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.
Morning Update: Big Red and Arthur’s first hatch, O1, passed last evening after being seen to be lethargic and taken to the wildlife care centre. Oh, how sad. Send positive wishes that O2 stays healthy!
Thank you for all the positive energy that you sent to Hugo Yugo. I can report that she is doing so well. She is eating on her own, and yes, she wants to play with Toby, but Toby needs to learn to be a little more gentle. Still, check out the second photo. I am so proud of Toby and how well he is doing! The Girls, as all of you know, are so important to me. I never knew a little puppy with curly ears would grab my heart and not let go of it. So, it is the five of them – everyone is included, so this is going to work. You better believe it.
The feeders were full of songbirds – warblers – and some very special sparrows – flying through from the north on their way to their winter homes. There are geese all over the golf courses, and it feels like it is at least a fortnight early for this great migration. Watch for the summaries from the nests in the UK. Those females will be on the move soon if they aren’t already!
Dog training. It’s not about training the dog. It is about getting control of ‘your’ life. I will continue to say this while Toby and I work through his issues with ‘chasing’ cats because maybe there is one of you that needs to hear that – I sure did. My life had taken over me – now I am taking control of it. Did you see that old movie Fried Green Tomatoes? There was a point where the Kathy Bates character broke – and she described the new her as ‘Towanda’. Well, welcome to Towanda Land!!!!!! Toby needs to be ‘nice and gentle to the cats’. Treats work. Tethering for calming also works. (I do not crate). Gosh, I learned so much! The day is managed so that I don’t lose my mind. So instead of having a hungry dog, four starving cats, Blue Jays and Crows screaming at me, Brock staring in the door, and a husband who wants his breakfast and coffee, the scrambled eggs for Toby are made the night before. Brock’s tin is in his dish, ready to be opened. Today, Don fixed his breakfast while I fed The Girls. I carried my coffee outside while Toby did his ‘business’ and I fed the birds. That was when I saw the Yellow Warblers. It was idyllic. It is only day 3, but quite honestly, my home is calm and so am I. How did I not know this? Well, because you get so busy taking care of everyone else that you forget to take care of yourself. You should always put your oxygen mask on first. I tell you that. I left mine in the cupboard. It is now on and turned on full!
So step back if you feel that things are not working and say it. It is OK. Because with all that peace and quiet you are going to create, you can spend more time thinking and helping birds.
So what are these birds doing?
Osprey chicks have fledged, and they are screaming for fish. Everyone is preparing for migration. Males are fattening up their fledglings so they are fit to make the very long journey south. In some instances, the females are also pitching in and helping. For example, Maya brought in three fish on Wednesday, and that was before evening! Blue 33 has been hauling in Roach. These chicks will have the best possible chance of survival any nest could have.
They are fish calling, flying on and off the nest, up at Llyn Clywedog.
CJ7 and Blue 022 have been busy feeding their four at Birds of Poole Harbour, too. These kids are really healthy!
White YW is really having to be busy at Foulshaw Moss with those three wanting fish all day long.
On the Cornell Campus, Big Red and Arthur’s first hatch, O1, has been taken into care. The red-tail hawk fledgling was noticed displaying ‘illness’ behaviours. Let us all send good positive energy in the hope that O1 overcomes whatever has caused her/him to be unwell.
Suzanne Arnold Horning and Woody keep track of Big Red, Arthur, and their family, and they caught 02 in a tree on Wednesday evening. What a beautiful fledgling! O2 hangs out with Arthur around the campus but is finding her/his way around the family territory. The fledglings typically disperse in August. Gosh, I wish they were banded and had a sat pack. It would be wonderful to know what happens to Big Red’s babies once they leave Ithaca. Or do they leave Ithaca? We don’t know. Mum stays for the winter! So does Dad. It is a prey-rich territory that they rule even in the cold of winter.
Pam Breci is keeping an eye on Swoop, who is busy at Dunrovin, too. – Every osprey male should be fishing and fishing, getting those osplets fattened up!
So what is happening at Loch Arkaig? And read on and find out if Dorcha is really still in Scotland!
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 7th August 2025Not many fish today, just two from Louis, taking the nest total to three hundred and ninety six, and none from Garry LV0, leaving his tally unchanged at one hundred and forty. Affric 152 spent a fair bit of time on Nest One with Garry but got no fish – is she getting fish from her own mate Prince, last seen a month ago near the Bunarkaig nest where they’ve made their home, or is she fishing for herself? With Aurora 536 not seen since 28th July and presumed on migration, it will be an interesting situation if all four return next year. As Dorcha hadn’t been seen for a few days, it was speculated she might have started her migration, leaving before Storm Floris hit, but she turned up this morning paying a visit to Nest Two. Both chicks were on the nest, hungry after a lean fish day yesterday, she didn’t have any fish so left quickly before they could mob her. Her visit was so fast it led to some confusion around ID but closer inspection in slow motion showed her unique underwing spot pattern, almost as good as a Darvic ring, and that together with the behaviour of the chicks – seeking fish rather than attacking in alarm – confirmed it was indeed Dorcha. Darach 7P0 got both fish today, he shared the first with Breac 7P7, but surprisingly left half of the second fish uneaten on the nest when he left for the night. Unlike his brother, he hasn’t yet achieved the essential survival milestone of flying with fish which might explain why he left it behind when he departed as darkness started falling. The Hoodies were all over the nest this morning, if neither chick claims the fish early tomorrow, their persistence will pay off with a nice free meal. After heavy rain last night, the weather today was mainly dry with some sunny intervals but both nests had rain tonight after night cam switched over, and the forecast is for light showers throughout the night with a low of 12
°C, getting heavier tomorrow with a high of 16°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.25.33 (04.40.56); Nest Two 22.14.28 (05.00.21) Today’s videos:
No videos on this day in 2024 – not so much as a songbird visited either nest!
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 6th August 2025 After overnight rain, the weather was more settled today but the chicks were as combative as yesterday and did their best to get hold of the three fish Louis brought. Breac 7P7 got the first and Darach 7P0 the third and a big fight ensued for the second. Breac won the battle but not before falling off the nest first, and in the confusion
Darach lunged at Louis. Still, Louis is an old hand at this, these two are his fourteenth and fifteenth chicks (counting only those who survived to be ringed) and he’s suffered worse attacks from ravenous chicks over the years. His tally rises to three hundred and ninety two (nest total 394) and fish counters are lining up to be the one to record the magic four hundred mark. Dorcha hasn’t been seen since Sunday morning and it’s speculated she may have gone south, like Aurora 536 (last seen 28th July), and Affric 152 has been taking advantage of Aurora’s absence to scrounge free fish from Garry LV0. However she was unlucky today as he brought no fish and attempted mating instead – Garry’s fish tally remains at one hundred and forty. More rain is expected tonight with a gentle breeze and a low of 13
°C, changing to light showers, a moderate breeze and sunny intervals with a high of 16°C tomorrow. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.14.56 (04.44.08); Nest Two 22.04.43 (04.51.13) Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/VZ_5tmIihnU N1 Affric visits the nest but Garry’s not there and she departs 14.38.20https://youtu.be/hSlHeTBSUz4 N2 Fish number two causes a fight, Breac wins (slo-mo repeat) https://youtu.be/GZVF2KkaMOI N1 Affric 152 hopes for fish but Garry attempts mating instead 20.14.42 https://youtu.be/rmp6b-lgHi0 N2 When Louis brings the third fish, Darach pecks him! 21.34.17 Bonus watch – Woodland Trust clip of Darach v Storm Floris goes viral:
Our ospreys had quite a rough time during #StormFloris but thankfully all came through unscathed. We hope you did too.Here is Darach hinging on for dear life!😬 He is only ten weeks old.😲#ArkaigOspreys #Ospreycam #Floris #Storm
‘PS’ is keeping an eye on the osprey family in Seattle for us.
The Seattle Ospreys are continuing to do well! With both chicks fully fledged they are often though not always at the nest, often flying or perched nearby, and often calling for food. I’ve seen a couple fish deliveries from dad, as well as many practice flights involving dips into the water, sometimes over and over, presumably to get a feel for getting wet and taking off…not full on dive bombs like they will someday, more like controlled water landings and takeoffs. Fun to watch these two learn the ropes! It is strange to sometimes see the nest empty! But also a wonderfully necessary sign of a largely successful season! I will miss them as well as Harry and Sally when they depart in the next few weeks. Until then I will continue to check in…
I really love the images that ‘PS’ takes of this osprey family. They are so good. Please check out their Flickr account and see the entire story of the Seattle Ospreys.
‘J’ reminds us that if you live near Wildlife Haven in Manitoba, there is the annual Open House. You can meet the ambassadors, see the surgeries, and flight training enclosures, and find out how you can help.
Lots of news from Raptor Persecution UK. The Yorkshire Dales are not a safe place for raptors.
SK Hideaways caught a sub-adult trying to land on Lady and Dad’s nest in the Olympic Park in Sydney! https://youtu.be/BNcT5G0uaB0?
In New Zealand, the Royal Cam chick is growing and stretching its wings as it is preparing to fledge within the next 5-6 weeks. https://youtu.be/Q-ToBQWzxuo?
At the American Eagle Foundation’s nest in NE Florida, the cam is on as we await the arrival of Gabby and Beau.
News from the American Bird Conservancy. How does politics impact our feathered friends?
The Girls wanted you to have some pictures of our garden. Junior, the male Blue Jay, is moulting. We have a new baby House Sparrow at the feeder. There are hydrangeas – these are different as they are in a candle shape, which are toxic to animals, so I have put a fence around them so Toby cannot get to them (thanks, AK’s Mum), and a beautiful coral Hibiscus. Enjoy! I have sold all of my professional camera equipment and am learning to use the much lighter P1100, which is marvellous at only 3 lbs. I used to hold over 12 lbs. It is like a miracle. The images are getting better.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Remember to put out water for the birds and, if you are able, some food as they migrate through to their winter homes. It will help them as their habitat is being lost daily, as long as areas which would provide natural food for them. We look forward to having you with us on Monday! Enjoy the weekend.
I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘Geemeff, Heidi, J, PB, PS’, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos, including SK Hideaways, and the authors of posts such as Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, and all others, often too many to name. I am very grateful to you and to the newspapers and organizations 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 hope that the week was kinder to you than it was to the little osplets on the nests. Gosh, I hate to be a bearer of bad news. This year has really ‘gotten’ to me and Heidi. She said something very important on Tuesday and I hope she does not mind my repeating it since it was public. Heidi wrote, “I love them, and I want to be there for them… because it is happening to them whether we watch or not. If they can endure the pain, then so can I.” Precisely how I feel and I know from many of you who have written to me in the middle of the night that you sit up and virutally hold their little talons as they pass. Thank you for being there for them.
The plight is getting news coverage – keep up the pressure! Thanks, Heidi.
The book decluttering was quite the event. The final books went to the fire station thanks to my neighbour for their book drive. They were shocked to get thousands of almost new books! A great place for them. A win-win. The picnic table is assembled. The new beds are lovely and now, the last task is to pick a paint colour for the living room. It is the only room that I am going to refresh. Sometimes these things can become overwhelming so the goal is to stop before that becomes a reality.
In a week, we are going on a short holiday. Toby is going and The Girls are staying with Anne. On our return, Toby will begin his training. The trainer will come to our home. Looking forward.
There has been some sadness in the garden. We discovered that we had two baby Blue Jays. This evening when we took Toby on his walk, he wanted to go a different direction than normal. There in the back lane was one of the Baby Blue Jays. It had either hit one of the utility lines or landed on one and fell to its death. We scooped it up and brought it home burying it under the lime green hydrangea – a place where the little ones often flew. So sad. The adults work so hard to raise their young and in the end, so few survive those first months. There is also other sadness coming. For two nights Brock has not wanted to eat. He rests on the chairs on the deck and then goes back to the woodbox. Despite supplements, lots of good quality hard and wet food, dewormer, Brock is getting thinner and thinner. He does not run away from me but only allows me so close. I told him tonight how much his presence has meant to me and that I only wish he had trusted me enough to let me help him. He will be buried in the garden when he passes under the very large Crab Apple tree. I hope this time is not soon, but it feels as if it is. Send Brock your good wishes. All of this coloured what was to be a fun birthday party for Missey. So we will postpone that for a couple of days. The height of the party will be a small container of KFC. Missey loves KFC!!!!!!
‘PS’ report from Seattle Friday morning: “The two chicks continue to seem to do quite well, with multiple feedings witnessed, lots of flapping and hopping up and down on one leg, and some eating (though also a lot of still being fed by mom). I imagine, if all goes well, they will be fledging within the next 7-10 days? Can’t wait!
Mum has turned out to be a great fisher! It is so nice to see a nest doing well. They did lose one chick but these two are really flapping and getting strong. Thanks, ‘PS’
Some osprey nests have been neglected. As I race to try and decipher all my notes and get the data into the forms, it is time to start at the top and check to see what is happening. Before I do that, my inbox is full of great individuals wanting to help stop the commercial fishing that is taking all the Menhaden. Here is a new posting from Ben Wurtz and his team at Conserve Wildlife NJ.
First, pick a story to make the decline of ospreys ‘real’. Ask these lawmakers if they want to be the ones to go down in history as the killers of the Chesapeake and the cause of osprey genocide? Here is the individual listings of everyone in the Virginia House of Delegates and their e-mail addresses. Write to them. Make it clear what is at stake. Make it personal. Then sit down and write the radio, local television, local newspapers, anyone who will listen. We are gaining traction in our fight to get a moratorium. I want that and a clear 10 mile limit with no use of helicopters or spotter planes!
Allin’s Cove East: The trio are approximately six and a half weeks old. They will be thinking of fledging very soon.
Allin’s Cove West: One chick on the nest. It looks good.
City of Independence: The fishing seems to have slacked off a bit. River and Laurel have two osplets and there is a Bald Eagle nest right across the river! No doubt the eagles try and grab some of that fish that River catches for his family.
Charlo Montana: Mum and both osplets got lots of fish on Thursday evening. Delighted.
Dyfi: All fledglings are on the nest and accounted for Tuesday evening.
Thursday evening at Dunrovin. Little 4 figured out, after several attempts, how to get up and get some of that fish! Thank goodness.
Alyth SS: Flora is an incredible Mum. They lost one this year but two will fledge.
Birds of Poole Harbour: CJ7 and Blue 022 make beautiful babies. Blue has stepped up his fishing and everyone is full to the brim before light’s out.
