022.
9K5 remains at the Usk Valley nest in Wales. Dad is busy! Mum has left for migration.
Loch of the Lowes sends their season summary. Will Blue NC0 return early and claim her nest? I am betting on it!
Glaslyn was a failed nest this year with Elen arriving and mating and bonding with Teifi while Aran arrived very late and eggs were destroyed. In the end, Teifi took over the nest. We hope that they both return safely and that Aran does as well and finds another mate and raises a family. Aran is an amazing Dad!
Looks deserted at Dylan and Seren’s nest at the Llyn Clywedog Reservoir in Wales.
Iris was still in Missoula on Wednesday the 27th of August. That nest that she has been working on with the new male will be ready for them in the spring of 2026.
C19 and C20 are still getting fish deliveries from Charlie at Charlo Montana.
In Nova Scotia, the Dads continue to deliver the fish. Nova and Russell, the fledglings of Oscar and Ethel at the Russell Lake Osprey Platform in Dartmouth are no exception!
The Eagles are returning to their nests for bonding before eggs being laid later in the year.
There is some question about the identity of the Bald Eagle that has been at the NE Florida nest of Beau and Gabby. Rain and hail on Thursday at the nest.
If you are a fan of TE3, she remains in the area of the nest at Trempeauleau, Wisconsin according to neighbours.
People continue to fight for the Menhaden! I wonder when the politicians of Virginia will wake up to the fact that having a thriving ecosystem – not a dead one – can only enhance tourism business and the joy and wealth of their State?
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We look forward to having you with us on Monday!
I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘A, Geemeff, PB, and SK Hideaways’, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos ande post them on YouTube, 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 that still cover environmental issues as they relate to our precious feathered friends and to the rehabilitation centres like Ojai Raptor that care enough to try hard to send their patients back into the wild. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.
We hope the last week has been kind to each of you. Thank you so much for your best wishes for my little mini-break! And for sending me news. I love that you keep me informed about your favourite nests! It is the end of August and the UK ospreys are making their way south except for some adults left with starving fledglings demanding fish after fish. The dads and some mums are still delivering. What dedication!
We have watched the weather and worried as many wildlife sanctuaries, such as the one for turtles, got washed into the sea with all of their nests destroyed by Hurricane Erin. I wondered about the ospreys and other wildlife in those areas – and it is just the beginning of the season. We must remind ourselves that worrying does not help anything, but action does. If weather impacts wildlife in your area, find out what you can do to help!
We had our mini-break to Hecla Island. Many of you will recall that this tiny provincial park located on the other side of Grassy Narrows is the one place that calms my mind. I love nothing more than walking along the shore, listening to the waves pound against the rocks, and watching all the waterfowl with the Bald Eagles flying overhead. This short time did not disappoint. The minute we got to the southern shore (the northern part of the island is full of cottages with way too many people), where the original Icelandic settlers fished and built their homes, a Bald Eagle flew overhead. She landed in a tree about 10 metres from where we had parked. There was a single American White Pelican near the fishing dock with numerous ducks bobbing around. The swans were near the causeway, and we immediately spotted the lone Bald Eagle that sits atop the same tree when the water is calm, while the cormorants dry their wings on the old pier. To me, the isolation and lack of people on that southern shore is idyllic.
For years, I have longed for one of the houses to go on sale, and this time, there were three! All looked out over the water, and each had enough land to make certain there were no neighbours overlooking us. Any of the offerings, but I did have my favourite, would make a perfect home for us as well as a writer’s retreat for visitors. Toby and I would not have to go far to listen to the roar of the waves on a stormy day. It is a dream that I have and will struggle with. My heart says ‘go for it’ and my head tells me that it is the most non-sensical thing I could ever imagine doing at this point in my life. There are only about a dozen families that live in the village. Few of the owners of the cottages in the northern area travel to the island during the winter despite the roads being cleared by the province as the few children living there need to go to school. The closest very small town, Riverton, is an hour away. I think you understand the issues. There are no young people. These are brought in for the summer and given accommodation and meals by the various businesses along with other perks – so I will visit and walk along the shore from time to time imaginging. It has taken me awhile to get my support system in place and well, who would look after the garden animals and birds? Mind you, Toby thinks he is the ‘protector of the realm’ and the Blue Jays dive bomb him when he goes out and tries to get them to leave!
The Girls did very well. They are spoiled for love and cuddles when Anne looks after them. Toby is an excellent traveller. He really enjoyed the long walks. There were no wasps, and the sunsets were to die for! We will head back next year – I don’t think we will make it again this year, but one never knows.
We spent Sunday doing a chore that has been the monkey on my shoulder. My bestie gave me a way that she deals with things. Ask yourself: “What do I need now?” At 0400 Sunday morning, when Toby needed to go outside and I sat and all sorts of silly things swirling through my head – I asked myself what it is that I really need now. The answer was: to fix the back gate so Toby could not get out the bottom where Brock had dug through and to secure the entire perimeter of the property along with stacking the truckload of wood for the woodburner, to bag all the cut vines, and put anything else in the pile to be picked up and taken for disposal. Why did I think this was going to be so daunting? Allowing myself to worry about Toby every time he ran through the ‘dark corridor’. He is safe. I have no reason to worry anymore, and everything was cleared up thanks to Don and Toby’s help in less than 4 hours. Crazy! Wonder what it will be tomorrow? It is undoubtedly a good way to zero in on what is an absolute priority for creating peace.
So, let’s get down to what is happening in Bird World. I always look forward to the reports of the Seattle ospreys because it is such a positive nest in the US. Not on a streaming cam but with the amazing images that ‘PS’ takes, who needs a streaming cam!
An update from ‘PS’ on the Seattle Osprey – I continue to visit most every other day, and the story has been fairly consistent: the fledglings are on or very nearby the nest when I arrive, they spend most of the time calling incessantly for food, and Dad continues to do his best to deliver fish after fish to the nest. Many visits will see multiple fish deliveries and scrums as both young try to box each other out from the fish. Today I saw Dad coming in with a fish but he did not come to the nest, instead veering off to some other location, only showing up 20 minutes later with half the salmon – I hope he enjoyed his lunch, hard earned as it is after almost a month of being a single parent! I know the days of the Osprey here are drawing to a close for this season, so I continue to just enjoy their company and marvel at their ongoing journey. Along with Dad, I eagerly await signs of the fledglings fishing on their own! Pictures all updated here: https://www.flickr.com/gp/193514804@N08/BkZ9wUYk4M, and a few attached.
Those Dads must have invisible steel boots or something. The fledglings can be rather fierce when a fish hits the nest!
SK Hideaways sends us her weekend videos! Each contains good news – as they say, ‘It is good news for a change!” That is what we want.
Here are this weekend’s videos. All good news for a change!
SE35 & SE36 Enjoy Sunshine, Full Crops, and Each Other 2025 Aug 23
After a soggy few days, the sun shone and the chicks seemed much more content. This was largely due to an increase in feedings, which were, for the most part, peaceful. Here we see SE35 and SE36 interacting between meals ~ cuddling, showing curiosity, and checking each other out.
SE35 is 8 days old; SE36 is 7 days old
Courtesy Sea-EagleCAM@BirdLife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park
SNEAK PREVIEW! First Egg of 2025 2025 Aug 24
367 Collins St. Falcons, pair for 2025 not yet confirmed
A pre-screening of the south-facing camera gave us the opportunity to see mum (possibly F24) and her first egg of the 2025 season. Complete coverage will likely be available after she lays her second egg.
Courtesy 367 Collins St. Falcon Cam
Sun Rises on Haku & MV’s Shenanigans
West End Eagles ~ Catalina Island, CA, home of Haku & MV (24 August 2025)
After two days away, Haku returned and she and MV roosted together overnight. Arriving to the nest before dawn, they began their flirtations, beaking and nipping. Sunrise bathed the couple in beautiful orange light as their shenanigans continued. Haku brought 2 sticks before MV, first, and then she departed for their morning activities.
Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org
Dad Brings Breakfast ~ Mum Wants It In the Dining Room
Dad delivered breakfast and a full-cropped mum flew off to an adjacent ledge, beckoning him to bring the food gift over. After having a think, dad did, indeed, take the gift to the alternate location. He then returned to look after the egg, giving mum a little longer to relax. After she returned, he came back shortly after to give her another break.
He sounds like M24 to me, but awaiting Victor’s confirmation.
