Category Archives: red tail hawks

Monday in Bird World

16 June 2025

Hello Everyone!

Late news: Fortis Exshaw had their third osplet hatch!

We are creeping closer and closer to the first day of summer. It is marvellous to have the sun up early in the morning and light still in the garden at 2200. Winter will be here all too soon, and it will then be dark by 1630. These days we have the summer warmth with temperatures ranging during the day from 24-29 C. Coffee in the morning along with breakfast and lingering hours in the evening with our tea and Toby by our side are so enjoyable. It is a little too hot during the early afternoon.

This evening, we sat and watched the Starling parents feed their fledglings. All seven have survived, with another family of five arriving in the garden today. We have gone through so much kibble! They will begin to disperse in a fortnight, and I will miss them so much.

While the Blue Jay babies and the little Crows have yet to arrive, the behavior of the adult birds indicates that there are hungry mouths to feed in their nests. It’s incredibly rewarding to witness these birds flourishing and not having to compete for food. However, I can’t shake the desire to find a solution to bring fish back to the areas where many nests are faltering this year.

I have been working on this post on and off and I know that I have mentioned a few nests twice. Just consider it Double Happiness.

Today, ‘VV’ confirmed the disappointing news that no osprey chicks hatched on St. George’s Island, Maryland, this year, resulting in a staggering fifteen failed nests! The adults abandoned their nests with eggs in two weeks. A few of the adults have returned, but everyone is very disillusioned with no movement in Virginia to halt the overfishing of the Menhaden, which is essential for the lives of our ospreys.

I am deeply ashamed that a Canadian company is on the verge of driving ospreys to extinction in this region of the United States. The nationality of the company shouldn’t be a factor; what troubles me is the lack of a viable solution. Despite the hard work of many advocates raising awareness about this critical issue, Virginia politicians continue to turn a blind eye. Is it true that money can buy favours? Absolutely—short-term financial gain seems to overshadow the urgent need for environmental stewardship. We must demand better from our leaders!

At home, there is no shortage of food and love for all the animals, feathered or furred. Toby and Hugo Yugo are the closest of friends, even when it comes to sifting the cheese out of Toby’s kibble. (Don was a little enthusiastic about the amount and size! My son thought they were eating nachos.)

Back to the birds…

We have been discussing some questions that might arise if you have been watching a lot of the osprey nests this year.

  1. When do we start counting the age of the egg? The minute it is laid! When it emerges from the cloaca. There is no scientific basis for subtracting days, etc. due to delayed incubation. The age of the egg is from the minute it is laid.
  2. Can the second egg hatch before the first egg? Yes. Sometimes it isn’t easy to know which egg is which. In other cases, it is not. The markings on the osprey eggs can be quite distinctive, helping the observer recognise eggs 1, 2, and 3 easily from one another. The data that Heidi and I have kept indicate the following days related to hatch:

2023: This is the data for 342 eggs. If you can’t see it easily, the average time for hatch for the first egg laid is 38.8 days while that for egg 2 laid is 36.9 while egg 3 is 36.4 days.

2024: This is the data for 351 eggs. If you can’t see it easily, the average time for hatch for the first egg is 39.4 days, egg 2 is 37.4 days, and egg 3 is 36.1 with egg 4 at 36.0 days.

3. If the second egg hatches first, do you still call it ‘chick one’? Yes. The first chick to hatch, regardless of egg order, is chick one or the first hatch. This has happened at several nests, including the 2011 Dyfi Osprey Project nest. This is the chart from Tiger Mozone’s log for that season at Dyfi (imagicats):

Many of you know that I have a fondness for Blue 33. I also admire many of the male ospreys in the UK. One way to determine if an osprey pair is considered ‘successful’ is not only by the number of chicks they raise but also by the rate of second-year returnees. For example, Aran at Glaslyn, who was usurped this year by one of Idris’s sons, Teifi, has had three of his sons return to Wales this year. This is a remarkable achievement, and we should keep in mind that these are only the birds that have been seen on camera or photographed, as that’s the only evidence that counts for proving their existence.

There were lots of tributes to the great osprey dads!

Idris and Telyn’s chicks will be ringed this week and we will find out their names.

Latest news from the Cumbrian Wildlife Trust – home to the Foulshaw Moss ospreys.

Meet the neighbours_ our #FoulshawOspreys have company _ Cumbria Wildlife TrustDownload

Knepp Farm News!

News from KneppDownload

Been wondering what happened to the only GHO hatch for Bonnie and Clyde at Farmer Derek’s? Androcat caught up with Starri. https://youtu.be/B261Hw7-sic?

At Farmer Derek’s Bald Eagle Nest, Kanza returned home after fledging to a double fish meal. https://youtu.be/x-HOBz9SFIw?

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Nest: ‘MP’ sent shock waves through me when they wrote that the third egg had hatched at this nest. The chick has not been fed since it hatched (24 hours thus far). Attempts but Mum and chick are having trouble connecting. Fingers crossed.

Wetlands, NJ: Second hatch has died due to siblicide/starvation.

The trio at Saaksilvie #1 are doing great. They are in that terrible Reptilian phase. Hoping for three fledges!

At Saaksilvie #4, the trio are in the Reptilian phase. They seem to be doing well.

Saaksilvie nests 2 and 3 are vacant.

Taipalsaavi Osprey Platform, Finland: Two of the cutest fattest little bottom osplets.

We haven’t checked on the Royal Albatross chick for a long time. Baby fluff is disappearing. There are still 9-10 weeks before fledge. Here is the most recent weight check. https://youtu.be/y6XB3zjflNc?

Charlo Montana: A nice big fish came in for those babies.

Rutland Manton Bay: It is a nest full of osplets!

Dunrovin: ‘PB’ brings us the latest news.

I am sending some ‘old’ news. Heidi sent this for Thursday, and I missed it. The ages of the osplets will be wrong, but I want you to see her news, and we have sadly lost the Only Bob at Dahlgren as of Saturday. My apologies for missing this news. I love how Heidi puts the narrative in the image. She will also have a new report for today.

Heidi’s Report for Sunday, 15 June:

Two notes, one video link to Mispillion Harbor video, and six photos.

Dahlgren osprey nest:  On 6/14, both Helen and Doug were away from the nest leaving their only chick unprotected.  Sadly, the little 4-day-old baby was predated by a crow.

Happy Father’s Day to all the devoted osprey dads, especially to Warren at Mispillion Harbor.  Watch Warren doing his thing, feeding and protecting his family.  Here is “The Warren Waltz”  https://youtu.be/jToQbVm3838

Goitzsche-Wildnis, Germany: The Only Bob that survived the Red Kite attacks has grown big and strong. It is big enough that I believe the Red Kite cannot take it! Fingers crossed no one else comes calling. This is a beautiful osplet for Zeus and Fjona.

Eschenbach, Germany: Two lovely osplets.

Dunrovin Ranch: ‘PB’ reports that Winnie and Swoopie have their second hatch as of Sunday evening. Congratulations.

Charlo Montana: There are three. I really, really hope that Charlie gets a lot of fish on this nest!

Boulder County Fairgrounds: Two remaining Bobs with full crops on Saturday.

Trempeauleau Eagles: T3 is self-feeding and has a stash under the base of the tree. Smart eaglet!

Blithfield Reservoir, UK: Jeff Kear announced in UK Osprey Info FB that they have had a reliable source confirm three little osplets in the nest.

Clark PUD: Both Bobs appear to be in a food coma.

Pitkin County: The images speak for themselves. The largest chick eats first and the smaller goes into submission. Viewers were delighted on Saturday when the little one had a nice crop! The weather is very hot – approaching 90 F.

City of Independence: There are two Bobs in this nest. We can see their little heads pop up at 0842 for a feeding on Saturday. Soon they will be bigger and easier to view!

Gilestone Ospreys Usk Valley: Cogwyn doesn’t have to wait long for her mate Syfaddan to get a fish to their nest to feed their Only Bob. This chick is the first to hatch in 250 years in this Welsh Valley.

Santiam Canyon, Oregon: There are three Bobs. They have made it through the Reptilian Phase and are now getting those gorgeous juvenile feathers. The Santiam Canyon ospreys are located at the Santiam Canyon School District in Oregon. Specifically, they have nested in a football field light for the past two years and now have a permanent nesting platform nearby. This new platform was built in partnership with Pacific Power and other organizations to provide the ospreys with a safer home.

Salt Point: Orpheus and Ursula receive high praise for the care they give their three osplets.

Great Bay: Three osplets. The images show the difference in size and age. I get nervous. Fingers crossed.

VIMS, VA Institute of Marine Science: This says it all. No food. Menhaden taken for years by the Canadian company, Omega, out of Reedsville, VA. Virginia is the only state around the waters that does not have the three-mile protection limit. As a result, no food for the ospreys who have abandoned their nests along with fish hawks in neighbouring states.

WDNU: Female caught feeding the recently hatched chick on 1 June 2025. Two osprey chicks hatched on the WNDU studio tower in 2025. However, both chicks sadly passed away shortly after hatching. The osprey pair had laid three eggs, and two successfully hatched. 

This is a very unlucky nest. It is unclear why the chicks die each year shortly after hatching. The only chick to fledge in three years was Huey in 2023.

FOBBV: On Saturday, the entire family was at the nest. Sunny and Gizmo ate and spent time together. This miracle keeps on giving. Treasure it – when you feel low, remember that this year there were miracles. You are looking at them below. Jackie and Shadow make sure that their babies are fed in the nest or the pine. It is beautiful.

Denton Homes: They survived all the storms, the wind, the threat of tornadoes, the cold and sometimes the lack of food due to the weather. Just look at the trio.

San Jose City Hall Falcons: SK Hideaways checks in to see who is home. https://youtu.be/MjXHLrLbqEg?

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 15th June 2025
Another day where Louis delivered several fish, a contrast to this day last year when he was told off by Dorcha for arriving without fish and showing no inclination to go fishing. 

The start of his illness, although we didn’t know it at the time.. He brought four fish to the nest, all a good size, big and beefy, and candidates to be considered Silver Tourists rather than Brown Trout. In fact one of the fish contained a big surprise – a belly full of little fish! This bonus was snapped up by Dorcha as the chicks didn’t seem to be too keen, and their hugely distended crops shows how well they’ve been eating. Louis’ tally rises to one hundred and eighty eight, while over on Nest One, Garry LV0 brought one fish for Aurora 536, taking his tally to eighty nine. Although there were dry spells today, the weather forecast is for more rain and wind overnight with a low of 12

°C, continuing through tomorrow with a high of 16°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.37.08 (03.32.25); Nest Two 23.09.52 (03.51.37)
Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/XLkxcMgnrLU N2 Fish number one is a big silvery headless trout 05.56.58https://youtu.be/qKGEv6WQ4tQ N2 Louis delivers a second big silvery fish 13.26.31https://youtu.be/1uHKMsVgfjk N1 Garry LV0 finally delivers a fish for Aurora 14.28.29

https://youtu.be/UVotIUbtzMg N2 Louis delivers a monster fish and it has a bellyful of tiny fish! 17.50.51https://youtu.be/bB4kvztpDKM N2 Dorcha’s still busy with fish three so Louis takes fish four away 20.48.02 

Bonus blast from the past: Today’s fish full of fish is not the first time this has been caught on nest cam – thanks to PaulineC for finding Doddie JJ6 eating a fish, with a belly full of fish, in my archive:

https://youtu.be/wzmzLuDZqh8  21 July 2020

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/ntv71sF-N_s  N1 Simultaneous feeding – mum and dad each feed a bob! 2019

https://youtu.be/1RzPgaEWMr0  N1 Limbo dancing 2020

https://youtu.be/PvklkJGfZIc  N1 Home alone chicks amuse themselves 2020

https://youtu.be/J8geReKxLxc  N1 Mumbrella Aila does her best to shelter the chicks 2020

https://youtu.be/FJYbKk1hA-4  N1 A Jay visits the empty nest 2021

https://youtu.be/tsAAz0z9Ac8  N2 Hooded Crow intrudes and perches on the nest 2022

https://youtu.be/k6W6PKYMMYQ  N2 Chicks battle it out as soon as mum leaves 2022

https://youtu.be/LTMLWBLOZnY  N1 LV0 just won’t get the message 2023

https://youtu.be/hFbYpDjHeyI  N1 Affric reaffirms her bond with Prince 2023

https://youtu.be/yvMLAjhrNaA  N2 Hangry chick attacks Dorcha 2023 (quick-time)

https://youtu.be/2hIydufKS3I Fish number one, headless trout, C1 gets it all 2024

https://youtu.be/FlvoO8n_ZAk  Dorcha: from menace with a stick to brilliant mumbrella 2024

https://youtu.be/OiKvZO7vkTU Louis finally arrives but he’s fishless! Dorcha can’t believe it 2024

Why not come and join the lively community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s friendly, free and everyone’s welcome:

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

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 14th June 2025

Plenty of fish again today, Louis brought four fish including a late night fish which he had to take away again as his family were too full to bother with it, and his tally rises to one hundred and eighty four. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 brought two fish for Aurora 536, taking his tally to eighty eight, but disappointed her tonight when he arrived with a piece of bark instead of a third fish. Dorcha was startled by a songbird, the size difference is striking, and the Great Tit was equally startled by big Dorcha and left very quickly. All was peaceful today and there wasn’t any fighting between the chicks, and they did a little nest tidying and experimental nibbling at fish while mum was dishing out. The weather was mainly settled today with some rain but there’ll be more rain and wind overnight with a low of 11°C, continuing through tomorrow, with the possibility of sunny intervals and a high of 16°C.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.49.37 (02.44.46); Nest Two 23.10.14 (04.02.00)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/LptdCIh0i2Y N2 Louis delivers a very early fish with night cam still on 03.38.39

https://youtu.be/Yi4Nj3KMsb8 N2 Dorcha is startled by a songbird: the size difference is striking 06.22.59 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/0LhS8ZtGAak N2 The chicks help mum with nest tidying, one does a spot of whittling 09.41.58

https://youtu.be/jhmn2mfnPUY N1 Aurora jumps down from her perch ready to grab the first fish 10.49.23

https://youtu.be/8QUMSzhLiO4 N2 A huge second fish arrives – the chicks have a nibble 11.55.01

https://youtu.be/yeKK1a8IFBA N1 Garry brings a second fish for Aurora and stays to tidy the nest 17.38.31

https://youtu.be/XQ_1oY9y0Lg N2 Although the chicks have bulging crops they tuck in to the third fish 18.53.12

https://youtu.be/QpFug8PNXJA N1 Garry and Aurora spent a little time on the nest but she wants fish 21.51.19

https://youtu.be/8wE4v6xm67E N2 Louis brings a late 4th fish: no one wants it so he takes it away 22.49.34 (zoom)

Bonus guide to Osprey eyesight (thanks Dyfi and LizB):

https://www.dyfiospreyproject.com/facts-about-osprey-eyes

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/Exn19098zow N1 First self-feeding – big bob helps herself 2019

https://youtu.be/vat-pks8C0o N1 Good luck getting those growing bobs settled for the night! 2020

https://youtu.be/Er_He7M1Z_s  N1 Tawny Owl returns and strikes Aila 2020 (slo-mo)

https://youtu.be/KaaAklC7VMY  N2 When mum’s away, the chicks do play – not very nicely! 2022

https://youtu.be/owboya14Psw  N2 Bob2 gets a really good dinner as Bob1 is finally full! 2022

https://youtu.be/FreDgrNdCn4  N2 Bob1 dominates bob2 when Dorcha goes flyabout 2022

https://youtu.be/bony4Vt5TEw  N2 Little bird visits, so tiny Dorcha doesn’t notice 2023 (slo-mo zoom)

https://youtu.be/BecclFVDPAw  N2 Fish number one, chick has a go at self-feeding 2023

https://youtu.be/tOd-hoc2Cxo  N1 High drama: rivals Prince & LVO both bring gifts 2023 (slo-mo zoom)

https://youtu.be/R-32UJt7tBY  N2 Dorcha takes a direct hit! 2023 (Classic Ospreys: Tchaikovsky)

https://youtu.be/cgcWVSNAr4k N2 Dad’s turn to get hit! Equal opportunity squirter 2023

https://youtu.be/xL0saakThcE N2 Fish number two today, number 200 for the season! 2024

https://youtu.be/7J_4iIlHbGE  N2 Fish number three, chicks are calm and queue up with no aggro 12024

https://youtu.be/pDQXzJzcvDw  N2 Oops! Dorcha gets decorated 2024

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

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

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 13th June 2025
Plenty of fish today, with Garry LV0 bringing two for Aurora 536, and Louis delivering three for Dorcha and the two chicks. Their respective tallies rise to eighty six (Garry) and one hundred and eighty (Louis), although as the missing footage during yesterday’s outage wasn’t retrievable as hoped, their tallies are probably higher. Aurora decided to pay a visit to the Nest Two area, and was chased away by Louis, who kept hold of the fish in his talons throughout the chase and brought it to the nest shortly afterwards. Dorcha decided to do some decorating with moss and sticks, but instead of decorating the nest, she decorated the chicks instead. Both of the two 

surviving chicks are developing nicely and both have well-filled crops. The forecast is 

partly cloudy and light winds overnight with a low of 10°C, continuing tomorrow with light rain, light winds and a high of 16