Glaslyn: Elen continues to keep a careful watch over her nest,which appears she will share with Teifi if both safely return from migration nest season.
Foulshaw Moss 1: Home to White YW and Blue 35.
Steelscape: Two osplets were ringed on Wednesday the 16th!
Yorkshire Dales Castle Bolton Estate: Ringing of three osplets!
Cornell Red-tail Hawks and Ferris Akel: Ferris managed to catch up with the Os.
One or more of the Os have been sleeping in the natal nest on the Fernow Tower recently,
Bald Eagles on the mend at Hoo’s Woods:
Geemeff’sWoodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 17th July 2025
Nest One cam went down shortly after day cam switched over and is still down – technical issues mean it might be down for a while. Fortunately Nest Two cam is unaffected, as all eyes are on the nest awaiting the fledge of the two chicks, which didn’t happen today but is imminent. There were several intruder alerts causing Dorcha to alarm call but no intruders were seen. The chicks spent a great deal of time hopping, flapping, and getting quite high liftoff, and also spent a bit of time peering over the edge and triangulating, the process of determining distance or location which takes the form of rapid head bobbing by the chicks. Louis delivered four fish to the nest taking his tally to three hundred and eighteen. Due to the cam outage we have no idea if any fish were delivered to Nest One today, therefore Garry’s tally remains at one hundred and nine, however off-nest reports from LizB suggest both Nest One residents, Garry and Aurora, were in the area. The rain materialised later than forecast and is expected to last through the night with thundery showers, light winds, and a low of 16°C, and continue tomorrow with thundery showers, gentle breezes, a high of 21°C and a few sunny intervals.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One cam still down since 03.48.19 (03.05.51); Nest Two 22.57.45 (03.51.26)
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 16th July 2025 The weather was settled today and it looked a good day for first flights, but neither chick fledged. Perhaps the intruder alerts in the morning put them off as they spent a lot of time pancaked and didn’t make any helicopter attempts today. They did however do plenty of wingercising and bunny hops, including an amusing incident when Breac 7P7 did a flap and a hop from one side of the nest to the other and landed on Darach 7P0’s back in a flurry of wings then immediately hopped backwards again. Right before that they’d been perfectly in sync, both standing at the front of the nest turning in unison to watch something off-cam then checking out the view over the edge. Steve Quinn was also checking out the view from his vantage point a kilometre away and took some stunning long lens footage of the nest and its residents, link to his video in the bonus section. It was also a good day for fishing – Garry LV0 brought two fish for Aurora 536, and further strengthened their bond with what looked like a successful mating attempt. His tally now stands at one hundred and twenty nine fish. Louis brought five fish to the nest, taking his tally to three hundred and fourteen, but Dorcha didn’t get all of them as the chicks especially Breac are asserting themselves and taking fish directly from Louis as he lands. Tonight’s forecast is dry overnight with a clear sky, light winds and a low of 13
°C but it’ll change tomorrow to heavy rain, a gentle breeze and a high of 23°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.43.23 (02.56.41); Nest Two 23.39.24 (03.28.04)
https://youtu.be/3UCjzdxVnEc N2 Late night fish supper, fish five, arrives 22.43.22 Bonus watch – Steve Quinn’s amazing long lens video of the nest from a kilometre away:
Geemeff’sWoodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 15th July 2025 Intruder alerts and mini-helicopters were the order of the day but not much in the way of fish. Louis delivered only two fish today, a breakfast fish at 5am and a late night supper around 10.45 pm, taking his tally to three hundred and nine. However, an intruder Osprey was in the area causing multiple alarms and came close enough to be caught on camera on one occasion, which would have occupied Louis’ attention, and the second fish was a big lively trout, good for several dinners worth. The chicks’ energy levels are high enough for them to be preparing for fledging by flapping energetically, lifting off, and doing little hovers throughout the day when they weren’t pancaking because of the intruder alarms. Over on Nest One, Aurora 536 had a long wait before Garry LV0 finally brought her a fish at 8.15pm – was she the intruder at Nest Two, looking for free fish? The timings would work but the intruder wasn’t seen clearly – and his tally now stands at one hundred and twenty seven. The weather was mainly settled and set to continue with light clouds, light winds and a low of 12
°C overnight changing to sunny intervals and light winds with a high of 23°C tomorrow. Perfect for fledging? We shall have to wait and see!Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.07.30 (03.17.10); Nest Two 00.33.44 (03.34.57)
https://youtu.be/bn1_moU9mZ8n N2 Late night lively fish supper arrives, fish number two 22.46.14Bonus watch – with fledging imminent, here’s what our chicks will see when they find their wings:
Moraine State Park: First fledge Wednesday morning.
Tweed Valley:
Cornell Red-tail Hawks with N Sirohi:
Fish for all – just not industry. The petition on Change.org has gathered all the required signatures. Letters are going out to members of the Virginia Legislature. Keep sending them. I am reminding them that they could go down in history as the individuals who killed the Chesapeake Bay. Shame.
‘A’ brings us up to date with what is happening in Australia: “I have two major concerns about WBSE this year. First, the gap between the laying of the two eggs is huge – nearly 80 hours (17:50 on 4 July to 01:15 on 8 July) – although delayed incubation was practised until the second egg was laid. Already, I’m hoping that first hatch will be a male. Second, there have been a number of days when no prey has been brought to the nest at all and I am wondering why. Of course it’s not a major concern at the moment but when there are two fast-growing eaglets in that nest, it will matter a lot more than it currently does. Also, Lady and Dad are not the only white-bellied sea eagles on the block, with another adult eagle being spotted on the river a few days ago. That is wonderful of course but it also makes me a trifle nervous, for obvious reasons.
Dad has been doing his share of the incubating, with the pair splitting the nest-sitting duties fairly evenly on many days, though Lady always takes the night shifts. Dad has been sleeping close by and is very attentive. I love how keen the dads are for egg time (and later on, for chick time). These sea eagles really are exquisite birds. I love the delicacy of their heads.
At Orange, there is much bonding and mating occurring. Diamond and Xavier are adorable, and both are looking particularly healthy and well fed.
Eggs are still six weeks away at Port Lincoln and we have heard nothing about Collins Street so far this season.”
Many of you will recall that we had hoped to go and see Puffins this summer. It did not happen. Today an article appeared in The Guardian showing how climate change and the heating of our planet is impacting these precious little seabirds.
Missey, Calico, Baby Hope, Hugo Yugo, Toby and all the garden family including Brock wish you a very happy weekend.
Including Baby Blue Jay (the adults are moulting and have lost their crests).
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care everyone. See you on Monday!
I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘Geemeff, Heidi, PS’, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos, including SK Hideaways, and the authors of posts and articles, including The Guardian, Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, and all those at Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal FB. I am very grateful. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.
Happy Monday! We hope that you had a great weekend.
The three Blue Jays living in the trees in my garden will wake you up! This is how they sound when I deliver a new pail of peanuts. They have lost all their trees but one, and I saw a new orange circle on it, which means it will be cut down, too. Thankfully, we have a home for them.
I want to start with some interesting news and a request for help. Two years ago, Michael St John from Barbados took some photos of an Osprey with a Blue Darvic Ring. That number was Blue KW0. It was unfamiliar. Where was it from? And how did it get to Barbados? Well, it was from the United Kingdom, and whether it was blown off course, got on a ship, one will never know, but it wound up in Barbados and was photographed by Michael. Now he has another quandrum that he is hoping we can help – especially if you are or know someone who is a specialist in Harriers.
There are several species of harriers, all belonging to the genus Circus. The most well-known include the Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus), the Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus), and the Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus). Other species include the Eastern Marsh Harrier, African Marsh Harrier, Swamp Harrier, Malagasy Harrier, Réunion Harrier, Long-winged Harrier, Spotted Harrier, Black Harrier, Cinereous Harrier, and Pallid Harrier. Some species, like the Papuan Harrier and Eyles’ Harrier, are also recognised. Here’s a more detailed breakdown: Northern Harrier: Found in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and they prefer open habitats like marshes and grasslands. Marsh Harrier: A group of harriers, including the Western Marsh Harrier, Eastern Marsh Harrier, and others, is often associated with marshland and reedbeds. Montagu’s Harrier: A migratory species, often confused with other harriers due to similar plumage. Other Species: The African Marsh Harrier, Swamp Harrier, Malagasy Harrier, Réunion Harrier, Long-winged Harrier, Spotted Harrier, Black Harrier, Cinereous Harrier, and Pallid Harrier each have unique geographic distributions and characteristics. Harriers – Raptor Identification – The complete raptors guide The classification of some harrier species, particularly within the marsh harrier group, is still being refined.
This is a young Reunion Harrier (Raptors are the Solution).
Michael St John has sought out the advice of many agencies and I was happy that one of them acknowledged that raptors (birds of all types) get off course.
Doing his own research, Michael has these findings:
“1/ Prominent white rump patch at base of tail
2/ Length of tail…its an obvious longer than normal tail
3/ Five fingers on the hand, makes it either a Northern or Hen, female. This Rules out Pallid and Montague, they have 4 fingers on the hand.
4/ Faint white ring around neck
5/ Wing Bars pattern
6/ Curve of the beak
7/ Yellowish legs
8/ Underbelly plumage: yellow/ ochre streaking
9/ I notice the curvature of the trailing edge of the secondaries in the Female Hen and not the Female Northern, the northern has straighter trailing edge secondaries. I haven’t seen this mentioned anywhere in the literature, I just see this feature popping out in the online photos.
After carefully reviewing Northern & Hen Pictures online I’ve ruled out Northern completely and the 5 photos below, in my opinion… are identical to Hen, female.
My call at this stage of research is Female Hen Harrier.”
These are the images. This is the type of detail you need if you are looking to properly identify a ‘vagrant’.
Still, Michael wants to be certain, and he is reaching out to anyone who is an expert to assist in this identification. Note that Barbados is far south and closer to South America. It is easy for birds from Central America and Africa to get off course and wind up in this region.
Thank you so much for any help. You can leave a comment or write to me at maryannsteggles@icloud.com
‘PS’ sends us the Seattle report for the weekend:
A good weekend for the nest! Numerous feeds (including one where Harry brought back the rear half of the largest fish I’ve seen on the nest this year!) seen on July 11, 12, and 13, and both chicks continue to do well and look good! They both continue to flex their wings a lot, with one jumping ever so slightly up on one leg yesterday. Also they are both trying to take bites out of food on their own, with the larger one actually feeding itself yesterday! Mom had brought back a Coho Salmon and was feeding one chick when the other started pecking at something – I couldn’t tell what. But when it turned sideways to me I could see it had another salmon in its beak! I guess there was a “spare” fish in the nest that it decided to try and eat. Mom and sibling took several funny looking glances at the youngster as it tried to rip pieces off the fish, but it did so many times so seemed to successfully (if inefficiently) feed itself. Several intercept missions by both mom and dad, and I spotted a group of 3 Osprey hanging out atop a nearby crane (that drew Sally off the nest). ~40 days old now, give or take – fingers remain crossed! Few pics here, many more up here (https://www.flickr.com/gp/193514804@N08/8459V5m6z6).
Check out Ping’s gorgeous images on his Flickr account. Link is in the information above!
Sharon Pollock sent the following video link to me remarking that I might cry my eyes out. I did. Get the tissues. It is the story of T3 from egg to fledge. Remarkably raised by a single Mum! https://youtu.be/xj8ZQw63Nzw?
Mrs T is a very remarkable eagle. I have seen others raise eaglets alone but never from the egg to fledge. Great video by Explore!
In the United States, several osprey nests have been attacked by individuals in boats. On Sunday, the three osplets at Smallwood were forced to fledge. They have not returned, and we do not know if they drowned or if they made it to a safe place. The individuals in the boat repeatedly returned to the nest.
So many other nests in the US struggling for food and with high heat or both.
Heidi’s Osprey Nest Reports for the US:
Chick 2’s passing at Cape Henlopen… I don’t intend to post a separate nest-news item regarding this.
We have sadness at the Osoyoos nest in British Columbia. The first hatch was stepped on and died. The second died. Ann-Marie Watson has created a flower garden in memory of all the osplets lost at this nest—poor little souls. I also want to add that she has returned to Osoyoos after working and heading home to retrieve the little bodies that fell off the nest to place them in a quiet, peaceful spot. Her actions always touched my heart – no one else in the town seemed to care! Many have passed away over the years, primarily due to heat domes affecting the region and the male Olsens’ struggles to provide for their family adequately.
Waiting for a food delivery while keeping her four osplets cool at Dunrovin Ranch in Colorado.
Swoop just flew in with a late Sunday evening fish. Thanks, ‘PB’.
Little 4 is full.
Charlo Montana – waiting for Charlie to finish with the fish!
It is hot in Idaho at Coeur de’Alene where the three osplets seem to be doing very well after the starvation of little four.
Birds of Poole Harbour: All four fledglings were back in the nest for night with fish arriving at the following times: 10:02, 16:14, 18:32, 19:29, 21:17. Big round of applause for CJ7 and Blue 022 – they raised four to fledge again.
Dyfi Osprey Project: All three back in the nest for an evening fish and a good sleep.
Everything to know about the fledging of Idris and Telyn’s trio:
Rutland Manton Bay: The three surviving osplets return on and off during the day for fish, which is continually provided!
Alyth SS: Sadly we lost Oakley to siblicide/starvation when they were fullty feathered. The two older osplets are doing well.
Llyn Clywedog 1: Seren and Dylan have had their first fledge since Friday.
Foulshaw Moss 1: White YW and Blue 35 have their first fledge.
At Finnish #3 nest, the Raven helps himself to the three osprey eggs.
At Wildnis-Goitzsche, Zeus delivers the last fish of the day as the sunset captures the reflections. The osplet has fledged. Thanks, Joan Castnyer. https://youtu.be/bdWWyZ_vFK4?
Other images form the live stream from Wildnis-Goitzsche:
Renee and Ricci doing very well at Eschenbach!
Up close and personal with Bety and Bukacek’s two storklets at Mlade Buky.
A nest full of storks in Trutnove in the Czech Republic.
