Category Archives: Louis

Monday in Bird World

21 April 2025

Hello Everyone,

I have been thinking about each of you.

The recent collapse of the NCTC Bald Eagle nest belonging to Bella and Scout has left us all shaken. On that fateful day, both eagles were seen with full crops in the afternoon, seemingly captivated by something just beyond the nest. Scout truly stepped up, proving himself to be a devoted father, while Bella and he nurtured three healthy eaglets. These eaglets were nothing short of a miracle, yet they now stand as a poignant reminder of the heartbreaking tragedies that have unfolded and continue to unfold across so many nests this year.

E10, E11, and E12 with their thermal down and little dandelions. Pin feathers coming in. Happy Eaglets. Soar higher than high, you three.

Take a moment and send Bella and Scout some good positive energy. They spent the night together, chortling in the nest tree. Breaks our hearts. https://youtu.be/V2bvwO7otpI?

The last time the NCTC nest had eaglets fledge was 15 June 2023. The three eaglets hatched on March 20, 22, and 24, 2025, and would have been around 12 weeks old when they left the nest in June. The 2023 fledging was part of a nesting season where the first and second eaglet hatched on March 15 and March 20 respectively, followed by the third eaglet on March 24.

Deb Stecy’s tribute to Scout, Bella, and the trio. https://youtu.be/FbvoK69eY-Y?

We never know when the last moment will be when we are with someone. Take the time today to tell someone how much they mean to you.

A Potential Crisis was averted at the USK Valley Osprey nest on Sunday. A piece of wood with a wire was taken to the nest and is now around the leg of one of the resident ospreys. The osprey managed to get that wire off and fly away free!

At Llyn Brenig, the second egg was evicted and was eaten by Blue 372. Both eggs are gone. Another unsettled year for this nest.

Hellgate Canyon: Iris. Most of us do not ‘love’ Louis and we wish he would stay over at the ballpark with Star. This year he is spending way too much time focused on Iris and her nest. Sometimes it is a good thing! There was a kerfuffel Sunday. Some said it was another male, some another female. If Iris does not have Finnegan, then Louis will help her to keep her nest that she has had since it was moved to the Riverview Health parking lot more than a decade ago.

Really good article written in 2023 about Queen Iris and her history.

https://www.montanakaimin.com/arts_and_culture/she-s-a-survivor-the-story-behind-missoula-s-iris-the-osprey/article_418cc368-df14-11ed-8595-17c613dc83c9.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

OPPD Fort Calhoun, Nebraska: ‘PB’ captures that second eggs arrival.

UdeM Falcons: Four eggs!

Sodankyla Osprey Nest Finland is live: https://www.youtube.com/live/3sw1Ogpq94U?si=qZbH6LVHy1uzttyS

Wolf Bay, Alabama: The third egg was laid on March 21st. Now, we are getting really close to pip watch for Josie and Elbert!

Charlo Montana: Charlie and Lola on Sunday.

Frenchman’s Creek Ospreys: Not a Baby Bob anymore! Look at those gorgeous juvenile feathers. Hatched on 5 March, this is the only osplet to survive the owl predation, which destroyed the two other eggs.

Sauces Canyon: Betty Lou showing off her crop and plumage.

Fraser Point: Gorgeous and growing.

Fort St Vrain: Both eaglets continue to do well, although I would like it if they didn’t sleep on those rails all the time. Lots of various prey in the nest, too.

Geemeff sends us the daily summary from The Woodland Trust and Loch Arkaig:

Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 20th April 2025
Another exciting day where once again the main action was on Nest One. Blue 536 arrived at sunrise and spent a great deal of time on the nest throughout the day. Garry brought three fish, taking his tally to nine, although he wouldn’t give the third fish to Blue 536 despite her calls. He also brought more bedding and sticks, and the nest is looking very ready for eggs although

there may not be any this year. Others also seem to have their eye on the nest – Affric 152 made a brief touchdown with an aerial battle going on around her seen in the distance involving several Ospreys. Louis may or may not have been one of those Ospreys but he did make time to deliver two fish to Dorcha, taking his tally to forty two, and take his turn on incubating duties. The weather was drier today and will continue dry overnight, but after a sunny start, the forecast calls for rain tomorrow afternoon. 
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.41.25 (05.15. 20); Nest Two 21.38.20 (05.19.03)Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/F2ypJD3KP48 N2 Dorcha gets a lively breakfast 05.48.11 https://youtu.be/DIzr6UZLn7E N1 Blue 536 arrives at sunrise 05.53.27 https://youtu.be/_U3zHvEiUHY N1 Garry brings breakfast for Blue 536 07.34.05 

