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.
Thank you so much for being with us today! We hope that the week has been kind to you.
I am going to start with another heartbreaking moment – Heidi’s report for today. This beautiful baby, with only one week to fledge, has died. The commercial overfishing of Menhaden in this region has shaped this entire season. Buckets of tears are being shed, and everyone feels helpless. Do we have to wait for the Governor of Virginia to be replaced? Cannot the other States in the surrounding area do something to stop this genocide?
Please send your positive wishes that the two remaining chicks get enough food to fledge and migrate out of the Chesapeake. Maybe these ospreys will find another home – a place that will protect them and appreciate and love them.
“Kent Island, Chesapeake: Sadly, there weren’t enough fish being brought to the nest by Tom and Audrey, and Little Boy 3 lost his struggle to survive at 47.5 days of age. He was so endearing, and we all loved him. Fly high with a forever-full crop sweetie. We all are hoping that he will still be given a name.”
Thankfully, Heidi has some good news!
‘Lil’ Peabody’s wings took him far beyond where these two will fly. He joins thousands of others who have perished this year. This is the latest from Ben Wurtz. Please read it. Take it all in. I know you love these magnificent gentle fish eaters like I do – get angry. Cry. Maybe throw something and then start lobbying on behalf of the ospreys and all the other wildlife whose populations are being decimated by commercial fishing!
The summer is flying by. The female ospreys are preparing to leave, or some have left on their long migration. The juveniles are flapping, eating, and gathering their own steam to leave the natal territory on their first great adventure. The dads wait for all to go so they can have some fish to themselves and get some strength to fly to their winter homes.
Look at this beauty! Gosh, I love those ‘snake’ eyes. Reminds me of Blue 33. This Norwegian beauty has a long way to go to get to warmer weather! Runi fledged on the 26th of July.
Froy brought a crab to the nest! That was on the 26th, the day that Runi fledged. Have you seen an osplet bring a crab to the nest?
An osprey in the area of the Southern Shores Beach in North Carolina has been photographed flying with a Sailfish in its talons. Will they begin looking for other species in the Chesapeake Bay area OR are all the fish gone? Some know? Write me!
What has Milda been up to since fledging those two beautiful White-tail Eaglets in Latvia? Liz nm has some video for us. https://youtu.be/-Y9kFNKanU8?
T3 spent the night and most of the day at the nest. What a beauty. SK Hideaways caught it on video https://youtu.be/Y9RMrpKyTA8?
‘PS’ sends us the good news out of Seattle, Washington.
“Hi Mary Ann,
Visited yesterday – both young there, with mom making a brief appearance. One of the young took two practice flights while I was there – lifting off from the nest and into the skies for some surprisingly graceful loops around the area before landing (also gracefully – fast learner!) back at the nest. Sibling looked eager – hopping around and flapping her/his wings and I hoped I might see confirmation of both fledging but it was not to be – perhaps today!
It is surprisingly heartwarming and inspiring to see these birds, who you have watched since birth, take to the skies as such graceful raptors. Impossible to not have your own heart soar with them when they slip so gently into the air! Full set: https://www.flickr.com/gp/193514804@N08/p4Q1Lzea6p. “
Please check out these beautifully photographed ospreys on the flickr account above. These are some of the finest images of ospreys in a nest I have seen for a long time. Look at those fledglings go! Thank you, ‘PS’.
In the UK, there are four new outbreaks of Avian Flu.
Leicester and Rutland Wildlife Trust give us their season summary as we await the departure of Maya, the four fledglings, and then the last to depart, Blue 33.
Geemef’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 31st July 2025 It was a slow day today, just three fish from Louis which the chicks didn’t fight over. Breac got the first, Darach the second, and when Breac got the third one, Darach still had plenty of his fish left so they ate on the nest together in reasonable harmony, just a few protesting squeaks at the other’s proximity. Dorcha was around but didn’t compete for any of the fish as the boys made it plain her presence was not required. She’s either fishing for herself or being fed off-nest, or possibly a bit of both. Her tally remains at two while Louis’ now stands at three hundred and seventy three, and the nest total at three hundred and seventy five. Will we see it rise to four hundred this season? Probably, if the chicks stay around for a few more weeks. Steve Q will be able to calculate the odds, possibly with the Week 18 fish stats. Link to Week 17’s stats, published today, in the bonus section. In other news, Garry visited Nest One bringing nesting materials and doing a little tidying, no fish were delivered but that’s not surprising as Aurora hasn’t been seen since Monday and may well be on her way south therefore his tally will probably remain at one hundred and thirty six for the season. A few crows visited Nest Two but there’s not much chance of leftover fish with the two hungry chicks still around. There was some rain overnight but dry during the day – tonight’s forecast is partly cloudy with light winds and a low of 11°C, rising to a high of 18°C tomorrow.Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One (04.28.04); Nest Two (04.33.52)
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 30th July 2025 More fish and more fighting – both Darach 7P0 and Breac 7P7 are now in hyperphagia preparing for their first migration journey and are compelled to consume as much as possible. Louis delivered five fish to the nest today, and although Dorcha seemed to get three of them and take them away to eat in peace, she did return them to share with her offspring. Not that they were always grateful, on one occasion Darach lunged at both adults to protect his fish but as experienced parents they merely stepped back and allowed him to take the fish. Louis’ tally now stands at three hundred and seventy, with the nest total of three hundred and seventy two including Dorcha’s offering. Nest One had a few little songbird visitors and Garry LV0 visited too but didn’t bring any fish so his tally remains at one hundred and thirty six. There was no sign of Aurora 536, she was last seen on Sunday 27th – has she left on migration already? If so, we wish her fair winds and plenty of fish, and hope to see her back next Spring. The promised rain materialised along with a few sunny spells, and more rain is expected overnight with a low of 11
°C, changing to light cloud with a gentle breeze and a high of 18°C tomorrow, Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.47.27 (04.19.28); Nest Two 22.35.55 (04.22.01) Today’s videos:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 29th July 2025 Plenty of fish turned up today, all for the ravenous chicks and their long suffering mother on Nest Two. Louis delivered six fish taking his tally to three hundred and sixty five, with the total for the nest at three hundred and sixty seven. It was Darach’s turn to get the lion’s share but Brec and Dorcha also fed well, and despite Louis’ hard work he is also looking in good shape with a nicely rounded crop indicating he is also eating plenty. An unseen intruder bothered Dorcha, was it Garry before he made an appearance on Nest One? He brought a big clump of moss but no fish, so his tally remains at one hundred and thirty six. N
o sign of Aurora today, but there were two quick visits from a Robin and another from a Buzzard, who looked comfortable on the centre perch. After a little overnight rain, the weather was settled today, however drizzle is forecast for tonight with a low of 14°C, and light rain tomorrow morning and late afternoon with sunny spells in between and a high of 19°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.58.35 (03.41.53); Nest Two
I know you probably haven’t thought about it, but summer is speeding up. It is the first day of August, and soon we will have osprey eggs in South Australia! Gosh, I wish Ervie would get a mate! Do we need Roy Dennis to translocate some females to Aussie Land? Bradley was stopping on Tumby Island. Where are Partney and Marrum? Check out the Port Lincoln Osprey FB page for all the latest news.
Some of you will remember my praise for the visiting Vet at our wildlife rehabilitation clinic, Wildlife Haven. Dr Tess was determined that wild animals could live in the wild even with physical challenges such as three legs. She ‘invented’ a mechanism to save a turtle whose shell was soft – 200 days later that turtle has been released to the wild! Thank you Dr Tess for your love and belief in things wild.
After 200 days in care, several wire tightenings, a few bumps along the way but mainly many successes, patient 24-1880 more comonly refered to as the “Shell-evator” was released back to the wild!
We are so grateful for the support from our community, who rallied behind this patient and ensured she received the best care possible. The work we do would not be possible without you.
Thank you!
It feels terrific to see this turtle make it to the wild. We met the turtle, talked with Dr Tess, and admired her dedication and determination. Hopefully, some of our donations helped this happen.
Coeur de’Alene Osprey Platform: The three surviving chicks appear to be doing rather well at this Idaho nest.
Juurusvesi -There is a lot of fish in Finland! I didn’t count. It seemed that one came in right after another. Video capture by Kala Saaski. https://www.youtube.com/live/27ZzX88ZtIo?s
Final fledges at Kielder Forest. Here is the roundup!
It is getting serious at the West End nest. MV brings Haku a nice fish gift – and she accepts. SK Hideaways has it on video: https://youtu.be/UlU5rCg6ygc?
And while we are all thinking about what to do til the fall arrives, I would like to point out that in about 5-6 weeks, Gabby should be back at the NE Florida nest! Oh, let’s hope that Beau is there, too.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. We will see you again on Monday!
Baby Hope wishes you a joyrful weekend.
I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘Geemeff, J, Heidi, PS, PB’, 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 that still cover environmental issues as they relate to our precious feathered friends and to the people at the Conserve Wildlife of New Jersey and Ben for this monitoring and reporting of the issues impacting the osprey in that region. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.