Two Black Stork babies waiting for a food delivery in Bolewice, Poland.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 13th July 2025 Today was all about helicopters – both chicks spent considerable amounts of time practising lift off, and even getting quite high, but not the only-feet- visible-on-nest-cam sort of height for a true helicopter. However, practice makes perfect, and provided Dorcha doesn’t push them over the edge, as nearly happened to Darach 7P0 this evening, both chicks are on course to fledge this week. Louis delivered four fish to the nest, the second of which was his three hundredth for the season, but at times the chicks seemed more interested in bunny hopping and wingercising than eating, although Breac 7P7 did grab a fish directly from Louis, hold it away from Dorcha, and start having a munch on it. Louis’ tally now stands at three hundred and two. There were a couple of intruder alarms, but no one seen on nest cam, although over on Nest One, a shadow was seen briefly as Aurora 536 flapped her wings and squeaked before flying off. Garry LV0 brought her two fish – well, one and a half really, the second was just a small piece – and his tally rises to one hundred and twenty five. He also brought several sticks, one of which he actually rode in on and perched upon for a comedy moment. It was hot again today, at 29.7
°C slightly hotter than the forecasted 29°C, and the overnight conditions call for partly cloudy and light winds with a low of 16°C but the temperature is expected to drop tomorrow to a high of only 20°C, with thundery showers and a gentle breeze to cool things down.Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.51.42 (02.48.36); Nest Two 23.41.08 (03.13.59)
https://youtu.be/Y0dlcEBocmg N2 Danger! Dorcha nearly causes Darach to have an early fledge 21.59.39 (slo-mo zoom)Bonus action: voting now open for Woodland Trust’s Tree of the Year:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch ArkaigSaturday 12th July 2025
On a hot day where temperatures soared to more than 33°C, the chicks didn’t seem to want extra fish, in fact, they appeared uninterested when the second and third fish arrived, preferring to wingercise and do the odd bunny hop. As seems to be the pattern now, Breac 7P7 acts keen on fledging first, flapping energetically and attempting lift off more than his older brother Darach 7P0. Louis brought three fish to the nest, taking his tally to two hundred and ninety eight, and despite appearances the chicks did eat enough to get the fuel they need at this stage of development. Dorcha had her fill of fish too, and spent time perching on the high perch or out of sight behind the nest on the cam post, relaxed despite being dive bombed by an intruder Osprey who buzzed the nest twice before leaving the area. Was it Aurora 536? The timings would work, but the intruder wasn’t seen clearly enough to notice if there was the blue flash of a Darvic ring. Garry LV0 brought two fish to Nest One but took the first away as the nest was empty. Aurora turned up too late shortly afterwards but was present when Garry delivered the second fish, and did her usual grab and mantle before leaving with it. Garry’s tally now stands at one hundred and twenty-three. Tonight’s overnight forecast is clear sky and light winds and a low of 15°C, continuing very hot tomorrow with sunshine, light winds and a high of 29°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.17.27 (02.42.05); Nest Two no switchover as at 00.45 (03.07.08)
There is so much news. The UK osplets are taking to the skies. All four of Blue 33 and Maya’s chicks have fledged. Sadly, we lost one who found himself in the water near the shore. A post-mortem is being conducted. Ringing has finished as far as I know. I wonder how many osplets over the entire UK were fitted with their Darvic rings and their BTO identification. I will try and find out.
Some include:
I am happy to report that the three osplets at the Green Ledge Light Preservation Society nest survived the storm and are now busy flapping their wings, preparing for fledge. Aren’t they beauties? No shortage of fish here! Long Island and New York have strict laws regarding the catching of Menhaden.
‘EJ’ thought we could use a hopeful Osprey article! I agree.
A heartwarming story about a rescue that refused to give up on this eagle: the images tell the entire story. Smile. Thanks, ‘J’.
World Bird Sanctuary adds:
“Happy 1 year intake anniversary to Bald Eagle 24-390!
While it seems strange to celebrate a patient having to be in our care for a whole year, it originally seemed unlikely that 390 would even survive the week. 390’s injuries were severe. He had gunshot injuries to both his left wing and his beak. with a significant portion of the middle of his beak missing due to the injury. Today we celebrate how far he’s come and the fact that his is still with us and progressing towards release!
There were many times, especially early in 390’s care, when we questioned whether it was time to give 390 the final gift we could, an end to his suffering through humane euthanasia. We diligently monitored his pain and stress levels and made adjustments to our treatment in order to keep him as comfortable as possible. At each turn we considered if his chance at recovery was worth everything we had to put him through.
But each time we considered calling it, 390 would take a step forward and show us that he was still fighting. He started taking his hand feeding without needing to be handled, was keeping down food, and started gaining weight again. His beak injury seemed less painful by the day as it started to heal and we reached the right balance of pain medications. His attitude and energy improved as he became feistier for care. All the while the beak was healing and enabled him to start eating on his own again.
It took 7 surgeries and countless wound cleanings over a period of 4 months to get 390’s beak to aligned and healing free of necrotic tissue. It required 8 1/2 months of healing before the gap in the bone finally finished closing. Now we are in the stage of keratin regrowth. 390 will need to grow an entirely new layer of keratin over his upper beak before we can consider him for release. This will likely take a full additional year of care. His beak will always be abnormally shaped due to his injury, but only time will tell if will regrow in a way that enables release.
Thank you to everyone who supports WBS and makes it possible for patients like 390 to have a fighting chance. A special thank you to our Rescuer’s Giving Club, whose monthly contributions go directly to our hospital and enable us to proved care to over 750 injured raptors each year. If you’re interested in getting more involved in supporting our patient’s journeys, you can learn more on our website.”
Another rescue. Father was missing. Mum tried to feed storklets. The fourth one passed. Then Mum was hit by a car. They were rescued. Here is Mum with her Babies. Czech Republic. Thanks, ‘TU’.
So glad to hear there could be two to fledge! This is a miracle in a very dire situation. Omega Protein Ocean Harvesters takes 112 metric tons, or roughly 230 million lbs, and it is based on science that measures the population in the ocean, not in the Bay.
Please sign the petition. I am Canadian and I don’t care what country you belong to – this needs to be stopped and I am embarrassed it is a Canadian company. The donations go to change.org. You do not need to donate but please share widely. We need this to stop.
Want to know ‘why’ politicians aren’t doing anything? What is the cost of the collapse of an eco-system and the deaths of thousands of ospreys? Well look below.
“Political contributions muddy waters
Reedville-based Omega Protein, which makes fish oil products, is the main beneficiary of menhaden fishing in Virginia, and it’s no stranger to politics.
The company has given $955,783 to Virginia political campaigns since 1996, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit that tracks money in politics.
That total includes money given to politicians on both sides of the aisle. The company, for example, has donated $38,000 to the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus over the years, and $34,500 to the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus, according to VPAP.
Locally, Omega Protein has given $32,843 over the years to state Sen. Richard Stuart, a Westmoreland County Republican whose 25th District includes Caroline and King George counties.
And this year alone, the business has given $500 to Del. Joshua Cole (D-Stafford).
Milde, however, said he will not accept contributions from Omega Protein.”
Even with such a catastrophic year, there is a glimmer in some parts of New Jersey after months of bad reports.
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. We will see you again on Friday.
Thank you so much for being with us today. I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘EJ, Geemeff, Heidi, Michael St John, PB, PS, TU’, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos, including SK Hideaways, and the authors of posts and articles, including Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information. I am very grateful. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.
First up. Port Lincoln Ospreys posted a lot of flight paths of the ospreys, but one will interest all of you – Ervie. I put in the details of what this most loved fledgling from the barge has been up to.
To give everyone a smile. This has been a generally good weekend in the garden. The European Starling parents are ready for their fledglings to leave the nest and garden area and go and find their way. This is perfect for Mr Crow and his two fledglings, who started coming to the garden Saturday evening. The baby Crows are as big as their parents. They are easy to spot as they will land on the craziest of things and they can’t quite balance themselves on the wires. They also walk all over the roof of the conservatory! The cats were absolutely fascinated with them.
Hugo Yugo almost popped her eyes out!
Baby Hope seemed a little frightened with the scratchy noise on the glass.
Calico was simply fascinated.
Missey was no where to be found.
I write this blog with a continuing heavy heart. Baby osplets are dying everywhere in the area that Omega, the Canadian corporation, is doing its industrial/commercial Menhaden fishing. We know only of those nests on the streaming cam unless you start to read Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal FB where many have answered my posts with information. No surviving osplets around the Virginia coast. None on St. George’s Island, Maryland. Ben Wurtz of Conserve Wildlife tells us that there is no use putting fish on the nests in NJ because when the chicks fledge, there is no fish to eat! Remarkably, even the adults are surviving, so I tell you, be happy if any of those nests fledge one chick. Please don’t be hard on the male who is working his little tail off to find fish that aren’t there.
The fault lies with politicians taking donations from Omega and a three-mile fishing limit. We need a ten-mile safe space. That might do it, although I would be much happier with a complete moratorium on the fishing of Menhaden. There are petitions to sign. I will put them at the end of the blog. Please sign them, write people, write the newspapers, the radio stations, The New York Times, 60 Minutes…whatever. There must be someone out there who has the agency to get this topic of extinction on the airwaves and get more people lobbying to protect the osprey.
One of our long-time readers, ‘EJ’, sent this to me to share with you today. There is little mention of the lack of Menhaden, never mind the direct cause.
Terrapins are dying along with the Striped Bass and Blue Crabs. The whales and dolphins have left the area.
More sadness. Trolls are trying to blame this on Bald Eagles! Seriously. Omega Corporation (I am embarrassed that it is a Canadian company) takes 112 million pounds of adult Menhaden and perhaps even more when they are scouring the shores of New Jersey and Delaware. Ospreys need adult Menhaden to survive. That is it. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Please don’t skip the image below of a dead osplet. Perhaps I have said this twice. You are watching the extinction of a species in this area. It can be stopped, but no politician in the area seems to have the will to do anything for wildlife. Are they so afraid of the next election and those great big donations?
Instead of stop watching these nests where the babies are dying – watch and learn and then get mad and do something. Sit down and write 20 letters – cute and paste is easy. Get the information on the overfishing in the area by a commercial company, the need for a 10 mile limit instead of 3, and write and write. Get everyone you know who cares about wildlife to write. Send it to the papers, the radio stations, those who care about the environment. Write Corey Booker in NJ. Maybe he will help!
Today, we lost the second hatch at Island Beach State Park, NJ. Notice it is NJ. It isn’t just the Chesapeake Bay. Omega is fishing off the shores of NJ and Delaware, but the ospreys are impacted in all the states in the region, including Maryland. Strangely, we are now having some issues with the third hatch at the Great Bay Osprey Platform in New Hampshire. it might not survive the weekend. We wait to see. Little Peabody died Monday morning.
It is the last day of June. Where did the days go? Tomorrow is Baby Hope’s second birthday. It’s also Canada Day, so we’ll be having a big party! I am not going ‘crazy’. The world doesn’t need to manufacture any more stuff and my ‘fur babies’ do not need a thing. Baby Hope loves those squeezy treats and what my friend, Geemeff, knows as Dreamies in the UK. She also has a new toy. Anne will be with us, so it will be grand. I might even get some vanilla ice cream and share it with everyone!
Good news coming in from our reader ‘PS’ who is keeping a close eye on the osprey family in Washington with its three chicks. Just look at them. They have outgrown the Reptile stage and are developing juvenile feathers. Each has a nice crop.
‘PS’ reports: “Quick update for today, June-28…a very good day! The family was finishing up a meal when I arrived, and all crops were very full, even the littlest one. Which was good enough, and a delight to see, but then dad showed up with another fish (looked like some kind of flounder or sole) 20 minutes later! Nestlings were mostly sleeping and couldn’t even be bothered to get up, except for the littlest one who figured why not, and continued to eat more. Mom ate a lot of this one too, then took a quick break down to the shoreline, walked around a bit, dunked her head in the water, then flew back. Dad was mostly taking a break on a nearby lightpost. Seems like the eating was very good today (bright, sunny, warm, calm winds). So good to see!”
If you haven’t checked out ‘PS’s’ Flickr diary of this family, please do:
We also have a report from ‘PS’ for Monday morning: “Hope your weekend has been a good one – one update for you from today, June 29. Unfortunately it was a slow day from what I could see, at first – not only were the three nestlings not sporting bulging crops, but mom left the nest three times after I arrived, for up to ~12 minutes at a time, presumably to hunt on her own. No dad during this time. First two times she came back empty-taloned…then after she left a third time one of the parents returned, at last, with a fish! I thought it was odd, though, that this adult landed in the nest, looked a bit befuddled, left the fish, then decamped for the perch, without feeding the kids (in looking at my images later I realized that this was dad, but didn’t realize it at the time)…some ten minutes later, the other adult returned, this time with a pretty large southern Rock Sole (headless – fuel for the journey no doubt) which was immediately fed to the nestlings (this was mom, though at the time I was still somewhat confused as to who was who). Sadly, #3 was bullied out of the way by #2 (the size difference is enormous). I had to leave before the fish was finished, but hopefully everyone had enough and/or the parents were able to get more fish.
It was sunny today, but very windy, so perhaps challenging conditions…it was worrisome to see mom leaving so often, and coming back with nothing. Clearly she didn’t want to leave for so long, but felt she had to…”
While chicks have been lost on nest 2 at Foulshaw Moss in Cumbria, at nest 1, White YW and Blue 35 continue to raise their three chicks without issue! White YW brings in these huge fish, and Mum is excellent at getting the bites spread around despite having three ravenous beaks.
Notice the difference in plumage between the three chicks on the Washington nest and Foulshaw Moss 1. The most petite chick on the Foulshaw Moss nest still has ‘slight’ remnants of that big white wide stripe of its youth, while all the chicks at Washington are slightly younger and retain the white stripe on their back. Soon it will be covered with gorgeous, beautiful juvenile plumage!
At Rutland Manton Bay, the oldest chick is doing some amazing hovers. Landings on the nest are tricky with three large siblings! Watch for the first fledge of an osprey in the UK anytime!
Birds of Poole Harbour are celebrating the return of CJ7 and Blue 022’s of two-year-old Blur 5H3.
This year’s four will be ringed on Sunday morning the 29th so I will be able to report this today!
Here’s the video of the four pancaked and showing the Blue Darvic Ring 5R4 on the chick from Birds of Poole Harbour! https://youtu.be/eaxk967rTQI?
The cutoff for the weight for males usually is below 1600. Over is female, coupled, of course, with measurements to support that weight. In the end, though, only a DNA test can definitively provide the gender. (Sometimes the ringers are wrong.)