Courtesy 367 Collins St. Falcon Cam
It will not be long until Geemeff prepares her last summary of the Loch Arkaig nest as the season is truly winding to a close. Everyone is gone. Louis and Dorcha raised two beautiful and spunky fledglings to the delight of all of us. I worried that Louis would not return from migration as he appeared ill at the end of the 2024 season. Let us all hope that he returns safely in 2026 – along with Dorcha and everyone else in the nests around the loch.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 24th August 2025 No action on the nests apart from some passing passerines dropping in to Nest two for a few moments, followed later by a pair of Hoodies. The songbirds might have found the odd insect but there’s nothing for the crows as the last fish was delivered on the 21st and Darah took it away to eat in our final sighting of both him and Louis. So Season Nine is a wrap, and we need to entertain ourselves until next Spring when the Ospreys return and Season Ten begins. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.45.12 (05.09.21); Nest Two 21.45.03 (05.29.09)
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 22nd August 2025 No Darach and no Louis today, just a handful of little songbirds visited the nests. If Darach has left, we wish him and all migrating Ospreys fair winds and plenty of fish. An Osprey was heard faintly in the distance which sounded like Louis, audio boosted video in the today’s videos section so you can judge for yourself. George will start preparing the official season highlights video soon, you are encouraged to give your favourite clips a like on YouTube, and they might make it into the finished video. The weather was settled today and continues unchanged overnight and tomorrow, with gentle breezes making good weather for flying or practising fishing. Some forum members are saying their goodbyes, but last year Garry LV0 surprised us with an appearance several days after we thought he’d left already. So we may be lucky and have a final visit or two, but as always with the Ospreys, it’s wait and see. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.40.30 (05.23.49); Nest Two 21.33.26 (05.27.13)
Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/Ooiltm0MHQ4 N2 Osprey calls heard faintly in the distance, no one seen – Louis? 12.34.37 (audio boosted)Bonus retail therapy – if you’re already missing the family, this jigsaw puzzle might help while away time until spring:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch ArkaigSaturday 23rd August 2025 Nothing to report, no sightings, not even distant Osprey calls as were heard yesterday. The season appears to be over. There is still a faint hope of a quick visit or maybe even a more northerly Osprey popping in on their way south, but it looks like our family have moved on. Final fish totals are 437 for Louis, 2 for Dorcha, and 141 for Garry. George will close this comments page soon, and post the official Woodland Trust season highlights video on this page in place of the livestreams. Sometime next March, George will reopen this page and we’ll all return to watch and wait for Louis & Dorcha, Garry & Aurora, and Affric & Prince to return. During the off-season, there are two main places to congregate – Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys on Facebook (membership required) and Adam’s family site on which he kindly makes a dedicated page available for us – Walking With Daddy / Osprey (uses Hyvor, no membership required). The nest cams can be seen throughout the year on YouTube, as long as the solar panels receive sufficient light, they might go off from time to time during prolonged bad weather. To be notified when the comments reopen, become a member, sign up to Woodland Trust notifications, or just keep checking this page in March.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.42.24 (05.08.26) Nest Two 21.34.11 (05.23.50) Today’s videos: none! Bonus action – vote for your favourite contender for Woodland Trust’s Tree of the Year (closes 19 September):
Geemeff’sWoodland Trust daily summary for Loch ArkaigThursday 21st August 2025Darach turned up this morning looking like he was limping again, but just like yesterday, whatever bothered him had cleared up by his next appearance. That was at lunchtime, to collect a large lively trout from Louis. In his eagerness to get the fish, he grabbed Louis’ leg and held on for a while before Louis was able to free himself. Perhaps it’s Louis who ought to be showing up with a limp! That fish took the nest total to four hundred and thirty nine, and at this time of year, begs the question how much longer will these last two remaining family members keep coming to the nest? No other action on Nest Two and none on Nest One apart from brief visits by some little songbirds, but George would like us nest cam watchers to take action and select our favourite video clips for inclusion in the official season highlights video, link to the details in the bonus section. The weather was settled, it’ll be
partly cloudy with light winds and a low of 9°C overnight, changing to sunny intervals and light winds with a high of 17°C tomorrow. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.54.06 (05.04.11); Nest Two 21.59.45 (05.20.27) Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/GFsZgfcyehI N2 Darach visits the nest but appears to be limping again 07.01.37https://youtu.be/uNZ7ySfg9VM N2 Darach gets a large lively fish from Louis – how many more? 12.34.48 Bonus action – select your favourite Woodland Trust video clips in preparation for the season summary, full details:https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=27522933
Mary Cheadle is the force behind the fundraising for the Loch Arkaig nest and she posted this – it is beautiful and I hope no one minds my sharing it with you!
And fly they did. Don’t we wish we could spread our arms and hover, eventually flying to see our world from their perspective?
As we wind down the osprey season in the northern hemisphere, things are picking up in Australia and ‘A‘ is happy to supply us with their latest commentary on the nests we watch – Port Lincoln Ospreys, Olympic Park White Bellied Sea Eagles, Orange Peregrine Falcons, and the CBD (Central Business District) Falcons in Melbourne.
“August 22: Lady was awake very early and went to the old leatherjacket – urging Dad off. She was very wet, he was noticeably drier. A short feed, only SE35, then back brooding until Dad returned with a big whiting, which she claimed, eating the head. She didn’t feed the chicks then, although they were ready and cheeping. Rain started again. Dad brought a pigeon carcass at 8:19, claimed again by Lady – she fed again, SE35 doing very well, no aggression, but SE36 managed only a bite before the rain started again. Dad gave Lady a break just after 9am, feeding SE35 very well, then SE36 a few bites, before brooding them carefully. He fed them again later in the day, SE35 doing very well and SE36 feeding after as well. He then brooded again with Lady taking a good break. Late in the afternoon, he bought a nice beam. Lady managed a late feeding at the end of the day, with SE36 doing quite well after SE35 had finished. Some sibling rivalry during the day, but SE36 did eat. Dad fed them three times and had a couple of long sessions brooding. Then last thing, he brought another fish and fed Lady as she covered the chicks.
As the report indicates, Dad is doing very well at providing food, especially in all this rain. Lady is amazing as she dutifully broods the chicks through the night, her wings spread wide to give the chicks plenty of room and lots of protection from the elements. She is truly an amazing mum. Dad is relieving her as well as doing his hunting duties, and when he finished the day by feeding her, it was just too adorable. He understands that the babies, still without their thermal down at just a week old, are way too young to cope with being allowed to get soaking wet while Lady takes the time to eat.
I remain worried about SE36 because it really is getting just enough to eat – I have not seen its little crop really full even once so far in its short life, and this concerns me. There is not much margin for error here, and with all the rain, Dad really is doing a magnificent job of keeping plenty of food on the nest. If this changes, SE36 might be in trouble. I’m hoping the weather will clear and that SE36 gets the chance to eat until it is full at every meal. I try to remind myself that some version of this plays out every season and there is no siblicide on Dad and Lady’s nest, but it’s always hard to watch a younger sibling being shut out of feedings.
Meanwhile, we are slowly getting closer to egg watch at Port Lincoln and at Orange (Diamond and Xavier are mating too often at the moment to venture far from the tower, with lots of bonding and many food gifts – today, Diamond rejected two starlings before eventually accepting one).
I have not yet heard any news of the Collins Street scrape. The weekly ABC radio bird program last week discussed garden birds with no mention of the falcons. I try to catch it each week because it always gives us some news of the falcons when there is news to give! So I’m hoping to hear something, though I don’t expect that to happen for at least another four or five weeks, perhaps even longer. “
As many worry about 36, I am brought back five years when dear little 26 hatched, injured its leg and was loved, cared for, and taught much about life by its elder sibling 25. How bittersweet that season was.
Big Red and Arthur’s O2 remains on the Cornell Campus in Ithaca, New York to the delight of each of us. Thanks to Suzanne Arnold Horning for keeping us informed – so grateful.
Ashley Wilson posted a great capture of Newmann and Elaine at Great Spirit Bluff.
New Guy is looking for Iris – Susan D caught him in the glow of the sun at the nest, wondering where his girl is. Let’s keep our eyes on that streaming cam to see if she has left the territory. They have surely built a beautiful nest to return to in early April 2026. If she has departed, send Iris your best positive wishes to return.
At Charlo, Montana, C20 was at the nest and got the fish from Dad, Charlie. There has been no sighting of C19 on Sunday. Lola was last seen on August 20 and it is presumed she has begun her migration.
Brianne gets a fish dinner from Dad Idris at the Dyfi Osprey Platform in Wales.
5R3 gets a fish delivery from Blue 022 at the Birds of Poole Harbour Osprey platform. How grand! This nest fledged four chicks for the second season in a row.
The cleaners might have arrived at the Usk Valley osprey platform in Wales but we still have an osprey on the nest with fish, coming and going. I believe this to be the ringed intruder as I cannot read the Darvic ring that well to see if it is 9K5 (only one egg hatched out of three) and thid baby truly became a celebrity.
The Usk Valley nest is the first to have ospreys fledge in over 250 years in that area. Here is there enjoyable newsletter. Have a read!