°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.43.32 (03.17.31); Nest Two 23.25.19 (04.05.13)Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/8ygNdz9hreQ N2 Fish number one, whole medium trout 06.39.21 

https://youtu.be/1th9_-SSf6M N1  Fish number one, headless trout 07.56.54

https://youtu.be/9txqWmPu9OA N2 Two Ospreys do a flyby of the nest, Dorcha is furious 09.19.28 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/SUB7zBX8NsA N2 Fish number two, headless trout 09.52.07 

https://youtu.be/j5WGjP4SooA N1 Fish number two, headless trout 14.36.30

https://youtu.be/6UHho_Lwt5k N2 Dorcha decorates the chicks 14.41.20 (quick-time)

https://youtu.be/IY1_t_Wf3yA N2 Fish number three, whole Silver Tourist 19.37.58 

Bonus read – Riverscapes Partnership, of which Woodland Trust is a member, advocates developing a countrywide waterway system: 

Making Space for Rivers calls for national river corridor network

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/Oec9yfsqzI8  N1 Dad breaks up a fight (2019)

https://youtu.be/7h8o4P1BjOc  N1 Toy-like deer graze near the nest (2020)

https://youtu.be/CmnoKwCdweU  N1 Crashing and bashing: mum creates chaos (2020)

https://youtu.be/RownqjRW6Hg N2 First fish arrives in the dark (2022)

https://youtu.be/qmnWqyl9Nrw  N2 The two surviving chicks enjoy a good feed (2022)

https://youtu.be/sgCSDSOspIs  N2 Chicks take lumps out of each other until mum returns with a stick (2022)

https://youtu.be/QNDrgxWxl6M  N1 LV0 attempts mating and is rejected again Nest One 2023

https://youtu.be/BnWHTwPBiX4  N2 Chick helps sort out the cot rails 2023

https://youtu.be/xCx56MCLBJw N2 Crash bang wallop! Dorcha lands on the chick 2023

https://youtu.be/n0Ev_HsN01M N1 More rejected mating attempts 2023

https://youtu.be/ijeXkzHe_Ew N2 Tawny Owl attack 2024 (super slo-mo)

https://youtu.be/jppiOHQt_ZI  N2 Louis sticks around doing housework after delivering fish two 2024

https://youtu.be/Xvulvoc7oZU N1 A pair of Redpolls (Carduelis Flammea) flit around 2024

https://youtu.be/l2NfkpeONbw N1 Garry LV0 pops in for a quick visit 2024

https://youtu.be/-KeC7f16UvI N2 Fish number five, whole trout, C3 asserts itself and gets some 2024

Why not come and join the lively community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s friendly, free and everyone’s welcome:

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

Dyfi Osprey Project: It is terrific to see Telyn waiting and trusting Idris to get those fish on the nest for the trio. Idris never fails!

Birds of Poole Harbour: Blue 022 keeps the fish coming for the four on the Poole Harbour nest. CJ7 waits in anticipation just like Telyn! Tiny Little Bob, #4, is doing fantastic. He has a fat little bottom. There he is sleeping at the feet of Mum, CJ7.

Llyn Clywedog: It was not a good Saturday at the nest of Dylan and Seren. The rain came down. Seren kept the big Bobs as dry as she could. Dylan came in with a small Brown Trout around 1504. The chicks could be heard calling for food earlier. It looks like Dylan is feeding Seren so she can feed each Bob.

Glaslyn: So sad to see the nest without chicks this year.

Rutland Manton Bay: Maya is waiting for Blue 33. He doesn’t fail to deliver! All four chicks are doing very well, even with a delivery of a floppy fish!

Kurzeme Osprey Nest of Selga and Svings, Latvia: We have one osplet. Eggs were laid on April 23, 26, and 29. One egg was broken when an intruder came to the nest on 24 May. The Only Bob hatched on June 1. They are doing fine.

Wondering what that Stellar’s Sea Eagle has been up to?

A new osprey nest for you with three babies: Orihula, Wisconsin about 20 miles from Oshkosh or Freemont. There are three and there is an age difference. I want to be hopeful that little three will survive. It does get bonked so watch with some caution. Here is the nest information followed by the link to the streaming cam.

“The Orihula Osprey started in Orihula in 2016 when two osprey built a nest on a power pole nearby. The nest got knocked down and a nesting pole was then installed for them to lay eggs and raise baby chicks on. Since then they have been coming back every year. The names Cliff and Judy were picked for the birds this year to honor the legacy of Cliff and Judy Hahn as they were very well known and loved in the Orihula community. The male bird has a neck with more yellow feathers on it and band that has the number f24. He was banded in 2016 a few miles away in Weyauwega as a chick that year. We are not sure where the female is from but her neck is completely white and has no bands. Typically the birds come back around the first week of April and lay eggs middle to the end of April. Once the eggs are laid the mother or father will stay there 24/7 until the eggs have hatched in late May/early June. The chicks will continue to grow very rapidly from their parents feeding them from the Ospey’s fish diet. Cliff will bring fish back to the nest for Judy to feed and Cliff will then sit on the eggs until she is finished. He will also bring back fish for the chicks and Judy will then feed it to the chicks in pieces. Currently there is one egg that was laid around 5:30 a.m. April 20th, an Easter egg surprise! Egg number 2 was laid Wednesday April 23rd at 12:30 am, and Egg number 3 was laid Friday April 25th at 5:59 pm. Updates will continue to be posted with egg count and when they have hatched. You are able to zoom in on the live stream to better see the birds or eggs as well. Feel free to comment any suggestions or any other cool things that you may see while watching!”

https://www.youtube.com/live/JgPN0nlj-QA?si=NvG5wP80v8gQ_8xk

‘TU’ sends us news that Urmas is busy with the fish baskets for Kergu and his Blackstork Mate in Estonia. They write, “Urmas helps Kergu and Kerli to feed their chicks. ESTONIA nest in Pärnu County #Kerli + #Kergu + 3 chicks “A fish basket was installed on 07.june to the place where Kerli was caught last year. Next day she was already feeding there.” – info shared by our Madli Allsoo 🌹

‘A’ writes with some news on the upcoming Australian season and other things: “Thanks to you, I have discovered Bruce and Naha and their three osplets at Seaside in Florida, and what an adorable family they are. Bruce is a great fisher and all-round good dad – he and Naha did a dual feeding on Sunday afternoon. Too cute. No bonking amongst the siblings and Little Bob has no fear of its larger siblings (known as ‘the twins’). Naha is, like most female ospreys, extremely vocal when it comes to demanding fish. Poor Bruce is nagged off the nest – he dives a metre underwater to shut out the sound of Naha’s shrill fish-calling. Catching a fish down there is just a bonus!

But the three osplets are such cuties. I have to say I have only forced myself to watch ospreys because of you and your passion for them. It has taken me some time to truly warm to the species, but I think I am there now. Of course Iris had a lot to do with winning me over. It’s hard not to be won over by Iris, and of course Finnegan was SUCH a darling. I am sad to think of what has happened to Finn. I am probably anthropomorphising here, but I believe that he would have returned to Iris had he been able to do so. The fact that he didn’t leads me to the awful conclusion that he ran afoul of the bird gods on his migration. But I won’t stop hoping that he may return next season. We never know. It is amazing that Iris is again being courted by a much younger bird. Our queen really does have a very attractive piece of territory and I suspect she could probably hang onto it by herself if she had to, but at nearly 30, we don’t want her to have to, so it’s nice that she has suitors to keep Louis at bay and an eye on Iris. 

The Australian season approacheth and we are watching Diamond and Xavier courting. TThe bringing of food gifts is a year-round ritual at Orange. Madame Diamond is a demanding lady. Of course Collins Street is an annual source of frustration, with no cameras until we have at least an egg or two in the scrape. We have no idea whether or not a pair is even using the scrape this season, and if so, whether or not they are the same birds as last year and which end of the ledge they are using. We will have to wait to find out any of those things. 

Port Lincoln, of course, has become a much less stressful watch since the advent of the fish fairy. It is a strange nest, with uncertainty regarding dad’s identity and the possibility of some sort of neurological disorder with whichever dad owned the nest the season before last. It’s like a new adventure at that nest every year.

We have had some hopeful sightings on the Parramatta River over the past couple of months, with a juvenile WBSE sighted catching fish around the island. We have to at least consider the possibility that this is a past fledgling from the Olympic Park nest. Oh how I hope so. This is yet another circumstance in which we wish they had some sort of tracker or at least a Darvic ring or something to give us an idea of the longer-term survival rate and dispersal range of these sea eaglets. I wish I knew why it wasn’t being done. With any of our Australian raptors apart from the Port Lincoln osprey fledglings. And of course the same applies to the falcons. “

Closing with one of the most wonderful raptor nests – Cornell’s Fernow Tower Red-tail Hawk nest of Big Red and Arthur! Just look at the Os – . Big Red still feeds them even though they can self-feed, and they are exploring the flight landing for fledgling. It will come sooner than we want. Count the dark lines on the tails. We would like to have 6 (but often they fly with 5).

I am counting four dark bands. We have some more time with these two cuties.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Your presence and insights are always invaluable. I sincerely apologise for my delayed responses. The garden is flourishing, but it requires far more time and attention than I ever expected. Sadly, the osplets are dying in so many nests, and I find it increasingly challenging to keep pace with the overwhelming situation. I am actively seeking a prominent figure to help raise awareness about the extinction of these magnificent birds in the Chesapeake Bay area. It’s truly devastating. They are in serious decline.

Everyone at our home and in our garden wishes you and yours a lovely week, full of happy birdsong.

Thank you to the great folks that send me nest summaries or news – ‘A, Geemeff, Heidi, MP, PB, Tiger Mozone, TU, VV’. I also want to thank those who created the videos included in this posting: SK Hideaways, Cornell Bird Lab, and all the owners of the streaming cams indicated in bold. I would also like to thank the English Forum on Looduskalender for their news on the Latvian Osprey nest and Bruce Mactavish for his post on the Steller’s Eagle in Newfoundland as well as Jeff Kear and the UK Osprey Information FB Group! All of these wonderful people are brilliant and generously share any osprey news they find.

Betty Lou Fledges…Friday in Bird World

30 May 2025

Good Morning Everyone,

The highlight of Thursday was the fledge of Betty Lou, chick of Jak and Audacity, at 76 days. Oh, she had been doing some incredible hovering on Wednesday.

Nestflix Memories caught that fledge! (I wonder if Jak and/or Audacity saw their miracle chick fly for the first time?). https://youtu.be/k1egvndhupg?s

Betty Lou likes the pine tree branches!

She returned to the nest and grateful parents Jak and Audacity presented their fledgling with a whole fish, which she devoured! There was a lot of squeeing…check it out on the live webcam.

If that wasn’t enough, ‘PB’ sent me the message by Pat Burke that all three of the Duke Farm’s eaglets fledged one after the other on Thursday. Amazing!

We are just waiting for Sunny and Gizmo and the San Jose Falcons and we are just sitting on pins and needles.

One of the incredible stories of this year has been the Tweed Valley nest where two females with a single male laid their eggs. All along the two females have supported themselves, sharing fish, and tending to the eggs. The male hasn’t been around the nest for many days (but seen in the area). The females have taken turns fishing and sharing their fish. They have each cared for and fed, together or separately, the two chicks that have hatched.

You will need to join their FB group to see the video but here is a screen capture.

This may well be the year that we see females rise to the occasion and raise chicks alone – White Rock, Tempeauleau, and Tweed are three that come to mind. Can you think of others?

The garden has been busy! The Baltimore Orioles have arrived along with a host of different Warblers, to the garden! The birdsong is phenomenal. We have made a little nook to sit with Toby, and it is like being in the middle of a jungle surrounded by birds.

I sincerely appreciate your understanding and the wonderfully supportive letters I have received. Choosing to reduce the frequency of my posts from Bird World was a tough decision, but it is essential for my family’s well-being at this time. I am committed to creating Bird World updates that not only educate and inform but also keep you connected to the happenings in the nests. I truly hope you find the content I share valuable and enjoyable!

The weather in Winnipeg has been warm and sunny. In the north and east of my province, large wildfires are raging. The Province has declared a province-wide emergency. People from larger towns that are threatened with being burned to the ground are being evacuated to Winnipeg. The smoke has coloured the sky, and many people are having health difficulties due to it.

Just one image of hundreds showing Flin Flon, Manitoba. The entire town has been evacuated. (Someone flew a drone and the water cannon aircraft could not fly setting off this catastrophe!).

IIn Norway House, the only highway access in or out is on fire. This is just one of the many fires burning in the northern and eastern parts of my province. We are okay for now, aside from the smoke. Our thoughts are with everyone affected, including all the wildlife in the forests that were once their home but are now ablaze.n Norway House, the only highway access in or out is on fire. These are only two of the numerous fires burning in the north and east of my province. We are alright except for the smoke. Our thoughts are of course with every breathing soul including all of the wildlife in the forests that was once their home and is now blazing.

This is the current fire danger map for Canada. We need some of that rain that has been plaguing our raptor nests.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who reached out to check on us after hearing about the wildfire conditions in our area. Your concern means the world to me and truly showcases the strength of our community. The dry conditions are quite alarming, but there’s hope on the horizon as the forecast indicates a couple of days of rain next week.

In the meantime, I’m grateful to have Toby and Don by my side, helping to keep the garden containers watered. Our dried peas and beans are beginning to sprout, which is an exciting sign! We experimented with cayenne pepper around each planter box, but the squirrels have completely ignored it in search of cozy spots to stash their peanuts. Dyson and I definitely need to have a chat about their antics!

I’m optimistic that in a few weeks, I’ll have some stunning photos to share of our thriving climbing peas and beans, so let’s keep our fingers crossed! Meanwhile, the lilacs continue to bloom magnificently. We’ve discovered a charming, shady spot for a couple of chairs and a small table, the perfect setting to enjoy our coffee with Toby. It’s such a joy that he is now trained to go outside. Sitting there, listening to the cheerful birdsong and surrounded by the delightful fragrance of blooming flowers, truly elevates our moment of tranquillity together.

The view of some of the lilacs, the crabapple tree, and the trees at the back from inside the sitting room. This entire space is full of birds singing. It is wild. Nothing controlled by humans here, just the way the birds like it! And the rabbits, the raccoon, and the squirrels. What about those deer that visit?

One type is so gorgeous.

I’m truly relishing every moment spent outdoors. Tonight we played a captivating game of ‘Miss Marple.’ After finishing his late meal, Brock piqued our curiosity, prompting us to follow him and, perhaps, uncover his current living situation. To our surprise, he appears to be residing under the deck of a house just half a block away. This could be an ideal shelter for him, except for one drawback: he must cross the street to access our feeder.