Here are the results:
Llyn Clywedog: Seren Blue 5F with her two gorgeous, big, healthy chicks. Unringed Dylan does a marvellous job of feeding his family. One year, he was tracked and timed by John Williams, revealing he flew 25 miles to chase an intruder away, returning with some lovely Brown Trout. (Trout was available at the nearby reservoir, but this fish did not come from there – he was watched closely.)
The Llyn Clywedog ospreys were ringed in 2025. Instagram reports that two chicks were safely ringed at the Llyn Clywedog nest as part of ongoing conservation efforts. The chicks were ringed with blue rings, and the specific numbers were not mentioned in the Instagram post.
Dyfi Osprey Project: Idris arrived with a fish on Saturday night around 2000. Look at the flurry. You can see some of the new bling on the chicks in the second image.
Loch Doon: Angel and Frankie’s two surviving osplets are now hovering!
Saaksilvie #4, Finland: Three healthy osplets, stretching and walking around the nest and one dirty camera lens!
Saaksilvie #2 LS: Three osplets finished their meal, and the fish left on the nest!
Couer de’Alene, Idaho: The four osplets are doing very well! No overfishing here that I am aware.
Smallwood: Look at these three beauties.
Boulder County: Family portrait.
Charlo, Montana: Someone is going to ‘yell’ at me and tell me I’m wrong, but right now, I have a little concern for the third hatch at this nest. The two larger earlier hatches are eating a lot of food, and the little one is in submission a lot. It is clever and finally sees an opportunity, getting on the opposite side of Mum to come away with a crop. That crop was not easy – it worked hard for it.
Dunrovin: Oh, that wee third hatch makes me ache. But, look, it is right up there – all three in a line being fed by Winnie. Dad Swoop up on the perch after flying in with the family fish meal.
Independence City: We can finally see that there are two beautiful chicks in this nest!
Heidi’s Osprey Report:
Great Bay: All the chicks survived the heat dome that lasted for a few days, but since the weather cooled, it seems that Dad just cannot deliver enough fish to the family. The chicks are 27, 26, and 23 days old on 6/30. The two older chicks have big appetites, and Little3 has not been able to eat much for a few days. Little3 may not make it. But, he has won the hearts of many people who are praying for him. Little3 is much loved.
Dewey Beach: Dad has not been seen since 6/26. Mom has been fishing for the osplet, in fact, she had already been fishing for several days prior to Dad’s disappearance. But, for some reason, fishing has been slow for a few days. Mom is catching fewer fish per day now, than when she was supplementing Dad’s fish deliveries. The osplet is 47 days old, and has been doing some flapping.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 29th June 2025 The weather was much more settled today and both males provided plenty of fish. Garry LV0 brought two fish for Aurora 536 taking his tally to one hundred and five, and Louis’ four fish deliveries saw his tally rise to two hundred and forty one. Chick2 is developing rapidly and not only downed a tail today, but also made off with a whole fish, taking it away from Dorcha who’d only just received it from Louis. But the chick wasn’t allowed to keep the prize for long, Dorcha reclaimed it and feeding commenced as usual. However chick1 also attempted to make off with a whole fish but Dorcha didn’t let go and the chick lost the tug of fish battle. The ringers are due in a few days time, a far cry from this time last year when a rescue mission was needed which saw the chicks getting their rings in Spain after joining a translocation programme, but this year everything is going well and both chicks are developing nicely. The overnight forecast for the Inver Mallie area which covers both nest is for light rain and light winds with a low of 17
°C, changing to heavy rain with a gentle breeze and a high of 18°C tomorrow. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.57.10 (03.07.04); Nest Two 23.19.26 (03.34.20)
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 28th June 2024 After a stormy night leaving the family wet and bedraggled, the weather brightened up somewhat, although at the time of filing this report (midnight) the rain has started again and the wind’s picked up. Dorcha’s plumage is pearled with raindrops as she does her best to shield the chicks who none the less remain partly exposed to the weather. Today was a very low fish day, only two from Louis and none from Garry, so their tallies stand at two hundred and thirty seven and one hundred and three respectively. There were some intruder alerts, none too close to the nest, and with the choppy conditions of the loch Louis might be forgiven for only delivering two fish. However, it does bring back memories of this time last year when he stopped delivering fish and licensed raptor experts had to be called in to save the chicks from the twin threat of hyperthermia and starvation. Fortunately this year’s weather is much better than last year’s and tonight’s forecast is light cloud and a gentle breeze with a low of 11°C followed by sunny intervals and a high of 19°C tomorrow. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.16.26 (03.23.11); Nest Two 23.18.10 (03.35.21) Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/sLFUneYm7DAN2 The family’s glad to see breakfast arrive after a wild wet night 07.22.01https://youtu.be/19TjA7ShPk0 N2 Everybody’s hungry and ready when fish number two finally arrives 18.21.22https://youtu.be/XTmA9TtWnGkN2 Up up and away! Louis makes a wind-assisted exit 18.26.43https://youtu.be/DfdspR4jUqM N2 Is moving sticks on a windy day a good idea?18.42.48 Bonus map – keep cool during the hot weather and go down to the woods, the updated Woodland Trust map will guide you:https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/woodland-trust-woods/
https://youtu.be/c2oZrwNXbvI N2 Dorcha and the two chicks huddle together on a dreich night 2024 Why not come and join the lively community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s friendly, free and everyone’s welcome:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 27th June 2025
The weather was the main feature today, it rained almost continuously, with a few dry patches here and there, leaving the chicks frequently looking very wet and bedraggled, but Dorcha did her best to protect them although she’s no longer able to cover the big chicks fully. Louis kept the chicks and Dorcha fueled with three fish deliveries and his tally now rises to two hundred and thirty five. Despite the weather the chicks are developing nicely, and chick1 passed another milestone today by uttering alarm calls, to which Dorcha responded by flying off the nest to investigate. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 brought Aurora 536 a single fish, taking his tally to one hundred and three. The weather forecast calls for overnight rain and a gentle breeze with a low of 13
°C but looks to improve by mid morning with sunny intervals and a fresh breeze, with a high of 17°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.44.36 (03.15.18); Nest Two 23.17.34 (03.53.44)
Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/5QGsGqpXlXM N2 Louis delivers the first fish and stays to do some feaking 07.59.09
Trempealeau Eagle Nest, Wisconsin: T3 has hatched but not fledged. Mum needs a gold medal. Her mate had two nests. He often took the fish she caught for her eaglet. She overcame the adversities. Just look at T3! Well done.
Denton Homes: They survived severe weather in their nest, which stayed in place. How lucky. So many worried! They have now fledged. Of course, the bad weather is still around. The camera has all these views, trying to keep up with those fledglings.
FOBBV:
San Jose City Hall: Chico keeps returning for food! No vacation yet for Monty and Hartley. SK Hideaways caught the last hatch, little Chico (everyone’s favourite) on the ledge with his distinctive red band. https://youtu.be/wi-93Aur43s?
Mlady Buky, Czechoslavkia: Bety and Bukachek’s two storklets have their bling! Aren’t they gorgeous?
Cornell Red-tail Hawks: The Os have fledged. The nest is empty and all the BOGs are getting great exercise chasing the fledglings around the Cornell campus trying to get a photo.
Nesting Bird Life and More video of Lesser Spotted Eaglet, Estonia: Mum feeds breakfast! https://youtu.be/XvS1kPgPwjM?
Golden Eagle, Latvia: Spilve has already delivered prey. Her baby is no longer a baby!
‘A’ sends us report for happenings down under: “The sea eagles at Olympic Park are mating constantly and sleeping in the nest tree. Lots of fish gifts are being brought to the nest for Lady. The nest itself could not be more prepared for eggs. They lined it perfectly last week. We are on tenterhooks awaiting the big day. Last year, their first egg was laid on 27 June so they’re running late. I’m expecting an egg this weekend.
The pair at Port Lincoln are so close, they even snuggle on the nest at night. I don’t recall this being the case last season so maybe it’s a different pair or maybe they are just more tightly bonded a year on. The first egg wasn’t laid at Port Lincoln until late August last year so there are still eight or nine weeks to go by that schedule. August 27 was the day the first egg was laid at Orange last year, so those two nests are on a similar schedule.
Our sweet albatross chick is the most beautiful creature. She is snowy, fluffy white, but her grown-up plumage is starting to show through in a major way now, so that she is rapidly beginning to resemble an albatross rather than a giant fairy floss. It is scary to think that when they take off, it will be years before they return, and they head off to fend for themselves with no training in flight or fishing, essentially alone, on a 6,000-mile journey. It’s incredible. And then, as if that were not miraculous enough, they return to within 50 metres of the nest in which they were raised. (Or is that just the males?) Every year, it amazes me anew. What incredible navigation systems they must have.”
Birdlife International has some great news including a link to the AviList – don’t know what that is? Well, check it out and discover something new.
Thank you for being with us today! Please take care. We look forward to having you back with us on Friday and pictures of Baby Hope’s second birthday party complete with ‘pet friendly cake’ and ice cream.
Thank you to the individuals who have sent me articles, information, observations and photographs, and news – you are amazing: ‘A, EJ, Geemeff, Heidi, PB, PS’, – thank you so much. Thank you to all the individuals whose names are in bold and who made videos from information on the streaming cams – and to all the owners of the streaming cams in bold, we are so appreciative as well as all the FB groups and individuals with their posts!
Happy Summer Solstice to Everyone! It occurs at 2242 EDT.
Today would be my grandmother’s birthday. She was such a special person to me. I miss her every single day, even though she died ever so long ago. I have said several times that my mother was a ‘Tiger Mum’. That was when I didn’t even know what that meant but she could put any contemporary Tiger Mum to shame. There were reasons for this. She had three university scholarships to study nursing. Her father was a very traditional German-Swiss individual. He didn’t believe in girls having an education and a profession. So he said ‘no’. That ‘no’ coloured her entire life. I was to do what she had not been able to do. There is no question that I would attend university. Her plan for me was to attend law school. No pressure, right? She worked and was extremely independent. I came along after she had been married eleven years. Lucky for me, my grandmother did not mind, in her old age, taking care of me. My grandmother’s gentleness has changed my life in ways I’m not even aware of: so happy birthday, Maude Bruesch, daughter of Simeon and Louisa from Jenins, Switzerland. Your love is the life in my blood.
Off to the birds….
It is Monday afternoon. The little one at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is still alive to the shock of many. Mum and even Dad have tried to feed it. Everyone wonders what is wrong. Is there a problem with their eye sight they ask?
On the chat at Barnegat Light, the discussion starting at 1503 on Monday was all about the Canadian company, Omega, moving its ships up the NJ and Delaware coasts to try and find the last of the Menhaden. Meanwhile, the ospreys have abandoned their nests, giving up on raising families. Some didn’t even breed. While many hope that it will be better next year, it will not be until the stocks of Menhaden are significantly built up. Even then, there have been few chicks to replace the adults over the past two years. ———Of course, this is deplorable.
‘B’ sends us a link to an article about the Campanile and the sighting of a few falcons passing through, and what this might mean for the future. I still miss Annie.
Charlo Montana: Look at that trio—sweet little osplets.
Poole Harbour: CJ7 and Blue 022 have a nest full of osprey chicks! They will be ringed around the beginning of July.
Rutland Manton Bay: It is hard to find any real estate left on that nest for mum, Maya, and dad, Blue 33.
One of the many fish that Blue 33 brought in on Monday. The four will be ringed this week – Maya and Blue did it again! One Super Osprey Couple. Maya and Blue 33 have successfully fledged 26 chicks at Rutland Water. This includes the chicks they raised together since 2015. In addition, Maya had 11 successful juveniles with her previous partner, 5R, between 2010 and 2013. This will be their third set of four chicks to fledge!!!!!!!!
The chicks were ringed on Wednesday – 2 little boys and 2 little girls. The posting below was incorrect. The first two hatches were determined to be female, while the last two are believed to be male.
Dunrovin Ranch Osprey Nest: Third hatch on Wednesday, the 18th. There is another egg. Oh, please do not let it hatch! It is difficult to feed three, and it’s even harder to feed four. Let’s watch though. The nests on the interior of the US will be better than those on the NE coast of the US around the Chesapeake.
You are going to be hearing a lot about the destruction of the osprey population in the NE United States in the States that adjoin around the Chesapeake Bay areas. Heidi posted this today:
There are people working hard to bring attention to the alarming decline of ospreys in this region. I will post ways you can help them in the next couple of posts.
It is not just in the NE, however. I received the following note from ‘MP’ regarding some recent comments by wildlife photographer,Ron Dudley: “I know you are aware of this guy Ron Dudley. He took a trip to Montana to take photos. I was taken back by his comment about what he’s seeing. Here it is: “My first night here, it got down to 35 degrees, which was refreshing but I’m sure glad my furnace worked. Most birds I expected to see have been plentiful, except for the surprising scarcity of large raptors.”
Treasure the ones that live. Mourn those who die, but do something about it. Ospreys are the canaries in the cold mine, just as they were with DDT.
I have not yet caught up on the 2025 Memorial Wall, but I am posting it live today with the hope that you will send me names and/or images of our feathered friends that I am missing. I know there are many. I was behind and then as I was trying to catch up, more osplets began to die.
Heidi’s Osprey notes: Great Bay osprey nest: The first 10 days of little chick3’s life were great. He was right up front with his two older and much larger siblings at most meals. On 6/17 a switch was flipped, and chick1 became very aggressive. Since then, it has been quite difficult for chick3 to eat even a few bites of fish. Dad has delivered fish fairly regularly, but it simply has not been enough to satisfy the appetites of the two older, rapidly growing kids. On 6/19 Dad had delivered 8 fish by 16:30. Chick1 had been satisfied enough at a couple of the later meals that chick3 was able to eat. Way to go, Dad.
Thanks, Heidi!
Sometimes people wonder if they should build an osprey platform. Would the birds come? Well, look at this news from the Norfolk Wildlife Trust!
There is more exciting news coming out of the UK. CJ7 and Blue 022 were the first pair of Ospreys to breed in the south of England. Now there are two pair! One is a ‘child’ of Blue 33 and Maya from Rutland Water’s Manton Bay.
