Before I even begin, thanks to everyone at PSEG Oyster Bay. The chick with what appeared to be an injured leg was taken into care. The report from the rehab facility is that there is nothing wrong with the osplets’ legs. The chick was malnourished. Their plan is to feed this little one well, get it healthy, and then release it back into the wild to live its life. Wonderful news.
Just a few things to catch up on. It was a very hot day in the Canadian Prairies—30 °C and very humid. Toby didn’t even want to ‘walk’ at the park, preferring to be pushed in his pram with a towel wrapped around an ice pack! It is now just past 1900, and there is shade and a lovely breeze in the garden. The song birds, along with the Blue Jays, were feeding when the local Cooper’s Hawk arrived at 1900. There was quite a bit of commotion, and it flew out with something fairly large between its talons. Honestly, I hope that was not the Baby Blue Jay. The hawk flew in fast, grabbed its prey, and out it went. Some might not have noticed, and, of course, my camera was sitting in the house.
We are enjoying the evenings outside now that the perimeter of the garden is secure and Toby can wander at his leisure. Trying to hold on to a dog on a leash while relaxing is not relaxing!
‘PS’ sent me their report from Seattle. The images are so gorgeous. Please do go to the ‘PS’s Flickr account and read the entire diary!
“As for the Seattle Osprey – I visited every day this week through Thursday, sometimes for short visits, and both young continue to look good, fish looked to be in good supply (sometimes I’d come and mom would still be holding half a fish with nobody eating…and eventually they would get around to finishing it, which I imagine/hope is a sign of plentiful food). Lots of flapping, hopping around and across the nest, head bobbing, etc – I’ve said it for a while but fingers crossed they will both be fledging soon. I figure they are right around 50 days old (plus or minus a day or two) so right in that “typical” range. Unfortunately I am out of town until Sunday but I hope to have time to visit Sunday evening and then definitely Monday so will update you more then. Picture library continues to grow (https://www.flickr.com/gp/193514804@N08/x87X142Y7m), also sending a couple through here.”
Take a moment to look at these amazing images. Thank you ‘PS’. There is something to learn in each of them. The top image is of an adult osprey. What colour is its eye? Now look at the chicks in the nest? What colour is theirs?
Osprey eyes change colour as they mature. Young ospreys are born with dark blue or black eyes, which then change to amber or orange. As they reach maturity, around 2-3 years old, their eyes transition to a bright yellow like the parents in the top image.
Now look at the beak.
Just look at the wing span of the adult. The wingspan of an adult osprey typically ranges from 1.45 to 1.80 meters (55 to 71 inches), or approximately 4.75 to 6 feet. Females tend to be slightly larger than males, with wingspans on the higher end of that range.
This is an excellent video about everything you need to know about an osprey. Please watch it even if you think you know everything! https://youtube.com/shorts/H6bklarQT38?
What is special about the osprey’s feet? and their toes?
What is special about their foot pads?
Are osprey talons unique? How?
What is special about an osprey’s beak?
What is the purpose of the dark band behind the eyes?
How long is it til the fledglings get their adult plumage?
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 25th July 2025 Yesterday it was thought that Dorcha had brought a fish to the nest, a most unusual occurrence for her with a total of two fish to date (one each in 2023 and 2024) but on closer inspection she was just returning a fish brought earlier by Louis. However, it does appear that she brought a fish today – whether she caught it herself or received it off-nest from Louis can’t be known, but checking back doesn’t show Louis sneaking in with an extra fish so it must be concluded that Dorcha’s fish tally for 2025 soars up to the magnificent total of one. Louis brought four fish to the nest and his tally rises to three hundred and forty eight out of the three hundred and forty nine year to date total. Although it seems that Garry gave Aurora a fish off-nest, he didn’t bring any to the nest, preferring to attempt unsuccessful mating instead so his tally remains at one hundred and thirty five. The chicks Darach and Breac made sure of getting their share of fish, chasing away the other, lunging at their parents and trying to see off a persistent Hoodie while reacting to the occasional intruder Osprey seen in the near distance. Both are in excellent physical condition and plumping up nicely in readiness for the long journey south which probably won’t happen for a few weeks yet. The forecasted rain materialised late in the day and is due to continue overnight with a low of 13
°C, through to tomorrow, with a high of 17°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.06.00 (04.15.54); Nest Two 22.51.27 (04.23.56)
nt Hoodie intrudes on Dorcha and Darach 18.14.01 Bonus action – voting now open for Woodland Trust’s Tree of the Year, link to vote for your favourite:
Green Ledge Light Preservation Society: First fledge on Friday!
Marlene Harris and Ferris Akel and the O’s!
The Russell Lake Ospreys are really starting to flap their wings!
That’s it for today! Thank you so much for being with us. We look forward to seeing you on Monday!