At Rutland Water Manton Bay Osprey Nest, Maya is still there helping to bring fish to her four fledglings! Blue 33 is still delivering, too. All is good.
An osprey with a BTO ring but no Darvic has been sighted in the UK, and everyone believes that it is Blue NCO from Loch of the Lowes. If so, she is on her way south for migration, and we wish all the best in finding a new mate and raising a family next year.
I did not see any ospreys at the Coeur de’Alene, Idaho osprey platforms.
Cornell Bird Lab checked in on Iris close up a week ago, as migration approaches. I could stare at her image for hours. What a treasure she is. We were all saddened by Finnegan not returning from his migration, but I am glad that Iris found another male who is also attentive to her needs, who brings her fish and helps her with the nest. https://youtu.be/qPRo82TafGI?
There is some concern for Mo at Dunrovin Ranch. She did manage to eat a fish that Dad, Swoop, brought in. Fingers crossed!
Speaking of migration, I will now be including the count from Hawk Mountain as migration progresses through October. I am also hoping that Heidi will send us her reports as she goes migration counting in the NE USA.
Sandi gives a video overview of the 2025 season at Big Bear with Jackie, Shadow, Sunny, and Gizmo!https://youtu.be/CLEi_1rLlx8?
B’ alerts us to the arrival of a juvenile Bald Eagle at the Ojai Raptor Centre. They write, “I know you are away on break now, but when you return I thought you would be interested in this forwarded story of a bald eagle juvie in rehab at Ojai Raptor Center, the folks who took such good care of Cruz and Andor’s Victor from Fraser Point a few years ago, helping him recover from zinc poisoning and eventually releasing him to the wild. This bird, identified as patient 25-676, was found in the Owens Valley (just east of the Sierra), grounded and struggling. She was captured and taken to a local care facility (Wildcare Eastern Sierra) and then sent to Ojai for more intensive care. They found her possibly suffering from rodenticide poisoning or poisoning from other toxins (lead?). It sure makes me think of all the risks and hazards facing Sunny and Gizmo, Bodie, TE3, Phoenix, and all our other juvie friends as they make their way in their hard first year in the wild.
25-676 seems to be making encouraging progress but has a ways to go before (hopefully) a possible release down the road.”
People write to me for recommendations on where to donate and the Ojai Raptor Centre is certainly one of those.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care and have a wonderful week. We look forward to having you with us again on Friday! And, please, if you know of any raptor news, pass it along to me so I can include it!
I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘A, Geemeff, PB, PS and SK Hideaways’, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos ande post them on YouTube, 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 that still cover environmental issues as they relate to our precious feathered friends and to the rehabilitation centres like Ojai Raptor that care enough to try hard to send their patients back into the wild. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.
Oh, my goodness. The weather has turned. We have had some nice rain, much needed. Not enough to quell the fires raging in the north of our province, sadly. As we look out to the garden with the golden rays of dusk settling on the tops of the lilac bushes, we can see the leaves beginning to change colour in the large trees about a block away. While I welcome the cooler temperatures which are much nicer for walking and sleeping – and much easier on the wildlife – it only reminds me that in a few months winter will be setting in. I have already said that I am dreading this season this year.
The rhythmn in our lives has changed for the good. I told my husband’s doctor that ‘knock on wood’, life is boring. Boring is good. It is calm, routine, life is anticipated. We had a big hiccup around a trip that turned out to be rather hilarious. We went to Pelican Lake. It was gorgeous. Don associated ‘pelican’ with the pelicans we see at Hecla Island and things began to unravel. Ever since those revelations came ‘out’, something changed. This coming week, in an effort to check on the pelicans and see some amazing Golden Eagles migrating through, this coming week we will be at Hecla Island. That was where Don thought we were going when we went to Pelican Lake – so again, something familiar is best! We will stick with Hecla Island for now!
The Guardian reports that the UK is set to reintroduce Golden Eagles into the landscape:
I want to start off with something that is beyond sad and if you live near Virginia, I want you to reach and help if you can. There are wildlife rehabbers who have rescued starving osplets but cannot get any fish to feed them! Debbie Campbell posted the link in the FB group Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal:https://www.facebook.com/groups/765772041406313/permalink/1484585112858332/?mibextid=W9rl1R
I have corresponded with the rehabber, who is not the only one in Virginia struggling to feed these babies. In the comments of several posts, Ben Wurtz, who you will know from the Wildlife Conserve of New Jersey, has said that they are also having difficulty. Maybe Omega Protein – who is taking all of the Menhaden they can find in the region should step up and provide some fish!!!!!!!!
Or maybe someone to organize a ‘fish train’ to Virginia to feed the ospreys in care that might draw national attention to their plight that would embarrass those individuals who could help but aren’t. Oh, how I wish I lived closer and could take this on. Anyone reading this want to help?
Ospreys are being photographed taking needlefish – not a great substitute but when you are starving, you have no choice.
In other areas, the ospreys that are surviving are dying due to human garbage. Unbelievable. In each instance, the deaths of these amazing fish hawks is at the hands of humans.
Are we truly the only animal that destroys its own home? APCA reminds us about the tragedies associated with fishing.
That one didn’t make it but, there is one at Christine’s Critters that will survive fishing line! Thanks, ‘J’. I really need some good news. Please check out the video in the link below.
Christine’s has a young osprey at the moment that was hurt by fishing line.
When the cam went off at the Tremealeau Eagles Live Stream and highlights came back on, I am certain that more than half of you shed a tear. What a year it has been – the most bittersweet I remember. TE3 was certainly one of the highlights. A single mum, Mrs T, raising such a beautiful eaglet to fledge. How many doubted this miracle would happen? I sure did at times!
We will never know the fate of this much-loved fledgling. There is no Darvic Ring. If several things could change on these streaming cams, it would be the will to try and band every raptor – eagles, ospreys, falcons, etc., so that the thousands of watchers (and those studying the birds) could track their migration and their longevity and breeding. We are only lucky that Iris is so distinctive, or we might never know that she is getting close to being 30 years old and still much in love with her new man.
SK Hideaways sends us some great videos!
Southern UK Hobby Falcons ~ banded female, unbanded male
In their short, 30-day life, CT and CV captured our attention and our hearts. The adorable hobby falcons were vibrant, energetic, adorable chicks, whose fans cheered them on to thrive. Tragically, their lives were cut short when a goshawk took them both from their nest.
This tribute attempts to help us remember the good times with CT and CV with scenes from each week of their lives. Fly high and rest in peace (16 July – 15 August 2025).
With gratitude to and courtesy of Dorset Raptor Study Group (https://drsg.co.uk/),
SK Hideaway’s second video showing our beloved Eagle family from the Big Bear Valley:
Big Bear Valley, CA, home of Jackie & Shadow
A juvenile eagle roosted on Twin Pine until a Great Horned Owl struck in the wee hours. It’s possible that it could be Sunny or Gizmo, but a positive ID cannot be made. Jackie and Shadow settled on their roost tree overnight. They gifted us with long and loud chortles and snortles before traversing separately to the lookout snag at dawn. After they departed, cam ops found a beautiful red-tailed hawk first on the cactus snag and then on the headless tree. It was a busy morning in the habitat.
Sunny is 165 days old, Gizmo is 161 days old.
WBSE 35 and 36 have had fish and bird prey in their feedings. We also have a video installment from SK Hideaways about these two adorable fluffly little snow people…seriously, watching these two, even with the expected bonking, makes you smile. So far prey deliveries have been good.
Sydney White-Bellied Sea Eagles, Lady & Dad (17 Aug 2025)
In this video, SE35 is 3 days old, SE36 is 2 days old. Their jobs are to eat, sleep, and try to stay upright at this point. They’re both doing a brilliant job, as are Lady and Dad. In addition to caring for their chicks, the parents are dealing with swooping magpies ~ a common nuisance at this nest.
Beautiful family portrait at the Olympic Park nest.
‘A’ catches up with the Australian nesting season: “These two are just so cute. They are eating strongly and the bonking has begun. Fortunately, they are very close together in size and ability – both can hold their heads up and both are keen to get to the table. Lady is such an experienced parent – she is so skilled at putting small pieces of fish into tiny swaying beaks, although these two are better than most hatchlings at keeping their heads still. Once they can see properly, they will be all over this feeding business.
Dad is a wonderful provider, although his diligence has not really bought him much in the way of chick time or even glimpses of his offspring. Lady is very protective indeed, and so very gentle with those sharp talons around the littles when she is positioning herself and enfluffeling. (I did love your blog mentioning that this is a real word. It’s long been a personal favourite of mine.)
So far, so good. I do worry that there is bonking on day three for SE35, but there is no real size discrepancy and SE36 does not appear intimidated, plus Lady leans across SE35 to feed SE36, who is in the safer position when it’s behind its sibling! They have no strength to hurt each other yet nor the eyesight to aim with any precision, so hopefully, they will be sweet with each other. Neither will go hungry if Lady is brought enough fish to feed them with. She really is so good at feeding newly hatched chicks. Such a vital but difficult task.