Angel and Frankie’s chicks at Loch Doon will be ringed on 25 June.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 19th June 2025
A quiet day apart from some shenanigans with sticks and adults’ big feet accidentally trampling the chicks who grow by the hour and are starting to test their wings as their eyes turn amber. Steve Q published his weekly fish stats and Louis is on track compared to previous years, however the report states he’ll need to step up the deliveries as the chicks move towards the next stage of their development. His four fish today, including the season’s first mackerel, take his tally to two hundred and five. There wasn’t much activity on Nest One, Aurora 536 waited and was eventually rewarded with a single fish from Garry LV0, taking his tally to ninety four. The weather was settled but a little too warm for the chicks who were gular fluttering to cool down, they’ll need this new skill as the heat continues tomorrow with a forecasted temperature of 26°C, sunny with light winds, and an overnight low of 14°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.23.46 (02.26.32); Nest Two 23.27.49 (03.17.48)
Bonus read – London Assembly calls for protection for ancient trees following the illegal cutting down of the White Webbs Oak despite being listed on Woodland Trust’s ancient tree inventory:
The legendary queen of the mountain gave us an unforgettable moment on this day in 2020: Aila has a brain fade and decides to move an awkwardly shaped stick from one side of the nest to the other, apparently oblivious to the presence of her chicks. They duck this way and that trying to keep out of her destructive path, and when Aila finally leaves the nest, one of them delivers a parting shot with perfect emphasis.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 18th June 2025
A reasonably calm day today with the main drama being caused by parents Louis and Dorcha, who stood on the chicks, nearly speared them with pointy sticks, and threw fish and sticks over them, all in an effort to protect them and feed them! Fortunately they’re old enough and big enough at 25 and 24 days old respectively to withstand a little rough treatment, and Louis keeps them very well fed. His three fish today took him past the milestone of two hundred for the season, and his tally now stands at two hundred and one. On Nest One Aurora 536 had to wait a long time and did eventually get a fish from Garry LV0 but not until suppertime. That fish takes his tally to ninety three. The weather was reasonably settled, and the overnight forecast for tonight is light cloud and light winds and a low of 10°C continuing through tomorrow with a positively tropical high of 22°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One (03.12.17); Nest Two 23.20.59 (03.39.12) Today’s videos:
Many years from now, as the wind howls down the Glen, and the rain lashes the loch, young osplets will courie doon beneath their mother, and cheep softly to her as they fight off sleep: “Tell us again. Tell us about Legendary Louis and the Day of the Nine Fish!”
https://youtu.be/U-tu9Y00WH0 N2 The chicks attack each other, ignoring the sad remains of Chick3 2024Why not come and join the lively community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s friendly, free and everyone’s welcome:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 17th June 2025 Another routine day except for Louis chasing an intruder Osprey away from the nest, caught on camera as they flew across the view. Speculation is it might have been Aurora 536, zooming in didn’t help to establish an ID, and the threat didn’t last long. Nest Two is now a sea of yellow from the moss Dorcha has been bringing in and although there aren’t any chicks on Nest One, Garry did a little nest cupping anyway. He brought Aurora one fish taking his tally to ninety two, while Louis’ four fish take his to one hundred and ninety eight. The forecasted rain did materialise, but there was a fair amount of sunshine today too, and with luck tomorrow’s forecast of light rain and light winds with a low of 11°C and a high of 16°C will allow for some patches of sunshine too. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.56.59 (03.25.21); Nest Two 23.12.13 (03.55.07)
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Monday 16th June 2025
Despite today’s wet weather, Louis was in excellent fishing form, delivering four fish for his family on their sodden nest, including a colourful Arctic Charr. The wriggly chicks were kept as dry as possible by Dorcha although they’re getting too big to fit under her, and today being mumbrella meant holding her wings slightly out at an angle to keep them covered. With mum protecting them from the elements and dad keeping their crops stuffed full, things are looking good for the family. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 brought one fish for Aurora 536 – she constantly calls for more but one fish daily seems to be sufficient to keep her looking in great condition, and there’s always the possibility she’s receiving the odd fish off-nest. Following the recent power outage, Steve Q has adjusted the fish stats, see bonus section for details, and including today’s fish, Louis’ tally now stands at one hundred and ninety four and Garry’s at ninety one. The heavy rain forecast for tonight has already started as at the time of filing this report (midnight) and the Met Office’s ‘gentle breeze’ will seem stronger at the top of the nest tree. An overnight low of 13°C is forecast, with the rain changing to light showers tomorrow with more of those ‘gentle breezes’ and a high of 17°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.45.11 (03.17.57); Nest Two 22.56.15 (03.45.06)
Independence, Oregon: Home to River and Laurel. The first of large prepped fish arrives at 0542. There are osplets in this deep nest but how many – well, that will be answered in about a week when we might finally be able to see their heads!
Norway: Herr and Frau Rauer and their two osplets and a delicious fish delivery. Look at that water! What a wonderful place for a nest.
Cornell Red-tail Hawks: In these images, you not only see how much the hawklets have grown, but also the construction that is right up by the nest. It did not deter Big Red and Arthur from choosing this nest again this year.
Llyn Brenig: Great news coming in from Jeff Kear on the UK Osprey Information FB page for this nest.
Alyth SS: The camera has been down for some time. Thanks to BOGS, we know that there are at least two osprey chicks on the nest of Harry and Flora.
Glaslyn: It is the first time in 22 years that osprey chicks have not hatched on the nest. For those of you that might not have followed this nest, Aran, who had been the mate of Mrs G, became the mate of Elen a couple of years ago when Mrs G did not return from migration. This year, one of Idris and Telyn’s sons landed on the Glaslyn nest and provided fish for Elen. Aran arrived late. Elen laid eggs. They were dispersed from the egg cup. The younger Teifi and the slightly older Aran did attempt to settle the situation. Aran lost his nest. Aran is very much loved, and thankfully, individuals living near the area have kept a good eye on him, providing photographs that are shown on the UK Osprey Information FB page. Elen and Teifi remain around the nest.
Gilestone/USK Valley, Wales: Hot. Fish arrival to provide the hydration the Only Bob and the adults require.
Dyfi Osprey Project: A family portrait of Idris, Telyn, and the two kiddos.
Maryland Western Shore: Two chicks lost. Only Bob is doing well. Large fish are arriving at the nest on Monday.
Dyfi Osprey Project, Wales: Idris has been delivering fish all day and comes in with a Flounder for the lastlate-night snack for Telyn and the kiddos.
Boulder County, Colorado: It was hot. Mum became a mumbrella. This nest still makes me uneasy. Please don’t ask me why. I will be glad when the little one is a bit larger!
Denton Homes: Three beauties are still at home.
Saaksilvie #4: Oh, that sweet little 3. You can really see the difference.
Taipalsaari, Finland: Fish arrive regularly for Mum and the two osplets.
Pitkin County: Emma, Charlie, and two osplets. Little two got fed first at one of the feedings on Monday! Yippee.
Sauces Canyon: Betty Lou treated everyone by flying to the nest with a fish in her talons on Monday!
Seaside: Bruce and Naha are doing a great job with their trio in Oregon. I was very pleased to receive notes from many of you saying you just found the Seaside nest. It is a good one to watch!
Jann Gallavan and the IWS give us the history of Princess Cruz, current mate of Andor, at the Fraser Point nest.
The raptors are having challenges enough. They don’t need to be shot when they are hunting for food and don’t recognise the territories of various estates. Stop driven grouse shooting! What an archaic practice!
I was so mad this evening when we took Toby for his late walk. Big sign on a small property – I do mean small. Let’s think 4 feet by 22 feet at best. The sign said that pesticides had been applied, so do not walk pets on the lawn. I took a deep breath and decided to gather information on the damages and leave it for them in their mailbox.
Calico wants to remind everyone that balloons are not fun. They are unnecessary to having a celebration, and they go up, come down, and harm wildlife. Please find and suggest alternative ways to decorate and celebrate that are environmentally friendly. Dry leaf confetti is great. Get some small hole punches, a basket of leaves, and bowls, and take the children outside. They will be busy for some time, and they can toss them around without worrying about damage.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: Become a birder and save your life. Stop staring at screens all day and night and get out and see ‘real’ birds in your neighbourhood. Connect with nature. Discover how you can contribute to restoring habitat to help them. Imagine people around the world doing this and connecting!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourselves. We look forward to having you again with us on Monday.
Thank you to the following for their notes and comments: ‘A, B, Geemeff, Heidi, MP, PB, TU’, to those who created videos, including SK Hideaways, and to the owners of the streaming cams and FB pages whose names are in bold throughout my post today. Also, Raptor Persecution UK, Mrs Gardenette Cultivation Plant Vlog, MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre, The Guardian, and the UK Osprey Information FB page and Jeff Kear
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.
I have added the latest news that I have received at the top. It’s great to be back with you. I trust that you have been keeping up with your favourite nests and have an eye on Sunny and Gizmo. They are going to fly this week.
I have received staggering news from our monitor VV living in Maryland. They have 15 osprey nests within sight of their porch. This is yesterday’s report. When you finish reading it, I want you to educate yourselves. Join the good folks at Menhaden- Little Fish, Big Deal FB page and find out why ospreys are starving in the Chesapeake. Then I want you to write everyone you know to stop the industrial fishing of Menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay. It could be too late. For several years, the osplets have been dying. There is no one to replace the adults once they die or leave the area. They are going extinct, faster than DDT killed them, due to one company – Omega and that company is Canadian. It makes me furious as a Canadian.
VV writes: ” I wish I had a shred of good osprey news for you. But I have not. Many nests were incubating but nearly simultaneously nests were abandoned, some osprey have returned after gulls and crows cleaned out their eggs. Some have not returned. Two unpaired males I know by name abandoned their nests a good week before the pairs left. Those without eggs quit mating and they, too, left their nests. I guess a food issue, males no longer able to provide and females having to fish for themselves to survive.
It all happened within a matter of a week, a week and a half. It happened last year after chicks hatched but all died in early July. A second year of no fledglings.
Another observer on the island continues to see eagles stealing ospreys’ food. And the osprey behavior toward eagles is muted to non-existent this year. As little as two years back the entire creek full of osprey would leave their nests to chase an eagle passing overhead. Osprey ignore them entirely this year. The osprey grow silent when the eagles fly across the creek.”
This was the largest area for Osprey. Heidi and I have seen a steady decline and I believe a few years ago I predicted that there would be no osprey in the area in 3-4 years. I am beyond sad. I am angry that humans take money and profit takes over the quality of life for everyone on our planet. What happens in the Bay impacts all of us.
The UK and the Roy Dennis Foundation know what extinction of raptors looks like. In comparison to what is happening in Maryland and the neighbouring states of the Chesapeake Bay, the very first osprey has hatched in the USK Valley (think south Wales) in 250 years! Congratulations.
It is also expected to start raining on Monday morning in Winnipeg. Outside, it smells like a campfire. The fires continue to rage, people are being evacuated, and there are areas where only a helicopter can access. There are so many fires burning that there are not enough helicopters. I hope private companies are helping.
I am starting to write Friday evening. We have just finished watering the garden plants. The air is acrid. The sky is hazy. You might think you were in the middle of hundreds of car tyres burning. I cannot even imagine what it is like for those on the front lines fighting the fires in northern and eastern Manitoba (or other parts of Canada). It is 29 C.
While others are caring for the people in the towns and villages under threat, there is the wildlife that makes their late spring and summer homes in our province. Imagine hundreds of raptor nests with chicks and the fires burning. The adults can fly if they do not get ‘smoke inhalation’ and hopefully get to safety. Those chicks cannot fly. There are still many issues trying to rescue more than 17,000 people. They are leaving with nothing. If they are lucky they can bring their pets. One of the problems when they get to my city with those beloved pets is that the hotels are not allowing them inside! I find that incredibly ‘mean’. We are fortunate to have a few agencies that are rescuing the dogs and cats that had to be turned out on the streets. They will provide care and food for them and return them to their owners when it is convenient for the owners. I hope they can find the owners. So many of the pets might not be tattooed or have a microchip. Many of us are busy collecting toiletries and clothes as well as pet food for these unfortunate people. Can you imagine losing absolutely everything?While many are dedicated to helping the people in towns and villages facing danger, we must not forget the wildlife that calls our province home during late spring and summer. Picture this: hundreds of raptor nests filled with helpless chicks, surrounded by raging fires. The adult birds may be able to escape if they avoid smoke inhalation, but the chicks are unable to fly.
Simultaneously, we are confronted with the daunting task of rescuing over 17,000 individuals who are fleeing with nothing but the clothes on their backs. If they are fortunate, some can bring their cherished pets along. Yet, upon arriving in my city, they face a heartbreaking reality—many hotels refuse to accept pets. This is utterly unjust.
Thankfully, a handful of compassionate agencies are stepping up to rescue the dogs and cats abandoned in the streets. They are providing much-needed care and food for these animals, with the hope of reuniting them with their owners when the time is right. However, many pets lack identification tattoos or microchips, complicating the rescue efforts.
In the meantime, many of us are rallying together to gather toiletries, clothing, and pet food for these displaced individuals. Can you imagine what it feels like to lose absolutely everything? We must come together to support them in their time of need.
Menhaden overfishing has significantly disrupted the ecosystem in the Chesapeake Bay, leading tof whales and dolphins several years ago. Additionally, striped bass are starving and turning to crabs for food, leaving ospreys without the necessary sustenance. I have mentioned this to you before: overfishing causes widespread disruptions. In Ireland, for example, similar overfishing issues are driving whales and dolphins away. I wonder what the long-term outlook is for the ospreys that are beginning to breed there.
Other news comes from Arctic research showing that birds lived with the polar bears in an area of Alaska more than 74 million years ago. “Researchers believe their discovery of more than 50 bird fossils from the Prince Creek formation in Alaska is the oldest evidence of birds nesting in polar regions, pushing back the date by more than 25m years.”
Heidi has a good report for us on the US osprey nests she is monitoring:
Osoyoos: Soo and Olsen bonded after their return from migration, however after some battles at the end of April, a new male took over. Two of their three eggs were laid after Olsen was no longer seen, but the new male destroyed all three of those eggs. A new egg was laid on 5/30. I believe the female is Soo. Comparing photos, she looks like the same female for the past 4 seasons, but some believe it is a new female. The new male is a big fellow, and he has a very large dark crown mark and a necklace. This new clutch may not be a good thing. In the past, the ospreys have had difficulty finding fish during the heat, and now they may be trying to raise chicks a month later than previous years.
Patuxent River Park Nest 2: After the cam was offline for 9 days, two of the three osplets were missing. It appeared as though the oldest one was the only chick in the nest. We have been told that the other two chicks blew off the nest during a storm. But, I suspect that the park staff may not really know what happened to those two chicks, and we can’t rule out the possibility predation.