https://youtu.be/s6GNJOcs4Qg N1 Garry pole vaults in on a huge stick 08.40.23 

https://youtu.be/ogHunWjD9iA N1 Affric lands with an aerial battle going on nearby 12.41.19

https://youtu.be/lIwgUA-IQi0 N1 Blue 536 stays on the nest to eat fish number two 14.26.17https://youtu.be/Uv7aXoZf5hA N1 Garry LV0 brings a third fish but won’t let Blue 536 have it 15.06.34 https://youtu.be/CT170vqlgUg N2 Dorcha grabs fish number two and departs immediately 18.34.07
Bonus 

watch – context: In 2021 when Aila failed to return, Louis decamped to Nest Two which didn’t then have a camera. LizB who lives nearby kept us updated and took these long lens videos of Louis’ first chicks with Dorcha, males Aspen LW3 & Alder LW4:https://youtu.be/Efd8s1nkSz8
https://youtu.be/-AQUSjWRQYE

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/wHZ82lsjm0w N1 Is an egg on the way? Aila rejects Louis 2020
https://youtu.be/PeTIDHTcCy0  N1 Strange Osprey intrudes and Louis chases 2020 (Slo-mo)
https://youtu.be/BmWPo9QWyCo  N1 Aila attacks Louis! 2020 (Slo-mo)
https://youtu.be/aafgLlitPRM  N1 Louis pays a flying visit to his empty nest 2021
https://youtu.be/9VqSvrxPL_E  N2 Fish fight, Dorcha wins eventually 2022
https://youtu.be/Cc8twF7MOYs  N2 Dorcha stays the night on the nest 2023
https://youtu.be/VhqDI8j3w8s  N2 First fish arrives and departs 2023
https://youtu.be/upyTm7MQoaY  N2 Egg number three! 2024 (zoomed repeat)
https://youtu.be/IrJUd9po9EQ  N1 Garry LV0 does a flypast before bringing his fish to Nest One 2024
https://youtu.be/PlkidBYXpsg N2 Dorcha shows no sign of injury on leaving with her fish 2024

Come and join the friendly community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s fun, free and everyone’s welcome:

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

Parliamentary Debate in the UK set over driven grouse moor hunting! Finally, all of the groups got their 100,000 signatures, and this will cause politicians to be accountable. Geemeff says, “This is a huge result! Parliament is forced to debate this, and out in the open, there is no hiding in committee rooms. Now we’ll see who’s for wildlife and the environment, and who’s for needless slaughter and destruction for money.” Well done, everyone. I hope to never hear again of a Hen Harrier nest with five little chicks being stomped on, or our precious raptors being shot.

Ban driven grouse shooting petition passes 100,000 signatures & now eligible for Westminster debateDownload

Why are Purbek Puffin numbers declining? And why are the adults refusing to raise their young?

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/apr/20/last-chance-saloon-the-scramble-to-save-dorsets-vanishing-purbeck-puffins?CMP=share_btn_url

Baby Hope really looks like Mamma Calico. Her personality is nothing short of Sticky Toffee Pudding sweet.

Missey is in need of a good brush!

What is Hugo Yugo looking at?

A Dark-eyed Junco getting seed off the outdoor carpet. There are dozens of them all over the carpet and deck, hopping around entertaining ‘The Girls’.

Check out Audubon Photography Awards!

Audubon Photography Awards | AudubonDownload

‘A’ like so many others is enraged that the term ‘harm’ is being defined and that Bald Eagles and other raptors might find themselves endangered or extinct because of that word. ‘A’ sends us a video to explain: https://youtu.be/UdynP7ssHxo?

Calico’s Tip of the Day: Watch Rachel Carson on streaming cam (Amazon Prime) if you can. ‘The Girls’ and I are watching Rachel Carson on one of the streaming channels. Carson did something to help wildlife – she wrote Silent Spring, which led to the banning of DDT.