I can tell you that Pelican Lake is beautiful and that it is actually home to so many American White Pelicans. I can also tell you that Lewy Body Dementia is a challenging disease for both the person who bears the burden of it and for those trying to enrich their lives. We were at Pelican Lake precisely two hours before Don ‘lost me’. I will not bore you with the details of someone spiralling downwards, but suffice it to say I was happy to be able to administer his medication, repack the car (thank goodness we hadn’t really unpacked), and get him and Toby in the car and back home. No more holidays. I was beginning to wonder if the days of travelling were over several months ago. We will take our trips within the confines of the city, so that if something goes sideways, home is close at hand. I already have a list of parks that we haven’t yet visited – just imagine all the things we might have been missing!
Toby and I spent Thursday doing some projects. He now has a fully enclosed back garden where he can roam freely. We also played with a new camera. ‘AK’ knew that I was fed up with carrying heavy, long lenses and big medium-format cameras. That is the reason you have seen so few images of birds this year. The weight is phenomenal. The total weight of what I used was more than 12 lbs. So ‘AK’ recommended that I check out the P1000 with its fixed 3000mm zoom lens. I was only able to get the P1100, and at three pounds with a 3000 mm zoom and a ‘bird’ setting, Toby and I had a lot of fun testing it out on the birds at the feeder. The images are not great. This is my first hour using this camera, but I can tell you it feels like a winner in terms of what I need for my life at this moment. It sure was fun, even with squiggly Toby on my lap.
Notice the texture. This camera is not supposed to do well in low light – well, that squirrel is deep in the lilacs and it was dark with light just filtering in from the West!
And for anyone wondering, this is not just any squirrel. This is Dyson. Look at her large arms and long fingers. She is our matriarch.
Junior is moulting, so no crest. Those feathers, the layers and layers, are quite amazing. (I am roughly 16 metres from the bird feeder).`
Tiny little female house sparrow.`
Three baby crows with their velvet heads.
My sidekick, Toby. He is enjoying the freedom of the garden but also likes to lounge in the chair and always comes when I call. Kitties aren’t allowed outside in Winnipeg.
My first hydrangea bush! I have a friend who mailed me dried hydrangea blooms one year. They made it all the way from British Columbia! Now I have my own.
Please do not believe everything you read on a chat. In fact, it is almost the last place to find accurate information sometimes. The PSEG Oyster Bay osplet with the injured leg did NOT fledge, it was rescued and taken into rehab.
Here is Heidi’s Osprey report for the US:
Raptor Persecution UK confirms that there are some 143 Hen Harriers illegally killed or missing since 2018.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 24th July 2025 Today was all about fish – arriving, departing, returning, reappearing and causing confusion among the nest cam watchers until sharp eyes sorted out the details. Dorcha did not supply any new fish, all six deliveries to Nest Two were made by Louis, and his tally now rises to three hundred and forty four.
Dorcha found and ate the fish lost last night in the nest furnishings and today’s fresh fish were shared out between her and the two chicks, with Breac 7P7 getting the lion’s share. Darach 7P0 made sure he hung onto his share causing Breac to fall over the edge and hang upside down in an OMG moment. However Breac managed to untangle himself and fly away, returning unharmed to a chorus of relief on the forum, and later he achieved the milestone of flying with fish for the first time, another event noted by sharp eyed watchers. Steve Q crunched the numbers and posted last week’s fish stats, link in the bonus section, and although the fish counters noted Garry LV0’s one delivery to Aurora 536 today, taking his tally to one hundred and thirty five, it’s hoped that we will need Steve to include Nest One fish stats in future reports if Garry and Aurora produce the longed for chicks on that nest next year. The weather was settled but is expected to turn damp overnight and through tomorrow with light rain and light winds, a low of 13°C tonight and a high of 18°C tomorrow.Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.15.40 (03.51.48); Nest Two 23.00.46 (04.15.30) Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/Jeo0-VlMQGg N2 Dorcha holds onto fish number six but feeds Breac 22.06.48 Bonus shopping opportunity – Woodland Trust shop summer sale now on:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 23rd July 2025 Another slow day with not much action apart from the chicks Darach 7P0 and Breac 7P7 trying to get as much fish as possible when Louis made deliveries to the nest, and fighting anyone who got in their way. Louis brought four fish to the nest today, one of which Breac managed to lose in the muddle of sticks on the right hand side, with luck it will be found and consumed tomorrow. Louis’ tally now stands at three hundred and thirty eight, while Garry LV0’s rises to one hundred and thirty four following his single delivery to Aurora 536. The weather was settled today and set to continue with a forecast of light clouds and light winds overnight and tomorrow, with a temperature spread of 13 – 21°C, and the prospect of sunny intervals tomorrow afternoon. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.49.56 (04.09.34); Nest Two 23.04.31 (04.20.45) Today’s videos:
Come and join the friendly community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s fun, free and everyone’s welcome:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 22nd July 2025 It was a slow fish day today, Aurora 536 was disappointed when Garry arrived bearing nesting materials but no fish, so his tally remains at one hundred and thirty three, and Louis delivered three fish, raising his tally to three hundred and thirty four. Breac 7P7 is extremely dominant and got the first two fish, his older brother Darach 7P0 had to wait until he’d had enough before getting his own chance to eat. Louis brought the final fish after dark, giving Dorcha the opportunity to eat in peace before she returned the fish to the nest and handed it over to one of the chicks – Breac, of course. Nest cam watchers would like Darach to become more competitive. It rained through the night but the weather was reasonably settled during the day, however it’ll be damp again tonight as the overnight forecast is for drizzle and light winds with a low of 13
°C, improving tomorrow with light cloud, light winds and a few sunny spells with a high of 19°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.08.25 (04.09.55); Nest Two 22.59.28 (04.24.20) Today’s videos:
Ferris Akel found the Os today and the other evening, and Cornell released a video of Big Red feeding her babies a week ago. https://youtu.be/k-dHLxtlrOI?
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. We will see you again on Monday!
I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘AK, Geemeff, Heidi’, 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 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.
I love storks – white, black or even rainbow coloured. Storks are wonderful and we are killing them along with other birds such as ospreys because of our general disregard for what plastic does to the world. “The chief culprit was baler twine, a plastic string used to secure hay bales: either the twine or its wrapping was responsible for almost all the entangled chicks. A few were caught up in domestic plastics such as bags or milk containers. The chicks died from strangulation, amputation and infected wounds.
“They roll and roll and they go around and it’s almost as if they tie the rope around their legs even harder as they move,” Franco says.
Acácio likes to talk about successful rescues, too. Once, she peered into a nest built on the stump of a cork oak tree to find two three-week-old siblings, their limbs coiled in spirals of blue baler twine.”
How many times has Dr Greene talked about the baling twine issues with ospreys in Montana? We need to find a solution for this plastic monster. It is more than sad.
Please read the article from The Guardian. It is enlightening.
A situation is developing at Osprey House Environment Centre in Australia. The female is feeding last year’s fledgling and her two young osplets! ‘MB’ sends us the FB link:
Whew! Welcome to the beginning of the week! We hope that each of you had a wonderful weekend.
The Girls enjoy watching the dozens of new baby birds in the garden. They come up close to the conservatory windows and cause quite a stir! Cute little wrens today. The baby Crows still arrive wanting their peanuts, and you can hear the Blue Jays two blocks away if the feeder is empty. It is a joy! Toby has had several walks. We have met many new neighbours and their puppies. He is growing leaps and bounds. I cannot quite believe it. His halter had to be loosened today, and I swear he is 15 cm or 6 inches longer. My new bed seems much smaller, and he really snores. We had a wonderful barbecue celebrating my daughter’s birthday. Everyone was there. It was fantastic. Even the wildfire smoke and wasps could not dampen anyone’s spirits.
I am now a member of the Virginia Wildlife FB group. (Thank you so much for letting me join – I really want to learn about the situation of all wildlife in Virginia.) First thing I noticed – images of Bald Eagles chasing Ospreys to get their precious fish! Check it out on their FB group. Ospreys have trouble with all manner of feathered ‘friends’ trying to get their fish. Gulls, eagles, even other ospreys.
Heidi’s Osprey Nest Notes:
Seaside osprey cam has had issues with their live stream all season, and it has been frustrating for viewers and the chat moderator, Jewel. There was a fledge the morning of 7/20 that occurred when the livestream was down, and reports came in from ‘boots on the ground’, John and August. With a brief nest view later.
Thank you, Heidi.
Gorgeous photograph of the three fledglings from the Centreport Bald Eagle Nest on Long Island, New York.
A good news story about wildlife is always welcome, and I received one last week from one of our regular readers, ‘MP’. I have tried to attach the images, but alas, I gave up. I know that you can imagine a barbed wire fence with large barbs and how, if an animal jumped over the fence, they could easily become injured.
“Hi, Mary Ann. All these photos and writings are from Ron Dudley. He’s showing a good side of ranchers and Nature Conservancy working together for nature. thought this to be a positive side.I thought you’d like to know.~M
Some ranchers in the valley have installed pronghorn-friendly barbed wire fences that have no barbs on the bottom wire. This fence is one of them.
And pronghorn-friendly fences aren’t the only example of ranchers trying to protect wildlife in the valley. Much of the huge valley is Sage Grouse country. When in flight, grouse have a hard time seeing barbed wire, so they often crash into it. When a 6+ lb. Sage Grouse crashes into barbed wire at speed, the results are predictably disastrous.