We are nearing egg time for the ospreys at Port Lincoln AND the falcons at Orange – it is just 10 days until 27 August, which is the date Diamond laid egg number one last year, and nine days until 26 August, when the first egg was laid at Port Lincoln Ospreys last season.
It’s still about six weeks until we can expect to see the breeding birds beginning to return to Taiaroa Head. Eggs are laid from about mid-November, with a 77-day incubation period and hatches around Australia Day (26 January), which means that courting should be getting underway by early October.
So within a fortnight, we should be watching eggs at two Australian nests as well as the adorable pair of sea eaglets, and waiting for a New Zealand fledge (our precious princess at Taiaroa Head, SSTrig chick). Of course any progress in the 2025 breeding season of the Collins Street falcons will not be revealed to us until a second egg is laid, assuming the falcons return to their scrape on an upper ledge of the Mirvac building in Melbourne’s CBD. “
Rutland is looking at their connection with Poole Harbour.
Knowing who is returning and breeding is so important! Cannot be done without those Darvic Rings.
While the owner of this camera had great luck seeing CJ7 with her fish, our dynamic Mum, who has now raised several clutches of four, including another this season, lost her fish en route to feeding those babes. It will not be long til she has departed for her migration, but, being the great female she is, it might mean she remains til September to help Blue 022 get their four on their way in good health.
It isn’t wildlife stealing from wildlife in Canada but the wild fires that rage from one end of my country to the other that are causing serious issues.
A Dyfi Osprey Project fledgling who appears to be drying off after trying his luck at fishing.
Poole Harbour: 5R3 had three fish on Sunday!
Harry was sky dancing and delivering flounder to the nest at Alyth SS hoping that Flora might show up. She has not been seen and it is believed she has left for migration.
All of the Danish ospreys have left for migration.
J Castnyer catches Zeus working on the nest at Goitzsche Wildnis, but it appears that Fjona has started her migration.
At Escherbach, J Castnyer catches Hermine. She writes, “Hermine is still in the nest territory, although she doesn’t show much. Today she came perhaps because she saw that there was no one there and that Herbert had just taken a fish out of the water. She gave us a few minutes, but she left as soon as one of the young ones arrived. The teak for the boys, she must think. She can fish by herself, although it’s beautiful when your partner does it for you.”
Runi, 13L, continues to get some nice fish at the Fru Rauer nest in Norway.
Beau continues to wait for Gabby at the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest (in fact he is more than a week early on his arrival). It wasn’t Gabby but there was a visitor – a Black Vulture!
There are two Turkey Vultures! Wonder what Beau thinks.
Charlo, Montana: Lola and Charlie are still at the nest with C19 and C20 getting fish at the nest.
Dunrovin: The 4th hatch, commonly known as Little Buckaroo, is getting some height and should be fledging soon.
Hellgate Canyon: Iris and the NM continue to visit the nest.
Boulder County: Osprey fledglings continue to get fed well at the nest.
Black Eagles or (Verreaux’s eagles) practice siblicide. This behaviour, where one sibling kills another, is particularly prevalent in nests with multiple chicks and is often driven by competition for limited food resources. This gorgeous youngster is already jumping about the nest and will hover like we see in the osprey nests as there is no place on the side of this cliff for it to branch.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 17th August 2025
Louis only brought one fish to the nest today, taking the nest tally to four hundred and thirty, and Darach 7P0 was there to get it. No sign of Breac 7P7, last seen 15th, nor any of the other Arkaig Ospreys, and no visitors to Nest One other than a Great Tit. Darach entertained us with a barrel roll as he left the nest, but his manoeuvre, lovely as it was, was nothing compared to the heroics of Morag Hughes who completed her epic swim down the eleven miles of Loch Arkaig in 10 hours, 6 minutes and 37 seconds. Congratulations Morag! She even got to see an Osprey during her swim, and was seen by the nest cam watchers as she swam through the nest view, albeit as a tiny white dot, you can see it in today’s videos. Link to photos on Woodland Trust’s blue sky social media (you don’t need an account to view them) in the bonus section along with the fundraiser link. So far she’s raised nearly £5,000 for Woodland Trust, and her just giving fundraiser is still open for contributions. The weather cooperated – it was sunny and the loch was calm, and after some overnight mist, tomorrow’s forecast is for more of the same.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.07.34 (04.36.51); Nest Two 22.22.38 (04.57.06)
Bonus read and / or action – photos of Morag on her epic swim, and donation link:
She has done it!Massive thanks and congratulations to Morag Hughes of Fort William who swam 11 miles along the length of #LochArkaig today, raising funds for our restoration of the forest. Morag completed her big swim in 10 hours, 6 minutes and 37 seconds.🧵 1/2
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 16th August 2025 It was a three fish day and all for Darach 7P0 as there was no sign of younger brother Breac 7P7, last seen leaving the nest at
09.11.28 yesterday. Has he headed south, or is he still in the area, either attempting to fish for himself, or being fed off-nest, or both? As always, the answer is wait and see. Darach didn’t appear very grateful for the fish, he launched a sustained attack on poor old Louis, grabbing him firmly by the leg and then lunging at him with open beak when Louis didn’t leave the nest after delivering the fish. Darach probably didn’t realise that Louis was unable to leave due to being firmly held in his talons. It made for uncomfortable viewing, but experienced adult that he is, Louis just tried to duck away from the worst of the attack and didn’t retaliate. He returned later with two more fish, taking the nest tally to four hundred and twenty nine. Darach was harassed by marauding Hoodies and stood up to one persistent individual, forcing the crow off the nest and away from his fish which he’d left unattended, luckily it was too big for the crow to carry off and Darach was able to rescue it. Garry LV0 brought a stick to Nest One and did a bit of tidying during his brief visit but there was no sign of Affric 152 today. The weather was sunny and the loch was mirror calm today and forecast to remain the same tomorrow, which will aid Morag Hughes in her epic fundraising swim. Link to the details and her just giving page in the bonus section. With luck, we might be able to make out her escort of kayaks as she passes through the nest view. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.14.47 (04.48.40); Nest Two 22.28.33 (04.52.56)
https://youtu.be/IrYYqCnBBDc N2 Louis brings a third fish and waits patiently for Darach 19.27.46 Bonus action – you can still support Morag who’ll be swimming Loch Arkaig tomorrow to raise funds for Woodland Trust:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 15th August 2025
Fish deliveries were the main event today – Affric 152 turned up on Nest One and received a nice sized trout from Garry LV0, whose tally, after stagnating since 4th August, finally moves up a notch to one hundred and forty one. Louis delivered three fish today, all mackerel, and the nest tally now stands at four hundred and twenty six including two deliveries by Dorcha, who was last seen a full week ago on 7th August. The three fish were all taken by Darach 7P0 as apart from a brief visit lasting 26 seconds this morning, Breac 7P7 hasn’t been seen on nest cam today. In his eagerness to get the second fish, Darach locked talons with Louis and got pulled off the nest! But returned unharmed a few moments later and claimed the fish before the Hoodies showed up. The weather was settled and sunny today, the overnight forecast is for mist and light winds with a low of 12°C changing to sunny with a high of 24°C tomorrow.Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.13.44 (05.04.19); Nest Two 22.34.20 (05.13.40) Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/AOvludmDLRM N2 A third mackerel arrives and again it’s Darach who’s there to get it 18.18.10 Bonus action – support Morag Hughes who’ll be swimming Loch Arkaig this weekend to raise funds for Woodland Trust:
Turkey Vulture 24-380 originally came to our hospital on July 7th, 2024 as a fledgling that had either been orphaned or abandoned due to his numerous health issues. Even with the July heat, 380 was hypothermic. His feather condition was poor, with several flight feathers having broken and the rest covered in heavy stress bars that made them weak and prone to breakage. Despite being nearly full grown, 380 was severely emaciated and weighed less than half of what he should.
He had recently gotten into some feed corn and bird seed and stuffed himself full with it despite these items not being something that he could digest and get nutrition from. We used tongs to manually remove as much of the corn and seed from his crop as possible and got to work rehydrating 380 and giving him some easily digestible liquid diet. Emaciated juveniles are usually able to process solid food relatively quickly compared to adults, but when we tried to introduce some, it just sat in 380’s crop and ended up having to be manually removed.
It took 3 weeks of tube feeding liquid diet before we were finally able to transition 380 to solid food. In that time, 380 battled other illnesses including an infection with a protozoan parasite called trichomoniasis (which causes thick lesions in the mouth), intestinal parasites, mild lead toxicity, and a West Nile Virus infection that started causing his feathers to pinch off and fall out.