Dewey Beach Lions Club osprey nest: Things were going very well for this family of two osplets… until a few days of wind and rain spoiled the fishing. Then chick 1 became aggressive. When the weather improved, Mom supplemented Dad’s fish, and even the past 2 days when there were 9 fish, and 6 fish, chick 1 would not let chick 2 eat. The fish Mom and Dad were catching were on the small side. They never caught that really big fish that would have allowed chick 2 a chance to have a good meal. Little 2 died on 6/1, at 16 days of age.
Thanks, Heidi!
The news that has come to my inbox is mixed – osplets dying by the nestfuls while others are thriving. Betty Lou has fledged and returned to the nest, where she was rewarded with a giant fish. Jak and Audacity know how to raise ‘children’. Let us hope that the circumstances come together so that they can do this again in 2026!
BUNDGoitzsche-Wildnis: “Red kites are fast and skilled hunters. When an attack occurs very suddenly, the adults often have only a fraction of a second to react. Furthermore, wild animals instinctively weigh up whether a defense could endanger their own life or the remaining clutch of eggs. We suspect that the adults were taken by surprise and didn’t recognize the danger. They have been breeding successfully on this eyrie for so many years now, although they have never been threatened by red kites before; perhaps there is simply no strategy for dealing with it.
June 1, 2025: A red kite takes a second chick from the nest.
May 26, 2025: Drama for the ospreys: a red kite comes while the chicks are being fed and steals a chick from the nest. The attack lasts only seconds.”
White Rock Eagles: It appears that the male may be providing some assistance. The two eaglets, Miracle and Phenom, are doing well. Their crops are about to pop. Sweet little babies. Another miracle and a fish fairy. Love it! https://youtu.be/BvEHLnh-Wh4?
Dyfi Osprey Project: Telyn and Idris are doing a fine job with their triplets. They are kept warm and nicely fed.
Rutland Manton Bay: The fourth hatch is tiny. We wait to see if it will survive. Blue 33 has fish in the largest freshwater lake in Europe at Rutland Water and he is an excellent fisher and provider. The pair have raised several clutches of four. Fingers crossed. Blue 33 spent a lot of time on Sunday on the nest with Maya and the four kiddos.
Foulshaw Moss: Little Three gets right up there to eat. White YW and Blue 35 have raised nests where there were two quite larger chicks and a tiny one and all three fledged. Indeed, the third hatch in 2021 became the dominant on the nest!
Birds of Poole Harbour: Blue 022 and CJ7 raised four to fledge in 2024, to the shock of everyone. Looks like they are going to do it again this year. I wonder if they might become another ‘Super’ Couple like Blue 33 and Maya at Rutland? Or maybe this pair could beat Rutland’s record!
Family Portrait.
Llyn Brenig: We’re on hatch watch week!
Llyn Clywedog: Dylan is keeping the fish coming in despite some inclement weather. The chicks are doing well and Seren is being the perfect Mum.
Tweed Valley: The two females now have four osplets to raise between them. The male, New Guy, has not been around and it is understood that he is not assisting the ‘women’ in any way. The first three eggs to hatch belonged to Mrs O, an experienced female, while the fourth hatch belongs to the new female at the nest. The females do not seem to care whose is whose – they are happy to bring in fish to share between them. An incredible display of cooperation and another one of those miracles from this year that we must enjoy.
Glaslyn: Everyone loves Aran. He was not seen for the past five days. The weather in Wales was horrible. Well, to the delight of everyone, Aran came out and was seen on Sunday. Fabulous. He was enjoying the sunshine that finally came out.
Loch of the Lowes: Raining on Saturday. The female incubates the remaining egg for this new couple, taking the place of Laddie LM12 and Blue NC0.
Alyth: The camera is down, but there is evidence that Harry and Flora are feeding at least one chick on the nest. Thanks, Jeff Kear, UK Osprey Info, and VG for checking and reporting.
West Midlands Ringing Group:
MNSA Oceanside Ospreys: Three chicks on the nest. Cold weather event occured on the 23/24 of May. Little three could not fit under Mum and died of hypothermia. The feeding on the 24th without little 3: https://youtu.be/RGwYSUptOqA?
Loch Arkaig:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 1st June 2025
Today saw the return of Garry LV0 to Nest One, although to Aurora’s disappointment, he arrived with empty talons. Later when Aurora was alone on the nest, she was disturbed by a Raven’s kronking as it did a fly-by, and flew off to chase it away. Over on Nest Two, Louis continues to provide plenty of fish – four today, taking his tally to one hundred and thirty six. The second fish was a little tiddler that vanished in three minutes, and Louis was instructed to get more, if that’s how we can interpret Dorcha’s reaction. He returned an hour later with a fish so massive, it travelled on and off the nest providing several meals as it went. He is very strong to be able to lift such a big fish out of the water which bodes well for the continued well-being of the chicks who were stuffed full today so much so that one chick did a comical faceplant during feeding time, as if its bulging crop was too heavy to keep it upright. It rained throughout the night and sporadically throughout the day but a dry night with light winds is forecast for tonight with a low of 7°C, continuing dry through tomorrow with a high of 15°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.01.18 (02.50.57); Nest Two 22.56.00 (04.01.47) Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/WJsJLdNJmqM N2 Bobs 2&3 have a tug of war over a piece of fish one! 07.07.28
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 31st May 2025
Not much happened today on either nest, Aurora 536 did a bit of perching and preening on Nest One but again there was no sign of Garry LV0, and over on Nest Two all was routine which is what’s needed as the chicks enter their rapid development phase. Expert fisherbird Louis delivered six fish, taking his tally to one hundred and thirty two, and Dorcha ensured all three chicks got plenty to eat. It was wet and windy today and more of the same is expected tonight with heavy rain and a gentle breeze with a low of 8°C, with the rain lessening a little to light rain with a high of 14°C tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.21.00 (03.33.01); Nest Two 22.50.14 (04.05.20)
Bonus action – People’s Postcode Lottery helped Woodland Trust buy Arkaig Forest, fund its on-going restoration, and support the Osprey cams giving us our 24/7 livestreaming joy. If you’re a social media user, could you please thank them when posting Loch Arkaig content:
Sauces Canyon: Sauces Canyon: Jak and Audacity are amazing parents. Not only did they reward their young daughter, Betty Lou, with a big fish to encourage her to return to the nest, but they have also sat with her in the pine tree and delivered food to her there! Thanks to ‘PB’ for the wonderful report on Saturday!
Fraser Point: Mama Cruz has been missing for almost a day. When she returned to the nest, it was clear that she had been fighting an intruder. I am just holding my breath.
FOBBV: Jackie and Shadow adore their two eaglets, Sunny and Gizmo. I cannot imagine what is going through their heads as these two darlings ready to take to the sky. Jackie is feeding them on Saturday!
Trempeauleau Eagles: T3 doing fantastic. Mum brought in at least three fish on Friday.
Duke Farms: All three fledglings on the nest wanting some dinner! I did not see any prey delivered. Maybe you did.
Boulder County Fairgrounds: Three osplets with the fourth egg pipping on Saturday. Experienced Mum and new dad are going to be busy keeping these crops full.
OPPD Fort Calhoun: The triplets are so close in age. It appears everything is going very, very well. So tiny. They blend in to the point that if your eyes are tired, you really have to look close or hope they move!!!!!!!!
Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home: The only surviving eaglet is doing well. Thanks, ‘PB’ for posting this message on FB.
Pitkin County: Three little heads peek up out of the deep nest cup when it is dinner time. Two hatched on the 27th, with the third on the 28th. Fantastic, they are so close in age.
Cornell Red-tail Hawk Cam: The Os are walking around and pecking at prey. Arthur has the nest looking like a massacre. No one ever goes hungry on Big Red’s nest. Never.
Hellgate Canyon: Iris was on and off the nest on Sunday. She is looking good.
Charlo, Montana: Incubation continues.
City of Independence, Oregon: Female looking down. I did not see an indication of a hatch or feeding. Incubation continues.
I am delighted that you could join us today. Everyone in the family is doing fine. We hope that you are happy and well and getting outside whenever you can.
Calico and Baby Hope on the table watching Toby but not having their tails bitten!
Toby can climb up the cat tree!
Hugo Yugo loves to sleep on the top of the small cat tree. She will have her next dental cleaning and surgery on 11 June.
Missey in Toby’s toy box!
Brock waits and sleeps on a deck chair for when we get up and he gets some fresh food.
Thank you to the following for their letters, notes, comments, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, Heidi, J, PB, VV’, The Guardian, Osoyoos Town Council Osprey Cam, Patuxent River Park, Dewey Beach Lion’s Club, Crooked Lake, Seaside Ospreys, Colonial Beach Ospreys, PSEG Oyster Bay, Brevard County, Moraine State Park, BUNDGoitzsche-Wildnis, Hancock Wildlife Foundation White Rock Eagle Cam, LRWT Manton Bay Ospreys, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, BoPH, Llyn Clywedog, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, Scottish Wildlife Trust (LOTL Ospreys), West Midlands Ringing Group, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Mary Cheadle and Friends of Loch Arkaig FB, Jane Goodall Foundation, IWS/Explore, CIEL and Barbara Wolfsong, FOBBV, KTLA, San Jose City Hall and SK Hideaways, Trempeauleau Eagle Cam, Duke Farms, Boulder County, OPPD, Cornell Bird Cam Red Tail Hawk Cam, Cornell Bird Cam Hellgate Canyon, Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home, Oregon Public Broadcasting, CBC Manitoba, Robert Fuller, Farmer Derek, Discover Outdoors, Nesting Bird Life and More and the LDF, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Usk Valley Ospreys, Jeff Kear and UK Osprey Info and Llyn Brenig
The highlight of Thursday was the fledge of Betty Lou, chick of Jak and Audacity, at 76 days. Oh, she had been doing some incredible hovering on Wednesday.
Nestflix Memories caught that fledge! (I wonder if Jak and/or Audacity saw their miracle chick fly for the first time?). https://youtu.be/k1egvndhupg?s
Betty Lou likes the pine tree branches!
She returned to the nest and grateful parents Jak and Audacity presented their fledgling with a whole fish, which she devoured! There was a lot of squeeing…check it out on the live webcam.
If that wasn’t enough, ‘PB’ sent me the message by Pat Burke that all three of the Duke Farm’s eaglets fledged one after the other on Thursday. Amazing!
We are just waiting for Sunny and Gizmo and the San Jose Falcons and we are just sitting on pins and needles.
One of the incredible stories of this year has been the Tweed Valley nest where two females with a single male laid their eggs. All along the two females have supported themselves, sharing fish, and tending to the eggs. The male hasn’t been around the nest for many days (but seen in the area). The females have taken turns fishing and sharing their fish. They have each cared for and fed, together or separately, the two chicks that have hatched.
You will need to join their FB group to see the video but here is a screen capture.
This may well be the year that we see females rise to the occasion and raise chicks alone – White Rock, Tempeauleau, and Tweed are three that come to mind. Can you think of others?
The garden has been busy! The Baltimore Orioles have arrived along with a host of different Warblers, to the garden! The birdsong is phenomenal. We have made a little nook to sit with Toby, and it is like being in the middle of a jungle surrounded by birds.
I sincerely appreciate your understanding and the wonderfully supportive letters I have received. Choosing to reduce the frequency of my posts from Bird World was a tough decision, but it is essential for my family’s well-being at this time. I am committed to creating Bird World updates that not only educate and inform but also keep you connected to the happenings in the nests. I truly hope you find the content I share valuable and enjoyable!
The weather in Winnipeg has been warm and sunny. In the north and east of my province, large wildfires are raging. The Province has declared a province-wide emergency. People from larger towns that are threatened with being burned to the ground are being evacuated to Winnipeg. The smoke has coloured the sky, and many people are having health difficulties due to it.
Just one image of hundreds showing Flin Flon, Manitoba. The entire town has been evacuated. (Someone flew a drone and the water cannon aircraft could not fly setting off this catastrophe!).
IIn Norway House, the only highway access in or out is on fire. This is just one of the many fires burning in the northern and eastern parts of my province. We are okay for now, aside from the smoke. Our thoughts are with everyone affected, including all the wildlife in the forests that were once their home but are now ablaze.n Norway House, the only highway access in or out is on fire. These are only two of the numerous fires burning in the north and east of my province. We are alright except for the smoke. Our thoughts are of course with every breathing soul including all of the wildlife in the forests that was once their home and is now blazing.
This is the current fire danger map for Canada. We need some of that rain that has been plaguing our raptor nests.
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who reached out to check on us after hearing about the wildfire conditions in our area. Your concern means the world to me and truly showcases the strength of our community. The dry conditions are quite alarming, but there’s hope on the horizon as the forecast indicates a couple of days of rain next week.
In the meantime, I’m grateful to have Toby and Don by my side, helping to keep the garden containers watered. Our dried peas and beans are beginning to sprout, which is an exciting sign! We experimented with cayenne pepper around each planter box, but the squirrels have completely ignored it in search of cozy spots to stash their peanuts. Dyson and I definitely need to have a chat about their antics!
I’m optimistic that in a few weeks, I’ll have some stunning photos to share of our thriving climbing peas and beans, so let’s keep our fingers crossed! Meanwhile, the lilacs continue to bloom magnificently. We’ve discovered a charming, shady spot for a couple of chairs and a small table, the perfect setting to enjoy our coffee with Toby. It’s such a joy that he is now trained to go outside. Sitting there, listening to the cheerful birdsong and surrounded by the delightful fragrance of blooming flowers, truly elevates our moment of tranquillity together.
The view of some of the lilacs, the crabapple tree, and the trees at the back from inside the sitting room. This entire space is full of birds singing. It is wild. Nothing controlled by humans here, just the way the birds like it! And the rabbits, the raccoon, and the squirrels. What about those deer that visit?
One type is so gorgeous.
I’m truly relishing every moment spent outdoors. Tonight we played a captivating game of ‘Miss Marple.’ After finishing his late meal, Brock piqued our curiosity, prompting us to follow him and, perhaps, uncover his current living situation. To our surprise, he appears to be residing under the deck of a house just half a block away. This could be an ideal shelter for him, except for one drawback: he must cross the street to access our feeder.