While we may not rise to the status of Rachel Carson, we can make our concerns known, and we must not give up because the task is hard or people try to scare us. Some nests need repairs or replacing – speak up! Chicks and adults need protection against human debris that can harm them. Many issues need to be made public. Several of us are concerned about the platform that was installed at Florida-Gainesville. At the same time, good advice should have been sought about the camera. They could be persuaded to partner with Connor at Window to Wildlife. They would install and monitor the platform and camera. It would be a win for everyone. What you want to bet is that it might not cost anything for Florida-Gainsville Extension! Dani Connor lobbied for, crowd-funded, and purchased the Squirrel Forest to protect the animals from having all the trees cut down and their homes lost. Never assume that we cannot have an impact. Think outside the box. Don’t give up. Make your voices heard.

While we cannot do anything about winds of 70 or 90 mph from tearing up raptor nests or snapping the trees or poles, we might cause enough noise to get those individuals or companies operating streaming cams to inspect and repair/restore the nests during the off-season. If it saves one life, then it would be worth it!

Smile. Look at those cute little eyases of Monty and Hartley at the San Jose City Falcon scrape!

Check out SK Hideaways’ video of Sunday night’s feeding. I know—you have missed the sound of falcons. Enjoy this nest! https://youtu.be/qfqbrR4CGs0?

Thank you for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, J, PB’, Deb Stecyk, NCTC Bald Eagle Nest, Usk Valley Ospreys, Llyn Brenig Osprey Cam, montanakiman.com, Montana Osprey Project/Cornell Bird Lab, OPPD Fort Calhoun Ospreys, UdeM Falcons, Sodankyla Osprey Nest Finland, Wolf Bay Ospreys, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, Frenchman’s Creek Ospreys, IWS/Explore, Xcel Energy, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust and Loch Arkaig, Raptor Persecution UK, The Guardian, The Damage Report, Rachel Carson, SK Hideaway

Saturday in Bird World

19 April 2025

Good Morning Everyone,

I’m excited to share this blog post just after midnight, right on the cusp of Saturday! With an early morning ahead and a busy day planned, I want to ensure I don’t forget to send this out before we leave the house. If there’s any important news that comes, I’ll be updating you when I return around noon. Stay tuned!

It was an eventful Friday at Iris’s nest, filled with unexpected visitors including a male with distinctive Blue OZ ring making an appearance; we recognised him from before and hoped he would decide to stay last year, after, another male arrived with a fish, followed by Louis, who always brings a sense of ‘authority’ to the scene. Louis arrived as a sky dancer graced us with its presence—perhaps it was Finnegan, although we still can’t be certain. Louis quickly sprang into action to protect “his” nest from potential threats. The atmosphere is charged and uncertain, and as I document this at 5:22 PM CDT, the full cast of characters remains a mystery.

Now is this Iris needing to defend her nest against a female? or is it Finnegan sky dancing for our Iris and Louis came to chase him away? We do not know.

Louis arrives.

There is still hope for Finnegan (if it wasn’t Finnegan who brought the fish to Iris) as Charlie has just returned from Migration to the Charlo Montana nest to be with his Lola Saturday afternoon!

So, we do not know what is happening at Iris’s nest. The coming days might provide us with clarity. Still, I want to emphasise that while I want Iris to have a devoted mate, I do not want her to get injured fighting off another female and/or her mate. In that regard, Louis protecting the territory and that nest is a blessing for our Queen. Blue NC0 at Loch of the Lowes is much younger than Iris. Without a mate, she lost her nest just a couple of weeks ago.

Knepp Farm has baby White Storks hatching!

News from KneppDownload

Look how big they are. Scout and Bella’s trio at the NCTC nest are growing and doing so well. What a turnaround and so happy for Bella.

At Glaslyn, Aran has been dealing with intruders, allowing Teifi to deliver two fish to Elen. This nest is not settled.

Goitzsche Wildnis, Germany: ‘JC’ writes with her video: “Rainy day in much of Germany and also at the Goitzsche Wildnis nest. Zeus was doing his share of responsibility by incubating the eggs. Meanwhile, we can hear Fjona screaming at the corvids from the camera perch. She flies out and turns around to return, reach the nest and relieve the male in the incubation. Both have been through water, obviously.” You can watch that video here: https://youtu.be/iYpvYj_jSAM?