Between the West Nile Virus and 380’s initially poor quality feathers, he ended up with no intact flight feathers and had to remain with us until it was time to molt. He’s spent the last year with our foster dad, Volo, whose presence has been essential in keeping 380 from imprinting or becoming too comfortable around humans. 380 started his molt in April, but it took 3 months for him to grow a full new set of flight feathers. Thanks to a year of quality nutrition, this round of feathers came in healthy and structurally sound.
380 was released in late July. He wasted no time before spreading his wings to soak up the sun from a high tree branch. When he realized that he was partially shaded, he moved to a higher branch above the canopy to maximize his sun exposure. Turkey Vultures are known for their love of sunning and can be regularly seen exhibiting this pose.”
How many times do you happen to be heading to an appointment early in the morning and you see cars – so many cars – with only one person in them? or homes that could benefit from grants to help insulate them to save energy costs? Our use of fossily fuels and the growing decisions internationally to open coal mines are putting wildlife in further jeopardy.
Spilve and Grislis’s Golden Eaglet, Melders, has fledged but returns to the nest for prey. What a beautiful season it has been.
Speaking of Golden Eagles, they are arriving in the area of Hecla Island. We will be there this week and hope to see some of the migrants! That would be unbelievable.
Hurricanes and tropical storms are beginning to form for the Atlantic season which will run until the end of November. This is Erin.
The eye Saturday afternoon by Storm Chaser. Thankfully, our raptors and other migrating birds can sense the weather and will be able to take shelter. Erin went from a tropical storm to a Category 5 in a mere 24 hours. The storm has now settled down and as of the time of writing, Sunday afternoon, it has been downgraded to a cat 3.
Wind Turbines. There are a number west of where I live in the hills that provide the thermals for the migrating birds coming in the spring and departing in the late summer. They do not have to die. There is a simple solution. If you live in an area considering wind farms, please enter the conversation about how to make them safe for our raptors.
Lots of waterfowl rescues. Wildlife Haven, near to where I live, have just cleaned some Canada Geese that got into a ‘substance’ in the northern part of our City. They will be released just like these mallard ducks at another Canadian rescue.
Please put out water and/or food for the migrating birds, volunteer if you can, donate if you can, but please leave out water!
Thank you for being with us today. The osprey season is winding down. The Bald Eagles will begin to arrive slowly, with eggs expected in the US in November-ish. Focus will switch to the raptors in Australia, and we wish every raptor on their way to their winter home good winds and a bursting crop.
I will not be posting on Friday as we will be on our break at Hecla Island but I will be back on Monday the 25th of August. Please take care. We look forward to having you with us in a week.
Toby hopes that everyone has a great week and something wonderful to chew on like his Blueberry-Yak Milk Bully stick!
I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘A, Geemeff, J, SK Hideaways, PB’, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos and the authors of posts such as Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, Debbie Campbell at Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal and all others, often too many to name. I am very grateful to you and to the newspapers that still cover environmental issues as they relate to our precious feathered friends including The Guardian. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.
We spent Saturday in the English Gardens admiring the gorgeous plantings, chatting to other dog lovers, and eating ice cream. Dogs get free ‘pup cups’ complete with a dog biscuit. Toby is already familiar with the routine!
You can see the ‘pup cup’ in the image below. The photos make Toby look ‘tiny’ – the dream of all humans when they get their picture taken! But he is now 16 lbs.
While we were there, we had a chance to talk to a photographer waiting for the elusive hummingbird. Yes, singular. Usually, the gardens would be full of hummingbirds, but he told me that he had talked to photographers in North Dakota, and they have so many hummingbirds they can’t believe it. The theory is that the wildfire smoke kept the hummers moving til they got to clean air.
Bears and other wildlife are still suffering.
Each of you will remember the wildlife and the fires in Australia – people helping with water for the koalas, many of them on fire. It is heartbreaking – well, beyond sad. Only time will tell how many eagles and ospreys will return next year, and whether there will be any trees for them to make nests. I wondered about the ash from the fires falling into the pristine lakes, and this is what I learned: “When ash from wildfires falls into lakes, it can introduce nutrients and toxins, potentially causing temporary algal blooms and impacting water quality. While the effects are often short-term, particularly in well-mixed lakes, they can disrupt the ecosystem and affect aquatic life.”
Migration has started early, with geese congregating on many golf courses and sports fields.
At the park today, there were many more ducks and, in particular, Wood Ducks than I remember from previous years.
The weather is cooler and since the rains the past couple of days, the smoke has not been so bad. Earlier we had extreme warnings about being outside especially if anyone had respiratory issues.
At home, all is well. There are a couple of ‘witching’ times during the day when Toby needs to be calmed – after breakfast and in the late evening before bed. Otherwise, life with cats and a dog is going much better than I expected! Hugo Yugo continues to do better. She has been seen multiple times eating hard food and today ate two small tins of wet food for breakfast. She really wants to play with Toby and I must warn him that ‘the cats plot to get him in trouble’. Toby will go for his first little grooming session on Thursday. His nails really need trimming!
Missey does not quite fit on the small space at the top of this particular cat tree. She looks miserable.
Calico was inspecting the blueberry cookies for dogs thinking they should make some nice things for cats, too.
Toby spots Baby Hope inside the house when he is out.
They keep us busy.
Sunday waw three hours of sheer bliss at King’s Park. We walked and picnicked with Toby. The charcoal clouds left and the sun came out and it was simply glorious.
Part of our rigid routine is that Saturdays and Sundays are ‘family’ days. On the other days, we have Anne, Jaine, or appointments with doctors, haircuts, etc. So the weekend is reserved for ‘fun’, enjoying being together and walking outside. Our big disappointment is that there are not a lot of geese about – we will continue searching for them!
Time to get checking on those ospreys, and I want to start with one of our favourite fledglings from 2021 in South Australia, who is now old enough to be frantically looking for a mate – Ervie!!!!!!! Searching far and wide, Port Lincoln Osprey FB says, “Barge 2021 – Ervie is on the go again – still in search of the elusive partner. He has been for a visit to Taylor Island, and we know there are Osprey down there.”
Dyfi Osprey Project: Idris is very busy getting those fish to the nest for the fledglings.
Birds of Poole Harbour: Both CJ7 and Blue 022 are delivering fish to their four fledglings. One, 5R5, hasn’t been quite as lucky on getting fish at the nest. Fingers crossed their luck picks up!
Glaslyn: Teifi continues to deliver fish to Elen and to seal their bond for the 2026 season.
Balgavies Loch:
‘PS’ give us the news from the Seattle Osprey platform:
“Visited the last few days – Saturday I saw 3 fish deliveries from dad in 40 minutes or so! Two Starry Flounder and one Coho Salmon. With the fledglings around but not always on the nest dad’s arrival often led to a bit of a scrum – though on this particular day the loser didn’t have to feel that bad as fish after fish kept showing up. One of the Flounder I saw dad circle, dive, and catch, at a distance, and then bring it straight back to the nest. It was so close he didn’t even turn the fish and just flew it back facing the wrong way. Today I arrived at the tail end of a feed, with one of the fledglings finishing up what looked to be a Salmon of some sort.