I hope you’ve had some time to reflect on the incredible rescue at the osprey nest in Western Maryland Shore Old Town Home. How many times did we urge people to remove some of the osplets from nests around the Chesapeake Bay when food was scarce in 2024 due to the overfishing of Menhaden, the primary food of ospreys, in the Chesapeake Bay by a Canadian company, Omega? Many of you yelled at your screens when help did not come to the osplet at Colonial Bay. Of course, there were at least another hundred nests in the same situation.

It is unclear whether or not the rehabilitation of the third hatch at Old Town Home will be successful. These are some things to consider:

Young ospreys in rehabilitation have variable outcomes, depending on the severity and nature of their injuries or circumstances, as well as the quality of rehabilitation provided. While some ospreys, such as those with leg injuries, can recover and return to the wild, others may face challenges with feeding and development, which can impact their long-term survival. 

Factors Influencing Osprey Rehabilitation Success:

  • Injury or Condition:The type and severity of the injury or condition will significantly influence the likelihood of successful rehabilitation. 
  • Age and Developmental Stage:Young ospreys are particularly vulnerable and rely heavily on parental care for essential skills like hunting and flying. 
  • Access to Food and Water:Providing the right diet and ensuring proper hydration is crucial, especially for young ospreys who may not eat well in captivity. 
  • Rehabilitation Techniques:Some rehabilitation centers use innovative approaches like introducing juvenile ospreys to the concept of fish from the water through supervised practice. 
  • Release Strategies:Successful release often requires careful planning, considering factors like the bird’s physical condition and the availability of suitable habitat. 

Examples of Successful Rehabilitation:

  • Ospreys with leg injuries that regain function and are successfully released back into the wild. 
  • Young ospreys rescued from entanglements that are rehabilitated and released.
  • Ospreys that are re-nested in new nests after being rescued. 

Challenges in Osprey Rehabilitation:

  • Difficulty with Feeding:Ospreys can be notoriously difficult to feed in captivity, and some may not eat at all, making it challenging to rehabilitate and release them. 
  • Developmental Delays:If young ospreys are not properly cared for and lack parental guidance, they may develop delayed or incomplete hunting skills. 
  • Entanglements and Other Threats:Ospreys can be entangled in fishing nets, twine, and other materials, potentially leading to injuries or death. 

The third hatch at Maryland Western Shore was quite tiny and young. It had a head injury and could have had other internal injuries caused by the male stepping on its body. It was also denied food but had a large crop when removed from the nest. Looking forward to updates with the hope that this little one is another miracle of 2025.

Sadly, on Wednesday, there was some concern for the middle hatch at Maryland’s Western Shore. It has died of hypothermia. Thanks, ‘PB’, for keeping me informed of the situation.

Weather and lack of fish have plagued the osprey nests in the Chesapeake Bay area for the past few years. It is taking its toll this year. I wonder how many osprey nests will fledge their own clutch this year?

Some interesting spring migration counts and news is coming out of Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania. “Count coordinator David Barber summed the season up as follows: The count ended on a low note with three days of fog and rain. The last official migrant of the 2025 count was an unidentified raptor on the afternoon of May 12. Trainees, staff, and volunteers counted 220 hours over 38 days. The total count of 1,271 birds was 30% above the 10-year average of 980 and was the fourth highest spring count recorded at Hawk Mountain. The high day was April 18 with 581 birds including 2 turkey vultures, 6 ospreys, 3 bald eagles, 6 northern harriers, 1 sharp-shinned hawk, 12 Cooper’s hawks, a season high 542 broad-winged hawks, 5 red-tailed hawks, 3 American kestrels, and 1 merlin. The broad-winged hawks count of 885 was 71% above the 10-year average and a new record high! The count of 33 northern harriers was 61% above average and the highest count since 2013. Counts of Cooper’s hawks, American goshawk, and American kestrels also were above average, whereas counts of black vultures, turkey vultures, ospreys, sharp-shinned hawks, red-shouldered hawks, and red-tailed hawks were below average. All other species had average counts this year.”

Migration eUpdate Spring 2025 Wrap UpDownload

White Rock, British Columbia: The single Mum, together with a generous fish fairy, is keeping the two eaglets alive. I don’t think anyone would have believed that these two would live to get their thermal down, and if you look closely, you will see some feathers coming through!

Kielder Forest: The first hatch at nest 1A for parents W6 and KF13. The latest post from KF also reads, “The weather has been very poor since Saturday with strong winds and rain at times. The parents on Nest 7 have been doing a wonderful job balancing sheltering with feeding their three chicks.

Although there is rain in the forecast for Kielder Forest it should be mainly just showers with less wind and warmer temperatures.”

Well, by Thursday all three eggs had hatched at Kielder Forest. Congratulations!

FOBBV: By the time this is posted, I expect that both Sunny and Gizmo will have fledged. (more below)

Sauces Canyon: Betty Lou is ready to take to the skies, too. And as reported above, she did just that! https://youtu.be/8bsdSUkulpY?

White Rock Eagles: The two raised by the single Mum are doing fine. Thanks, fish fairy, for lending a hand and some fish!

Ely Cathedral Falcon scrape: Two eyasses this year as one of the eggs did not hatch.

Birds of Poole Harbour: An update by BoPH for us on this year’s happenings. (more below)

Osprey Webcam 2025 Update – Birds of Poole HarbourDownload

Glaslyn: It appears that it is now official. Five-year-old Teifi, the son of Idris and Telyn from the Dyfi platform, has now taken over the lead male role at Glaslyn. Aran continues to be seen in the region.

Dyfi: Idris and Telyn feeding their clutch as high winds make their way through the valley. Check out the cows below.

Birds of Poole Harbour: CJ7 and Blue 022 now have four osplets in the nest as of Thursday. The 4th hatch has already had its first fish meal.

Llyn Clywedog: The miserable weather has the two hatches of Dylan and Seren beaking one another. Let’s hope that cold and wet clears up.

Foulshaw Moss: White YW and Blue 35 are doing a good job with their three.

Trempeauleau: Mum doing a great job – all alone!

Denton Homes: The nest has dried out and we are just waiting for these three beauties to branch.

Little Miami Conservancy: Two beauties. Like the others getting ready to branch.

Cardinal Land Conservancy: These two are so ready to fly.

Cornell Red Tail Hawks: O1 and O2 are standing, walking around, and getting their beautiful juvenile feathers. Both are doing exceptionally well as we would expect with parents Big Red and Arthur. Big Red is still staying with her babies at night.

Hellgate Canyon: NG has been fighting intruders at the nest over the last days. Iris has also been coming around.

San Jose City Hall: They are ready to go. Will they take off at the same time? Like Duke Farms? (Thanks, PB, for the screen capture.)

Big Bear Valley: Jackie, Shadow, Sunny, and Gizmo were all together on the nest Thursday evening. What a beautiful family. This could be one of the last images of the four on the nest, as fledging can happen at any second.

SK Hideaways caught some of the action at Big Bear: https://youtu.be/io-MSVvvUWQ?

Patuxent River Park 2: All three chicks have perished while the camera was down for a week. Cause unknown.

Moraine State Park:

Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home: The only surviving chick of three with a big crop on Thursday.

Loch Arkaig: The latest from Geemeff on what is happening at Loch Arkaig!

Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 29th May 2025
Today was all about fish – plenty on Nest Two but none on Nest One. Garry LV0 did turn up where Aurora 536 had been waiting for hours – she wanted fish, he wanted to mate, and neither got their wish. This is day six of thirteen without fish, his tally is becoming slightly meaningless and remains at sixty six. Louis on the other hand is performing magnificently and delivered another five today, and as Steve’s stats show, he’s Mr Consistency as it was the same as this day last year. His tally shoots up to one hundred and twenty two. Although it appeared bob3 didn’t have much, it must be remembered that being so much smaller than the other two means needing less food, and Dorcha did take care to include all three chicks when sharing out the food. It rained today as forecast but there were breaks in the weather. The forecast is light rain showers and light winds with a low of 11°C  tonight, and light rain showers and a gentle breeze tomorrow morning, clearing in the afternoon with a high of 17°C.Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.33.57 (03.40.51); Nest Two 22.43.36 (04.03.43)
Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/1gX2u2eGvIE N2 A chick nutmegs Dorcha with a squirt! 10.00.58https://youtu.be/yZEt_-fipSU  N2 Breakfast is very late because dad’s eaten most of it! 10.09.55https://youtu.be/uJJIn3vt96o  N2 All three chicks get some of fish two 15.43.44https://youtu.be/wsqyBae4VAo N1 Aurora wants fish, Garry wants to mate, neither succeeds 16.43.03https://youtu.be/M7avkNa__fw  N2 Fish number three is finished quickly but bob3 does get some 18.53.49https://youtu.be/za_qjIHMpaU N2 Dorcha blocks the view of fish four being shared out 21.07.49  https://youtu.be/GMtWeYvN1_4  N2 Fish number five arrives – will there be another today?  22.14.10
Bonus guide – when is a wood not a wood? When it is a forest!http://woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2024/12/difference-between-wood-and-forest/

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/JrHUpXY-a7c  N1 First chick has arrived! Happy birthday Doddie-to-be 2020

https://youtu.be/gOLg_bK_xP0  N1 First look at his chick for Louis 2020

https://youtu.be/8s40lObbaYA  N1 First really good look, and a magic moment with mum 2020

https://youtu.be/oMbnjRm-XpA  N1 First squirt just misses Aila’s fish supper 2020

https://youtu.be/OmRsqDDynoY N2 Dorcha goes for a quick comfort break, no pip visible 2022

https://youtu.be/7BLSruxJFzE   N1 Affric (Blue 152) and Prince? on Nest One 2023 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/KBZ2QR7ya5Q  N1 Louis does a bit of nestorising 2023

https://youtu.be/wKZuLPNZEOI  N2 A close up look at the eggs – is that a pip? 2023 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/3PgLtnW4E7I N2 Rock chick song and dance 2024 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/XQA-9K4Tu90  N2 Fish number two, small whole trout, all the bobs get some 2024

https://youtu.be/UJaqA0uIc_I  N2 Louis and Dorcha have a chat 2024

https://youtu.be/RSx0V5DBRHA  N2 Bob3 starts a fight then leaves bobs1&2 to get on with it 2024

https://youtu.be/VrWzAVSrBHw  N2 Lovebirds – Dorcha gives Louis a hug 2024

https://youtu.be/38GAjtlL70M  N2 Fish number five arrives in a sunset glow 2024

Why not come and join the lively community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s friendly, free and everyone’s welcome:

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

‘A’ shares a few of her thoughts: “Did you see Mrs T brought in a huge bouquet of flowers to the Trempeauleau Eagles nest this afternoon (29 May)? I’ve never seen that before. T3 had a bit of a nibble. Mr T hasn’t stolen a fish from this nest for several days now – we hope his other nest is doing as well as this one is. 

And the hawklets at Cornell are doing well, although the younger one is still much smaller than its sibling. Plus, I thought you might like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxbrs5MplyA

Isn’t Mama kestrel gorgeous? And those hungry chicks! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGPOAL5fUZU

And Betty Lou is a wonderful outcome for a nest that has seen so much heartbreaking disappointment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbNysUP8how Such a happy family. Well done Jaks and Audacity. Perseverance pays off for darling Audacity, whose determination has made her one of my favourites as you know! I do hope her bone density is not compromised by all those fragile eggs she kept laying. 

And Jackie and Shadow are watching their pair preparing to leave the nest. Both Sunny and Gizmo are looking fabulous. It really has been a mixed season – great success for some nests and tragedy for others, including the RTHs at Cornell, usually a nest that never loses a chick.”

And than you to ‘L’ who had a Cooper’s Hawk visit their birdbath in South Carolina reminding all of us that water is essential for the birds – please put out some bowls!

Calico’s Tip for the Week: Get your legs moving! You don’t need to hit the daunting target of 10,000 steps every day; studies have shown that just 4,000 steps can keep you healthy and active. It’s crucial to maintain strength and muscle in our legs. As a wise surgeon once told my mother after her hip replacement, “If you don’t use them, you will lose them.”

This past winter, we relied on a stationary bike because the icy sidewalks made walking outside too risky. To avoid falls, we opted to stay indoors, venturing out only for short walks at places like The Leaf and IKEA.

Now that summer is here, we’re excited to take Toby out in his stroller for our walks. In just five weeks, once Toby has completed his vaccination series, we’ll be ready to let him explore on his leash, helping him maintain his fit and energetic puppy figure. Let’s stay active and enjoy the great outdoors!

The New York Times has some ideas on how to get walking.

Well 4 ways to trick yourself into taking a walkDownload

Thank you so much for being with us today. We will see you on Monday. Take care.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, Geemeff, L, PB’, Nestflix Memories, Pat Burke, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, Streetheart, Chesapeake Mermaid, Maryland Western Shore, Hawk Mountain, White Rock Eagles Community FB, Birds of Poole Harbour, Gywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, Llyn Clywedog, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Trempeauleau Eagle Cam, Denton Homes, Little Miami Conservancy, Cardinal Land Conservancy, Cornell Bird Lab Red-tail Hawk Cam and Hellgate Canyon, Big Bear Valley, Popular Science, IWS/Explore, Accuweather, Moraine State Park, Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home, SK Hideaways, The New York Times, Laura Rose and Trempeauleau Eagles, UK Osprey Info FB

Tuesday in Bird World

27 May 2025

Good Morning,

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.

Her name was Malena. https://youtu.be/sXMfbY8CawY?

Another video by Unity: https://youtu.be/b3Sb3-u4vAk?

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.

Video of Urmas removing the storklets: https://youtu.be/oCJd5RLfN6M?

Video of storklets being fed by by humans and mechanical storks: https://youtu.be/3-Jf2gTlvbQ?

Video of Urmas placing Bonus on the nest of Karl II and Kaia: https://youtu.be/UrFLFPbDGZk?

Video of Karl II feeding his storklets and Bonus: https://youtu.be/JKU6H1NH85E?

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:

🐣 17th May at 16:22 (38.1 days)

🐣🐣  18th May at 13:15 (36.0 days)

🐣🐣🐣 21st May at 15:29 (36.0 days)

Three Chicks Hatch – Including Bobby Bach (Eventually) _ Dyfi Osprey ProjectDownload

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 this single-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

https://youtu.be/Rb60Etc3cw0 N1 Aurora calls for fish but Garry has other ideas! 10.25.19https://youtu.be/nC9LVBEwMcg N2 Dorcha tries and fails to stop Louis taking a fish 11.40.42

https://youtu.be/43o1eD2kI3I  N2 Louis steals the fish but Dorcha makes him return it 13.57.46

https://youtu.be/2FqE3EXsIwY N2 Dorcha watches as two Ospreys chase each other 14.41.05 (zoom / slo-mo repeat)

https://youtu.be/QrzNvjRaZWU N2 Louis delivers a fresh flapping fish supper 19.44.59

Bonus – fancy solving a puzzle? Loch Arkaig jigsaw puzzle featuring Louis & Dorcha is on sale:

https://shop.woodlandtrust.org.uk/woodland-trust-loch-arkaig-osprey-jigsaw

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/j2zFGdLHFfI  N1 What spooks Aila? 2019

https://youtu.be/OtayWPtR_fo N1 Aila repels an intruder Osprey 2020 (real-time)

https://youtu.be/Ocm48b6Os7s N1 Same intrusion in slo-mo 2020

https://youtu.be/dedcBVUI0dQ N1 Tug of fish: Let go, Louis! 2020

https://youtu.be/AYQ–hL3MLU N1 A Jay visits 2023

https://youtu.be/EJXmdCL0D2g N2 Dorcha has breakfast while Louis does the housework 2023https://youtu.be/qgZZjeA6M5U   N2 Fish number three, headless trout – bobs are home alone 2024https://youtu.be/CMBJis-X6UQ  N2 No one wants fish number four so Louis takes it away 2024

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

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

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:

https://youtu.be/NyeaPABkHboN2 Welcome little bob2 – second chick is here! 02.58.07

https://youtu.be/Oij43i5RvqQN2 Fish number one – bob2’s first feed 04.56.58

https://youtu.be/Nsf3B2QYrC8 N1 After yesterday’s no-show, Aurora’s glad to see Garry with fish 

09.35.23

https://youtu.be/Lr0bAPHnRHY N2 Dad brings a second fish and mum feeds the bobs 13.00.47

https://youtu.be/f2aHh2WdLOA N2 Dorcha would like to feed the chicks but unusually Louis is sitting on them ! 15.19.36

Bonus advice – George WTS’ 2024 post on how to survive the highs & lows of nest cam watching:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=14839719

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/8FYcojpPJQc  N1 Louis brings a v-shaped stick 2020

https://youtu.be/5f4o-219oIs  N1 What time do you call this? 2020

https://youtu.be/DKhP0pbVLbQ  N1 Louis is given his marching orders 2020

https://youtu.be/if-vCqrqRLI  N2 Unusually persistent Hoodie annoys Dorcha 2022

https://youtu.be/Isc_NPFqB4M  N1 Louis visits again 2023

https://youtu.be/rLwmdraNUD4  N2 Dorcha’s branching out 2023

https://youtu.be/4pTHER9sy-w  N2 Bob1 has a go at self-feeding!!!!! 2024

https://youtu.be/GRCzf9FTFRo  N2 Olympic hero! Louis pole-vaults in  2024    

https://youtu.be/vZcMnDPsX-s  N2 Fish number three, first flatfish of the season 

https://youtu.be/EpDxudcMp6Q  N2 Tough as old boots – Dorcha and the fish skin 2024 

https://youtu.be/P_1jqw2RRf8  N2 Purple haze: Louis & Dorcha caught in the glow of sunset 2024

Why not come and join the lively community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s friendly, free and everyone’s welcome:

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

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.