Kielder Forest: Joanna Dailey reports “Y1 on Nest 4 and UV at Nest 5A are both still without a partner. They have been visited by females, but although fish has been gratefully accepted, the females seem to be checking out options. So this is often the view at either nest.”

RSPB Loch Garten Abernathy: Asha is not completely impressed with all the drama going on at the nest. Blue 536 was an intruder amongst other goings on. Check out the live stream. Like others, things seem unsettled.

Cornell Owl Cam: Athena’s mate delivers a meal for the family. https://youtu.be/hwfx5M1TO70?

Their FB post: “So far Asha has returned to the nest and has had multiple males appear. One, Blue 047, attempted to settle in but has since gone after the arrival of Brodie. Brodie and Asha had eggs at the nest last year and all seemed to be going well until KL5 arrived on the scene. He forced Brodie away and then destroyed the eggs, and with it too late in the year, the chance of chicks was destroyed, too. Back to 2025. Will Asha and Brodie have eggs again? Will KL5 return and, if so, can Brodie keep him away? Will other males try their luck?”

Most of us know that watching osprey nests is often better than anything on the streaming channels!!!!!!!

Threave Ospreys NTS:

Loch of the Lowes: After Blue NC0 was ousted from the nest she shared with her partner Laddie LM12 who died last year, will there be a bonded couple? Any eggs? It feels very late, but we will wait and see.

Such a waste of an amazing nest and fish supply.

Satakunnan, Nest 4, Finland: No eggs yet. Birds arriving and settling in.

Llyn Clywedog: Seren Blue 5F rolls her eggs in the wee hours of the morning as light is just breaking over the horizon.

Glaslyn: Light rain falling on Elen. She has left the second egg (first buried by Aran) in the rain and chilly weather. We will see if it is viable later. Male osprey visited just after 0500. Not sure if it was Aran or Teifi.

Another unsettled nest. The number of osplets to hatch and fledge in the UK this season might be lower, not due to weather or siblicide, but due to bonded pair disruptions.

Rutland Manton Bay: What a beautiful sight. Four gorgeous eggs for Blue 33 and Maya – and we know that they can raise four! It really helps to have a source of fish right at the nest!!!!!!!! And look at the beautiful swans.

It is refreshing to have this stable nest.

Pitkin County: Incubation.

Osprey Cam from Taipalsaari, Finland: The Satakunnan Sääkset project in Taipalsaari, Finland, offers live streaming of four osprey nests, with cameras from the Satakunta region. (This nest is, I believe, different from Nest 4 but I am trying to confirm). Just look at that dark necklace. It is almost solid. Have you ever seen anything like it?

Fort St Vrain: Fresh fish and two eaglets in a food coma. Snow came overnight on the 18th and Mum kept the two surviving eaglets warm and dry. They had a good meal first thing Saturday. All is well.

Geemeff’s daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:

Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 18th April 2025
A very exciting day – is it possible Garry LV0 has found a mate? A ringed Scottish female Blue 536 turned up on Nest One when Affric 152 was there, and after a bit of a chase and some warnings, got rid of Affric. She and Garry did a dance on and off the nest throughout the day with mating attempts, coy-mantling, chasing and following each other, and more importantly, two fish handed over, even if he did make her wait for them. Garry’s total soars upward to five, while over on Nest Two, Louis’ two fish deliveries take his total to thirty nine. Things were a lot calmer on Nest Two, Dorcha spent most of the day incubating her first egg, with the second one due tomorrow, and Louis was his usual helpful self eager to take on egg-sitting duties. The day ended with Dorcha pearled with raindrops on a very wet nest, and the promise of an interesting day tomorrow. The weather forecast is for light rain and a gentle breeze tonight and tomorrow, but with the nests so exposed, that light rain is more like a drenching.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.26.09 (04.51.03); Nest Two 21.18.36 (05.12.08)
Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/cZ1_OOE1hN4 N1 Garry LV0 buzzes a deer 09.15.41https://youtu.be/Qea56AzPPXo N2 Louis egg-sits after bringing fish number one 09.32.34https://youtu.be/sT_rfNZ_oPs N1 New Scottish female Blue 536 sees Affric 152 off the nest! 10.52.57https://youtu.be/GASqP38H2Fs N1 Garry and Blue 536 meet up on camera 11.46.58https://youtu.be/dOnG1vjVr8A N1 Garry eventually gives his fish to Blue 536 13.57.56https://youtu.be/PEmIctxg8EE N2 Dorcha seizes the second fish from Louis 16:08:36https://youtu.be/LKNiOLncTN4 N1 Blue 536 gets a second fish from Garry LV0 18.02.54