I hope you’ve had some time to reflect on the incredible rescue at the osprey nest in Western Maryland Shore Old Town Home. How many times did we urge people to remove some of the osplets from nests around the Chesapeake Bay when food was scarce in 2024 due to the overfishing of Menhaden, the primary food of ospreys, in the Chesapeake Bay by a Canadian company, Omega? Many of you yelled at your screens when help did not come to the osplet at Colonial Bay. Of course, there were at least another hundred nests in the same situation.
It is unclear whether or not the rehabilitation of the third hatch at Old Town Home will be successful. These are some things to consider:
Young ospreys in rehabilitation have variable outcomes, depending on the severity and nature of their injuries or circumstances, as well as the quality of rehabilitation provided. While some ospreys, such as those with leg injuries, can recover and return to the wild, others may face challenges with feeding and development, which can impact their long-term survival.
Injury or Condition:The type and severity of the injury or condition will significantly influence the likelihood of successful rehabilitation.
Age and Developmental Stage:Young ospreys are particularly vulnerable and rely heavily on parental care for essential skills like hunting and flying.
Access to Food and Water:Providing the right diet and ensuring proper hydration is crucial, especially for young ospreys who may not eat well in captivity.
Rehabilitation Techniques:Some rehabilitation centers use innovative approaches like introducing juvenile ospreys to the concept of fish from the water through supervised practice.
Release Strategies:Successful release often requires careful planning, considering factors like the bird’s physical condition and the availability of suitable habitat.
Examples of Successful Rehabilitation:
Ospreys with leg injuries that regain function and are successfully released back into the wild.
Young ospreys rescued from entanglements that are rehabilitated and released.
Ospreys that are re-nested in new nests after being rescued.
Challenges in Osprey Rehabilitation:
Difficulty with Feeding:Ospreys can be notoriously difficult to feed in captivity, and some may not eat at all, making it challenging to rehabilitate and release them.
Developmental Delays:If young ospreys are not properly cared for and lack parental guidance, they may develop delayed or incomplete hunting skills.
Entanglements and Other Threats:Ospreys can be entangled in fishing nets, twine, and other materials, potentially leading to injuries or death.
The third hatch at Maryland Western Shore was quite tiny and young. It had a head injury and could have had other internal injuries caused by the male stepping on its body. It was also denied food but had a large crop when removed from the nest. Looking forward to updates with the hope that this little one is another miracle of 2025.
Sadly, on Wednesday, there was some concern for the middle hatch at Maryland’s Western Shore. It has died of hypothermia. Thanks, ‘PB’, for keeping me informed of the situation.
Weather and lack of fish have plagued the osprey nests in the Chesapeake Bay area for the past few years. It is taking its toll this year. I wonder how many osprey nests will fledge their own clutch this year?
Some interesting spring migration counts and news is coming out of Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania. “Count coordinator David Barber summed the season up as follows: The count ended on a low note with three days of fog and rain. The last official migrant of the 2025 count was an unidentified raptor on the afternoon of May 12. Trainees, staff, and volunteers counted 220 hours over 38 days. The total count of 1,271 birds was 30% above the 10-year average of 980 and was the fourth highest spring count recorded at Hawk Mountain. The high day was April 18 with 581 birds including 2 turkey vultures, 6 ospreys, 3 bald eagles, 6 northern harriers, 1 sharp-shinned hawk, 12 Cooper’s hawks, a season high 542 broad-winged hawks, 5 red-tailed hawks, 3 American kestrels, and 1 merlin. The broad-winged hawks count of 885 was 71% above the 10-year average and a new record high! The count of 33 northern harriers was 61% above average and the highest count since 2013. Counts of Cooper’s hawks, American goshawk, and American kestrels also were above average, whereas counts of black vultures, turkey vultures, ospreys, sharp-shinned hawks, red-shouldered hawks, and red-tailed hawks were below average. All other species had average counts this year.”
White Rock, British Columbia: The single Mum, together with a generous fish fairy, is keeping the two eaglets alive. I don’t think anyone would have believed that these two would live to get their thermal down, and if you look closely, you will see some feathers coming through!
Kielder Forest: The first hatch at nest 1A for parents W6 and KF13. The latest post from KF also reads, “The weather has been very poor since Saturday with strong winds and rain at times. The parents on Nest 7 have been doing a wonderful job balancing sheltering with feeding their three chicks.
Although there is rain in the forecast for Kielder Forest it should be mainly just showers with less wind and warmer temperatures.”
Well, by Thursday all three eggs had hatched at Kielder Forest. Congratulations!
FOBBV: By the time this is posted, I expect that both Sunny and Gizmo will have fledged. (more below)
Sauces Canyon: Betty Lou is ready to take to the skies, too. And as reported above, she did just that! https://youtu.be/8bsdSUkulpY?
White Rock Eagles: The two raised by the single Mum are doing fine. Thanks, fish fairy, for lending a hand and some fish!
Ely Cathedral Falcon scrape: Two eyasses this year as one of the eggs did not hatch.
Birds of Poole Harbour: An update by BoPH for us on this year’s happenings. (more below)
Glaslyn: It appears that it is now official. Five-year-old Teifi, the son of Idris and Telyn from the Dyfi platform, has now taken over the lead male role at Glaslyn. Aran continues to be seen in the region.
Dyfi: Idris and Telyn feeding their clutch as high winds make their way through the valley. Check out the cows below.
Birds of Poole Harbour: CJ7 and Blue 022 now have four osplets in the nest as of Thursday. The 4th hatch has already had its first fish meal.
Llyn Clywedog: The miserable weather has the two hatches of Dylan and Seren beaking one another. Let’s hope that cold and wet clears up.
Foulshaw Moss: White YW and Blue 35 are doing a good job with their three.
Trempeauleau: Mum doing a great job – all alone!
Denton Homes: The nest has dried out and we are just waiting for these three beauties to branch.
Little Miami Conservancy: Two beauties. Like the others getting ready to branch.
Cardinal Land Conservancy: These two are so ready to fly.
Cornell Red Tail Hawks: O1 and O2 are standing, walking around, and getting their beautiful juvenile feathers. Both are doing exceptionally well as we would expect with parents Big Red and Arthur. Big Red is still staying with her babies at night.
Hellgate Canyon: NG has been fighting intruders at the nest over the last days. Iris has also been coming around.
San Jose City Hall: They are ready to go. Will they take off at the same time? Like Duke Farms? (Thanks, PB, for the screen capture.)
Big Bear Valley: Jackie, Shadow, Sunny, and Gizmo were all together on the nest Thursday evening. What a beautiful family. This could be one of the last images of the four on the nest, as fledging can happen at any second.
Patuxent River Park 2: All three chicks have perished while the camera was down for a week. Cause unknown.
Moraine State Park:
Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home: The only surviving chick of three with a big crop on Thursday.
Loch Arkaig: The latest from Geemeff on what is happening at Loch Arkaig!
Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 29th May 2025 Today was all about fish – plenty on Nest Two but none on Nest One. Garry LV0 did turn up where Aurora 536 had been waiting for hours – she wanted fish, he wanted to mate, and neither got their wish. This is day six of thirteen without fish, his tally is becoming slightly meaningless and remains at sixty six. Louis on the other hand is performing magnificently and delivered another five today, and as Steve’s stats show, he’s Mr Consistency as it was the same as this day last year. His tally shoots up to one hundred and twenty two. Although it appeared bob3 didn’t have much, it must be remembered that being so much smaller than the other two means needing less food, and Dorcha did take care to include all three chicks when sharing out the food. It rained today as forecast but there were breaks in the weather. The forecast is light rain showers and light winds with a low of 11°C tonight, and light rain showers and a gentle breeze tomorrow morning, clearing in the afternoon with a high of 17°C.Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.33.57 (03.40.51); Nest Two 22.43.36 (04.03.43) Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/1gX2u2eGvIE N2 A chick nutmegs Dorcha with a squirt! 10.00.58https://youtu.be/yZEt_-fipSU N2 Breakfast is very late because dad’s eaten most of it! 10.09.55https://youtu.be/uJJIn3vt96o N2 All three chicks get some of fish two 15.43.44https://youtu.be/wsqyBae4VAo N1 Aurora wants fish, Garry wants to mate, neither succeeds 16.43.03https://youtu.be/M7avkNa__fw N2 Fish number three is finished quickly but bob3 does get some 18.53.49https://youtu.be/za_qjIHMpaU N2 Dorcha blocks the view of fish four being shared out 21.07.49 https://youtu.be/GMtWeYvN1_4 N2 Fish number five arrives – will there be another today? 22.14.10 Bonus guide – when is a wood not a wood? When it is a forest!http://woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2024/12/difference-between-wood-and-forest/
‘A’ shares a few of her thoughts: “Did you see Mrs T brought in a huge bouquet of flowers to the Trempeauleau Eagles nest this afternoon (29 May)? I’ve never seen that before. T3 had a bit of a nibble. Mr T hasn’t stolen a fish from this nest for several days now – we hope his other nest is doing as well as this one is.
And the hawklets at Cornell are doing well, although the younger one is still much smaller than its sibling. Plus, I thought you might like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxbrs5MplyA
And Betty Lou is a wonderful outcome for a nest that has seen so much heartbreaking disappointment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbNysUP8how Such a happy family. Well done Jaks and Audacity. Perseverance pays off for darling Audacity, whose determination has made her one of my favourites as you know! I do hope her bone density is not compromised by all those fragile eggs she kept laying.
And Jackie and Shadow are watching their pair preparing to leave the nest. Both Sunny and Gizmo are looking fabulous. It really has been a mixed season – great success for some nests and tragedy for others, including the RTHs at Cornell, usually a nest that never loses a chick.”
And than you to ‘L’ who had a Cooper’s Hawk visit their birdbath in South Carolina reminding all of us that water is essential for the birds – please put out some bowls!
Calico’s Tip for the Week: Get your legs moving! You don’t need to hit the daunting target of 10,000 steps every day; studies have shown that just 4,000 steps can keep you healthy and active. It’s crucial to maintain strength and muscle in our legs. As a wise surgeon once told my mother after her hip replacement, “If you don’t use them, you will lose them.”
This past winter, we relied on a stationary bike because the icy sidewalks made walking outside too risky. To avoid falls, we opted to stay indoors, venturing out only for short walks at places like The Leaf and IKEA.
Now that summer is here, we’re excited to take Toby out in his stroller for our walks. In just five weeks, once Toby has completed his vaccination series, we’ll be ready to let him explore on his leash, helping him maintain his fit and energetic puppy figure. Let’s stay active and enjoy the great outdoors!
The New York Times has some ideas on how to get walking.
Thank you so much for being with us today. We will see you on Monday. Take care.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, Geemeff, L, PB’, Nestflix Memories, Pat Burke, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, Streetheart, Chesapeake Mermaid, Maryland Western Shore, Hawk Mountain, White Rock Eagles Community FB, Birds of Poole Harbour, Gywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, Llyn Clywedog, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Trempeauleau Eagle Cam, Denton Homes, Little Miami Conservancy, Cardinal Land Conservancy, Cornell Bird Lab Red-tail Hawk Cam and Hellgate Canyon, Big Bear Valley, Popular Science, IWS/Explore, Accuweather, Moraine State Park, Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home, SK Hideaways, The New York Times, Laura Rose and Trempeauleau Eagles, UK Osprey Info FB
Update: Third chick just hatched at Loch Arkaig for Louis and Dorcha. Oh, I was hoping that this one would stay in the egg as the others are so big. But, no. They have three!
Hatch at Boulder County Fairgrounds.
Hello, everyone. It is nice to be back with you after being away for a week. The hours and days flew by and it was a week that was anything but uneventful! Let’s see if I can remember a few of the highlights:
-Toby’s ear infection got worse. Then he started clawing at his left ear, and went back to the vet. This time, they realised that putting drops into Toby’s ear wasn’t working for Toby, me, or the infection. They gave him a treatment that was to last a fortnight. Hopefully that will do the trick! A snood has been ordered. A scrunchie ties these floppy ears back with a covering for the ears themselves. I will send photos when it arrives. To make my life easier, Toby is sleeping through the night. He has learned to go potty outside. This is a big deal and I am shocked at how smart he is. Does every puppy parent say that? The issue is you cannot do something once and think you won’t have to repeat it so it takes thinking at every turn not to be caught into creating a bad behaviour. Toby loves to play fetch, and he drops his little lamb at my feet so I will toss it again. That poor lamb. Toby shakes it and shakes it. I am told it goes back to when Spaniels were ‘helping with the hunt’ and would subdue the prey. Today, it is often a way of getting rid of some energy, thank goodness. Toby has lots of energy and continues to be either in ‘off’ or ‘on’ mode. There is no middle ground. Toby loves Hugo Yugo, and they often play chase! Initially, I wondered if I had made a mistake getting a puppy. It was ‘my’ first dog. My father always had dogs, but they were under his care, and I loved the cats at our house. So Toby has been a new experience. It is getting easier and I adore him.
-I lost my credit card. Anyone who has lost a card will understand the frustration this causes.
-Garden planting. We have all the containers on the deck planted with pollinator-friendly plants, herbs, or a combination of three types of beans and peas. The Kentucky Wonder beans have already sprouted! There are cherry tomatoes and peppers in patio pots, and we picked up some bright red Salvia today for the hummingbirds when they arrive. The new hose is heavy. The new brass nozzle is divine. We also planted four hydrangeas, and to our delight, the three peonies we planted last year are coming up nicely.
-Little trips. We helped with my bestie’s Golden Retriever while she was away – a walk and a small feeding at noon. Then we headed out on various trips, including Baby Days at the wildlife rehabilitation centre, the opening of Oak Hammock Marsh, and a couple of trips to Pineridge, where the antique shop held a yard sale. We found two lovely French terracotta jardinieres, as well as another on a stand. The plan is to create a focal point on the deck. We have been able to visit with some friends during all of this, which was delightful. Today, at Pineridge, we ran into our granddaughter, who was there with a friend checking out its potential as a wedding venue for June 2027.
-Nice things that happened. I have desperately been trying to make my life easier. Three areas that require attention when one has a puppy is grocery shopping, hair cuts, and doctor’s appointments. We were able to solve the hair cuts by getting an appointment with one of our City’s most respected mobile salons. Will keep you posted. We ordinarily do not go to malls or large grocery stores and Toby is welcome in the Farmer’s Kitchen at Pineridge and St Leon’s Market, thankfully. That is perfect for us. Now just to figure out what to do about the doctor’s appointments or treatments. If I know that they are on prone to be on time, it is not a problem. We are trying not to be away longer than 1.5 hours due to the issues related to ‘withdrawal/separation anxiety’ within this breed.