Latvian Goshawk: The eyasses were ringed. Here is the video! https://youtu.be/sHUHLcDdJwM?

San Jose Falcons: Oh, they are mischievous! SK Hideaways catches them in the act. https://youtu.be/uhz-X5Mg4hU?

Looking for Loons? The cams are back up!

2025 Loon Cams are LiveDownload

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?

Bringing back the birds: the ‘ghost woodlands’ transforming England’s barren sheep fells https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/26/ghost-woodlands-rewilding-sheep-fells-yorkshire-uk-aoe?CMP=share_btn_url

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

Thursday in Bird World

17 April 2025

Good Morning Everyone,

This morning marked the arrival of our first Brown Thrasher, energetically scratching in the soil, while several dozen Dark-eyed Juncos flitted about, along with our regular visitors, all eagerly waiting and searching as I savored my coffee before feeding them.

Anne made a generous donation of a large bag of hot dogs for the crows, and their delight was palpable! Additionally, a neighbor brought over a hefty 50-pound bag of kibble for our outdoor cats. It’s heartwarming to see ‘Squishy’—the beloved cat with one ear folded down—making a comeback at the feeder after a long absence.

Everyone has their favorite birds and animals, yet they’re unable to set up feeders of their own, making their contributions all the more meaningful. It’s truly wonderful to witness such kindness and community spirit.

Our rescue facilities are currently overflowing and desperately in need of supplies. One essential item that we often overlook is thin protection gloves. If you have any spare pairs at home, consider donating them to someone in your community—they can make a significant difference!

As we dive into spring cleaning, tidying up our gardens and swapping out winter clothes, let’s not forget the countless items that animal rescues and rehabilitation shelters desperately need. Before you throw anything away, take a moment to consider whether it could be of value to a local shelter.

Donating your unwanted items is not only an excellent way to declutter your home, but it also provides critical support to those caring for animals in need. It’s a powerful act of kindness that benefits both you and the animals—let’s make a positive impact together!

————————————————————————————-

The notice arrived in my inbox shortly after I published my post on Wednesday morning. I promised Geemeff that it would be prominently displayed today!

News! Egg – well done Dorcha!!! First glimpsed at 17.52.55

17.50 Dorcha is on the nest sitting down and making little squeaking noises. She’s getting ready to lay her first egg!

17.52.55 She gives a little wiggle and stands up and the egg can just be glimpsed. Congratulations Dorcha!

And Louis, not forgetting his 5-second contribution..

18.06.12 She stands up and as she does, she gives the egg a little push with her leg and we get a clearer view.

(zoomed)

Iris: Iris: There’s someone who’s been visiting Iris, trying time and again to steal her incredible fish. You know who I am talking about. His persistence drives me up the wall! However, I’ve taken a moment to reflect on the ‘good’ Louis brings to the nest. Take Blue NC0 at Loch of the Lowes, for instance—she lost her partner, Laddie LM12, in 2024. Last year, there was genuine hope for her to bond with the Dark Night this year. Sadly, without a male to defend her territory, Blue NC0 lost both her nest and her land. Louis is the one who now safeguards Iris’s territory (she was there before him!). Finn, the only young male bold enough to challenge Louis, managed to oust Louis and keep him away from Iris. Together, they raised two beautiful chicks last year. If, heaven forbid, Finn doesn’t return, I have faith that Iris will still hold on to her nest because Louis is so protective of ‘his’ territory. Iris absolutely deserves it! So, if there is any silver lining, that is it. Thin like aluminum foil, but a reality nonetheless.

Elen has laid yet another egg at the Glaslyn nest, and this one is likely Teifi’s. Aran, having taken possession of the nest he initially shared with Mrs G, faces a crucial decision. With uncertainty surrounding the paternity of this new egg, it seems almost inevitable that he will choose to remove it. After all, why would Aran invest time in raising a chick that could belong to another male, jeopardising his own genetic legacy? It’s a tough call, but the instinct to protect his own lineage is likely to prevail!

Pitching rain in Wales Wednesday afternoon.

In contrast to Glaslyn, at the Tweed Valley 2 nest, Mrs O and an unringed female seem to be inclined to share the single male at the nest! They only get disgruntled when a fish is delivered. Maybe he should try bringing in two at a time. We might have a Trio at Tweed!!!!!! That would be really interesting.

Sauces: Betty Lou has had the most amazing care an eaglet could ever dream about. Jak and Audacity have kept her full and safe and relished every second getting to be parents again. One of those miracle moments of this year that we must cherish.

Dyfi: Idris and Telyn have three eggs they are incubating. The wind is blowing like it is a gale over at Dyfi! They may get some of that rain, too. The skies over the distant hills certainly seem to imply that damp weather is descending on the Glaslyn valley.

Llyn Clywedog: Seren Blue 5F is getting soaked, too. Did you know that Aran from Glaslyn courted Seren while he was bonded with Mrs G? Seren luckily gave up on losing her eggs and flew north a bit and found Dylan. They have raised some wonderful chicks together. I believe they still hold the record for the largest male osplet ringed in Wales.

Boulder County Fair Grounds: First egg arrives on Wednesday!

Loveland, Colorado: Two eggs as of Wednesday.

PSEG Oyster Bay: One egg as of Wednesday.

Xcel Energy Fort St Vrain Bald Eagles: Out of four, the two surviving eaglets appear to be doing quite well.

Charlo Montana: Lola is not too fond of the new male hanging around the nest. Charlie has yet to return and is very late.

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

Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 16th April 2025

Only one topic of conversation tonight – the arrival of the first egg! With a few squeaks, Dorcha produced the egg at 17.52.55 today and tonight there’s the welcome sight of her on the nest protecting the egg from the weather. Congratulations to Dorcha, and to Louis who did his usual classic double take at his first sight of the egg! Many on the forum are celebrating by making a donation to Woodland Trust: if you’re able to give, any amount is welcome, and the info is in the bonus section. Link to George WTS’ fundraising comment here: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=24512818. In other news, no activity at Nest One today  – we had reports of a third Osprey at Bunarkaig, which might explain Garry LV0’s absence, perhaps we’ll see him tomorrow. Louis delivered two fish today to take his tally to thirtyfive, Dorcha chased a Hoodie away, and the wet weather is due to continue overnight and through to Friday.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One (05.20.12); Nest Two 21.22.09 (05.26.09)

Today’s videos: 

https://youtu.be/s_kzQzXLhzM N2 Dorcha uses her crow voice to scare off a Hoodie 10.58.30

https://youtu.be/ps0VU6SZ-F4 N2 Elevenses for Dorcha when fish number one arrives 11.46.13 

https://youtu.be/BKHSD1BymP0 N2 Dorcha quickly returns when Louis brings a second fish 16.41.45 

https://youtu.be/yMqIGkUXvnc  N2 First EGG! Congratulations Dorcha! 17.52.55 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/WJOWeX-Hxd8 N2 Louis’ first look at the egg 19.04.11

Bonus action – if you’re eggcited by the first egg, anticipating a second in three days, and have any spare funds… Woodland Trust will put them to good use protecting Louis & Dorcha’s home. Hit the yellow button on this page or use this link: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/support-us/give/donate  

If you prefer to donate offline call WT’s friendly team on 0330 333 3300 between 8.30am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday 

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/I-VmcgzVveY  N1 Aila watches a Red Deer near the nest 2020

https://youtu.be/7_XmXGafimM N1 Lonely Louis skydances in vain 2021

https://youtu.be/CJl9LiQ23eQ N1 Louis is vertically challenged 2021

https://youtu.be/XNiNQjkUSBs N1 Louis does his demented penguin impression 2022

https://youtu.be/3g5njmmeykE  N1 Comedy as Louis forgets he’s got a fish and tries mating! 2022

https://youtu.be/mJrYkJieaSo  N1 A Robin sings in the dark 2023

https://youtu.be/krmpSP7wVU0  N1 Louis does a flypast with fish number two 2023

https://youtu.be/qYLZK_Iym44  N1 A Barn Owl visits 2024

https://youtu.be/g4S95JxjN_k  N1 Interesting triangular encounter – with a new player! 2024

https://youtu.be/GH6XNHVJR1M N2 Dorcha didn’t take long to sort out Louis’ awkward stick! 2024

https://youtu.be/OI9pOORSzXA  N2 Nest One A Hoodie lands, interrupting Garry’s nest prep 2024

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

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

What can we do to help our garden birds?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/16/garden-birds-need-a-hedge-against-decline?CMP=share_btn_url

Sandpoint: Geese continue to incubate eggs while Keo and Keke attempt to build a nest on a light pole.

I have been worried sick about Finnegan. If I could these beautiful birds would have tracking devices – I know it is silly – so we would know where they are and what is happening with them. I needed a smile and after checking on Betty Lou and Sunny and Gizmo, I went to check on Big Red and Arthur. There was snow starting to fall. Arthur had arrived to give a shift change and with some prey for the Queen of the Red-tail Hawks.

They have been together for 8 seasons!

The first egg was laid on April 2. Incubation is typically 28-32 days, making pip watch set for April 30.

Adorable Arthur.

Smile. CROW rescues a pair of osplets.

Lastly. It is time to stand up for the nests. In off time, those running streaming cams should refurbish and restore their osprey platforms which should include building rails, making certain that the base can allow for the drainage of water but has SS mesh to keep from sticks, eggs, and chicks form falling through. Nesting material should be provided. It has been shown that a proper nest can encourage good care of osplets (Snow Lane, Newfoundland, 2024).

Salem Electric, the osprey family wanting to use this platform needs help. Get the bucket truck up there and help them! Get everything ready and let your crews do this quickly!

Kielder Forest: KF13 laid her and W6’s first egg of the season at 13.01 today at Nest 1A.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff’, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Bwywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Tweed Valley 2, IWS/Explore, Dyfi Osprey Project, Llyn Clywedog, Boulder County Fairground, Loveland Colorado Ospreys, PSEG, The Guardian, Xcel Energy Fort St Vrain, Cornell Bird Lab, CROW, Charlo Montana, Sandpoint, Salem Electric, Kielder Forest, Foulshaw Ospreys

Sunday in Bird World

9 March 2025

Oh, my goodness. Hello from what feels like the arrival of spring on the Canadian Prairies. For days I have worried about Dyson, the matriarch of the Grey Squirrel family. The three kits have been out, but not Mum. Well, Saturday morning there she was perched above the brand new suet cylinder way back in the lilac branches. She looks good. She ate 1/3 of the cylinder. Good old Dyson!!!!!! Living up to her name. The sparrows are singing and the Starlings have come and gone removing every last meal worm while leaving the pieces of butter bark. Surely someone will want those.

I am spring cleaning. The feral feeding station has been cleared, cleaned and left in a smaller state with the hope that no huge snow storms arrive before I can rush out and put a cover over things. Brock has already checked it out and approved.

If the nest of Jackie and Shadow has preoccupied me, I do not apologize. Just the idea that our much loved couple could have three chicks to hatch is well, just beyond my wildest dreams. It is all I can think about. As I said in Saturday’s post, I am so grateful for Bodie (who is now six weeks old and as big as Gabby) and these triplets after losing the Es and well, having Thunder and Akecheta MIA along with Annie and Alden.

A reader asked me not to put them on the Memorial Board. They said, “Don’t put their names into the list of those who we know is lot alive for sure. And then we will be always in hope to see them again one day.” If you have checked there is no Memorial Board for 2025. I simply have been too overcome to compile it. There are certainly others. The Memorial Board is really a testament to their presence in our lives and eventually I will simply put them as Missing in Action. Because that really is all we know.

I am happy to attach the PDF of the Los Angeles Times article on Jackie and Shadow. Thank you to the reader who sent it! You don’t need to subscribe.

A pair of bald eagle hatchlings inspire hope in Big Bear – Los Angeles TimesDownload

As I am writing now, Junior is flying in and out getting peanuts an Dyson is back chomping on that cylinder. No one told her it should last a week!!!!!! The warm sunshine is so welcome here this year. My plan is to move the bird baths and fix the deck as a sanctuary for humans to bask in the sun as well. There will still be 3/4 of the garden devoted to things with wings or fur. :))))))))).

Everyone worried about the third hatch at Big Bear, but this little one is well, as big as the middle sibling and I am hoping that it is a really scrappy female like Jackie. It will do well on the nest with the two older siblings and I have a feeling that both Jackie and Shadow will be more than busy caring for these triplets.

Just look at that pantry.

One of the BB babies got caught and was dragged out of the nest cup. By a small miracle, it rolled off the snow and back into the nest. My heart stopped. https://youtu.be/n6lYn-zjdO4?

Some are concerned about what appears to be preferential feeding at the Duke Farms nest. Conserve Wildlife of NJ says that all the triplets are doing well.

‘A’ provides her observations, “At Duke Farms I am most heartened to see that the pantry is overflowing with fish (I can count seven) and mum is being very diligent about ensuring that all three of the littles get fed. The oldest got the best of one feeding, and at the next, mum circled around to the other side and concentrated on the younger two (the older one appeared to be in a food coma behind them). If dad keeps that pantry full and mum is patient enough to feed it to the chicks until there are no more begging beaks at the table, then these three have a very good chance at survival (assuming we don’t have a Zoe on the nest of course). We know that nests turn in an instant – the disappearance of a parent for example can change everything. But I still believe that the patience and dedication of the parent/s at feedings is the primary factor – can they be bothered with the hard work of carefully getting enough food into all those swaying little beaks? Some can’t, and only feed the closest ones. But the mum at Duke Farms appears to be patient and prepared to do her part in ensuring her chicks get fed. I hope this continues. They are SO cute at this age, before they decide to start bonking each other. I just love these first few days. Little masked bandits. They are certainly loud! “

The first sighting of an osprey in the UK – an so it begins. It is flying north! Wonder which one it is…Work continues on repairing nests

You might enjoy this talk from the Wildlife Trust at Rutland Osprey. George Smith is really knowledgable and I highly recommend this even if you live elsewhere. Lots of good information! https://youtu.be/7l6aOLlw0Vw?

In other news,

At the Captiva Bald Eagle Nest of Connie and Clive, Dancer has now branched. That was at 1508.

Nothing seems to be happening at Moorings Park Osprey platform yet.

Pip watch at Sauces starts on Monday! That egg is holding. Maybe there is something to having it wrapped with nesting material in a deep hole. The egg has been rolled an if it is fertile we just might have another miracle in California.

Bodie. What can I say? Our first miracle of the year. Looks like a big beautiful Gabby to me!