I haven’t seen mom since Aug-1; do you think she could have started her migration already, 7-10 days after the first fledge? Or maybe I’m just unlucky and keep missing her.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 10th August 2025 Today was about fish, plenty of them – Louis brought five fish, and not only did Darach 7P0 get four of them, but he also flew with fish for the first time. It was unintentional, as he slipped over the edge of the nest while pushing his brother Breac 7P7 away from his fish, but nevertheless, he took off flying clutching his fish, and returned a little later with it still firmly held in his talons. That’s a big milestone achieved as the ability to fly with fish is an essential skill for Ospreys, sometimes called fish hawks. After being the dominant chick for so long, Breac was forced to defer to Darach who grabbed fish first, then lunged at him and pushed him off the nest on several occasions, making it clear he would not be giving up his fish. Breac also lost fish to invading Hoodies, but luckily it was only a few scraps. Louis’ fish tally rises to four hundred and five (407 nest total) while the total for Garry LV0 who hasn’t been seen since the 7th remains unchanged on one hundred and forty. Dorcha also hasn’t been seen since the 7th and the last sighting of Affric 152 was on the 8th, we wait to see if any of them will still make an appearance on nest cam. The weather was reasonably settled today but the forecast for the next 24 hours is light rain and light winds with an overnight low of 14
°C and a high tomorrow of 18°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One
22.08.04 (04.32.48); Nest Two 21.57.01 (04.42.08) Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/8OlfdpONB9w N2 Breac suffers an invasion of Hoodies who steal scraps from him 20.37.17Bonus opportunity to support intrepid Morag who’s going to swim Loch Arkaig to raise funds for Woodland Trust:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 9th August 2025 Louis delivered his 400th fish for the season (402 nest total with Dorcha’s two) when he brought fish number three today, and it went to Breac 7P7. Breac did very well today, after finishing off the substantial remains of last night’s mackerel, he also got two fresh fish from Louis. Darach 7P0 was ferocious in his determination to get a fish and actually pushed Breac off the nest causing him to fly away. The strategy worked again when he got the next fish despite Breac being on the nest, once Darach had the fish secured and Louis had gone, he flew at Breac and forced him off the nest again, making it clear he would not be bullied to give up his fish. This is necessary as he has yet to acquire the skill of flying with fish and must therefore eat on the nest. There was no activity on Nest One, not even a songbird visited – Affric was last seen yesterday, and both Garry and Dorcha were last seen on the 7th. Have they gone south? It’s probably much too early to tell. After rain and wind and some sunny intervals today, the forecast for the next 24 hours is cloudy with light wind, an overnight low of 11°C and a high of 17°C tomorrow. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.17.38 (04.24.47); Nest Two 22.16.54 (04.55.56) Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/fTaTXlZRdfM N2 Breac arrives and finishes off last night’s mackerel 05.24.47https://youtu.be/AzHy7AQUYVc N2 Darach arrives late and it’s Breac who gets fish one 09.48.05
Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch ArkaigFriday 8th August 2025
Today’s fish were pretty evenly shared out between the two chicks – Breac 7P7 got the substantial remains of last night’s second fish, a flatfish, for breakfast this morning, beating the Hoodies to a free meal, then got one of Louis’ three fresh deliveries today while Darach 7P0 got the other two. The nest total now stands at three hundred and ninety nine, including the two delivered by Dorcha. She wasn’t seen on camera today, neither were Garry LV0 or Affric 152, in fact the only activity on Nest One was the brief visit of a juvenile Great Tit. Garry’s tally remains at one hundred and forty. Steve Quinn published his fish stats for Week 18 today, an interesting read as always, link’s in the bonus section. Steve told us about his recent visit to Avalon Marshes and meeting with photographer Andrew Kirby who was the first to photograph 2020 chick Doddie JJ6 who’d stopped off there practising his fishing skills on his first migration journey. Doddie caused much excitement by becomlng the first Loch Arkaig Osprey to be sighted away from the nest area, link to Andrew’s fabulous photos of Doddie in the bonus section. Today’s weather was windy and sometimes wet, and tonight’s forecast is for heavy rain and what’s referred to as a moderate breeze but when seen on nest cam looks much more powerful, with a low of 12°C, changing to thundery showers with a high of 15°C tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.22.04 (04.46.07); Nest Two 22.13.40 (04.52.07)
It makes me wonder if we will discover from the necrscopy of Big Red and Arthur’s first hatch, O1, if she died of Avian Flu.
At Knepp Farm (you have no idea how much respect I have for their rewilding project), the sound of the Nightingale has not only returned but is becoming more abundant.
In the US, the two oldest of the four osplets of Winnie and Swoop have fledged at Dunrovin Ranch in Montana.
Green Ledge Light Preservation Society: The three osplets of Ollie and Olivia have fledged!
Coeur de’Alene, Idaho: The three surviving osplets have fledged and ‘PB’ reports that each has taken a different osprey platform at the park where they are fish calling. I caught up with two of the trio.
Hellgate Canyon: New Male has been consistently bringing our dear Iris fresh fish to help her prepare for her migration.
Charlo Montana: Charlie has been busy bringing in some fish.
At the Fru Rauer nest in Norway, beautiful flounder are being delivered to the nest. Here is the video: https://youtu.be/F6wBsAZ6YaE?
Zeus delivering a fish – the family trio are now rarely seen at the nest, with speculation that they are spending more time at the nearby lake.
‘A’ is keeping an eye on the Australian nests for us. So nice to hear from them! “As we reach day 37 for the first egg, the pair at WBSE have been dutifully incubating their clutch, through a lot of rain and cold nights. Lady has as always taken every night shift and on some days has sat on the eggs for eight hours or more as well. Dad relieves her often, if she’ll leave, but sometimes, she sits tight and refuses to budge.Apart from the frequent rain and the consistently cold nights, the pattern has been for not much food to be brought to the nest. Lady has done much of the hunting for herself, though Dad does bring in the odd bream tail or half-eaten fish and often arrives with a full crop himself. I do worry about whether he will step up deliveries once the eggs hatch – things will be difficult if he doesn’t. This pair appears strongly bonded, though, with duets every morning and Dad staying close to the nest each night, and they’re very experienced parents, so I’m probably just worrying about nothing. It’s just all the rain…
There have been a number of sightings of one parent or the other being bothered/swooped/chased by ravens or lapwings or currawongs so that aspect of life in Olympic Forest, sadly, has not changed. The constant rain is a concern – the eggs have for the most part been kept warm and dry but there have been a few occasions when Dad has left the nest before Lady’s return from a break, leaving the eggs uncovered in the rain for ten minutes or so. Hopefully, there won’t have been any damage to the lives inside but only time will tell.
Diamond and Xavier are doing well. Not egg time quite yet but both are looking healthy and are bonding as always. Xavier is STILL bringing Diamond starlings (and, worse yet, recycled starlings she has already rejected). It seems he has to relearn this lesson every single season. On the other hand, there seems to be a relatively plentiful supply of starlings and this can be useful when it’s time to feed some hungry eyases.
At Port Lincoln, it’s R-rated. This pair seems to be mating constantly, with occasional dinner breaks and fly arounds. Eggs are definitely on the minds of these ospreys, and when they’re not mating (or eating), they’re bringing in nesting material. I do hope we have two eggs and not three. I’m never super happy when a third egg hatches on an osprey nest, although I know you are (for research purposes of course). I suppose at this nest, which is blessed to be overseen by a Fish Fairy, the research is partially compromised, in the sense that the lessons learned on the nest are different ones, at least to some extent. I hadn’t thought much about that, but obviously you would have, given the nature of your research.
Nothing at Collins Street yet, and we don’t really expect there to be for at least another fortnight. I do wish we caught a little more of the early part of the season at Collins Street instead of having to wait until the second egg is laid (they usually don’t even switch the cameras on after the first egg, let alone before it, though they must have a fair idea of when the egg-laying window is likely to open. Frustrating.”
Thank you so much for being with us today. We hope you have a great week and we look forward to having you with us again on Friday.
I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘A, Geemeff, PB, PS’, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos, including SK Hideaways, Joan Castnyer, 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 that still 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.
Late news: Fortis Exshaw had their third osplet hatch!
We are creeping closer and closer to the first day of summer. It is marvellous to have the sun up early in the morning and light still in the garden at 2200. Winter will be here all too soon, and it will then be dark by 1630. These days we have the summer warmth with temperatures ranging during the day from 24-29 C. Coffee in the morning along with breakfast and lingering hours in the evening with our tea and Toby by our side are so enjoyable. It is a little too hot during the early afternoon.
This evening, we sat and watched the Starling parents feed their fledglings. All seven have survived, with another family of five arriving in the garden today. We have gone through so much kibble! They will begin to disperse in a fortnight, and I will miss them so much.
While the Blue Jay babies and the little Crows have yet to arrive, the behavior of the adult birds indicates that there are hungry mouths to feed in their nests. It’s incredibly rewarding to witness these birds flourishing and not having to compete for food. However, I can’t shake the desire to find a solution to bring fish back to the areas where many nests are faltering this year.
I have been working on this post on and off and I know that I have mentioned a few nests twice. Just consider it Double Happiness.
Today, ‘VV’ confirmed the disappointing news that no osprey chicks hatched on St. George’s Island, Maryland, this year, resulting in a staggering fifteen failed nests! The adults abandoned their nests with eggs in two weeks. A few of the adults have returned, but everyone is very disillusioned with no movement in Virginia to halt the overfishing of the Menhaden, which is essential for the lives of our ospreys.
I am deeply ashamed that a Canadian company is on the verge of driving ospreys to extinction in this region of the United States. The nationality of the company shouldn’t be a factor; what troubles me is the lack of a viable solution. Despite the hard work of many advocates raising awareness about this critical issue, Virginia politicians continue to turn a blind eye. Is it true that money can buy favours? Absolutely—short-term financial gain seems to overshadow the urgent need for environmental stewardship. We must demand better from our leaders!
At home, there is no shortage of food and love for all the animals, feathered or furred. Toby and Hugo Yugo are the closest of friends, even when it comes to sifting the cheese out of Toby’s kibble. (Don was a little enthusiastic about the amount and size! My son thought they were eating nachos.)
Back to the birds…
We have been discussing some questions that might arise if you have been watching a lot of the osprey nests this year.
When do we start counting the age of the egg? The minute it is laid! When it emerges from the cloaca. There is no scientific basis for subtracting days, etc. due to delayed incubation. The age of the egg is from the minute it is laid.