So the week was a balance of the good and the bad. Thankfully, there was ‘no ugly’.
What I realised during this time away from writing the blog is that our summers are very short. This past winter was not conducive to being outside often due to the ice on the trails. One of the things I want to do is spend much more time in the garden with Don and Toby, as well as friends and family. Simple meals and laughter, hopefully with few wasps! (The feral feeder is being relocated to help with that.)
I have consistently emphasised the importance of spending time outdoors in nature and finding a balance in our busy lives as crucial for prioritising self-care. I often remind myself to secure my oxygen mask before assisting others. As Don’s dementia evolves—albeit subtly—he continues to help with many things around the house, which allows him to feel valued. Yet, sometimes I find it challenging to discreetly untangle his assistance without him noticing. Communication is growing more difficult, but there are moments of striking clarity that leave me almost speechless.
This summer, my intention is to dedicate more quality time to him, fostering patience, fun, and cherished memories that will sustain us during tougher times. With all this in mind, I’ve made the difficult decision to shift my blog schedule. Difficult? I have made so many long-time friends through the blog that not reaching out to you every day has caused me some anxiety. I need to slow down, and I know you understand. Rather than daily posts, I will share updates twice a week—on Mondays and Fridays.
I intend to summarise all the weekend happenings on Mondays, while Fridays reflect the week’s events. I aim to revamp the format to better engage with you by addressing your questions from the mailbox, spotlighting key happenings at the nests, and featuring one educational topic of current interest related to nest activities. I appreciate your understanding as I navigate these changes.
I also want to thank all those wonderful people who continually support me by sending me news from the nests. You have no idea how helpful that is.
Australian Bird news: Alison gives us a run down on what has been going on ‘down under’:
“In bird world, Diamond and Xavier are well. Diamond regularly has a giant crop – she was crop dropping this morning, twice actually, so she has plenty of room for a largish lunch. Xavier is such a darling. He is very fond of Diamond, though he is twinkle-toed when it comes to bonding sessions, when he darts out of the box as if afraid he’ll get squashed.
At Port Lincoln, mum and dad were both on the barge this morning, Mum on the nest and Dad in the mancave. Both are looking well and seem to like their renovated nest.
At Collins Street, there is no activity, and won’t be until eggs are due to hatch (assuming we get eggs this season).
At Olympic Park, Mum and Dad have been working on the nest, bringing sticks and nesting material around lunchtime yesterday. They went fishing in the afternoon, then settled near the nest overnight.
At Taiaroa Head, SS Trig chick is on her nest this morning, looking absolutely gorgeous as usual. It is so lovely to see that snowy-white plumage unblemished by any incidents of spilling. This is plumage that indicates a childhood totally free of bullying! She is exquisite, she really is. Mum came in yesterday at breakfast time to feed her chick and the little one was given a supplementary feeding two days ago (24 May). We’ll see what her weight is like tomorrow (Tuesday 27 May), which is weekly weighing day. SS Trig chick has fairly consistently been on the skinny side, with her parents seemingly unable to find enough food for her. Thank heavens we have the rangers – the squid smoothie fairies. These gorgeous birds really are given the very best of care. It’s astonishing how far these rangers go to ensure their safety and to assist them to breed successfully. A wonderful example to the world.
Winter is quickly approaching in Melbourne, with icy mornings but sunny days.”
Stork Intervention is not new to the European Union.
‘PB’ reports: “Watching white stork cam in Hungary and they rescued baby #5. They said its taken to a rehab where they later release it. So happy they saved it before parents threw it over.”
So, just why do people help the storks?
People in Europe help storks due to a combination of cultural beliefs, environmental concerns, and the birds’ role as a symbol of positive aspects like good luck, new beginnings, and family life. Storks have been associated with good fortune, and their presence on rooftops was believed to bring harmony and even protect against fires.
Here’s a more detailed look at the reasons: Cultural and Symbolic Reasons: Good Luck and Fertility: Storks are widely believed to bring good luck, and in many regions, they are associated with fertility and the arrival of babies. Family Harmony: In Central and Eastern Europe, storks are believed to bring harmony to families on whose property they nest. Symbol of New Life: The storks’ tendency to nest on rooftops is seen as a symbol of the arrival of new life, contributing to the belief that they bring babies. Protection Against Fire: In some regions, storks’ nests on houses were believed to offer protection against fires, further enhancing their revered status. Conservation and Environmental Efforts: Habitat Protection: Storks are highly dependent on wetlands and other natural habitats. People in Europe are actively involved in protecting and restoring these habitats to ensure the continued survival of stork populations. Awareness and Education: Programs like the “Stork Route” in Brandenburg and initiatives like the European Stork Villages network help raise awareness about storks and their conservation needs. Public Relations: Festivals and events celebrating storks, photography contests, and other public relations initiatives help foster a positive relationship between humans and storks. Stork Villages: The European Stork Villages Network encourages communities to embrace storks as part of their natural and cultural heritage, fostering a sense of responsibility for their well-being.
As an advocate for intervention, I find the actions of individuals helping storks to be noble and I wish these attitudes would translate themselves to the eagles and ospreys that need help throughout the world.
One significant relationship that became internationally famous was that of a Polish man and a female white stork who could not fly and her mate. If you do not know this story then please watch this video that captures the extraordinary measures that were taken to care for this female and to ensure that each year she could spend the summer with her mate raising storklets.
Bonus: You might also recall when Urmas rescued the surviving storklets of Jan and Janikka after Jan disappeared on June 1, 2022. It is believed that he was probably electrocuted. The storklets were taken to the veterinary clinic on June 5, and there, along with Dr Madis, they were first raised by humans and mechanical storks before being placed into nests. Bonus was adopted by my favourite Black Stork of all time, Karl II and his mate, Kaia on 30 June. Bonus was fitted with a transmitter. We know from a sighting that the transmitter was down when he was alive and well on August 3, 2024, at Turov, Belarus.
Mlade Buky, Czech Republic: Community comes together to feed the stork nest when parent is dead. Caught on video by Tomas Borbely: https://youtu.be/nm5wTNjWfC4?
There are many more examples of human kindness towards storks. I encourage you to find them; they will warm your heart.
I want to publicly thank the individuals at Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home Osprey nest and streaming cam for rescuing baby three on Monday, the 26th of May. Owl Moon Raptor Centre will be trying to save this little one. It is one of the youngest, if not the youngest, osplets I have seen go into care. I know they will try their best to help this baby. It had been pecked and had a bloody head, had been denied food, and on Monday morning, Dad stepped on its head and stood there for some time. The little one was rescued and taken into care. It is unknown whether it is too small or ill to survive at the time of this writing, but I am grateful for the kindness shown. It is time for all interventions to occur. Fish are in short supply, and fish fairies are needed! As are rescues.
What has been happening in the UK Osprey nests (and the few North American ones) while I was away the last week?
Rutland Manton Bay: Blue 33 and Maya have four osplets this season. It is not the first time. Sadly, the last time there were four, tiny little Bob perished. Blue 33 is hauling in lots and lots of fish and all four are doing well. The tiny little Bob is quite the character and gets itself up there for the feedings!
Birds of Poole Harbour: Blue 022 and CJ7 have three beautiful and healthy chicks! Chick 4 is emerging from the egg.
Loch Doon: Frankie and Angel have sadly lost their little third hatch. It is quite cool at the nest and the older two got under Angel after a feeding, but little three didn’t. It perished very quickly being unable to thermoregulate.
Llyn Clywedog: Miserable damp cold weather here, too. Seren Blue 5F is keeping her two Bobs fed and warm. Unclear about the third egg.
Glaslyn: First up. The good news is that Aran has been seen after being MIA for a number of days. People were getting concerned. Thankfully the BOGS have been keeping a good eye and saw him!
Elen and Teifi are sheltering in the trees.
Dyfi: The weather is miserable and Idris was trying to feed them a very tough flounder this morning. Idris and Telyn have had their three eggs hatch! Dates were:
Foulshaw Moss: All three eggs of White YW and Blue 35 have successfully hatched.
Kielder Forest:
Nest 7: KX7 and KM18 have three successful hatches.
Tweed Valley: This is the latest news, and it’s a week old. I hope the weather has improved and more fish have come for the two females – eggs should have hatched or be hatching soon!
Loch Arkaig 1 and Loch Arkaig 2: See Geemeff’s daily summary below.
Hellgate Canyon: Iris and the ‘New Guy’ are still together! She often gives him a right ear full. It is too funny. No more eggs this year, just take the time to enjoy every moment with this amazing osprey! The new guy shares some of his fish. What a couple.
Charlo Montana: Pip Watch is coming soon! Coyotes were observed on the streaming cam going across the valley.
Golden Gate Audubon: Richmond and Rosie have one chick this year, which hatched on either the 10th or 11th of May. (I have no knowledge of another hatch, but please correct me!)
Snow Lane, Newfoundland: Beaumont and the New Female have been sighted around the nest. No eggs yet. Maybe not this year.
Russell Lake, Nova Scotia: The unseasonal weather has stopped. Oscar and Ethel are incubating eggs, but only for another 7 or 8 days.
Trempeauleau Eagles: The success of thissingle-parent nest (male has another nest) is outstanding. Just look at T3 all kitted out with its juvenile feathers.
FOBBV: Sunny and Gizmo are getting great height as they prepare for fledging.
Sauces Canyon: Betty Lou has also been getting some amazing air. What a miracle child for Jak and Audacity. So thankful that they were able to be parents this year after so many tragic attempts.
Fraser Point: Kaimana and Blue Day are 65 and 63 days old. Adorable eaglets! Andor and Cruz are great parents.
Denton Homes: The trio are really getting into jumping on that nest. They have survived storms and what a relief it is to see that nest held during some dramatic weather. It will not be long.
Kansas City Eagles: Kanza is 9 weeks old and getting some air. Ellie, Harvey and Kanza have suffered through some rough weather like The Majestics.
Latvian Golden Eagle Nest: Spilve, Grislis, and Meldrs. Food has not been plentiful. Grislis finally brought a squirrel! https://youtu.be/7uXlT8ve3bk?
Fort St Vrain Eagle Cam: We worried they would get caught in the sticks and could not escape. We feared they would fall over the edge. Could you look at the two surviving eaglets on this nest?
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Monday 26th May 2025
A slow day on Nest One, Aurora 536 spent time perching and waiting, then Garry LV0 arrived but without any fish. He had other ideas and mounted her successfully but it’s probably too little too late for eggs this year. His tally remains at sixty six. Over on Nest Two, Louis brought a big breakfast in the form of a massive trout from which the bobs had plenty of feeds. He’d eaten the head but still seemed hungry and returned for a mid morning raid, discovering the fish tucked under Dorcha’s feathers and foiling her attempts to stop him taking it by pulling her across the nest until she let go. He did return the fish a little later, however the fish’s travels weren’t over as he took it away again with Dorcha in hot pursuit until he returned it for the bobs’ next feed. Later Dorcha’s attention was on a distant aerial chase as two Ospreys pursued each other, too far away to confirm ID but one was probably Louis. The day’s action ended with Louis bringing a small fish supper so fresh it was still flapping, and he remained on the nest watching Dorcha feed the eager chicks. At the time of posting this report (midnight) some watchers think the third egg has pipped but the view hasn’t been clear enough to confirm it. Perhaps those who watch through the night and submit their excellent reports will have exciting news for us tomorrow morning. It was a wet and windy day today just as forecasted, and the rain’s expected to continue overnight with a low of 6°C but with the possibility of sunny intervals tomorrow and a high of 13°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One (03.50.35E); Nest Two 22.35.27 (04.04.54) Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/Tz7Y_155TwI N2 Dorcha tucks into breakfast, Louis covers the chicks 07.30.55
Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 25th May 2025
A soggy night and wet for a good part of the day too, but that didn’t prevent the second chick hatching. Pipping was seen yesterday around 10pm, and tucked away warm and dry under Dorcha, bob2 allowed brief glimpses from time to time as it made its way out of the shell, emerging fully by 3am. By 5am bob2 had had a first feed from Louis’ first fish delivery, and things are looking good for these two. The third egg is a few days away from hatching and will need to be strong and determined to compete with this pair. Louis delivered a second fish and his tally rises to one hundred and eight. Unusually when returning the second fish to Dorcha, he sat on top of the chicks and wouldn’t let her feed them, prompting a discussion about his usual lack of enthusiasm for chick-sitting as opposed to his extreme enthusiasm for egg-sitting. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 put in an appearance after not being seen yesterday, and rewarded Aurora’s patience with a fish. His tally rises to sixty six but Aurora would probably prefer it rises a bit faster as she sat patiently perching for many hours waiting in vain for him to return with more fish. Dorcha’s mumbrella skills will be needed as more rain is forecast throughout the night with a low of 6°C, and thundery showers and a moderate breeze with a high of 11°C tomorrow. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.08.17 (
03.51.04); Nest Two 22.39.52 (04.10.50) Today’s videos:
Big Red and Arthur and O1 and O2. The hawlets are getting their feathers! What a beautiful nest! Everything continues to go smoothly with Big Red in her element as Queen Mum.
Wildfires continue to burn in our province. Grave concerns for wildlife – not only the mammals but also the migrant raptors and songbirds that come to Manitoba in the late spring to raise their young. Send positive wishes.
A beautiful story of people working together to transform sheep fells for birds. “A groundbreaking tree-planting programme is uniting farmers and rewilders, as portions of common ground in the Yorkshire Dales national park are being restored to their ancient glory.” Why can’t this be happening everywhere?
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. I will see you again on Friday!
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, posts, messages, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, PB’, Eagle Goddess, The Dodo, Liznm, Unity, Tomas Borbely, Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home, LRWT, Birds of Pool Harbour, Loch Doon, Llyn Clywedog, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Kielder Forest, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Golden Gate Audubon, Snow Lane Osprey Cam/Newfoundland Power, Nova Scotia Ospreys/Connie and Don Dennis, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Cornell Bird Lab Red-tail Hawk Cam, Trempeauleau Eagle Cam, FOBBV, Sauces Canyon/IWS and Explore, Fraser Point/IWS and Explore, Denton Homes, LDF, Xcel Energy, The Weather Centre of Manitoba, LDF/Verotaja, San Jose City Hall, SK Hideaways, The Guardian, Loon Preservation Society, Farmer Derek