This may be the year for strange things happening. Take Lake Murray. Is it entirely possible that the egg of Kenny and Lucy has wound up in a glove? “The strangest thing… Lake Murray…

Lucy and Kenny have been obviously ‘incubating’ all day (I could not find egg lay time), but no one has seen an egg. There is a black glove in the bowl, and I had thought that the egg must be under the glove.  There has been the shape of an egg under the glove, and they have been ‘aerating’ the glove.  But, at 1719 Lucy picked up the glove and moved it, and the egg shape moved with it.  I now believe that the egg somehow ended up inside the glove. “

Ferris Akel caught both Big Red and Arthur on camera on Saturday. It is so very, very good to see them.

Just look at all these gorgeous birds. Now imagine taking them from the wild for falconry. The licenses in the UK might be canceled. This will, of course, be controversial. There are many falconers around the world, and as a teenager, I was involved in falconry in Oklahoma. My older self shakes my head. I firmly believe that raptors need to live freely in the world unless they absolutely cannot.

DEFRA endorses Natural England’s recommendations for a presumption AGAINST the issuing of licences fDownload

Beavers will be living free. News from Knepp Farm.

Licenced beaver reintroductions allowed – KneppDownload

Possible egg at the University of Florida-Gainesville platform.

We are awaiting our beloved geese. Some are also waiting for hummers. Here is a good timeline.

I hope to hear honking in the wind soon! After some more clearing tomorrow we will head out to Oak Hammock Marsh to check on any of those waddling poopers.

Calico’s Tip for the Day: It has nothing to do with a bird, but it could save someone’s life. Most, if not all of you, will have heard about the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife. Hackman had very advanced Alzheimers while his wife, thirty years younger, was in good health and had been his only (it appears) caregiver. It reminds me of my situation with my husband except for the age difference – I am ten years older. No one would have predicted that the younger healthier caregiver spouse would have died of a very rare mouse virus. But she did leaving Mr Hackman at home alone – probably not knowing anything. A maintenance worker came to their door weeks before their fate was revealed. ———— This could happen to any of us. Calico wants you to develop a plan with your neighbours, friends, and family so that this does not happen to you or your loved one. Do not rely on landline phones or watches that are supposed to alert the police or necklaces with a panic button. My husband would probably not be able to find the landline phone or remember how to use it or what number to call. My Apple phone is not reliable. It often thinks I fall when I don’t and when I do, well, it did nothing the other day. So – get something old fashioned in place. Text friends and family on specific days to let them know that you are OK. That is all you have to send is ‘I am OK’. Don’t wait. Please get the ducks in a row.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourself. We hope to see you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, articles, streaming cams, etc that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, J’, The Los Angeles Times, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Dfyi Osprey Project, Rutland Water (LRWT), Window to Wildlife, Moorings Park, IWS/Explore, NEFL-AEF, Lake Murray Ospreys, Raptor Persecution UK, Knepp Farm, AccuWeather, Ferris Akel Tours

Branching at Olympic Park Eagles…Saturday in Bird World

12 October 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

15 C with blue skies and sun on Friday but it is nippy Saturday morning reminding everyone that fall is certainly here. We have wind and the dry leaves are dancing off the branches of the trees today. The Starlings arrived early for their suet and the little birds are eating seed and having baths. I am perplexed that we have, or seemingly have only one little Red Squirrel, when in the spring there were at least five. Dyson and the three kits are here as are the Blue Jays and Crows. Mind you, the Crows caw for cheesy dogs but are really wanting peanuts right now!

The Girls have been checking the cat food drawer. It is getting stocked up for our week away along with the food for the outdoor kitties and other garden animals. It feels a bit like getting ready and having a dormitory of teenagers to feed. It is definitely taking longer to get them organised than it will me.

The trip is going to be a little different. One of my former teaching and research assistants when I was at Acadia University lives in the area and after a couple of decades we are going to have coffee and goodies and catch up. Another potter that I wrote about several years ago, Susan Delatour, lives near Lunenburg and we plan to catch up and see the birds around the island where she has her studio. Hopefully there will still be migrants and some eagles will be on hand. The Maritimes are gorgeous this time of year. People travel from all over to see the changing colour of the leaves in mid-October. I hope to have some nice images for you.

There is not a lot happening in Bird World which is why it is a good time to take a wee break. The little falcons are growing like crazy. The Sea Eaglets need to get on with their branching and it appears that Wilko and Kasse, the osplets at Port Lincoln, are going to be a bit of a handful and a joy to Mum and Dad. Many of the cameras are still down including Captiva Eagle cam and NE Florida where the residents of the area are without power, tens of thousands of them. It could be some time before the cam is running again and we find out what is happening in ‘As the Nest Turns’. Maybe this year it will stop turning and Gabby and Beau will settle and raise some eaglets. I sure hope he is up to the task!

Isn’t this sad. No Menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay. None. Zippo. This is precisely why a moratorium is needed.

Let’s hope Clive kept his tail down in that nest as it is OK!

Ron showed up at the WRDC nest looking like he had had some prey. He is looking good. Now, where is Rose?

This was on the Loch Arkaig FB page. I am posting it here so you can see how remarkable these ospreys are. Look at that distance flown in a short amount of time!

Karl II’s son (2022) Waba making progress to Chad.

I wonder if your local wildlife rehab clinic could use any hollow logs you have in your garden? We keep ours so they disintegrate and we have insects for the spring birds but maybe you don’t do that…

News from Ranger Judy Harrington and the Olympic Sea Eagles.

And more from Olympic Park: A says, “At WBSE, we still have our two eaglets, settled in for the night side by side, duckling style, exactly as they have done for the past week or ten days. Here is today’s ranger report:

October 12: A cooler morning with all awake early and all joining in a chorus. Mating at 7:06 (in front of the children, too, and certainly recreational rather than procreational), then both were off. Good hunting this morning, as both returned with gull nestlings just after 7am. Lady fed both eaglets – a long feed with some self-feeding as well. SE33 managed to swallow the leg scrap at one stage. Later, both eaglets were flapping and jumping in the wind. Around 8:30am, SE33 was up onto the branch – so close to branching? Later, SE34 spent time on the rim as well. Then later, after 2pm, definitely branching – SE33 in the ninth week since hatch, at 67 days . More food arrived when Dad brought a fish piece in at 13:26 and Lady fed both eaglets. She brought in another bird herself at 15:37 – a good prey day again.

These two eaglets are the best of friends and are really enjoying lounging about the house without their parents. It’s a wonder they don’t throw a teen party. But please, stay as long as you like – we are in no hurry to see you go. “

The nest at SW Florida is just fine. https://youtu.be/36VTljFZHV4?

Wilko and Kasse wanting fish. It is now past 1200 and no fish! Mum has sat on them to keep the peace. There were four the day prior. This is not good and underlines the importance of the fish fairies at this nest. It is not clear why there are fish some days and not others. See discussion of osprey fishing later in the post. We know, however, that the survival of the two chicks last year rested entirely on the fairies and the dedication of the Port Lincoln Osprey committee.

A small partial fish came in quite late, around 1243.

Perfectly behaved. Beautiful little osplets. Aren’t they the most adorable things you have ever seen?

‘A’ and her unique remarks: “Dad brought in a big, very much alive perch at 19:09:37 and it was very floppy indeed, knocking both osplets for six. Both quickly regained their footing and were up for a feeding. Wilco got the early bites but mum was very careful to feed both osplets. The fish continued to flop about, escaping mum at about 19:14 and having to be recaptured. This helped Kasse, who had been behind Wilco but now got to the front. From this stage of the feeding, Kasse did slightly better than Wilco, so they ended up eating about the same amount. They are very strong little feeders, both holding their heads up, beaks open, and starting to handle bigger bites now. They love their fish and both quickly develop sizeable crops. This is a very large fish, so there’s plenty for the chicks and mum to eat, dad to remove the fish and have his share, and then return the remainder of the fish for another feeding. Everyone is going to go to bed with full crops at Port Lincoln.

Despite the very long wait for the first fish of the day today, there was no sign of bonking or dominant behaviour from Wilco when the food did arrive. The feeding was peaceful and amicable, with no aggression and no intimidation. Neither osplet appeared nervous of the other and both were keen to eat. This was a great relief to us all, I’m sure, because that really was the worry today with the kids getting pretty hungry before food arrived. Hunger is an experience that is very problematic on an osprey nest, as we know, so I think the osplets handled their first taste of not getting a taste (if you get my drift) in a very mature manner. I was proud of them. 

They truly are the cutest little people, with their racing stripe and their cute little round bottoms. It will be nice to watch their individual personalities emerge over the days to come. Certainly, we already know that neither has a vicious streak and both love their mum and love their fish. So far, they love each other too and snuggle a lot. The only foolproof way I have found to distinguish them is the size of their egg teeth. Of course, Wilco’s is the smaller egg tooth. “

It is 11 C when this image of F23 and the triplets was taken. It will get to 19 C today in Melbourne and hotter with the sun bearing down on the ledge at 367 Collins Street.

A reports: “The sun is getting hot at Collins Street and our wonderful mum is shading her chicks, sprawled out in front of her in the shade she is providing. They have plenty of stretching room in the area she has protected with her body and wings. She stands a lot while shading them, and yesterday was working really hard, beak open, panting heavily. But her babies were totally comfortable and completely shaded. She has this down pat. She does the best mumbrella I have ever seen at Collins Street. As long as she is on the nest, we need not have a single worry this season about the chicks being broiled in the Melbourne summer sun. That’s a HUGE relief. We both know how concerned we have been on occasion at this scrape, waiting for that sun to cross the scrape and for some shade to come. Now, we need not worry about it any more, unless of course for some reason the chicks are left alone. She has not made that mistake thus far. “

Notice the eyes of Diamond and Xavier’s chicks, Yira and Garramma. They are no longer slits but are open and the chicks can now see.

‘A’ remarks: “Darling Xavier got the chance to start the breakfast feeding at Orange this morning – 06:50 or thereabouts and the kids were up and consuming food. Too cute. I do love it when Xavier is allowed to parent. He did a feeding yesterday and he is so careful (as I said the other day, honey I choked a chick is not a sentence Xavier ever wants to utter. It’s funny how he keeps checking over his shoulder in case Diamond arrives and he gets into trouble. TOO adorable. This morning, he gave up his position without an argument when Diamond’s hefty frame loomed in the doorway of the scrape.” And later, “At Orange, little Xavier popped in shortly before 11:40 to find the chicks alone, so he quickly settled in for some quality brooding time. (I love the way he tiptoes across the scrape.) Even with only two, he is still so tiny that he broods them standing up. So tiny compared to Diamond. The chicks are hopeful of food and reach up towards dad’s beak and Xavier reaches down and touches one of the chicks with his beak. Sweet. 

But Diamond was gone for only a couple of minutes. When she returned to the scrape at 11:42, poor little Xavier knew any argument was pointless, though he put in a token protest before getting up. I do adore the way Diamond peers around Xavier to see the chicks, as if checking that they have not come to some harm since she left them a couple of minutes ago. 

Xavier does not leave the scrape – he simply moves to the ledge, where he continues to perch, looking out. Aww. Family time. Too cute. Xavier is such a sweetie, though I do fear that he will choke a chick one day with all the feathers he feeds the babies. He prepares the food so well at times, and then at other times he brings in something with virtually complete plumage and starts feeding it to the chicks. “

At Growing Home, Bubba is doing really well. Just look at the transition now to the juvenile feathers.

At Achieva, Jack looks down at the mess that Milton made of the nest in St Petersburgh that he shares with his mate, Diane.

Beautiful fall day at the nest of Duke and Daisy at Barnegat Light. Bald Eagles have been passing through on their migration and stopping at this site. It is gorgeous.

Gorgeous day on the Cornell campus home to Red-tail Hawk couple, Big Red and Arthur. Sadly, both of their chicks died after fledging. One from a window collision and the other from West Nile Virus.

Claire was at the US Steel Plant Bald Eagle nest in Pittsburgh on Friday. https://youtu.be/M0W9v2ULPCQ?

Decorah North streaming cam is now live and there is at least one eagle there!

Jackie and Shadow were working on their nest! https://youtu.be/OPwENFsdYK8?

What do you think the biggest threat is to eagles? We will be looking at this as two bills are set to be passed by the US Congress that will impact the Migratory Bird Act.

Bills Introduced in the House will Help Bend the Bird Curve | AudubonDownload
programs_fish-and-wildlife_wildlife_eagle- watch_about-bald-eaglesDownload

“Humans are the biggest threat to bald eagles. Much of the bald eagles’ habitat was lost, many of the birds were shot, and they were exposed to widespread contaminants. Between 1917 and 1952, for example, a bounty was placed on bald eagles in Alaska.”

There has been some questions about how often ospreys are successful in catching fish. That is a very loaded and complicated question. It depends on the time of year and the availability of fish. It depends on the water and wind speed. Ospreys only dive down approximately 1 metre or 3 feet tops. They need clearer shallow water. It depends on the temperature of the water. If the water is very warm, the fish dive down to stay cool. That is one of the issues for Olsen at Osoyoos. If we sit and think of the Chesapeake Bay and the fact that Omega could find no Menhaden, it would mean that the ospreys could fish all day and not catch anything. All About Birds says the success rate is 1 in 4 dives. Again, it is complicated and not that straight forward. Observers in the UK note that it often takes 13 dives for an osprey to get a fish.

All about Osprey hunting and feedingDownload

Dyfi’s findings on success rate vary greatly from those of others published. The Dyfi Osprey Project put out some facts on Osprey fishing:

Fact 31

Ospreys have two main ways of catching fish:

The wet method: Soaring or hovering above the water’s surface from between 10 – 30m, the osprey will dive head and talon first into the water at great speed after identifying a suitable fish prey. After plunging up to a metre under the water, the osprey will surface, position it’s wings above the waterline and with great strength, become airborne from a half submerged position from a stationary position.

The dry method: Rather than hunting at altitude, an osprey will fly almost parallel to the waterline and pluck any surface feeding fish straight out of the water getting only its legs wet. This method is usually used in warmer countries where the fish live near the water’s surface.

Fact 32

Ospreys will catch anything from tiny minnows weighing only a few grams to fish that weigh up to the size of the osprey itself – up to 2Kg or 4½ pounds. Most however, are around a pound in weight or less.

Fact 33

Because ospreys live on all continents on earth except Antarctica, they have a huge variation of fish species they catch. The old English name for osprey is ‘Mullet Hawk’ which gives us a pretty good idea what their main fish prey species in the UK was (and actually, where they nested) before they were persecuted to extinction by 1916.

Fact 34

Ospreys won’t catch a fish at every attempt. Young fledglings have a very poor success rate, around 5% to start with. However, as they acquire more experience, this success rate shoots up considerably. A recent study (2010) of ospreys fishing on an estuary in the northern Iberian Peninsula showed an average success rate of 69%. Young birds caught fish around two times in every five attempts (40%) whilst more experienced adults caught a fish nine times out of ten attempts (92%)!

Fact 35

In the last few years, ospreys breeding in Scotland have started to catch mackerel where historically they had not. This could either be as a consequence of more ospreys choosing nest sites nearer the sea, or a change in the feeding behaviour of the ospreys. Or both!

Fact 36

Every year at the Dyfi we check carefully the areas underneath the osprey nest and various perches. We find loads of ‘opercula’. The operculum is a hard flap covering and protecting the gills of a fish, it’s made out of fused bones. They look a bit like your Granddad’s big toe nail! This is the only part of the fish that the osprey can’t eat.

Fact 37

Every year, we record what species and size of fish the Dyfi ospreys catch. Roughly speaking, around half are grey mullet, 20% are flounder and 20% are trout. The other 10% consist of other fish like sea bass, garfish and perch.

Fact 38

Nora had a great dislike of flounders (or to be more scientific – had a least preference for flounders). There may be a good reason for this. Of all the fish caught by Monty, flounders not only have the highest water content and the least calories, but they are also very tough and take more calories to eat. Think of all those neck muscles straining to tear bits off. This is very hard to prove scientifically but is based on our (anecdotal) observations. A bit like the celery story – it takes more calories to eat celery and to digest it than there are in it!