Can the second egg hatch before the first egg? Yes. Sometimes it isn’t easy to know which egg is which. In other cases, it is not. The markings on the osprey eggs can be quite distinctive, helping the observer recognise eggs 1, 2, and 3 easily from one another. The data that Heidi and I have kept indicate the following days related to hatch:
2023: This is the data for 342 eggs. If you can’t see it easily, the average time for hatch for the first egg laid is 38.8 days while that for egg 2 laid is 36.9 while egg 3 is 36.4 days.
2024: This is the data for 351 eggs. If you can’t see it easily, the average time for hatch for the first egg is 39.4 days, egg 2 is 37.4 days, and egg 3 is 36.1 with egg 4 at 36.0 days.
3. If the second egg hatches first, do you still call it ‘chick one’? Yes. The first chick to hatch, regardless of egg order, is chick one or the first hatch. This has happened at several nests, including the 2011 Dyfi Osprey Project nest. This is the chart from Tiger Mozone’s log for that season at Dyfi (imagicats):
Many of you know that I have a fondness for Blue 33. I also admire many of the male ospreys in the UK. One way to determine if an osprey pair is considered ‘successful’ is not only by the number of chicks they raise but also by the rate of second-year returnees. For example, Aran at Glaslyn, who was usurped this year by one of Idris’s sons, Teifi, has had three of his sons return to Wales this year. This is a remarkable achievement, and we should keep in mind that these are only the birds that have been seen on camera or photographed, as that’s the only evidence that counts for proving their existence.
There were lots of tributes to the great osprey dads!
Idris and Telyn’s chicks will be ringed this week and we will find out their names.
Latest news from the Cumbrian Wildlife Trust – home to the Foulshaw Moss ospreys.
Been wondering what happened to the only GHO hatch for Bonnie and Clyde at Farmer Derek’s? Androcat caught up with Starri. https://youtu.be/B261Hw7-sic?
At Farmer Derek’s Bald Eagle Nest, Kanza returned home after fledging to a double fish meal. https://youtu.be/x-HOBz9SFIw?
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Nest: ‘MP’ sent shock waves through me when they wrote that the third egg had hatched at this nest. The chick has not been fed since it hatched (24 hours thus far). Attempts but Mum and chick are having trouble connecting. Fingers crossed.
Wetlands, NJ: Second hatch has died due to siblicide/starvation.
The trio at Saaksilvie #1 are doing great. They are in that terrible Reptilian phase. Hoping for three fledges!
At Saaksilvie #4, the trio are in the Reptilian phase. They seem to be doing well.
Saaksilvie nests 2 and 3 are vacant.
Taipalsaavi Osprey Platform, Finland: Two of the cutest fattest little bottom osplets.
We haven’t checked on the Royal Albatross chick for a long time. Baby fluff is disappearing. There are still 9-10 weeks before fledge. Here is the most recent weight check. https://youtu.be/y6XB3zjflNc?
Charlo Montana: A nice big fish came in for those babies.
Rutland Manton Bay: It is a nest full of osplets!
Dunrovin: ‘PB’ brings us the latest news.
I am sending some ‘old’ news. Heidi sent this for Thursday, and I missed it. The ages of the osplets will be wrong, but I want you to see her news, and we have sadly lost the Only Bob at Dahlgren as of Saturday. My apologies for missing this news. I love how Heidi puts the narrative in the image. She will also have a new report for today.
Heidi’s Report for Sunday, 15 June:
Two notes, one video link to Mispillion Harbor video, and six photos.
Dahlgren osprey nest: On 6/14, both Helen and Doug were away from the nest leaving their only chick unprotected. Sadly, the little 4-day-old baby was predated by a crow.
Happy Father’s Day to all the devoted osprey dads, especially to Warren at Mispillion Harbor. Watch Warren doing his thing, feeding and protecting his family. Here is “The Warren Waltz” https://youtu.be/jToQbVm3838
Goitzsche-Wildnis, Germany: The Only Bob that survived the Red Kite attacks has grown big and strong. It is big enough that I believe the Red Kite cannot take it! Fingers crossed no one else comes calling. This is a beautiful osplet for Zeus and Fjona.
Eschenbach, Germany: Two lovely osplets.
Dunrovin Ranch: ‘PB’ reports that Winnie and Swoopie have their second hatch as of Sunday evening. Congratulations.
Charlo Montana: There are three. I really, really hope that Charlie gets a lot of fish on this nest!
Boulder County Fairgrounds: Two remaining Bobs with full crops on Saturday.
Trempeauleau Eagles: T3 is self-feeding and has a stash under the base of the tree. Smart eaglet!
Blithfield Reservoir, UK: Jeff Kear announced in UK Osprey Info FB that they have had a reliable source confirm three little osplets in the nest.
Clark PUD: Both Bobs appear to be in a food coma.
Pitkin County: The images speak for themselves. The largest chick eats first and the smaller goes into submission. Viewers were delighted on Saturday when the little one had a nice crop! The weather is very hot – approaching 90 F.
City of Independence: There are two Bobs in this nest. We can see their little heads pop up at 0842 for a feeding on Saturday. Soon they will be bigger andeasier to view!
Gilestone Ospreys Usk Valley: Cogwyn doesn’t have to wait long for her mate Syfaddan to get a fish to their nest to feed their Only Bob. This chick is the first to hatch in 250 years in this Welsh Valley.
Santiam Canyon, Oregon: There are three Bobs. They have made it through the Reptilian Phase and are now getting those gorgeous juvenile feathers. The Santiam Canyon ospreys are located at the Santiam Canyon School District in Oregon. Specifically, they have nested in a football field light for the past two years and now have a permanent nesting platform nearby. This new platform was built in partnership with Pacific Power and other organizations to provide the ospreys with a safer home.
Salt Point: Orpheus and Ursula receive highpraise for the care they give their three osplets.
Great Bay: Three osplets. The images show the difference in size and age. I get nervous. Fingers crossed.
VIMS, VA Institute of Marine Science: This says it all. No food. Menhaden taken for years by the Canadian company, Omega, out of Reedsville, VA. Virginia is the only state around the waters that does not have the three-mile protection limit. As a result, no food for the ospreys who have abandoned their nests along with fish hawks in neighbouring states.
WDNU: Female caught feeding the recently hatched chick on 1 June 2025. Two osprey chicks hatched on the WNDU studio tower in 2025. However, both chicks sadly passed away shortly after hatching. The osprey pair had laid three eggs, and two successfully hatched.
This is a very unlucky nest. It is unclear why the chicks die each year shortly after hatching. The only chick to fledge in three years was Huey in 2023.
FOBBV: On Saturday, the entire family was at the nest. Sunny and Gizmo ate and spent time together. This miracle keeps on giving. Treasure it – when you feel low, remember that this year there were miracles. You are looking at them below. Jackie and Shadow make sure that their babies are fed in the nest or the pine. It is beautiful.
Denton Homes: They survived all the storms, the wind, the threat of tornadoes, the cold and sometimes the lack of food due to the weather. Just look at the trio.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 15th June 2025 Another day where Louis delivered several fish, a contrast to this day last year when he was told off by Dorcha for arriving without fish and showing no inclination to go fishing.
The start of his illness, although we didn’t know it at the time.. He brought four fish to the nest, all a good size, big and beefy, and candidates to be considered Silver Tourists rather than Brown Trout. In fact one of the fish contained a big surprise – a belly full of little fish! This bonus was snapped up by Dorcha as the chicks didn’t seem to be too keen, and their hugely distended crops shows how well they’ve been eating. Louis’ tally rises to one hundred and eighty eight, while over on Nest One, Garry LV0 brought one fish for Aurora 536, taking his tally to eighty nine. Although there were dry spells today, the weather forecast is for more rain and wind overnight with a low of 12
°C, continuing through tomorrow with a high of 16°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.37.08 (03.32.25); Nest Two 23.09.52 (03.51.37) Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/XLkxcMgnrLU N2 Fish number one is a big silvery headless trout 05.56.58https://youtu.be/qKGEv6WQ4tQ N2 Louis delivers a second big silvery fish 13.26.31https://youtu.be/1uHKMsVgfjk N1 Garry LV0 finally delivers a fish for Aurora 14.28.29
Bonus blast from the past: Today’s fish full of fish is not the first time this has been caught on nest cam – thanks to PaulineC for finding Doddie JJ6 eating a fish, with a belly full of fish, in my archive:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 14th June 2025
Plenty of fish again today, Louis brought four fish including a late night fish which he had to take away again as his family were too full to bother with it, and his tally rises to one hundred and eighty four. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 brought two fish for Aurora 536, taking his tally to eighty eight, but disappointed her tonight when he arrived with a piece of bark instead of a third fish. Dorcha was startled by a songbird, the size difference is striking, and the Great Tit was equally startled by big Dorcha and left very quickly. All was peaceful today and there wasn’t any fighting between the chicks, and they did a little nest tidying and experimental nibbling at fish while mum was dishing out. The weather was mainly settled today with some rain but there’ll be more rain and wind overnight with a low of 11°C, continuing through tomorrow, with the possibility of sunny intervals and a high of 16°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.49.37 (02.44.46); Nest Two 23.10.14 (04.02.00)
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 13th June 2025 Plenty of fish today, with Garry LV0 bringing two for Aurora 536, and Louis delivering three for Dorcha and the two chicks. Their respective tallies rise to eighty six (Garry) and one hundred and eighty (Louis), although as the missing footage during yesterday’s outage wasn’t retrievable as hoped, their tallies are probably higher. Aurora decided to pay a visit to the Nest Two area, and was chased away by Louis, who kept hold of the fish in his talons throughout the chase and brought it to the nest shortly afterwards. Dorcha decided to do some decorating with moss and sticks, but instead of decorating the nest, she decorated the chicks instead. Both of the two
surviving chicks are developing nicely and both have well-filled crops. The forecast is
partly cloudy and light winds overnight with a low of 10°C, continuing tomorrow with light rain, light winds and a high of 16
°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.43.32 (03.17.31); Nest Two 23.25.19 (04.05.13)Today’s videos:
Dyfi Osprey Project: It is terrific to see Telyn waiting and trusting Idris to get those fish on the nest for the trio. Idris never fails!