Thank you to those wonderful people who send me reports on the birds including Pam Breci, those great images and information from Seattle ‘PS’, Geemeff keeps us up to date with all things Woodland Trust, UK Osprey Info FB has amazing information please think about joining, and thanks to all the others that have streaming cams whose images we have used, those who contributed newsletters such as Kielder Forest, Marlene Harris, Ferris Akel and the Cornell Red-tail Hawks, the Green Light Preservation Society, and of course the driving forces behind letting us know about Nova Scotia ospreys – Connie and Don Dennis.
I can tell you that Pelican Lake is beautiful and that it is actually home to so many American White Pelicans. I can also tell you that Lewy Body Dementia is a challenging disease for both the person who bears the burden of it and for those trying to enrich their lives. We were at Pelican Lake precisely two hours before Don ‘lost me’. I will not bore you with the details of someone spiralling downwards, but suffice it to say I was happy to be able to administer his medication, repack the car (thank goodness we hadn’t really unpacked), and get him and Toby in the car and back home. No more holidays. I was beginning to wonder if the days of travelling were over several months ago. We will take our trips within the confines of the city, so that if something goes sideways, home is close at hand. I already have a list of parks that we haven’t yet visited – just imagine all the things we might have been missing!
Toby and I spent Thursday doing some projects. He now has a fully enclosed back garden where he can roam freely. We also played with a new camera. ‘AK’ knew that I was fed up with carrying heavy, long lenses and big medium-format cameras. That is the reason you have seen so few images of birds this year. The weight is phenomenal. The total weight of what I used was more than 12 lbs. So ‘AK’ recommended that I check out the P1000 with its fixed 3000mm zoom lens. I was only able to get the P1100, and at three pounds with a 3000 mm zoom and a ‘bird’ setting, Toby and I had a lot of fun testing it out on the birds at the feeder. The images are not great. This is my first hour using this camera, but I can tell you it feels like a winner in terms of what I need for my life at this moment. It sure was fun, even with squiggly Toby on my lap.
Notice the texture. This camera is not supposed to do well in low light – well, that squirrel is deep in the lilacs and it was dark with light just filtering in from the West!
And for anyone wondering, this is not just any squirrel. This is Dyson. Look at her large arms and long fingers. She is our matriarch.
Junior is moulting, so no crest. Those feathers, the layers and layers, are quite amazing. (I am roughly 16 metres from the bird feeder).`
Tiny little female house sparrow.`
Three baby crows with their velvet heads.
My sidekick, Toby. He is enjoying the freedom of the garden but also likes to lounge in the chair and always comes when I call. Kitties aren’t allowed outside in Winnipeg.
My first hydrangea bush! I have a friend who mailed me dried hydrangea blooms one year. They made it all the way from British Columbia! Now I have my own.
Please do not believe everything you read on a chat. In fact, it is almost the last place to find accurate information sometimes. The PSEG Oyster Bay osplet with the injured leg did NOT fledge, it was rescued and taken into rehab.
Here is Heidi’s Osprey report for the US:
Raptor Persecution UK confirms that there are some 143 Hen Harriers illegally killed or missing since 2018.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 24th July 2025 Today was all about fish – arriving, departing, returning, reappearing and causing confusion among the nest cam watchers until sharp eyes sorted out the details. Dorcha did not supply any new fish, all six deliveries to Nest Two were made by Louis, and his tally now rises to three hundred and forty four.
Dorcha found and ate the fish lost last night in the nest furnishings and today’s fresh fish were shared out between her and the two chicks, with Breac 7P7 getting the lion’s share. Darach 7P0 made sure he hung onto his share causing Breac to fall over the edge and hang upside down in an OMG moment. However Breac managed to untangle himself and fly away, returning unharmed to a chorus of relief on the forum, and later he achieved the milestone of flying with fish for the first time, another event noted by sharp eyed watchers. Steve Q crunched the numbers and posted last week’s fish stats, link in the bonus section, and although the fish counters noted Garry LV0’s one delivery to Aurora 536 today, taking his tally to one hundred and thirty five, it’s hoped that we will need Steve to include Nest One fish stats in future reports if Garry and Aurora produce the longed for chicks on that nest next year. The weather was settled but is expected to turn damp overnight and through tomorrow with light rain and light winds, a low of 13°C tonight and a high of 18°C tomorrow.Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.15.40 (03.51.48); Nest Two 23.00.46 (04.15.30) Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/Jeo0-VlMQGg N2 Dorcha holds onto fish number six but feeds Breac 22.06.48 Bonus shopping opportunity – Woodland Trust shop summer sale now on:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 23rd July 2025 Another slow day with not much action apart from the chicks Darach 7P0 and Breac 7P7 trying to get as much fish as possible when Louis made deliveries to the nest, and fighting anyone who got in their way. Louis brought four fish to the nest today, one of which Breac managed to lose in the muddle of sticks on the right hand side, with luck it will be found and consumed tomorrow. Louis’ tally now stands at three hundred and thirty eight, while Garry LV0’s rises to one hundred and thirty four following his single delivery to Aurora 536. The weather was settled today and set to continue with a forecast of light clouds and light winds overnight and tomorrow, with a temperature spread of 13 – 21°C, and the prospect of sunny intervals tomorrow afternoon. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.49.56 (04.09.34); Nest Two 23.04.31 (04.20.45) Today’s videos:
Come and join the friendly community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s fun, free and everyone’s welcome:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 22nd July 2025 It was a slow fish day today, Aurora 536 was disappointed when Garry arrived bearing nesting materials but no fish, so his tally remains at one hundred and thirty three, and Louis delivered three fish, raising his tally to three hundred and thirty four. Breac 7P7 is extremely dominant and got the first two fish, his older brother Darach 7P0 had to wait until he’d had enough before getting his own chance to eat. Louis brought the final fish after dark, giving Dorcha the opportunity to eat in peace before she returned the fish to the nest and handed it over to one of the chicks – Breac, of course. Nest cam watchers would like Darach to become more competitive. It rained through the night but the weather was reasonably settled during the day, however it’ll be damp again tonight as the overnight forecast is for drizzle and light winds with a low of 13
°C, improving tomorrow with light cloud, light winds and a few sunny spells with a high of 19°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.08.25 (04.09.55); Nest Two 22.59.28 (04.24.20) Today’s videos:
Ferris Akel found the Os today and the other evening, and Cornell released a video of Big Red feeding her babies a week ago. https://youtu.be/k-dHLxtlrOI?