So some ranchers have allowed organizations like the Nature Conservancy to install bright white fence flags on their fences. The flags are easy to see and research has shown that they significantly reduce grouse/fence mayhem. I took this photo on June 19th in one of the more remote areas of the valley.
Not long after this photo was taken, I talked to a local rancher (Justin) about the fence flags. Here’s what he said (paraphrased) – “As long they (the Nature Conservancy and organisations like them) are willing to pay for them, and install them, I’m certainly willing to allow them to do so.”
Foulshaw Moss and Cumbrian Wildlife Trust:
All three at Foulshaw Moss have now fledged. Congratulations White YW and Blue 35 for another fantastic and very successful year.
Dyfi Osprey Project: Idris is one of my all-time favourite male ospreys. He is known as ‘Daddy Long Legs’, but he is a great fisher. Now he has broken another record. Watch the video to find out what that is: https://youtu.be/Y_GEb2QQapM?
Dunrovin Ranch Osprey Platform:
Allin’s Cove West: “A day in the life of the single parent offspring. Sleep, stretch, wing flat, call for food, and when none arrives, sleep some more.”https://youtu.be/cQx9eX2G31w?
Goitzsche-Wildnis with J Castyner: “Being an only child seems to have only advantages. Zeus and Fjona have focused on taking care of the boy, protecting him and feeding him in the best possible way. We can see it in the video. Mother and son are (I think) on the camera pole screaming to claim the teak, but when the father arrives alone the young man goes down to collect the piece: a beautiful headless fish, a luxurious fillet. For the boy, the best.” (The two older siblings were predated by a Red Kite). Other report below on this nest.
Two Harbours: Date night with long-time bonded mates, Chase and Cholyn by SK Hideaways. https://youtu.be/4PCwSnUvu2k?
West End Nest: Haku is on and off the nest. Makaio has not been seen for some weeks. Many believe he has left for migration since this is off-season. We must wait. It looks like Haku is warming up to the new visiting male.
I receive many questions about Akecheta since he was photographed on the mainland near Ojai. To my knowledge, no other photographs with his blue wing tag have been taken. I am sure he is alright. Is Thunder with him? Well, we haven’t seen her around the nest, and I just think she left eggs so abruptly that it is possible.
Haku and MV (male visitor) are a nice looking couple.
Coeur de’Alene, Idaho: The three surviving osplets are doing well. Mum has not removed the body of the fourth baby yet.
Fru Rauer: The Norwegian Osprey Project and Translocation of Norwegian birds to Ireland.
J Castnyer catches a fish delivery at the Goitzsche Wildnis Osprey nest in Germany. That fledgling was in there quick – ‘Mine and Mine Alone’ is the message. https://youtu.be/C7sh8ngNEVo?
And they give us an update at Eschenbach: “Despite the problems in broadcasting the live broadcast from the Eschenbach nest, I have uploaded this short video to confirm that everything is going well: Herbert has delivered a fish, Hermine is repeating the teak between the children and, most importantly, both are now flying. Normality is a gift from heaven.” https://youtu.be/yp5U1QXB_LQ?
Rutland Manton Bay: Will Maya stay home, postponing the start to her migration to help feed all those babies? We wait to see.
Birds of Poole Harbour: Everyone wants fish. Caught three on the nest.
Trempeauleau, WI: Mum is home, but where is T3? Well, that fledgling is never far away. Mum comes in with a fish and you can hear the sqeeing and then T3 is there to grab her dinner.
Talk about a loving and devoted mother. Mrs T sure is that and more. I get all weepy seeing the two of them together. It was such a challenging year for Mrs T raising this fledgling from hatch alone – and often, as I have said many times, without the help of Mr T, who was a hindrance stealing fish for his other nest with two youngsters from this one! But, nevermind, Mrs T did the unthinkable. She is amazing.
Tatarsan White-tail Eagles, RU: Fledgling visits nest, hoping for food.
Latvian Golden Eagles: Food delivery from Grislis. Spilve feeds – and it was a long feeding. https://youtu.be/-_HhGdK-pi8?
Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal: The entire article and the information on how to write is in my late Monday, 14 July blog. There is a big meeting on May 7. Don’t sit on this. Could you write to the Virginia Legislators? Cute and Paste – send it to all of them, demanding proper biodiversity and an end to commercial fishing in the Chesapeake and along the coasts of the Atlantic. We don’t want any more osplets to die, along with many other species.
If you love osprey, don’t sit on this. Get busy. Set aside two hours – that is all it would take to compose a letter – and send it out to every Virginia politician, along with the journalist who wrote the article, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, etc. This is not the time to be silent.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 20th July 2025
The two chicks practised their flying and landing skills today, popping on and off the nest especially when Louis was around delivering fish. Breac got most of the two fish delivered by Louis, but Darach was determined and attacked both Dorcha and Breac to get a share. Both chicks were mantling and squawking over the fish so it appears hyperphagia (compulsion to eat) is setting in as migration looms in the not too distant future. Louis’ tally rises to three hundred and twenty eight, and Garry’s one fish delivery takes his tally to one hundred and thirty one, although it was such a small piece of fish, Aurora might not consider it worth counting. After staying dry most of today, the rain started this evening and scattered showers will probably continue through tonight with cloudy skies, light winds, and a low of 15°C causing muggy conditions. There’s a weather warning in place for the Highlands tomorrow of heavy showers and scattered thunderstorms causing localised flooding, and a high of 21°C in the Inver Mallie area.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.26.53 ( 03.50.00E); Nest Two 23.19.12 (03.57.54)
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 19th July 2025 Today was a day for celebration – not only did Breac 7P7 return safely after not returning to the nest after his maiden flight yesterday, but Darach 7P0 also fledged, and returned in time to be fed by his mum Dorcha. His fledge wasn’t the nonchalant take off his brother made – Darach did some flapping, hopping, and squeaking before launching himself off the right edge of the nest and out of sight. However, his return was pretty good, he made a smooth landing looking confident as if he’d been flying for a while. So that’s both chicks achieving this milestone, and while some on the forum express sadness at no longer having them around all the time, this is the major step in their development, their parents have been working towards. Many watchers are celebrating by making a donation towards the upkeep of their home in Arkaig Forest – there are many ways to donate, the easiest one is to use the yellow button on this page above ‘What’s been happening on the nest today?’ All donations of whatever size are gratefully received and will be put to good use. In other news, Louis delivered four fish to the nest today, one of which Breac tried to eat starting from the tail! But soon realised his mistake, flipped it around neatly, and started tearing into the head as Dorcha has shown them. Louis’ tally now stands at three hundred and twenty six, while Garry’s rises by one to one hundred and thirty following his delivery to Aurora today. The promised rain materialised and the chicks were just a damp huddle, the forecast calls for more rain overnight continuing tomorrow with thundery showers, with a low of 16°C tonight and a high of 21°C tomorrow.Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.43.27 (03.31.43); Nest Two 23.55.24 (04.00.52) Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/tQMpMSjGkpo N2 He’s back! Darach returns and sticks the landing 17.31.27https://youtu.be/OAkKQWbpQRU N2 Two wet chicks greet Louis arriving with fish number three 18.31.50 Bonus watch – another brilliant video from Steve Quinn of the nest seen from a kilometre away:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 18th July 2025
Today’s main story is Breac 7P7’s fledge. After doing a proper high helicopter off the screen in the morning, around lunchtime he casually had a quick preen, then without any fuss, spread his wings and launched himself out into the world. Older brother Darach 7P0 looked slightly bewildered but mum Dorcha flew off her perch to deal with the interloper, mistaking him for one of the intruders who’ve kept her and Louis busy today. He didn’t return to the nest, but thanks to LizB and her trusty scope, he’s been sighted perching on a tree behind the nest. Link in the bonus section to those trees via the drone flyover video. Despite intruder alarms, Louis delivered four fish to the nest, taking his tally to three hundred and twenty two. Nest One cam was up and running again this morning, allowing us to see Garry LV0 and Aurora 536 on the nest. He didn’t bring her any fish but they did have a successful mating, and when Affric 152 intruded and landed on the nest, they flew off together in the same direction showing their strong bond which bodes well for next year. His tally remains at one hundred and twenty nine. The weather was settled today, the thundery showers didn’t materialise but are forecast to show up tomorrow with a high of 22°C, but overnight it’s expected to be dry and partly cloudy with light winds, and a low of 14°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.41.29 (03.51.51E); Nest Two (04.08.30)
From the Ventana Wildlife Society. I am starting with a quote from the newsletter. The work that these remarkable individuals do should get the highest praise. There are few of them and they really live their lives caring for these amazing creatures.
“If you watched our wildlife documentary, Condor Canyon, you got to know Amigo (204) and his long-time mate, Kodama (646). Often the first condors seen by blossoming birders in Big Sur, CA, Amigo and Kodama were fixtures in their territory at Sea Lion Cove. They raised three biological chicks together playing a key role in the recovery of the species.
On December 13, 2024, Amigo was found deceased on the cliffs of his coastal territory. It is known that condors can live more than 5 decades, however, at the time of his death, Amigo was just 25 years old. Necropsy results confirmed his cause of death was lead poisoning. The lead bullet recovered from his digestive tract was consistent with a .22 caliber. While this caliber is legal in California, lead-based ammunition has been banned for hunting wildlife since 2019 due to its devastating effects on condors and other wildlife. Lead poisoning accounts for half of all known causes of death in condors and unfortunately for Amigo, his life was cut short.