Birds of Poole Harbour: Blue 022 keeps the fish coming for the four on the Poole Harbour nest. CJ7 waits in anticipation just like Telyn! Tiny Little Bob, #4, is doing fantastic. He has a fat little bottom. There he is sleeping at the feet of Mum, CJ7.
Llyn Clywedog: It was not a good Saturday at the nest of Dylan and Seren. The rain came down. Seren kept the big Bobs as dry as she could. Dylan came in with a small Brown Trout around 1504. The chicks could be heard calling for food earlier. It looks like Dylan is feeding Seren so she can feed each Bob.
Glaslyn: So sad to see the nest without chicks this year.
Rutland Manton Bay: Maya is waiting for Blue 33. He doesn’t fail to deliver! All four chicks are doing very well, even with a delivery of a floppy fish!
Kurzeme Osprey Nest of Selga and Svings, Latvia: We have one osplet. Eggs were laid on April 23, 26, and 29. One egg was broken when an intruder came to the nest on 24 May. The Only Bob hatched on June 1. They are doing fine.
Wondering what that Stellar’s Sea Eagle has been up to?
A new osprey nest for you with three babies: Orihula, Wisconsin about 20 miles from Oshkosh or Freemont. There are three and there is an age difference. I want to be hopeful that little three will survive. It does get bonked so watch with some caution. Here is the nest information followed by the link to the streaming cam.
“The Orihula Osprey started in Orihula in 2016 when two osprey built a nest on a power pole nearby. The nest got knocked down and a nesting pole was then installed for them to lay eggs and raise baby chicks on. Since then they have been coming back every year. The names Cliff and Judy were picked for the birds this year to honor the legacy of Cliff and Judy Hahn as they were very well known and loved in the Orihula community. The male bird has a neck with more yellow feathers on it and band that has the number f24. He was banded in 2016 a few miles away in Weyauwega as a chick that year. We are not sure where the female is from but her neck is completely white and has no bands. Typically the birds come back around the first week of April and lay eggs middle to the end of April. Once the eggs are laid the mother or father will stay there 24/7 until the eggs have hatched in late May/early June. The chicks will continue to grow very rapidly from their parents feeding them from the Ospey’s fish diet. Cliff will bring fish back to the nest for Judy to feed and Cliff will then sit on the eggs until she is finished. He will also bring back fish for the chicks and Judy will then feed it to the chicks in pieces. Currently there is one egg that was laid around 5:30 a.m. April 20th, an Easter egg surprise! Egg number 2 was laid Wednesday April 23rd at 12:30 am, and Egg number 3 was laid Friday April 25th at 5:59 pm. Updates will continue to be posted with egg count and when they have hatched. You are able to zoom in on the live stream to better see the birds or eggs as well. Feel free to comment any suggestions or any other cool things that you may see while watching!”
‘TU’ sends us news that Urmas is busy with the fish baskets for Kergu and his Blackstork Mate in Estonia. They write, “Urmas helps Kergu and Kerli to feed their chicks. ESTONIA nest in Pärnu County #Kerli + #Kergu + 3 chicks “A fish basket was installed on 07.june to the place where Kerli was caught last year. Next day she was already feeding there.” – info shared by our Madli Allsoo
‘A’ writes with some news on the upcoming Australian season and other things: “Thanks to you, I have discovered Bruce and Naha and their three osplets at Seaside in Florida, and what an adorable family they are. Bruce is a great fisher and all-round good dad – he and Naha did a dual feeding on Sunday afternoon. Too cute. No bonking amongst the siblings and Little Bob has no fear of its larger siblings (known as ‘the twins’). Naha is, like most female ospreys, extremely vocal when it comes to demanding fish. Poor Bruce is nagged off the nest – he dives a metre underwater to shut out the sound of Naha’s shrill fish-calling. Catching a fish down there is just a bonus!
But the three osplets are such cuties. I have to say I have only forced myself to watch ospreys because of you and your passion for them. It has taken me some time to truly warm to the species, but I think I am there now. Of course Iris had a lot to do with winning me over. It’s hard not to be won over by Iris, and of course Finnegan was SUCH a darling. I am sad to think of what has happened to Finn. I am probably anthropomorphising here, but I believe that he would have returned to Iris had he been able to do so. The fact that he didn’t leads me to the awful conclusion that he ran afoul of the bird gods on his migration. But I won’t stop hoping that he may return next season. We never know. It is amazing that Iris is again being courted by a much younger bird. Our queen really does have a very attractive piece of territory and I suspect she could probably hang onto it by herself if she had to, but at nearly 30, we don’t want her to have to, so it’s nice that she has suitors to keep Louis at bay and an eye on Iris.
The Australian season approacheth and we are watching Diamond and Xavier courting. TThe bringing of food gifts is a year-round ritual at Orange. Madame Diamond is a demanding lady. Of course Collins Street is an annual source of frustration, with no cameras until we have at least an egg or two in the scrape. We have no idea whether or not a pair is even using the scrape this season, and if so, whether or not they are the same birds as last year and which end of the ledge they are using. We will have to wait to find out any of those things.
Port Lincoln, of course, has become a much less stressful watch since the advent of the fish fairy. It is a strange nest, with uncertainty regarding dad’s identity and the possibility of some sort of neurological disorder with whichever dad owned the nest the season before last. It’s like a new adventure at that nest every year.
We have had some hopeful sightings on the Parramatta River over the past couple of months, with a juvenile WBSE sighted catching fish around the island. We have to at least consider the possibility that this is a past fledgling from the Olympic Park nest. Oh how I hope so. This is yet another circumstance in which we wish they had some sort of tracker or at least a Darvic ring or something to give us an idea of the longer-term survival rate and dispersal range of these sea eaglets. I wish I knew why it wasn’t being done. With any of our Australian raptors apart from the Port Lincoln osprey fledglings. And of course the same applies to the falcons. “
Closing with one of the most wonderful raptor nests – Cornell’s Fernow Tower Red-tail Hawk nest of Big Red and Arthur! Just look at the Os – . Big Red still feeds them even though they can self-feed, and they are exploring the flight landing for fledgling. It will come sooner than we want. Count the dark lines on the tails. We would like to have 6 (but often they fly with 5).
I am counting four dark bands. We have some more time with these two cuties.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Your presence and insights are always invaluable. I sincerely apologise for my delayed responses. The garden is flourishing, but it requires far more time and attention than I ever expected. Sadly, the osplets are dying in so many nests, and I find it increasingly challenging to keep pace with the overwhelming situation. I am actively seeking a prominent figure to help raise awareness about the extinction of these magnificent birds in the Chesapeake Bay area. It’s truly devastating. They are in serious decline.
Everyone at our home and in our garden wishes you and yours a lovely week, full of happy birdsong.
Thank you to the great folks that send me nest summaries or news – ‘A, Geemeff, Heidi, MP, PB, Tiger Mozone, TU, VV’. I also want to thank those who created the videos included in this posting: SK Hideaways, Cornell Bird Lab, and all the owners of the streaming cams indicated in bold. I would also like to thank the English Forum on Looduskalender for their news on the Latvian Osprey nest and Bruce Mactavish for his post on the Steller’s Eagle in Newfoundland as well as Jeff Kear and the UK Osprey Information FB Group! All of these wonderful people are brilliant and generously share any osprey news they find.
. Good morning.