Fact 39

Monty has on a couple of occasions caught a ‘twaite shad’ – an extremely rare fish in UK waters belonging to the Herring family. So rare in fact, you need a licence to catch one. Monty, now has all the relevant paperwork in plaice.

Fact 40

Ospreys typically catch fish that weigh between 150–300 g (5 –11 oz) and measure about 25–35 cm (10–14 in) in length, but the weight of fish they catch can range from 50 g (2 oz) to 2 kg (4.5 lb). 

Wind tunnels are helping us understand about birds and their migration.

What Flying in a Wind Tunnel Reveals About Birds – The New York TimesDownload

Sacha Dench and saving migratory birds: https://youtu.be/9ilgn0YkbCo?

Calico’s Tip for the Day: Do you own a dishwasher? Do you know what Tang is? Well, they have something in common – clean dishes! Calico got some tips from the Maytag factory and she is passing them along to you. First, do not rinse your dishes. Scrape them. Always use the automatic setting on your dishwasher. Once a month put in a packet of those orange drink crystals – Tang. It will clean and freshen your dishwasher!

Thank you for being with us today. Take care everyone. See you tomorrow!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A’, William Dunn, Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal FB, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, West Midlands Birding and the Friends of Lock Arkaig FB, Maria Marika, West Wildlife Rehab, Judy Harrington and Sydney Sea Eagles, wskrsnwings, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Olympic Park Eagles, Growing Home Osprey Cam, Achieva Credit Union, Conserve Wildlife of NJ, Cornell RTH Cam, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Cali Condor, Audubon, USFWS, All About Birds, All About Eagles, Dyfi Osprey Project, The New York Times.

Friday in Bird World

21 June 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Thursday. Hot. Windy. 25 C. It is hard to believe that it was raining so much a few days ago. Everything has dried up. Meanwhile, ‘A’ writes from Melbourne where it is the middle of the night and it is 2 C. What a difference! I did make it to the nature centre for the 4.8 k walk. It was a lot of fun today. There was a pack of about five little boy, oh, they were probably 8, doing a scavenger hunt. So we’re standing by the hide, on the path, next to a bench and they are wondering if we have seen anything ‘manmade’. Oh, and they also needed a sign. Oh, help me, I almost rolled on that manmade path laughing my head off. They actually didn’t understand the word. I wondered why it said ‘man’. So we pointed to the hide then to the path then to the bench and told them where the sign was and off they went. ‘I found it, I found it’ – could be hurt ringing through the Aspen trees.

It is the end of the school year in Manitoba. The zoos, museums, nature centres are all full of school children that are so anxious for a summer break that they can’t sit still in their seats. They have taken their exams and are just counting the days til summer break.

It is the summer solstice today – which is actually the 20th of June when I am writing this and you will be reading it tomorrow. So summer is officially here and it is coming in with a blast. We will have temperatures of 28 degrees this week. I am contemplating a fountain for the birds. Meanwhile, Calico is blissful as she stretches out in front of Mr Dysons cooling fan. She thanks him daily!

The great folks at Border Ospreys hoped beyond hope that Augusta and Samson’s eggs would survive the weather and the lack of incubation at times and well, sadly, they didn’t. The nest failed this year. The eggs did not hatch.

REALITY-CHECKDownload

After such sadness, the three little osplets at Charlo Montana are just the cutest things. I mean these three are seriously cute. If you are not watching this nest, you should be! Link is provided below.

Iris and Finn are incredible parents! They talk to one another. Finn works hard getting those fish on that nest. Just look at those two bundles of happiness for Iris.

At first glance, Mum seems to be doing alright by the only surviving chick at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. BUT the chick has to constantly find Mum, then get right up to the beak, and hope to get more than a couple of bites of many large fish that come. I do love how Dad supervises. And he should. This is her second year, Dad is much older. He wants his chicks to live!

Sadly I disagree with the individual that writes the Twin Cities Metro Osprey FB. This Mum is not great. The chick is hanging on. The weather is going to get hot and intense. We will be very fortunate if it fledges – and I do hope it does.

The nest does look marginally better. Maybe the local community could help this family and make some wired twig rails like they have at Glaslyn and get them some nice nesting material for next year. I would imagine a ‘Landscape Arboretum’ could come up with something wonderful that would feel like a down duvet and chicks would fall down holes or get their legs twisted in the twigs. Just a thought.

The other problematic female is Hope at the ‘Hopeless’ nest in Newfoundland. She is incubating eggs. Beau is there with her.

At Cowlitz PUD, it is a different story.

Little Mini at Field Farm is still hanging in there. It sometimes has a difficult time getting right to be the beak but Mum just keeps feeding.

The parents with four chicks have to work so much harder and the Mums have to feed chicks almost the entire day to make sure they are growing and healthy. Blue 022 and CJ7 are doing just that.

Mum and Dad are equally busy at McEuan Park in Idaho.

Smile. Summer is here! Jackie and Shadow are full of hope for the next season. They are fixing up their nest. I continue to hope that their great spirit rubs off on us, each one of us.

We are all attached to the place that we consider to be our ‘home’. It is the same for the Decorah North eaglets whose nest tree failed. They are having the time of their life eating prey by the banks of the river, having baths in the water, and hopping around and roosting on their nest tree. That is what they were doing on Thursday before the heavy rain began.

The two chicks at Llyn Brenig are doing fabulous.

Family photo at Patchogue. Two gorgeous fathered osplets!

‘MP’ writes of Patchogue: “I went to take a look at the PSEG nest and dad was bringing in a fish. What a whooper it is and without a head too. Look at the girls/boys with mom alerting as if to say alright father!”

That is a great image. This is the dad with the nest of four osplets in 2023, one of them Little Mini aka Tiny Dancer. That minuscule osplet survived because of these great parents. It was an incredible year, 2023, on this nest. And now it is great to see these two lovely big fully feathered birds.

Three gorgeous osplets at the Oyster Bay nest.

Those three chicks of Idris and Telyn at Dyfi in Wales are looking so good.

Geemeff sends us the daily log from Loch Arkaig 2 and The Woodland Trust.

Daily summary Thursday 20th June 2024

Everything including the weather was settled today – the two chicks shared food amicably, Louis brought four fish, taking his tally to two hundred and twenty seven, and Dorcha took a few short breaks away from the nest. Nest One had two little songbird visitors, but no sign of Garry LV0 or any other Ospreys. The sad bundle of feathers that was Chick 3 is still visible but rapidly shrinking in the warm weather, and is starting to disappear into the nest. Tonight’s forecast is light winds and light rain, which has already started as night cam cam on, and on the day of the summer solstice the day cams were on for about twenty hours.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.44.24 (03.17.03); Nest Two 23.04.41 (03.41.28)

Watch the livestream 24/7 and join in the conversation here:

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

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/dbPUsy22H-k  N2 Fish number one, tiddler trout, C1 steps up, both share without squabbling 06.02.09

https://youtu.be/sJmM7BCDNeM  N2 Fish number two, headless big trout , more amicable sharing 07.50.39 

https://youtu.be/GdSitZMBDS4 N1 A little songbird visits, flits aound for a few moments 08.22.01

https://youtu.be/nUyCrKbpe6k  N2 Fish number three, headless whopper trout, C1 feeds while C1 preens 11.59.37 

https://youtu.be/rHetENtXjX8 N1 Another little bird visits the nest, plays with a sprig of heather, then departs 19.52.16

https://youtu.be/VcaXA_QBj4k N2 Fish number four, large whole trout, both chicks feed together calmly, C2 gets most 21.26.45

Bonus watch – film which explores how healthy woodland is critical to the wellbeing of salmon:

https://www.channel5.com/show/riverwoods-a-salmon-s-journey

Cal Falcons doing well. Beautiful fledglings. Great parents.

We are losing birds. 126 not seen in a decade – anywhere. This is not good.

New-analysis-reveals-126-birds-are-lost-to-science-without-a-confirmed-sighting-in-at-least-a-decadDownload

Today I was reading about the 52C temperatures in the Middle East and wondering what the impact will be on raptors in the area. I recall being in Delhi, eons ago, and it was 46 C. It did not take long to understand the reasons the old Raj government went to Simla in the summer. My heart goes out to any and all of you that are enduring these horrific temperatures. And to our wildlife.

‘What-if-there-just-is-no-solution-How-we-are-all-in-denial-about-the-climate-crisis-Climate-criDownload

My garden is a cool paradise in a city that is concrete. I quietly plucked the dead blossoms off the climbing roses while bees went about gathering nectar from the opened roses. There are now more than 30 trees on my 100 x 50′ property and that does not include the 8 metres of tall thick lilac bushes or the dozen trees at the back. It is shady. The birds are all in the branches being quiet. Not using their energy. The vines also offer a cool spot – or a safe place where the raptor cannot see them. Water is out for the feral cats along with wet and dry food. The bird baths were cleaned and filled. More shrubs and a large oak will be planted in the fall. I will not live to see that Oak but I hope that squirrels in the future will benefit from its presence. I know that the little contribution that I make to our planet is nothing but a drop in the bucket but I would still like to dream that if half the people on our planet changed their behaviour (please read the article above), collectively we might instigate some huge changes. I know you care. You wouldn’t be reading my post if you didn’t.

Leaving a bowl of water outside for birds can save lives! Mr Crow is cawing and saying cheesy dogs, too!!!!!!!!

Now that the Ns at Cornell have fledged, Ferris Akel has some early evening tours. He caught up with both of our fledglings Thursday evening.

There is concern for the chicks at the Bridge Golf course. It is extremely hot. C2 appears to have a problem with one of its legs. I understand that a rescue team is ready to check the situation but they require permission from the landowners. My concern is also with food despite the fact that C3 is getting some fish. Sadly, it appears that C3 might have died during the night.

On the other hand, unless there are predators, the Only Bob at the Port of Ridgefield is looking good.

Now – those great reports from ‘H’:

6/20, Audubon Boathouse osprey nest: Around 7 a.m., Skiff dumped a large amount of seaweed in the middle of the nest, on top of the babies and the egg. Dory wrangled with the mass of seaweed for a long time to get the babies out from under, but she never got the egg out. Just prior to that, we thought we saw a possible pip in the egg, which was at day 36. The egg remained under the seaweed and was most likely stepped on many times throughout the day. In the evening, the egg was partly uncovered, and we had a view of the egg. The shell was completely crushed, but there was movement seen from inside the shell. The baby was trying to push its way out. Unfortunately, this baby may die in the shell. 6/21 morning update: The egg is once again buried, and cannot be seen. Dory and Skiff’s two lil’ babies are 7 and 3 days of age.

6/21 Colonial Beach osprey nest: David and Betty have been incubating three eggs. Today is day 35 for egg #1, and they are on pip watch.

6/20 Mispillion Harbor osprey nest: Almost two years ago at the Boathouse nest, we witnessed a herring gull attack the fledgling, Sloop, on the nest three separate times to steal Sloop’s fish. Today, at the Mispillion Harbor nest, Della was feeding supper to her two youngsters when she was suddenly attacked by a herring gull who was interested in stealing the fish. There was a brief, but intense battle, and the gull eventually flew away. Fortunately, none of the ospreys were hurt. The fish went overboard. It makes one wonder what happens at the river or bay after Warren catches a fish. How many of his catches are stolen from him? Warren and Della will need to do some nest repairs, starting with replacing the rail sticks that were lost, as their curious osplets have recently begun migrating about the nest.

6/20 Captiva ospreys:  There were five fish brought to the nest.  Jack delivered the first, and Edie delivered the next four.  There were feedings and self-feedings.  Jack also briefly stopped at the nest in the evening, just to check on his family.  Ding may fledge at any time.  S/he was doing high hovers many times, including hovering off the perch and landing back on the perch.  Oh my!

6/20 Forsythe osprey nest:  Things have been going quite well at this nest for several days.  Oscar has been delivering enough fish so that there is hardly any aggression between the 29 and 30-day-old siblings.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, images, articles, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘A, Geemeff, J, H, MP, PB’, Border Ospreys, Rosie Shields, Charlo Montana, Montana Osprey Project, Explore.org, MN Landscape Arboretum, Newfoundland Power, Cowlitz PUD, Field Farm, BoPH, McEuan Park, FOBBV, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Llyn Brenig, PSEG, Dyfi Osprey Project, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways, Birdlife International, The Guardian, Ferris Akel Tours, Bridge Golf Course, Audubon Boathouse, Mispillion Harbour, Forsythe, Window to Wildlife, Colonial Beach, and Port of Ridgefield.

Iris second hatch, Lake Murray Osplet flies when hit by GHO, deaths at Forsythe…Saturday in Bird World

15 June 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Friday was a really beautiful day. The sky was a clear blue and there was no rain and little wind. The temperature was 24 C. It was a good day to check out the goslings and ducklings at the park later – I went around 1700 and they were coming out of their shady island nests to swim. Even with the sprinkler system, the rain and the heat are causing some algae/pond plant problems.

It was really hard to see the tiny ducklings.

Oh, I adore the little female Wood Ducks.

This Mallard had two surviving ducklings. Many had 12 or 13 and it was hard to tell as the Canada Geese do their ‘daycare thing’ so you might see several geese caring for nearly forty youngsters while the other parents forage.

Five beautiful and tiny little wood ducks.

My garden is lush. The water has caused everything to thrive in a year when I worried as the winter had been so dry. Some of you will recall that there was a peony plant and a climbing rose that were planted on my property in 1902 when the old two-story house was built by Italian rail workers. Both are still alive. The peony is full of buds that will bloom soon and the rose is simply bursting with buds. I coddle it as if it were the most precious thing and I often wonder who lived here and who the woman was who planted the roses and the peonies.

The roses now cover an area of approximately 3 metres by 5 metres. The area is absolutely thick with branches laden with these amazing buds. What a treat! I am already dreaming of what it will be like to sit next to the flowers and sip my tea when they bloom – imagine the scent!!!!!!!

I feel that I am such a bearer of bad news these days. There are so many issues that face our raptors and many of those are playing out around the world. You might recall that there was heavy rain and flooding around the nest of Liberty and Guardian. It was noted that the tree was dead. Today, Sol is dehydrated, and death could be imminent. FORE has tried to get a tree climber but the tree is in too bad of a shape for them to climb. Liberty tried to feed her eaglet but Sol was not interested.

Over the years the citizen scientists, like yourself, observing the nests of all avian species have noted issues with nests. If it isn’t happening (and certainly some places are diligent at inspections), nests should be inspected annually prior to breading season. Dead trees, sadly, should be taken down so that we do not find ourselves in the situation with Liberty and Guardian’s Sol. This might also help with nest collapses when the nests are simply too large and heavy rain would cause them to crash potentially killing eaglets.

Sadly Sol passed away Friday morning. He was 77 days old. Right ready to fledge.

For those concerned for Luna, boots on the ground found her and she is alive and well. What a relief!

At the Fraser Point Nest of Andor and Cruz, Reign has fell off a nest that is collapsing. She was found safe under the nest!

The full report of Ospreys on the Iberian Peninsula for 2023-24 is now available.

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‘EJ’ sent us a news story to put a smile on our faces. We do need a good rescue right now!

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What a beautiful Black stork nest in Poland!

Two juveniles on Tor – those West End fledglings are strong. Thunder and Akecheta got them a lot of high quality food. We see it in their spunk and in their flying. But, oh, to have such open spaces without buildings. They are blessed.

All three West End Eaglets – Koa, Treasure, and Sterling were caught on video soaring together. How lovely.

Idris and Telyn did a great dual feeding for the osplets at the Dyfi nest in Wales. They are looking for names. Need to be unused river and mountain names in Wales. Check it out! Dyfi Osprey Project.

Those Montreal falcons really want to fly! If you are missing the Cal Falcons and San Jose ones, then take a look at these three.

Things have still to settled down at Loch Arkaig. C2 still dominates all the feedings.

Blue 022 gets the fish to the nest for CJ7 to feed the Fab Four.