However, this isn’t about blame, but rather, about solutions. Hunters and ranchers across California are following the law and doing their part to protect wildlife. Many responsible land stewards want to make the switch but still face limited availability of reliable non-lead options for smaller calibers like .22, which is America’s most popular rifle. Expanding access and awareness is key to protecting condors and supporting people whose livelihoods depend on working and living off the land.
Let’s honor Amigo’s legacy by advancing practical tools and partnerships that benefit both people and wildlife. If you or anyone you know hunts or has a ranch in central California, please pass along information about our Free Non-lead Ammunition Program. Click or tap the button below to get started.” That button is in the newsletter. If it doesn’t work, go to their website.
Lead toxicity impacts more than just condors. Many of the Bald Eagles taken into care have enormous amounts of lead, so don’t just do this for the condors, do it for all raptors. Call for a lead-free world in terms of ammunition (both recreational and military) as well as in fishing gear, etc. It is do dangerous!
I have received news from ‘TU’ that the mother stork hit by the car in the Czech Republic has died. Thankfully, her storklets are doing very well. Had their rescue taken any longer, it might have been a different story.
‘TU’ and I also discussed Bonus the much beloved Black Storklet that was orphaned, raised for a bit in a clinic with Urmas and Dr Madis, and then fostered by Karl II and Kaia. We all loved Bonus and followed ‘his’ journeys and then his satellite transmitter went dead and our hearts sank. Well, Bonus might not have a transmitter but SHE is very much alive and has been seen and photographed at many nests. Urmas also agrees that Bonus is a female. Yippee. I hope that Bonus finds a safe nest – many more are needed along with artificial ponds full of frogs and little fish – but that she lives long, raises many storklets, and carries on the DNA of her parents, Jan and Janika.
Grandaughter Elysha highly recommends David Attenborough’s Ocean. It is a documentary that raises the issue of overfishing in the ocean and sheds light on our beloved albatross. Please check out the official trailer and then find the documentary on your streaming channel: https://youtu.be/O7V8OuS2BMY?
A new FB group that also looks at Kakapo.
The Cornell Red Tail Hawks, Big Red, and Arthur’s Os are still enjoying their time around the Cornell Campus and having Mum and Dad provide them with meals!~
Thank you so very much for being with us. We are taking a brief retreat-type holiday this week. The forecast, however, is for rain both where we live and at our destination. It is easier to be home to care for Don and Toby, but we are going with open minds and eyes, knowing that home is only 2 hours and 20 minutes away! My Friday blog may be short.
Brock is waiting for food. Then the wasps came and he left. Thankfully, he returned and ate his entire meal. I felt relieved, as he doesn’t look so good these days.
I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘Geemeff, Heidi, 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 such as Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, and all those at Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal FB. I am very grateful to you and all the others and to the newspapers that still cover environmental issues as they relate to our precious feathered friends. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.
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. Calico has a question for you (answer at the bottom, don’t peek!)
What is this Blue Jay doing on our feeding table, and why is it doing this? If you are wondering about the weather, it is 31 degrees C, and this bird is in the direct line of the hot sun.
Just an update to start: FOBBV lost its bid to stop the fireworks in Big Bear Valley. I cannot imagine a more frivolous way to burn money and to harm wildlife and domestic pets. It is outrageous. And if anyone thinks Jackie and Shadow do not react, well, there is a video showing Jackie being frightened off the nest during fireworks at New Year’s (2025). The notes under the video read “Jackie and Shadow, two of the most famous bald eagles in the world, have returned to their nest in San Bernardino National Forest after a fireworks scare. The elegant eagles were startled during New Year’s celebrations. Jackie returned to the nest first, carrying a stick with her, calling out loudly to her mate to let him know where she was. “Even though eagles see very well in the day, they do not see well at night, so it can be dangerous for them to be flying around at night, especially in the panic of a crisis moment,” wrote the Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam. “It’s great to have them back and know they are safe after they flew off their roost tree in the middle of New Year’s eve night.” Jackie and Shadow have become internet celebrities thanks to their ongoing love story and their fierce dedication to their eggs, especially through extreme weather, including intense snowstorms. 2022 was the parents’ most recent success story, with “Spirit” successfully leaving the nest in May of that year.”https://youtu.be/3cibe6R5IUA?
Loch Arkaig: Name the two male chicks. Go to the Woodland Trust Scotland FB page and put in your two selections. Be sure to give a reason for you choice!
Ventana Wildlife: Their film Condor Canyon is available for $20 US. Free shipping in the US. Visit the Ventana Wildlife Society website for more information.
Washington not on camera nest monitored by ‘PS’. Sadly, the third chick has not survived and passed sometime during the evening of 2 July and was removed from the nest by Mum. Two healthy chicks survive.
We will begin with Heidi’s Osprey notes. One of the nests will be a repeat- it is just too sad not to mention twice.
Dewey Beach: 6/26 was the last good day for this family with one surviving osplet. After that, Dad was not seen again for a few days, and we did not know if he was injured, or worse. Mom had already been fishing for several days to supplement Dad’s deliveries, but suddenly she was having difficulty catching fish. Mom was only able to bring in 1 fish on 6/27, 2 fish on 6/28 and 6/29. Mom arrived late on 6/30 with a fish, and she fed her baby. None of those fish had been very big, and since Mom was feeding the youngster, Mom ate some too. Then Mom stopped coming to the nest. Dad brought in 1 small fish on 7/1. The 48-day-old chick had very little self-feeding experience, and did not have any experience self-feeding from a whole fish, but by golly he got it done. He unzipped and ate that whole fish. Viewers had tears of joy. On 7/2 the chick was alone the entire day…neither parent came to the nest. On the morning of 7/3, the osplet died of starvation, at just under 50 days of age. That beautiful chick’s Dad and Mom had been having a hard time finding fish, even though the nest is situated between the ocean and a large bay. (note: Mom is okay, she has since been seen at the nest)
Cape Henlopen: Miles and Hennie have two chicks, that are 21 days old on 7/4. This nest has seen a few lean days recently. Hennie had been fishing and bringing in some fish. Miles was seen dealing with intruders at times so he had also been protecting the nest. The weather was generally very good. But, it did seem as though Miles and Hennie were having difficulty finding fish. There simply wasn’t enough fish to satisfy the oldest chick, so s/he became aggressive and made it very difficult for the youngest osplet to eat for a few days. On 7/3, Miles and Hennie brought 7 fish to the nest, and two of Miles’ fish were quite large. By the time the third fish arrived, Chick1 had already been stuffed, and didn’t even mind if Chick2 ate. Little2 had a full crop most of the day. Tears of Joy! There will be good days and bad days, for sure… but, we hope the good days far outweigh the bad ones.
Thank you, Heidi. It has been more than a rough year for the nests you are monitoring.
A sadness that is hard to bear will be here, and then we will proceed to the good news. I continue to call for everyone to tell anyone who will listen and can broadcast what is happening in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey to their osplets. Parents abandoning eggs, or in this instance, abandoning a fully feathered, almost ready-to-fledge osplet on the nest to starve. It is not their fault. Sadly, they should have been forewarned and not even bothered to lay eggs or abandon their eggs like the ospreys on St George’s Island. This is a true tragedy, worse than what was seen in the era of DDT. Please take a moment to consider what that means. All species in the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding areas are dying and could become extinct in this region.
Of course, Heidi will also cover this tragedy. This chick, near to fledge, needs to be the poster boy of the tragedy that is taking over all the osprey nests. I cannot tell you that you need your voice heard. Don’t just sit there and say it’s so sad and turn off the camera – get mad. Do something. Find a politician who might listen, or even a radio host, a newspaper that has the backbone to cover this killing off of the fish hawk.
We have had a busy week, but we managed to get some fun in the midst of a massive declutter! The weather was very hot, reaching to 30 C, and there were many walks with Toby in the cool of the morning and evening. In the late afternoon we found shade and worked in the garden while Toby sniffed about trying to find hidden treasures in the soil. There was Baby Hope’s birthday party on Tuesday – she turned two and I still get weepy whenever I think of Calico being dumped, living outside in the winter, and then having only one of her kittens survive. Thankfully they are both safe inside now.
You will not see Baby Hope anywhere. She came to the table, noticed Anne was there and took off. She will not come out if anyone else is in the house. Oh, maybe one day.
There were walks in the English Gardens to see the beautiful flowers and Toby had his first doggie ice cream complete with bone on Wednesday!
Oh, the shade was so refreshing in the 30 C+ heat. This is what you get if you are a puppy! Toby said it was delicious.
Inside his pram, a wee bit of a mess but he licked it all clean.
Our garden is thriving. It’s hot and humid, and I could be fooled into thinking I was in the Southeastern US. My Latvian Dry Soup Peas have blossoms – pink with the most gorgeous burgundy centre. Whenever I see them growing so well, I think of Sassa Bird, a friend from Latvia, who used to post on FB. She sent me their traditional/national recipe for a dish using these dried peas.
The Snow Peas have white blossoms and the tomatoes and peppers are thriving.