Bonus watch – news item about WTS removing huge quantities of non-native timber from the forest https://youtu.be/K2t1Za0iwcU
Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/WF3FAQOLy8s  N1 Female stranger visits lonely Louis 2021 (real time)
https://youtu.be/WF3FAQOLy8s  N1 Female stranger visits lonely Louis 2021 (slo-mo)
https://youtu.be/ijqYocF2QoE  N2 Louis does a flypast with fish 2022 (zoomed)
https://youtu.be/ikX-jxrt_kw  N2 Louis subdues a stubborn stick 2023
https://youtu.be/QOxlUE3bGts N2 Louis delivers supper at sunset 2023https://youtu.be/dU43UqtK7tI N1 cheeky Hoodies want Garry’s fish 2024
https://youtu.be/kRPBQfqCCs0  N1 Affric 152 is attacked by a strange Osprey 2024 (slo-mo repeat plus stills)
https://youtu.be/zrElVMqpJlU  N1: Fish for Affric from Garry LV0, big headless trout 2024
https://youtu.be/GXbgsaLiMvw N2 Dorcha lets Louis take the second fish away again 2024
https://youtu.be/esrwp4Lbzvk  N1 A flavour of Affric & Garry LV0’s day 2024

Come and join the friendly community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s fun, free and everyone’s welcome:

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

Growing concern for wildlife protections in the US:

“The new proposal from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service offers a new interpretation of the of the 1973 Endangered Species Act, which would strike habitat destruction from regulations.

At issue is a longstanding definition of two terms in the Endangered Species Act: “harm” and “take”. “Harm” has meant altering or destroying the places those species live. “Take”, meanwhile, is a term used in regulations to denote any actions that include hunting, capturing, wounding or killing a protected species, which has included altering or destroying the places those species live.

A bald eagle lands on a branch in Kachemak Bay State Park, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service said in a proposed rule, issued on Wednesday, that habitat modification and destruction should not be considered “harm” because it is not the same as intentionally targeting a species, which is defined as “take”.

Trump administration moves to narrow protections for endangered species. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/17/trump-remove-endangered-species-protections?CMP=share_btn_url

Calico wants you to know that if you are bird watching you are helping to keep your brain from ‘rotting’. Maybe you do puzzles, too! Sadly with four curious cats it is impossible for puzzles to be a part of my life, but have a read and see what else you can do to keep your brain in tip top shape – or at least help it!

Beat brain rot: clear your mind with 55 screen-free activities, from birdwatching to colouring bookshttps://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/apr/17/screen-free-calming-activities?CMP=share_btn_url

Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. We hope to see you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘Geemeff, L, PB’, Montana Osprey Project/Cornell Bird Lab, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, Knepp Farm, Joanna Dailey and Kielder Forest, RSPB Loch Garten, Jeff Kear UK Osprey Info and Threave, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, The Guardian, Cornell Bird Lab (Owl Cam), Satakunnan Finland 4, Llyn Clywedog CarnyXWild, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, LRWT, Pitkin County Government, XCel Energy, Osprey Cam from Taipalsaari, Finland

Finnegan?

18 April 2025

Hello Everyone,

I am going to go out on a limb here and you can get ready to hit me with tomatoes or eggs if I am wrong!

Iris began a little toe dance and cheeping and at 11:34 a male flew in with a fish for her which she accepted readily. That male has long white legs. I believe Finnegan has arrived.

Iris accepts the fish cheeping and cheeping. The male flies away.

Do I dare think that Finnegan arrived and went fishing for his Iris? and then flew off for himself?

This is not ‘Louis behaviour’. And the cheeping by Iris is not what she does with Louis when he flies in for his daily ‘stop’.

Waiting for confirmation.

Thank you to the Montana Osprey Project and Cornell Bird Lab for their streaming cam.