New dad, Finnegan, is actively involved in every aspect of the family including security, delivering food, feeding Iris, and feeding the chick plus being support. What a guy. So thankful you came along, Finnegan. This is an amazing story unfolding on the nest Iris now shares with you.

Good night, Iris.

‘A’ alerts us to the second hatch. Iris didn’t get much sleep!

“Darling Finn was in with a late fish last night (14 June) at 18:53:45. It’s a nice size and appears whole. When Iris stands up to claim it, we can see the second tiny head in the nest. It is still very tired from the hatch, and only wakes up because Big Bob disturbed it by standing up, getting ready to be fed. Big Bob is gigantic already, so this second hatch is going to need to be a strong-minded chick. Iris begins eating while Finn checks out his offspring. 

Finn stands and watches Iris feeding Big Bob, who is a great little eater. After a couple of minutes, he flies to the perch while Iris continues feeding. By 19:09 Big Bob’s face is covered in fish and he is falling into a food coma. Mum settles down to brood the pair. Finn flies down the nest, then at 19:16 heads off. Dad is back with a stick at 19:30:24 and leaves again immediately. 

Shortly after 19:29, Iris stands and begins alerting. She looks upwards, continuing to alert loudly. Intruder? She calms down relatively quickly but continues to glance upwards and to her left (towards the camera). It is at this point that Finn arrives (from the opposite direction) with the stick, which he nearly brains the chicks with. After he leaves, Iris remains standing and occasionally glances at the same spot again. 

Eventually, after a good rouse and another glance around, Iris goes to settle on the chicks but changes her mind and stays standing, looking around. Around 19:33:40 she has a good flap of her wings. Impressive.At 19:34 she carefully returns to brooding the chicks. At 20:06:30 Finn is back on the perch. He flies off again at 20:12:20.

This morning, Finn arrives on the nest just before 05:18, while it is still dark, to say good morning. He stands beside her. She is her usual very chatty self. He is silent. Having said only yesterday I’d never seen Iris sleeping tucked, she did so quite a bit last night (especially as morning approached). Shortly after 05:25, Finn set off to get breakfast. He returns soon after 06:30 but without a fish. Iris does not sound pleased by this development. 

He does a little busy work on the nest, but when Iris stands up at 06:3424, he immediately flies off. Iris stretches her wings and then flies off the nest herself at 06:34:40. She is back at 06:35:13, so obviously just did a circuit of the car park. Dad is back just before 06:38, again with empty talons. Iris leaves again. Finn is standing on his left leg a lot, which I presume is just resting but I am hoping he has not suffered any injury to the leg. I don’t think so. He wonders whether/how to brood the chicks and looks around for Iris. 

Eventually, shortly after 06:41 Finn settles down to brood the osplets. It appears Iris has taken breakfast into her own talons. Iris is back at 06:56:17. She has no fish. Finn gets up carefully and flies to the perch, allowing Iris to brood the osplets. Iris gets up, moves a large piece of bark, and settles down again. Why? Strange. After a good preen, Finn leaves again around 07:09, hopefully on a fishing expedition. Iris looks to have a good crop still but the chicks need feeding, especially the younger one. 

It is now 07:25 and Finn is not yet back. I do hope this new baby is not too tiny and that it is able to get fed. I also hope that it is a female and the first hatch a male, but I doubt that. This first hatch is precocious, physically and behaviourally. It is strong and a very good eater. I am fearful for the younger osplet, but then always was with the lengthy gap (a full week) between the laying of those two eggs. We will wait and hope.”

An absorbing article about Iris and Finnegan with interviews with Dr Greene and his helper Sharon Leigh-Miles.

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‘A’ has finally fallen in love with Ospreys! She writes, “Iris carefully supervised Finn’s first attempt at feeding their chick yesterday morning (14 June) at around 08:55. Initially, he wasn’t very good at it, finding it hard to reach down far enough to put the food into the chick’s beak, but after two or three efforts, he successfully gave the chick a bite. And another. He was good at getting the pieces small enough but leaning down to get the food into the chick’s beak took him a little more practice. But he is learning. Iris standing behind him, watching closely but not interfering, was so sweet. She is happy to teach him how to be a good dad – I’m surprised she is not more protective of the wee one, but she obviously trusts this guy and he has already proven himself to her in many ways. Certainly, he has demonstrated an amazing level of devotion to his family. Let’s hope he remembers that his primary role is away from the nest – fishing for the family and keeping intruders away from the territory. Family time is a bonus. But I do adore how proud he is of Iris and their chick. I wonder how he will manage provisioning for two osplets, Iris and himself. 

By 08:57 Iris was a little concerned that far more fish was going into Finn’s mouth than into the chick’s beak and decided to intervene. When Finn tries to feed the chick a piece that is too large, Iris takes it from his beak and bends down to feed it carefully to the wee one. Finn continues to eat the fish, while Iris feeds the chick saliva several times. He keeps eating. She moves closer, obviously wanting more of this fish to be fed to the chick. (It is large and pretty much whole, so Finn is entitled to eat the head at least. Iris however is concerned only about feeding the chick.) When he turns to feed a piece to the osplet, she takes it from him again and feeds it to the chick. This is repeated several times, with Iris taking food from Finn to feed to the chick. This is SO sweet. They are not so much tandem feeding as team feeding. Iris is clearly teaching Finn about being a great dad. 

Finn now concentrates again on eating for himself, so Iris settles down to brood the chick, though it remains visible at her breast. She reaches out to nibble at the fish Finn is holding down, as he continues to eat beside the nest bowl. He feeds Iris a couple of bites, then continues eating. She continues nibbling at the fish too. When Finn flies to the perch shortly after, he leaves the fish beside Iris. He returns to the nest at 09:33:35 with eyes firmly on the leftover fish. Iris has a lot to say. He nibbles on the fish a little, but soon leaves without removing the remaining fish. 

He is soon back again (10:05), possibly with a stick, although Iris standing up obscures our view. She is very chatty. He is tall, dark and handsome, a man of few words. She settles back down to brood and he simply stands behind her on the nest, protectively. After a couple of minutes, he circles Iris and she stands up to show him his baby (and the hatching second egg, presumably). He looks down into the nest, obviously fascinated as always. She continues to chirp. Having closely examined his progeny, Finn flies to the perch. Iris continues chatting. By 10:19, she is settling down to brood again. Finn remains on the perch. There is still half a large fish (probably a fair bit more) remaining on the nest. “

We still have three chicks at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum! Mum provided good shade for much of the day and the three had some good fish.

Wow, that third hatch at Charlo Montana sure came quickly. Charlie looks on at this three kids and his new mate.

Little Mini had a bit of a crop earlier in the day from this feeding but was shut out later – something that bothered me a bit. It was rather submissive during a late feeding allowing the older Little Bob to lean over it and eat. I am hoping Little Mini was just full.

Only Bob at Sandpoint is a fat bottomed little cutie.

‘MM’ watched the Osoyoos nest for us on Friday and she reports: “It was offline again until about 9:30 this morning so not sure if there were any feedings before then but I have counted 6 so far today with the 6th one still taking place. For the most part they have been very small especially the first three or four. I’m almost certain at the first feeding(9:56 am) mom ate it all while the chicks bonked one another. The fish lasted all of 5 minutes, was so small you could barely see it. At 10:56 and 11:34 am dad delivered small fish again with each chick getting a few bites and mom also definitely wasn’t enough to fill their crops. At 1:26 and 2:51 pm he brought fish that were a little bit bigger but not by much. Again they each got enough to keep hunger at bay but still not seeing bulging crops like at other nests. Number 6 was delivered at 4:12 pm and was still ongoing when I started this email. It was definitely bigger than the others. As the chicks get older hopefully the fish will get bigger because there’s no way those tiny fish will fill up 3 growing chicks and mom has quite the appetite as well 😄 I noticed they are pretty well behaved whilst eating but not so much while there’s no food on the nest.”

The 6th fish of the day and the biggest. Thanks, ‘MM’

Two gorgeous feathered babes on the Patchogue nest!

The little one enjoying some fish on the Cowlitz PUD nest.

It is difficult to see if all the chicks are alright on the Oyster Bay nest because of the greenery.

Two surviving osplets at Maryland Western Shore for Old Town Home are fantastic.

Smallie spent the night in the scrape. He is looking very well.

Prey continues to be provided for the Ns at the Cornell nest of Big Red and Arthur. Both fledglings appear to be flying strong.

‘H’ reports:

Dahlgren osprey nest:  Early on 6/14, viewers noticed that the 12-day-old chick was in a deep hole in the nesting, and sitting on a bottom wood slat of the platform nest.  The baby is surrounded by some articles of clothing, perhaps gloves (?), and can’t hardly move.  So far, Helen has been able to feed her baby in that position.  Viewers tried for hours to raise awareness with the nest owners.  Finally this morning on Facebook is the response:  Brigitte Schwurack Top contributor Thank you for your message, the owners of the camera are informed.

6/14, The weather started to clear, and it turned out to be a great day!  Due to poor fishing, the youngest osplet, Darling, had not eaten for over 3.5 days.  At 0917 Edie delivered a whole catfish, and Ding ate. Darling was not able to eat any of that fish.  At 1015 Edie brought another whole catfish and fed Ding.  While that was taking place, Jack arrived with a partial fish.  Ding grabbed Jack’s fish, and Darling was quick to grab Edie’s catfish, and ate his first bites of food for over 87 hours.  At 1024 Edie took the fish from Darling and began to feed him.  Darling ate for about 40 minutes.   At 1259 Edie landed with a partial ladyfish, Darling grabbed and mantled, but Ding took it away.  Ding ate until 1334, then walked away.  There was still a lot of fish left, and Darling self-fed on the ladyfish.  At 1337 Edie brought a whole ladyfish, Darling abandoned the other one, and Edie fed some of the new fish to Ding, but most to Darling. At 1428 Edie fed the remainder of the first ladyfish, mostly to Darling, and some to Ding.  Finally, at 1956 Edie delivered a partial catfish.  She fed Ding, and then Ding did some self-feeding.  Everyone’s prayers had been answered for tons of fish.  Darling had a large crop for most of the day.  We are so very thankful that the weather cleared and Edie and Jack were able to catch fish, and that our dear Darling is still with us!

6/14 Forsythe osprey nest: There are not enough fish being brought to this nest.  It has already undergone brood reduction once.  Mini4 died of siblicide/starvation on 6/11.  There were four fish brought to the nest on 6/14, and none were very large.  Big and Middle were both responsible for preventing Little from eating for the second straight day.  Little passed away overnight…COD siblicide/starvation.  Big also controls when Middle is allowed to eat, and Middle ate a total of 156 bites of fish the entire day.  This may end up being a one-chick nest, where once there were four of the cutest little osplets you had ever seen.

6/14 Fenwick Island osprey nest – Captain Mac’s Fish house:  Congratulations to Johnny and June on the hatch of their first baby at approximately 19:45.

6/14, Patuxent osprey nest:  There were six fish brought to the nest by Dad, and a couple were whoppers!  Everyone had a great day, and Little had several good private feedings.  Remarkably, at meal #5, Little was eating right beside Big…as if they had been best buddies their entire lives!


It was almost daylight, and I thought the osplet had survived another night without being hit by the GHO.  At 0538 C1 was standing up in the nest when she was struck hard by the GHO.  The GHO was not able to take her.  C1 managed to grab the rail sticks with her talons, but had been thrown  off balance, and she eventually fell off the nest.  That nest is very high, and we hoped that she was able to flap and float down to the ground.  Well, she did better than that….  The nest owner saw C1 flying across the lake!

‘J’ sent us an update on Connick, Connie and Clive’s eaglet from 2023.

‘J’ also sent us an update on Chance:

‘RP’ sent us a smile:

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, observations, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, EJ, H, J, MM, PB, RP’, FORE, Vicki Jacques, BVS Girl, Aguila Pesiadora, The Raptor Resource Project, BocianiMyBolewice, IWS/Explore, Dyfi Osprey Project, Friends of Loch Arkaig, Montreal Falcon Cam, Geemeff, BoPH, Montana News, Charlo Montana Osprey Cam (Owl Osprey Project), MN Landscape Arboretum, Field Farm, Sandpoint Ospreys, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, PSEG, Cowlitz PUD, Maryland Western Shore for Old Town Home, Amersfoort Peregrine Falcon Cam, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Lake Murray Ospreys, Forsythe, Patuxent River Park, Dahlgren, Fenwick Island, and CBS Sunday Morning.

Pip in Iris and Finnegan’s second egg…Friday in Bird World

14 June 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

The rain clouds came Wednesday evening and watered the garden and they are rolled in again from the West Thursday morning. Hugo Yugo is afraid of the thunder and lighting and the minute it starts she scatters to get under the duvet on my bed. Poor thing. Friday is a different matter. There are no clouds in sight. The sky is a pure beautiful blue with the bright emerald green from the trees decorating it. Everything is so lush. I have never seen trees and shrubs grow so much in such a short time. It just shows how much we need the water and how dry our winter had been.

I spent about three hours walking at the zoo on Thursday and about an hour sitting and having tea and watching the polar bears. It was the most glorious day. I am hoping to be a good example to all of you to get out and about, but I have to admit that I was pretty sore and tired after that!

The bears had been fed and were swimming in the icy cold water area before they left to go into their den. They are so gorgeous and are extremely well cared for. (I am still not sure what I think about zoos).

Besides spending time in the research centre learning how climate change is hampering the ability of these iconic bears to get food, I also found out how the staff at the zoo determine if one of them is ill. They put different coloured sprarkle bits in their food. So Bear A might have green, Bear B red, etc. Then they check their poop. Reminded me of the movie, The Last Emperor of China.

Polar bears are most active in the winter and hibernate during the summer. Churchill, Manitoba, is the Polar Bear Capital of the World. I do not know when they gave that small town on Hudson’s Bay the moniker, but today, if you want to see Polar Bears, you must go out in boats at two specific times of the year – spring and fall. The times are getting later and later as the sea ice gets smaller and smaller and further away from land. The bears have great difficulty getting food. They must fatten up in the winter to live on the fat all during hibernation. Sadly, they are hungry because of fewer and fewer seals. Some bears are catching seals in open water, and in the fall, they are desperately hungry. They come into Churchill and feed on garbage, which causes the citizens to get upset and the bears to be shot. Life is becoming desperately hard for them.

Sad news coming in this morning. One of the four fledglings at San Jose, Luna, has been found dead on the ground following a building collision. Thank you ‘SP’ for alerting me.

As I ready for bed, there is serious concern over the Captiva Osprey nest. Connor from Window to Wildlife posted the following letter. This is one of the nests that ‘H’ monitors and she notes that Darling has had nothing to eat (but perhaps a few scraps) in 75 hours. This is because of the weather. We are hoping for a miracle but are realistically expecting Darling to pass away.

‘H’ reports on Captiva which is a nest she monitors: “6/13 Captiva ospreys:  The stationary tropical wave weather pattern that extends all across south Florida is expected to continue for the next few days, albeit with conditions predicted to be a little less severe in some places.  The two osplets, Ding and Darling, had eaten a meal the evening of 6/10.  Then fishing became impossible due to the stormy weather, not just because of the wind and rain, but due to the effect it had on the water surface and water turbidity.  The evening of 6/12 Edie brought a partial catfish to the nest which was eaten by Ding.  The morning of 6/13, Jack delivered a partial needlefish that was eaten by Ding.  In the afternoon, Edie brought a partial catfish, and that was eaten by Ding.  And, in the evening, Jack delivered a partial sheepshead that Ding ate.  The shortage of food has rekindled Ding’s ultimate dominance over Darling, and Ding wins the battles for the fish.  If enough fish is brought to the nest, Darling will win some of those battles, and Ding may also allow Edie to keep a fish to feed Darling.

In my opinion, if Darling passes, it will have nothing to do with Jack’s injury.  This is about the weather.  It is a prolonged weather event that a young unfed osplet cannot endure.  And, I’m sure this scenario is being played out at many osprey nests all across south Florida that have been impacted by this nearly-stationary tropical wave.