Of course, I have excellent help with watering, thanks to Toby. Toby loves water, and his big floppy ears should not get wet. The other day, he ran right into the shower with me before I could get the door closed. Found a child’s swimming cap today for him. He can come in the shower anytime he likes now!
Confirmation has come from all the observers in the Big Bear Valley that Sunny and Gizmo have now left their parents’ territory. I am glad they do not have to endure the fireworks.
Today we are reaching the conclusion that most likely Sunny and Gizmo have left the Big Bear area of this mountain. We could be wrong, yet our history of sighting eagles in Big Bear indicates to us that they are no longer in this area. With the amount of solid hours we’ve dedicated daily to areas around the entire lake and to the areas we were observing Sunny and Gizmo in, there have been no solid confirmations using our photos (which we enlarged) or our binoculars since 6/27. The history of when Jackie and Shadow’s only other fledglings left the area also coincides with the timing of what we believe is the departure of Sunny and Gizmo from Big Bear. From our observations – Simba the eaglet from 2019 and Spirit the eaglet from 2022 each took 26 days to leave the area after fledging. On 6/27/25 it would be 25 days since Sunny fledged and 20 days since Gizmo fledged. When Owen had asked me before the two fledged how long I thought they would stick around Big Bear after fledging, I responded that I thought they may leave a bit sooner as they may depart together and they have each other so I didn’t think they would stay longer than a solo fledgling. That might be what has happened and if the two have left we should be glad that they had the solid foundation Jackie and Shadow gave them. There are many locations not that far from Big Bear that have lakes where plenty of food can be found. There have been at least four visiting younger eagles in the area this past month. It’s possible that Sunny and Gizmo followed one or more out of the area or they may have just left on their own. On 6/27 we observed the pair in flight going up quite high, most likely an altitude of 9,000 feet or more. They did come back down yet I said to Owen that I thought they were reaching a point that they may leave soon. We got our last photos of them right after we saw them doing higher altitude flight. We will still be doing eagle observations as usual and will definitely report any sightings we may have of Sunny or Gizmo. We’re at great peace knowing we witnessed them doing so very well on their own with flight, landings, take offs and having some stretches of time alone. Jackie and Shadow seem to also be indicating by our recent observations that the kids have gone on their longer distance journeys. We believe Sunny and Gizmo will revisit Big Bear yet it will be hard to know if it’s them once they have molted. Remember that young eagles are nomadic and they like to roam and travel in their first four to five years of life. Tourists are already arriving and we’re looking forward to a wonderful 4th of July holiday week here in the eagles neighborhood by Big Bear Lake. – Trish
P.S. More observations of a visiting eagle as well as more observations of Shadow and Jackie coming soon!”
Dunorvin Ranch had another rescue on Tuesday. Chicks 1 and 2 went off the edge and got stuck in the sticks. Out came the cherry picker and two great individuals who placed some wire garden fencing and worked on the twigs so that, hopefully, the osplets will now stay put! The osplets were continually misted. Two frozen fish were left. Swoop came and took one and returned it, headless. Winnie stepped up and ate and fed the chicks. Now, I want you to remember this. Ospreys will eat frozen fish. It is not required that the fish provided be fresh!!!!!!!! Myth busted right before our eyes.
Frau Rauer Osprey Platform in Norway: Mum and the two chicks excited about the arrival of Herr Rauer and a fish dinner
Contented chicks with their juvenile feathers being civil during the meal. So well behaved.
Plenty of fish for Mum to have a nice before bed dinner, too.
News from ‘PS’ on the Washington nest (no camera):.
“Thank you for the notes below – great to know about dads feeding the young! Perhaps Harry here just didn’t feel like it on that particular day…and also, makes sense that as the young grow mom may fish more just given the caloric need.
An update for July 1 – some worrisome and perhaps unfortunate news today (will try to confirm tomorrow). When I arrived there was a feeding just getting started, with mom clutching a pretty nice sized Starry Flounder. The two largest osplets were arranged around her being fed but I noticed that #3 was in the foreground of the nest (relative to me) in the usual submissive pose I’ve seen it get bullied into before. However…it didn’t budge from this pose/position during my entire visit, and I never saw it move. I was there ~45 minutes or so. Osplets 1 and 2 had plenty of food from that flounder but I worry that #3 might no longer be with us. I wish I could have stayed longer – perhaps it moved once the feeding was over…I will try to visit again tomorrow to get a better idea of things. At any rate, 2 osplets still seem to be doing relatively well – sunny, warm, and not too windy weather due over the next week so fishing should be good. Few new pics up on Flickr.”
I love the nests in the UK and Europe and today, Dunrovin made gold by rescuing the oldest osplet of Winnie and Swoop who backed up and got caught in the twings of the crib rails (well, not much there). The quick rescue, a fix of the rails, and some fish saved the day. But, the US osprey population is in trouble and particularly those nests impacted by the commercial overfishing of Menhaden.
Latest post from Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ:
There are individuals angry at Ben Wurst for not supplying fish to a nest where the third hatch died. This is the issue – there is no food. He said he could supply fish every day, but he would have to, because there would be no food for them if they fledged. Adults are dying. I continue to mention that they laid eggs and abandoned them. I wish that had happened at these other nests. Is it better to die at a young age than a fledgling?
Rutland Water Manton Bay: The first hatch of Maya and Blue 33, 3R5, fledges on 2 July! https://youtu.be/kII5xhl2Gwc?
Three of Maya and Blue 33’s chicks have now fledged as of 3 July 3:14 CDT. They are 3R5, 3R6, and 3R7.
Alyth SS: The three osplets were ringed and the nest cleaned on the 2nd of July. Two females and a male. My nickel is on Oakley being the male. I’ll be sure to follow the details and let you know.
Birds of Poole Harbour (if you missed it): Chicks were ringed on the 29th.
5R3 – 1.75kg – female
5R4 – 1.44kg – male
5R5 – 1.45kg – male
5R6 – 1.35kg – male
Foulshaw Moss/Cumbria Wildlife Trust: The osplets of White YW and Blue 35 have been ringed. They are believed to be a female, the first hatch, 7K1. Two males, 7K2 and 7K0.
LS Finnish Nest: Three gorgeous osplets. Video captured by Mie shows Dad bringing in a huge stick. https://youtu.be/2V-5l0Yh8I4?s
Taipalsaaren sääkset: Two of the three eggs hatched. The osplets are approximately three and a half weeks old.
#1 Saaksilvie: A miserable wet day at the nest! Eura delivered a headless fish at 22:24:35.
#4 Saaksilvie, Satakunnan: It is a wet day for the three osplets. Nupu is trying to keep their little heads dry. It was nice earlier. Nemo brought a whole fish at 23:16:38. The camera was off, and a huge fish was delivered. N1 threw up at the last delivery but had a large crop from the previous meal. Hoping nothing is wrong with the eldest chick at this nest.
Paltamont Osprey Platform, Finnish Osprey Foundation: Two gorgeous chicks.