This is exactly the same effect that the Nor’easter had in New Jersey last June.  Certain adverse weather systems simply hang around too long, causing poor fishing that lasts for too many consecutive days…not just one day, or two days, but three days or more.  The end result is the starvation/dehydration deaths of many young ospreys.  In some cases, the prolonged stormy weather may cause the deaths of the adult ospreys as well.  For example, at the Ocean City, NJ nest, where the parents disappeared after the June 2023 storm, intruders took over the nest, and the osplets died in the nest.   

When the weather begins to improve after such a prolonged adverse weather event, and the adult ospreys are able to catch a fish, they must eat at least part of the fish to ensure their own survival, before bringing the remainder of the fish to the nest to feed their young.  Then, the dominant osplet in the nest will eat first.

At Captiva, Edie was providing for her two osplets just fine for three days in Jack’s absence, while we were unaware that he had been injured.  Then the storm hit, and made fishing impossible for an extended period of time.  Now that fishing has started to improve, and both Edie and Jack have been able to bring a few fish to the nest, the eldest osplet, Ding, has first dibs on the food.  If Darling dies, it will not be because of Jack’s injury.  It will be due to the storm, and because s/he happens to be the youngest osplet in the nest.  

By 07:00 on 6/14, Darling will not have eaten for 84 hours.  Pray for enough fish this morning to feed both Ding and Darling.”


6/13, Forsythe osprey nest:  After 10 fish were brought to the nest by Oscar on 6/12, this nest took a nose dive…with no apparent explanation.  At 0822, Oscar delivered a medium-sized headless fish.  Little was not permitted to eat at that meal, and Middle only ate a few bites.  After many hours, Opal decided to go fishing herself, and she returned with a large whole fish at 1530.  That feeding lasted for 40 minutes, and yet Little only ate 4 bites of fish.  He was prevented from eating by both Big and Middle.  We saw Oscar on the perch, but perhaps he wasn’t feeling well.  Little ate pretty well on 6/12, so he is not in immediate danger of starvation.  

6/13 Patuxent: There were six fish brought to the nest by Dad.  Little did not manage to eat at the first meal, but had a nice 12 minute private feeding at the second meal.  Little was not able to make it to Mom’s beak during the next two meals.  Little usually automatically assumes his tuck-and-surrender posture when a fish is delivered to the nest, and he has learned to wait his turn until Big and Middle are full.  But, at meal five, he fell asleep while waiting, lol.  The meal began at 1600, and by 1616 both Big and Middle had dropped back…queue Little…calling Little…where’s Little?…Oh my goodness, he had fallen asleep!  Mom ate some of the fish, and all of a sudden Little woke up at 1621 and said, “Oh, here I come Mommy, save some for me.”  But, there were only two bites of fish that Mom had left to feed her youngest.  Ahh, but Dad wasn’t finished…he delivered a large headless fish at 1822, and Little had a mostly private feed for 23 minutes and ate 145 bites of fish. 

6/14 South Cape May Meadows osprey nest:  We knew that the crow most likely destroyed egg #3 on 6/8, and it pecked at another egg.  One egg hatched on 6/11 which could have been either the first or second egg.  Well…another egg hatched overnight on 6/14!  So, the first baby was from egg #1 at 39 days, and the second baby was from egg #2 at 39 days.  “Now, you two must get along..Ya hear!”  Congratulations to Hera and Zeus!

6/14 Fortis Exshaw osprey nest:  The second baby hatched overnight.  Congratulations to Louise and Harvie!  (I do not have any good photos yet) 

6/14 Boathouse osprey nest:  Congratulations to Dory and Skiff on their first baby of the season.  The lil’ one hatched just after 8 a.m.

Gosh, that is a cute little baby, Heidi! Look at those dark eyes.

Thanks so much, ‘H’. We love your reports!

One of my readers said this morning that ‘the Montana nest might bring us the happiness we need this year’. With all the worry about Jack at Captiva with ‘the something’ sticking out of his leg (looks like part of a fishing spear to me), and all the nests that have four chicks, and now Loch Arkaig with the ferocious C2, well. It is going to be nice to sit and watch Iris live out a wonderful summer. She always had the best nest in the country. She would work on it right after she arrived from migration and then stop and make sure it was in tip top shape when she left. Just look at it. Perfect. This is just the best ‘icing on the cake’ for this female. A devoted male after so many years. When did Stanley die? 2014? If you look at the timeline below, you will see that the fledge in 2018 was just a fluke. It has been ten years since Iris had a clutch of chicks that fledged! So this really is a miracle year.

Hellgate-Osprey-Cam-Timeline-Cornell-Lab-Bird-Cams-Cornell-Lab-Bird-CamsDownload

So far, Finn is delivering on his promise to continue to be a good mate and dad. A huge fish came on the nest for Iris and baby Thursday morning.

The enthusiasm for a big fish for the babe and Iris caused some concern Thursday afternoon. ‘MB’ writes, “Some clumsy/scary looking moments at Iris’ nest 14:50 ish.  A large fish arrives complete with head.  The two adults both seem keen to wrangle it, more interested in the fish than the chick.  The wee chick is trodden on a few times.  It goes down and stays still for a while, and I am holding my breath.  By 15:00 ish the chick is back up and begging and the fish has been taken over to the perch to be sorted out. Hopefully it will arrive back for a more civilised feeding.”

Goodness me. We do not need a nest accident! Iris and Finnegan with that whole fish and wee babe wanting fish!

Finnegan looks down at the wee babe while Iris feeds. Oh, I wish I could see what he is thinking.

‘A’ adores Finn: “Finn does appear young, but if he has never done this before, he sure is a natural dad. He adores Iris and worships this tiny creature in the nest. He watches it with absolute fascination, and spends quite a bit of time on the perch, guarding his family with obvious pride. Adorable. 

You should see the size of the afternoon fish he brought it – it is MASSIVE (timestamp 14:51:15). Iris is happy! She starts to eat, but Finn decides he’s hungry too, so there is a bit of a tug of war over the fish, with the chick rapidly moving out of the way for fear of being squashed by this giant fish. Iris returns to brooding the chick and Finn starts eating the head of the fish. The chick is confused! 

Finn takes the fish to the nest perch and continues eating. And eating. And eating. By 15:32 Iris is getting impatient, and Finn brings the fish back to the nest. He stands beside Iris, looking very proud, until 15:40, when he grabs the fish and brings it around to Iris’s head. She is periodically vocalising at Finn but not getting up for the fish! 

Finn continues eating the fish head, occasionally offering a bite to Iris, who ignores it. Just before 15:43, he feeds a bite to Iris, which she accepts. She finally stands up, and slowly moves around to the fish. It is 15:44 and the chick is hungry. Finn stays on the nest, and the chick is not sure which parent to turn to for food. Iris is eating. Finn is watching his chick from the other side of the nest cup. Finally, around 15:45 Iris starts feeding Bob. The chick is good at this part! It is a voracious little feeder and can hold its head up, and steady, very easily indeed. It is strong and it is healthy. Such a blessing. Iris is giving her baby the smallest pieces – just right for a newborn osplet. She is such an experienced mum – calm and diligent. In fact, this chick seems to have inherited some pretty good genes all around. 

Oh I love this little family. Finn is proving to be a perfect dad, He could not be prouder of his osplet and he adores Iris. I know how many people are just over the moon for Iris. Every girl deserves a Finn in her life! I adore the way he feeds her on the nest. SO sweet. I have never seen a feeding like yesterday’s – yes, a few bites, but not a full eight-minute feeding that involved at least 50 bites of fish. That really was something very special indeed. I love this guy. Not just delivering fish but breakfast in bed for the new mum. He’ll be bringing flowers next! “

A pip in the second egg of Iris and Finnegan has been confirmed Thursday evening. Tears. Get the tissue boxes out!!!!!! The champagne is already gone.

The three babies at Charlo Montana are soooooo tiny.

C2 finally let up and everyone, including Dorcha, got some fish out of the sixth delivery of the day. Did I say that C2 is a big female and behaves like Zoe, the osprey, at Port Lincoln of 2022?

All of the osplets at Field Farm are accounted for!

A flurry of a tandem feeding at Poole Harbour with CJ7 and Blue 022 trying to keep the four osplets alive and healthy. They are doing an incredible job.

Blue 022 is great at feeding. Both adults were rushing to get the four fed as heavy rain was coming into the area.

One surviving Osplet, one deceased by a nest accident, and it looks like a DNH egg at Sandpoint.

Those three are tough little osplets at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. They are still alive!

It is extremely difficult to see how many or how little fish are coming to the Osoyoos nest with its three osplets. Soo and Olsen have had a tough time of it in recent years. The area has been hit with heat bombs and the local lake and river that supply the fish appears not to have enough fish – or it is so warm that they are diving deep – that Olsen cannot catch them.

I noted three feedings on Thursday. At 1034, 1536, and 1656. This is not enough to sustain this family.

If you have the time, the Osoyoos cam is up and running. Any help in establishing how many fish come on this nest would be ever so helpful. Thank you.

It’s hot at the Cowlitz PUD nest. Three osplets. We need lots of fish to come on this nest!

Perhaps it is my imagination but it seems like the fish deliveries at some of the nests with small babies – that need to be fed a little but many times over – are slow.

Waiting for pip/hatch watch at Captain Mac’s Fish House Osprey platform.

Maya keeping her Only Bob dry from the rain at Rutland. What a great Mum she is. So sad she was sick at the beginning of the season. The ringing of the chick is scheduled for June 21.

At the Golden Eagle nest #2, Mum has brought prey in a couple of times on Thursday. Both chicks ate.

Edith P caught the feeding on video.

Golden Eaglet in Bucovina România doing well.

Some images from the nest of Big Red and Arthur and the new fledglings, the Ns.

The two hawklets at Syracuse have both branched and the nest is bare. I am thinking they both might have fledged.

‘H’ is watching for a pip Thursday evening for Dory and Skiff. Will see what she reports in the morning.

Hatch at nest #3 in Finland. (One egg had nest accident and one other egg left to hatch)

One osplet so far at nest #1 in Finland.

Some of you will have read the book Beauty and the Beak. I am sorry to inform you that Beauty has passed away.

Thank you so much for being with us today. There is joy tinged with great sadness. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, posts, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, PB, SP, T’, Connor and Window to Wildlife, Patuxent River Park, Forsythe Ospreys, SCMM, All About Birds, Montana Osprey Project, Cornell Bird Lab, Charlo Montana Ospreys, Geemeff, BoPH, Sandpoint Ospreys, MN Landscape Arboretum, Osoyoos, Cowlitz PUD, Pitkin County Open Spaces and Trails, Captain Mac’s Fish House, LRWT, Eagle Club of Estonia, Edith P, Wild Bucovina Association, Cornell RTH, Heidi McGrue, Nesting Bird Life and More, Finnish Osprey Foundation, and Birds of Prey Northwest.

Tuesday in Bird World

19 March 2024

Hello Everyone,

My report today is very short. I was out and about on Monday and came home not feeling well. The late morning wind was blowing at a rather brisk rate, and the dust, sand, and salt blasted through the air on the street where I was. It has caused me to have some difficulty with my breathing. It wasn’t like the sand storms in Harbin, PRC, in the spring, but for those of us with even minor breathing problems, these days – until the rain comes – can be debilitating. But today is officially the first day of spring and that is a wonderful thing. The Canada Geese that arrived earlier have sure had a mix of weather from warm to a blizzard, to a thaw and then a freeze. Hopefully today will be nice for them so they can find something to eat other than dead grass and dirt. It is -5 C and will dip to -13 C tonight. Doesn’t sound like spring!

‘H’ did a great cartoon of Hugo Yugo. She still fits in a small shoe box with room left over. She will have her surgery on Wednesday and I will keep you posted. I am more than hopeful that everything will go well.

She is certainly feeling feisty today! Hope might be quite happy if Hugo Yugo is out of commission for a couple of days.

Calico is like Missey. She tries to stay out of the way and watches. I often wonder what she thinks.

Just something that got overlooked yesterday. Dahlgren’s Harriet is missing, she has not been seen since 3/13, and Jack is with a new female.

I have decided to start off with the traumatic news that happened or began to happen on Monday and then move to the joyous.

It was a very sad day for those cheering for Port Tobacco. The little eaglet died during a low-humidity hatch. We have seen a few of those during the last twelve months. A few survive. This poor little one didn’t. Condolences to all.

Here is a good article on why Bald Eagle eggs do not hatch by Elfruler.

WHEN-BALD-EAGLE-EGGS-DONT-HATCH-Bald-EaglesDownload

This article is about eggs in incubators but it does discuss the issue of humidity.

Pipped-eggs-that-do-not-hatch-Mississippi-State-University-Extension-ServiceDownload

One of the eggs has broken at Pittsburgh-Hayes. This is Mum and her new mate. This is the report from Pix Cams this morning:

Jackie and Shadow continue to incubate their three eggs. Their hope is strong. There are articles all over the Internet about this dedicated couple.

Hope-Fades-As-Celebrity-Bald-Eagle-Eggs-Unlikely-To-HatchDownload

Yesterday I mentioned that there continues to be a move to build housing near Jackie and Shadow’s nest. This could have a serious impact on our beloved eagles.

Human-Activity-and-Disturbances-Near-Active-Bald-Eagle-Nests-Audubon-Center-for-Birds-of-PreyDownload

As you know, Jak and Audacity’s only egg of the season broke and appeared to not be viable. I was so grateful that someone posted us a happy time at their nest.

As of Monday afternoon we are waiting to see about any pips at PA Country Farms. It appears that the first egg might not be viable.

Ospreys continue to visit the Achieva Credit Union nest after eggs and chick go missing.

It is not clear what is happening at the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest. The last news – the camera was not operating after 1200 on Monday – was that two eagles were locked in a fight on the nest. This was posted by the Dulles-Greenway FB.

Oh, this has been such a sad year in the world of the Bald Eagles. Let us hope that they all recover next year.

In the good news, Archie got to see his second egg! Archie was delighted to help Annie incubate the eggs. What a great mate! Hoping he is around for many years to come.

Mother Goose now has six eggs in the Decorah Goose nest.

Waiting for pip/hatch at Two Harbours in about ten days. The egg was laid on 22 February making it 26 days old today. Cholyn is 25 years old this year. She is the mother of Thunder at the West End nest if you did not know.

Fingers Crossed.

There is a lot of fish piled up in the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta. All eaglets have eaten well.

Fraser Point looks good. Hopeful for Andor and Cruz to have a full clutch hatch.

The two eaglets on the Duke Farms nest appear to be doing fine. There is a lot of fish. There is, however, a large precarious stick that has come onto the nest, and Mum was feeding, leaning over it and at least for a while, one eaglet slept with its head under it. Hopefully, it will not cause any injury.

Big Red and Arthur taking turns incubating that first egg that was laid on St Patrick’s Day at Cornell. We will be expecting a second tomorrow.

The three osplets at Fisherman’s Creek seem to be doing alright. The camera is not clear all the time but they are growing and the little one seems to be holding its own.

At Loch Arkaig, that Buzzard is intent on taking over the nest before the ospreys arrive. There has not been an osprey hatch on the nest associated with Cam 1 since Louis and Aila fledged JJ 5, JJ6, and JJ7. We were hopeful last year and continue to wish that an osprey pair will return. But what to make of this situation?

Blue NCO continues to catch some whoppers. Poor thing. She keeps calling for her mate, Laddie LM12. I do hope he makes it back this year.

Blue 33 and Maya are determined to get eggs on their nest first!

For those checking on the Loch Garten Osprey cam, it should be on shortly. The Llyn Clywedog cameras are now live as we await the arrival of Dylan and Seren!

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, cartoons, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘H, J, L’, Elfruler, Mississippi State University Extension, Pix Cams, Forbes, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Lolita Ozolina, Achieva Credit Union, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, IWS/Explore.org, Duke Farms, Cornell RTH Cam, Fisherman’s Creek Ospreys, Geemeff, The Scottish Wildlife Trust (LOTL), LRWT, and Llyn Clywedog.