Juurusvesi Osprey Platform, Finland: Fish deliveries at this nest were: 05:18, 11:49, 13:15, 16:26, 19:11, and 23:07. That is a nice delivery pattern for these three osplets. Note that the two older have their juvenile feathers while the last hatch still has its wide white stripe along its back and thermal down. All seem to be doing well.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 3rd July 2025 The day started with a celestial visitor which made its presence sufficiently felt that Dorcha noticed it from her high perch. A bright fireball made by a meteor entering Earth’s atmosphere caused the night sky to light up with bright flashes which the chicks slept through but the nest cams recorded. As did many people throughout Scotland, and the BBC featured the meteor on tonight’s Reporting Scotland and included clips of the event caught on the Osprey cam. Today we also received the information that both chicks have been assessed as male: chick1 Blue 7P0 weighed 1320g and chick2 Blue 7P7 weighed 1270g. Now the fun begins as George WTS has opened the naming contest, full details in the bonus section. Enter as many suggestions as you wish but get them in by noon on Sunday 6th. In other news, no intruders were seen today, and both males brought fish to their respective nests. Louis brought four fish for Dorcha taking his tally to two hundred and fifty seven, and Garry LV0 brought one fish for Aurora 536 taking his tally to one hundred and eleven. T
he weather was wet and windy but did perk up with some sunny intervals, however there aren’t any sunny spells forecast for tomorrow, just heavy rain and a moderate breeze with a high of 16°C following tonight’s heavy rain and a gentle breeze with a low of 12°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.42.30 (02.30.21); Nest Two 23.34.25 (03.16.01) Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/GoGJEamzmMw N2 Name those chicks! Contest now open, closes noon Sunday 6th Bonus opportunity – naming contest for the chicks now open, full details:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 2nd July 2025
Today was a significant one for the chicks – they were visited by the licensed raptor expert and ringed -their Darvic rings are Blue 7P0 and Blue 7P7, and in due course we’ll be given the rest of the information obtained today, including sex, weight, and measurements. Once that’s been received, George WTS will open the naming contest so if you’ve started thinking of names, please wait to post them until George gives the word. Unusually the chicks were removed from the nest and ringed on the ground as a safety measure due to the wind, then returned to the nest where they were seen pancaked when the nest cam was switched back on. Dorcha was perched nearby during the ringing process, Louis stayed away then turned up with a fish at 21.45 which the chicks were soon tucking into. Louis brought three fish to the nest, taking his tally to two hundred and fifty three, and the nest cam was zoomed out ready for watching the chicks swoop about once they’ve fledged, which could happen in as little as ten days time. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 and Aurora 536 worked together to see off an intruder Osprey, after which he brought her three fish, and his tally now stands at one hundred and ten. The weather was settled today, and will continue overnight with light clouds, light winds and a low of 9°C, but changing tomorrow to light rain showers, with gentle breezes and a high of 15 °C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.39.16 (03.02.08); Nest Two 00.36.39 (04.05.36) Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/REZhgRkSfXI N2 Fish number one, whole trout, still twitching 04.38.19https://youtu.be/lMDRnL3mKTM N1 Garry delivers a mid morning fish for Aurora 10.46.26https://youtu.be/UYMSGpVUQhY N2 One chick feeds the other prefers to preen when the second fish arrives 12.16.37 https://youtu.be/NASlzrW9tKc N1Garry stays and feaks his beak after Aurora leaves with the second fish 13.55.35https://youtu.be/vHsHP9HmhrI N1 Garry brings a fish, leaves and returns when Aurora’s there 16.39.29
https://youtu.be/gyZNAG8kjew N2 Meet 7P0 and 7P7 – the chicks have been ringed! 19.31.10 (zoom)https://youtu.be/TKGg7C2awVI N2 Dorcha looks a little wary, and keeps looking round while dishing up fish three 21.44.35 https://youtu.be/UTNch0cOXAk N2 The cam changes to the expanded view, ready to enjoy seeing the chicks flying about 22.32.29 Bonus info – interested in becoming a ringer? British Trust for Ornithology give the facts:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 1st July 2025 Darkness falls to end a dramatic day, but different in fundamental ways from the very dramatic events which took place on this day last year when the chicks were removed from the nest to join the translocation programme, an event so unusual it made the STV evening news (see blast from the past section). Today’s dramas involved Osprey intrusions on both nests. On Nest One, Aurora 536 had three separate events first with an unringed male attempting to land, then an unexpected visit from Affric 152 who did manage to land but only for a few seconds before a furious Aurora got rid of her, and finally a third intruder who couldn’t be seen properly by the nest cam watchers although clearly Aurora thought they’d come too close for her liking. On Nest Two, Dorcha had several flybys by an unidentified intruder Osprey, which prompted chick1 to join her in defending the nest – instead of staying pancaked like chick2, chick1 actually stood up and alarm-called! The ringers are probably coming tomorrow due to the poor weather forecast for the end of the week, and chick1 seems to be demonstrating how grown up and ready for the next stage s/he is. Aurora received no fish on the nest today so Garry’s tally remains at one hundred and seven, but Louis delivered five fish, and that fifth fish is his two hundred and fiftieth for the season to date – well done Louis! Tonight’s forecast is misty and light winds with a low of 8
°C, changing to sunny intervals tomorrow morning then light rain showers and a gentle breeze in the afternoon and a high of 17°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.21.55 (02.36.10); Nest Two 23.31.54 (03.40.36)
https://youtu.be/7fAZDt8DN2I N2 Dorcha returns in time to get fish number five from Louis: fish number 250 for the season! 21.47.03 Bonus action – Woodland Trust urges anyone with a garden to put out a bucket of muddy water:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Monday 30th June 2025 On this day last year, the family were spending their final night together, although they didn’t know it – the following day the two chicks would be removed and placed on a translocation programme under the auspices of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Fundación Migres in Spain. Woodland Trust Scotland’s statement on the translocation in the bonus section. Despite today’s wet weather, conditions are nothing like last year’s – Louis is healthy and providing plenty of fish, the chicks are developing on schedule, and all being well with both the weather and the ringers’ nest schedule, the chicks could be ringed on Friday 4th July. Despite the rain and the odd intruder alarm, Louis delivered four fish to Dorcha, taking his tally to two hundred and forty five, while over on Nest One Garry LV0 brought two fish for Aurora 536, smaller than she would have liked, and his tally now stands at one hundred and seven. Despite the overnight forecast stating partly cloudy and light winds with a low of 10°C, it is raining as I file this report (shortly after midnight) and Dorcha and the chicks are a huddle of damp plumage. Tomorrow’s forecast is for sunny intervals and light winds with a high of 19°C, fingers crossed it actually turns out that way. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.31.31 (03.16.30); Nest Two 23.02.15 (03.45.04)
And to Dr Tess, who spent a wonderful year at Wildlife Haven in Manitoba, a fond goodbye. You experimented with various apparatus to save the animals under your care. We wish you well in your new position in Florida.
Golden Eagle, Latvia: Spilve and Grislis have been taking turns providing prey for Meldrs.
Blue Jays flatten down, or “flop,” on the ground as a form of sunbathing, also known as “anting” or “sunning”. This behaviour helps them maintain their feather health and remove parasites. They might also open their beaks to pant, which allows them regulate their body temperature in the heat.
Here’s a more detailed explanation:
Sunbathing/Sunning:Birds, including Blue Jays, spread their wings and body on the ground to expose their feathers and skin to the sun.
Anting:This is a specific type of sunbathing where birds use ants to help clean their feathers.They might lie on the ground where ants are present or even pick up ants and rub them on their feathers.
Feather Maintenance:The sun’s heat helps to remove parasites and spread preening oils throughout the feathers, promoting overall feather health.
Temperature Regulation:In hot weather, Blue Jays might pant with their beaks open to help cool down.
Other Possible Reasons:While sunbathing and anting are the most common reasons, some research suggests it might also be related to other behaviors, such as a bird feeling dizzy from flying or potentially even self-stimulation.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. We will see you again on Monday! For those celebrating the 4th, have a lovely, safe, happy day.
Thank you, as always, to those darling individuals who consistently send me great news items: ‘Geemeff, Heidi, PB, PS’. I am grateful, as it is so difficult to keep up with all the news! To those individuals who posted news on FB or websites and whose names are highlighted in bold, thank you so much. To the streaming cams highlighted, we are all grateful that you allow us the privilege of watching the lives of these amazing birds as they raise their families in the most difficult of times. Thank you to all, as my post would be nothing without you.
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!
On Wednesday afternoon, we looked up and saw blue skies – a first in days where the sun was masked by heavy heavy haze from the wildfires. All of the citizens from at least two communities have been evacuated and any animals left behind are being fed and evacuated if they are fit enough. Many groups are stepping up to help those who have lost everything but a suitcase of items and maybe a dear pet. Hockey arenas have been taken over and community centers to house and exercise the pets. This is a blessing. Our City is rallying and collecting clothes and toiletries and pet food. It is making me proud.
In our garden, six baby European Starlings have fledged. The adults were feeding them, and tonight they had them at the big table feeder, eating various items – small bits of cheesy dog treats, chopped peanuts, cat and dog kibble, as well as various seeds.
This photo was taken with an iphone through 3 panes of dirty glass. Those babies are cute! They are growing so fast and eating lots of finely chopped cheesy dogs and kibble – the bowls get filled at least 4 times a day!
You can see four – three at the table and one in the tree to the right. There are two more on the wire above the feeder so all six made it through the first days! So happy.
Toby is very tired. We bought a small 14″ push mower and Toby was just so excited! We cleared off the only spot of grass in the back in order to fix him a little pen so he can be smelling and moving and not on a lead when we are weeding and watering. I could fix the holes in the old fence but it would mean that Brock could not get into the garden so this is a good alternative.
Toby with his favourite stick. He loves to play fetch and there is a long area in the house that is perfect for this!
Hugo Yugo will be having her dental surgery on Wednesday the 11th. It already makes my mouth hurt! Poor little girl.
Hope is sound asleep in the small enclosed space at the base of the cat tree while Hugo Yugo is at the top. It is hard to see her. Maybe she is hiding from Toby!
It is another mixed bag of news in Bird World.
The only surviving osplet of the Red Kite attack in Germany is alive. Zeus and Fjona at Goitzsche-Wildnis are very diligent about keeping this one as safe as they can.
At Sauces, Betty Lou has been coming home and enjoying many big fish dinners. She can mantle spreading across that entire nest to protect her snack!
Please note that the IWS still has its Adoption Challenge going and I am ever so happy that last year one of my long-time readers on Bird World got to name one of Thunder and Akecheta’s eaglets! It could be you this year.
Gizmo has still not fledged but was so delighted when Sunny returned to the nest tree at Big Bear Valley. A few of the news agencies that carried this fledge at Big Bear! The fledglings are international stars now, too. Not just Jackie and Shadow.
At the Dyfi Osprey Project, Idris brought in a huge mullet for the family. They are doing well – Idris is an amazing provider and Telyn is just like her mother, Maya, fantastic.
Idris continues with his delivery of hugh fish for Telyn and the trio.
All four osplets of CJ7 and Blue 022 are alive and doing well at Poole Harbour.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 5th June 2025
Once again Aurora 536 spent many hours on Nest One, waiting quietly, and her patience was rewarded when Garry LV0 brought her a fish. That fish takes his tally to seventy one. On Nest Two Louis just kept bringing fish, five today, and the fifth one takes his tally to one hundred and fifty for the season. The smallest chick seems to have worked out strategies for feeding times, and was front and centre during several feedings. All three chicks ended the day with bulging golf ball crops, but that didn’t stop chick1 suddenly attacking chick2, and later chick 2 unwisely retaliated and paid the price. Chick3 very wisely ducked down and let them get on with it, as did Dorcha, who watched but didn’t intervene. She was busy bringing cot rails including one with a sharply pointed end and had some difficulty choosing a suitable place to put it. She succeeded only for Louis to come along later and move it! It rained during the night and earlier today but not as much as forecast. Light rain and light winds are forecast for tomorrow and overnight tonight, with a low of 7°C and a high of 15°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.50.46 (03.23.17); Nest Two 23.06.45 (04.01.17) Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/b_Djl6ySh8w N2 Chick3 moves in front of chicks 1&2 to get a good feed 06.39.56https://youtu.be/7rxHzjOTrWw N2 Chick3 moves around and gets a good share of the second fish 10.36.10https://youtu.be/ok_po0c7qNs N2 Chick2 unwisely retaliates and picks a fight with dino chick1 12.35.17https://youtu.be/58FdzKDL7Tc N2 Dorcha brings an unwieldy pointy stick 16.23.36https://youtu.be/rZnavAZfoA4 N1 Aurora’s calls are answered when Garry brings a fish 17.09.05https://youtu.be/__WBMKkPcMM N2 Louis arrives blood stained but it’s only fish3’s blood 18.21.53https://youtu.be/ktznutwuAms N2 Late night snack arrives – fish number four 22.04.00
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 4th June 2025
Business as usual today – Aurora 536 spent a lot of time on Nest One and Garry LV0 brought her a fish. Later he swooped past carrying a second fish but kept going leaving Aurora calling in vain. His tally rises by one to seventy. The family on Nest Two are all doing very well, Louis brought two fish raising his tally to one hundred and forty five and Dorcha shared them out leaving the chicks ending the day with golf ball size stuffed crops. The wind wasn’t as strong as predicted for today and is forecast to remain light until Sunday. It will be wet overnight with a low of 6°C and wet throughout tomorrow with a high of 13°C, in fact rain is forecast for the next week. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.25.30 (03.20.47); Nest Two 22.54.18 (03.57.46) Today’s videos:
Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 3rd June 2025 Apart from some noisy gusts of wind and the odd non-threatening intruder alert, today was fairly routine. Everybody got fed – four fish for Dorcha on Nest Two and one fish for Aurora 536 on Nest One – and the chicks ended the day with bulging golf ball crops. Garry LV0’s tally rises to sixty nine, and Louis’ to one hundred and forty three. The weather was wet and windy as forecast, changing to drizzle and a gentle breeze overnight with a low of
5°C, and light rain showers and a moderate breeze tomorrow with a high of 11 °C.Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.52.43 (03.21.04); Nest Two 22.50.40 (04.00.58) Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/W6s8zOwX7-k N2 Home alone chicks in quicktime 02.53 – 03.00 https://youtu.be/–NG_Z6RU-M N2 Season’s earliest breakfast arrives 03.39.15 https://youtu.be/Z7MgJ2PDjgQ N2 Second breakfast arrives and Louis sticks around while the chicks are fed 08.48.29
https://youtu.be/zFtBedllEzE N1 Aurora grabs the fish and tells Garry to leave 08.58.46https://youtu.be/wRnQq_QXtR8 N2 The gusting wind doesn’t stop fish number three being fed to the chicks 19.53.35 https://youtu.be/vnYqbvwP4QE N2 Littlest chick makes sure of a good share of fish number four 21.33.56 Bonus watch – all the highlights of the season to date on Woodland Trust’s YouTube channel
The news from Tweed Valley is not good, if you missed it. The nest 2 had Mrs O, an experienced female osprey, and another female and a male named New Guy. New Guy went MIA from the nest and the new female did bring in a single fish as their four eggs hatched. The first three were Mrs O’s and the last the new female. Sadly, all of the osplets died when mothering behaviour did not lead to fishing behaviour.
At Glaslyn, it seems Teifi is finding all the good fishing spots. Let’s hope he turns out to be a good provider for Elen next year.
Rutland’s Manton Bay: All four chicks are doing well. Little four got some fish. Dad came in with another big one but Maya had the kids already quiet and in bed.
Llyn Brenig: The second chick has hatched!
Foulshaw Moss: Some bonking is taking place.
Kielder Forest: A returnee to their natal nest. Wow. They used the word amazing. With only a small percentage of the osplets that fledge returning as two years old, this is something to celebrate.
One of the blog chatters says, “I never cease to be amazed by the inherent navigation skills of wild creatures. Not only did IB7 find his own way to West Africa, with no parental help, but two years on he returns to the very nest where he hatched. And most human beings cannot reach an address a few miles away, without satnav!”
Moorings Park: Fledgling Ozzie comes in and gets a late dinner on Thursday.
Trio at Pitkin County. Look at that sweet little third hatch getting right up there for some fish.
San Jose City Hall: ‘PB’ sends some images and a note: “Chico and Emma being playful on the roof tonight. Look at the size difference and colors. Chico smaller and darker compared to Emma.”
Chichester Peregrines: The two little eyases were ringed on 2nd of June and determined to be female!
I wrote to the Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society about their ospreys. I received this response: “We just saw the first hatching this morning – at least 2. There were 3 eggs in total. The late-May Noreaster brought some wave action into the nest briefly during the worst of it, but avoided major impacts. The upgraded nest (as of last season) held it all together. We were very happy to see the little heads poking out this morning. The nest live camera isn’t optimally perfectly – the eggs have been just out of frame – but we’ll see more action shortly as the babies emerge and start walking around the nest. https://savegreensledge.org/osprey-cam“.
Steelscape Ospreys:
Charlo Montana: Pip Watch is coming soon.
Hellgate Canyon: Iris was on the nest on Wednesday. She looks great! The New Guy has been bringing her fish. I hope both return next year, and New Guy keeps Louis away so there can be other osplets on this nest!
Lots of in and outs on Thursday, too. New Guy will fly in with his fish gift and Iris will remove it to eat it.
Boulder Fair Grounds: A cold front appeared to come through the area on Wednesday evening and the third hatch was exposed and not under Mum and perished. All had been well fed. There are two surviving chicks.
The weather on late Thursday is wet and cooler again. Poor babies. I hope these two survive.
Longmont, Colorado: The third hatch died Wednesday night of hypothermia.
Allin’s Cove East: There is at least one little osplet that has hatched. You can barely see it on the left of this short video: https://youtu.be/0O7AQ_MnPjc?
Wolf Bay, Alabama: The trio are growing. They have beautiful juvenile plumage. The oldest is 45 days, the middle is 44, and the third is 42. This nest has done well this year! There is still some time before fledge!
Cornell Red-tail Hawks, Ithaca: Big Red and Arthur’s O’s are working their legs walking around that nest, which must be very difficult. They are starting to flap their wings, too! These two are so cute.
Big Red sleeping and protecting her babies.
Look at the beautiful ‘peach’ on the breasts of these Os and their lovely feathers that are coming in. These two images show you the difference in size.
Saaksilvie #1: Can you find the newly hatched osplet?
Saaksilvie #3: Incubation and egg rolling. Hatch expected soon.
Saaksilvie #4: Two of the three eggs of Nuppu have hatched so far! This nest was the home of the first osprey to hatch in Finland for the 2025 season on 1 June. Here it is on Nesting Bird Life and More’s video: https://youtu.be/yDF4ZYsy-Uc?
And now there are three osplets!
Saaksilvie #5: No one is home.
Janakkalan: Incubation continues. The egg cup is so deep that it is impossible to see the number of eggs or any piping.
Paltamo: Three eggs are being incubated. Dad brings in a nice fish for Mum so she can have a break after a long incubation period.
Muonio: Eggs being incubated. Again, it is so difficult to see how many are in the nest.
Norway: Two really healthy osplets! They hatched on May 31 and June 2. Their Mum is Fru Rauer.
Carthage Ospreys: The only surviving osplet on the nest is doing well. At least three fish of various sizes came in on Thursday.
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum: Only one egg left in the nest. ‘MP’ tells me that the cold wet weather of a week ago, caused one egg to get kicked to the side of the nest with a second sticking to the breast feathers of Mum. It rolled back to the egg cup and was buried.
Mlade Buky: Bety, Bukachec and two storklets.
Trempeauleau Eagles: Mum did it. Look at T3. Surely nothing can stop this amazing little miracle from fledging.
Denton Homes: All three still on the nest.
Sad news accompanied by the warmth of human kindness at a stork nest: “OUR WONDERFUL KROPECZKA UNFORTUNATELY PASSED AWAY … 💔
The wonderful hostess of the main nest in Klekusiów, the most wonderful stork mother and perfect partner, had an accident and despite the best care of specialist doctors, our Beloved Kropeczka unfortunately passed away! 😭
Kleks was left alone, taking care of three tiny chicks, but we believe that with the help of a very good Guardian – the Host of Klekusiów, he will manage to raise all three and at the end of the season the youngsters will go to the wintering grounds! 💖👍
Milda and Zorro’s White-tail Eagle nest, Latvia: The two chicks are almost ready for fledge and neither is hesitant to fight over prey deliveries! https://youtu.be/n5j5NiFLrC4?
Golden Eagles in Estonia: Liznm brings us up to date (the date of the banding was 4 June): “The eaglet was banded yesterday . Since then, Helju has stayed away Kalju takes care of the eaglet. He brought a small bird. The eaglet pulled another prey from under the hay! A furry animal.it managed to eat some of it. it looks like a part of a fox puppy – the back part with legs and tail.” https://youtu.be/bCf0pQo5z8g?
Golden Eagle in Latvia: Spilve feeding her surviving chick in the rain.
Over the years, you have likely heard me express my frustration with the attitude of humans towards wildlife more than once. Well, who in the world believes that poison of any kind is a good thing? Sticking paper? Seriously. Well, it now appears that the oldest breeding White-tailed Eagle in Ireland has been poisoned! Since raptors don’t produce poison or put it out to kill animals, then it had to be some mean two-legged idiot!
Many of written to find out if ‘The Girls’ are still getting their story time. Yes, they are. It has taken me some time to find quality books on birds that I wanted to purchase this year. In past years, we have had stacks of books to read. We have gone back and read some old favourites. Now I can tell you that our reader ‘J’ from Germany suggested a wonderful book, BirdNote. Chirps, Quirks, and Stories of 100 Birds from the Popular Public Radio Show. It arrived yesterday and we will have a review for you in next Friday’s post! I can already tell you that Calico quite likes it!!!!!!!! Thanks, ‘J’ for this great recommendation.
Thank you so very much for being with us today. We are delighted that you are here and that you care so much about our feathered friends! Take care. We hope that you can be with us on Monday when the next blog will be posted.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, J, J, MP, PB’, CBC, Goitzsche-Wildnis, IWS/Explore, ABC, Fly High Eagles, Fox News 5, NBCLA, RSPB Scotland, Dyfi Osprey Project, BoPH, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Jeff Kear, UK Osprey Info and Tweed Valley Ospreys, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, LRWT, Llyn Brenig, Kielder Ospreys, Moorings Park Ospreys, Pitkin County Ospreys, San Jose Falcons, Janet Shaw and chichester Falcons, Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society, Pam Breci, Joy of Ospreys, Steelscape Ospreys, Raptor Research Institute, Montana Osprey Project, Boulder Fair Grounds, Anderson Moor and Longmont, Colorado ospreys, Allins Cove East Ospreys, Cornell Bird Lab Cams RTH, Saaksilvie 1, 4, and 5 osprey nests, Finnish Osprey Foundation, DDTC, MN Landscape Arboretum Ospreys, Mlade Buky Capi, Trempeauleau Eagle Cam, Alukin, LDF, Liznm, Lodz Black Storks, B Isia, Raptor Persecution UK, The Narwal, Cumbria Wildlife Trust
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
Tuesday was my respite day. I cannot tell you – well, I do, over and over – how grateful I am to have Anne helping me. Her love of animals and gentle nature spills over into everything she does, including teaching me how to administer medication to Toby properly. The cats love her, and today we delighted in watching Toby and Hugo Yugo play hide-and-seek and chase. What fun they had!
It is 16 degrees C. With all the rain the garden is turning emerald green before our eyes. The conifers are looking much better with new growth evident. If only the sun would come out! Some of our nests will be hoping for that as well. One of those is Trempeauleau.
PB’ reports that Mum has just brought in a fish and is feeding T3. Very wet there. ‘PB’ also asks: Did you know that the camera at Trempeauleau has a wiper? I did not!
A great Audubon article on internationally famous Iris! It is a good read – please celebrate our Queen! “At 29, Iris the Osprey has outlived the odds to become a cherished internet star whose brood of offspring is helping track river health in Montana.” “Researchers have tracked Iris, named for the unique inflections in her eye, since she started nesting along Missoula’s Clark Fork River in 1999. Because Ospreys start breeding around 3 years, experts who monitor her estimate that she is an extraordinary 28 or 29 years old—far outlasting the average Osprey lifespan of about 15 to 20 years.“
Smallwood osprey cam: Mom and Dad are great parents, and the fish is plentiful. There have been a few scuffles between the chicks, some started by Little, but so far no significant problems at chow time. The chicks are 15, 13, and 10 days old.
Dewey Beach: Life is good for this family with two babies, ages 7 and 5 days old. It is looking like the third egg will not hatch.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 20th May 2025
Garry LV0 and Aurora 536 spent a little time on Nest one, bringing nesting materials (him), perching and preening (her) and in between Garry found time to deliver two fish for her, taking his tally to sixty. He delivered them directly without any tricksy showing them off then departing with them before returning them later half-eaten as he’s done a few times recently, but Aurora took no chances and made off with the fish as soon as she seized them from him. Over on Nest Two, after an early morning visit from a Jay with a Tawny Owl hooting unseen in the background, Louis also delivered two fish, taking his tally to ninety nine. Both were a decent size to make up for the single tiddler delivered late yesterday, and he had no problem handing them over to Dorcha immediately in order to settle down to his favourite occupation of egg-sitting. The settled weather continues through to Friday, with clear skies tonight and a high of 22°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.22.39 (03.14.06); Nest Two 23.57.23 (03.38.38)
Snow Lane Osprey Platform, Newfoundland: The Snow Lane Osprey Nest, with the Beaumont and Hope FB group, has compiled a nest history from 2016 to 2024 in their files. What a great way to educate viewers now and in decades to come. Every nest should have historical information readily available online. Thank you to everyone who contributed.
Loch of the Lowes: Sadly, one of the two remaining eggs was broken. One egg left. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise for our new couple who are, we believe, first time parents.
Big Bear Valley: Sunny has branched! SK Hideaways has it on video as this gorgeous juvenile makes it to the Front Porch. https://youtu.be/bizDGFI0HMc?
Bluff City ETSU: Two beautiful eaglets are ready to fledge, and thankfully, neither of the Tennessee nests has been damaged by the many storms moving through this region.
Denton Homes: The wind is blowing and hopefully drying out the eaglets and the nest from the downpours and huge storm of Monday.
Wild Bucovina, Romania, Golden Eagle nest 2: Pausa is a lovely little eaglet.
White Rock, BC Eagles: Terry Anita’s latest post: “White Rock, BC. Eagles Mom (Dad missing) Eaglets Miracle and Phenomenon. Hatched 4/30/25 Although they missed out on the baby crow. Mom flies out and back, in seconds, with a fish from the fairy. 🐠🧚♀️Only one eaglet ate.. The eaglet are 20 days old today. Their thermal down is in and they’re progressing well. What a season 2025 miracle these two eaglets are.. Live cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYpwF0hteVA”
Dyfi: Bob 3 was almost out of the egg – beak peeking out in the wee hours today.
Rutland Manton Bay: All four are up and ready for fish early this morning!
Poole Harbour: No visible pips yet!
Llyn Clywedog: Recently hatched Big Bob waiting for Seren Blue 5F to feed him/her their fish dinner!
Black Stork Nest, Lodz, Poland: Aren’t they darlings? They are being fed a goldfish dinner! https://youtu.be/mTDMp143khA?
Taja International Black Storks:
Mlade Buky: Bety and Bukachek have two little storklets recently hatched!
Mark Avery lists the species currently impacted by HPAI in the UK: “Bird flu: the list of affected bird species has reached 36 for the UK in 2025 with two additions in the last month: Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Bewick’s Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Barnacle Goose, Shelduck, Mallard, Eider, White-tailed Eagle, Red Kite, Buzzard, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Kestrel, Curlew, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Little Gull, Sandwich Tern, Gannet, Cormorant, Razorbill, Guillemot, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Grey Heron, Pheasant and Starling. The flaws in the ‘surveillance’ scheme mean that it is difficult to know what this species list means in terms of species affected.”
I want to remind everyone about the changes to the Migratory Bird Act in the US. As one of our readers, ‘TC’ notes: “— Keep the ESA intact,AS-IS. This proposed change could prove to be one of the most harmful things we have done to nature in the last fifty years. — NO TO nullifying the ESA passed by the U.S. Congress in 1973. The proposal is counter to the purpose of the ESA to protect imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. — We cannot protect the species without protecting their habitats. Without the habitats, wildlife would go extinct. — We are all connected—humans, animals, and the natural world. To ensure a thriving planet, we must protect all wildlife and the habitats they depend on.”
You should not have to be a US citizen to comment on the changes made to the law that are not productive to having a healthy world shared with our non-human friends.
All comments are considered public and will be posted online once the Interior Department has reviewed them. You can view alternative ways to comment or you may also comment via Regulations.gov at https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FWS-HQ-MB-2024-0127-0055.
With the ospreys hatching and eaglets fledging, it is not an opportune time for me to take a break from writing the blog, but I need to step away for a few days. Toby’s ear infection has kept me busy and very tired, as he hasn’t been sleeping well. My garden desperately needs attention, and the work needs to be done immediately. We will return with all the news on Tuesday, May 27th. See you then. In the meantime, please take care!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, Heidi, PB’, Raptor Resource Project, Audubon, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Snow Lane Osprey Nest, with the Beaumont and Hope FB group, LOTL, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Baiba, Bluff City ETSU, Denton Homes, Wild Bucovina, Dyfi, LRWT, Llyn Clywedog, Terry Anita and Hancock Wildlife Foundation, Mark Avery’s 21 May Newsblast, Bozena Isla, Taja International, Mlade Buky, Smallwood, Dewey Beach