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. We will see you again on Monday!
I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘AK, Geemeff, Heidi’, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos, including SK Hideaways, and the authors of posts such as Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, and all others, often too many to name. I am very grateful to you and to the newspapers that still cover environmental issues as they relate to our precious feathered friends. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.
SK Hideaways shares a video of Lady returning home to the WBSE nest in the Olympic Park in Sydney after a two-night absence. How tragic this could have been. So relieved. https://youtu.be/yjHWorX70IE?
Talk about another concern for the year unfolding until this golden moment.
Raptor Persecution UK: Peregrines fledge as investigation into the stamping of first clutch continues at St Alban’s Cathedral, UK.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Monday 21st July 2025
Both Darach 7P0 and Breac 7P7 are flying strongly and making good landings, barring the odd crash landing as Breac did today, and spending a great deal of time away from the nest, returning in the hope of being fed. At the time of filing this report (midnight) the nest has been empty for some time as both chicks are opting to spend the night perching in trees like adult Ospreys rather than lying on the nest. They go very quickly from flapping their wings and peering over the edge of the nest to fledging and staying out overnight! Nest cam watchers are suffering from Empty Nest Syndrome (ENS) but we can expect to have the pleasure of the chicks’ occasional company for a little longer before they set off on their epic journey south to Africa. Louis brought three fish to the nest today, the first two were shared by both chicks but only Breac was around to share the third fish with Dorcha. Louis’ tally now stand at three hundred and thirty one, it’s possible he might feed them off nest but only fish brought to the nest are included in the tally. Dorcha will need to feed up before she sets off on migration – in previous years she has brought a total of two fish to the nest, once for herself when she and Louis reunited on 10th April 2023, and once last year on 27th June when Louis was unable to provide fish for the chicks who were subsequently removed and placed on the translocation programme. It will be interesting to see if she brings a fish before leaving Loch Arkaig this year, she was kept busy today seeing off persistent Hooded Crows and for now will continue to rely on Louis for fish. Garry brought two fish to Nest One for Aurora, and his tally rise to one hundred and thirty three. The rain set in this evening, it’s raining now and forecast to continue overnight and all day tomorrow, with an even temperature spread of 15
°C to 17°C.Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.06.11 (03.47.07); Nest Two 22.53.56 (03.48.27) Today’s videos:
One of the most remarkable events today comes from a deceased osprey male 4K of Belvoir Castle (near to where we lived in the UK). He raised only two chicks. That is a 100% success. Have a read! 4K is a grandfather. I am in tears. 4K was the hero of Sacha Dench’s Conservation without Borders documentary on the flyway between the UK and West Africa. He sadly died on a power pole.
Geemeff writes, “Simon Curtin, author of If You Build It, He Will Come, emailed me to say that the female of the first pair of Ospreys to breed in East Anglia after an absence of 250 years is none other than Blue 2H7, Blue 4K’s chick!! She’s paired with an unringed male, and Tim Mackrill has confirmed they have two chicks.
Furthermore Simon tells me her brother Blue 2H8 has been sighted back at Belvoir Castle last year and again this year, although not paired up.
What are the odds?! Blue 4K was sat-tagged and tracked by Sacha Dench on the Flight of the Osprey expedition and sighted in his winter quarters in Guinea. He was a 2013 Rutland bird who bred for the first time at nine years old in 2022, produced two chicks at Belvoir then sadly died in Africa returning from migration in 2023. And both of those chicks have been sighted back in the UK – simply astounding and astronomical odds.
Simon’s book is about the attempt to attract Ospreys back to Belvoir after an absence of two hundred years by building nest platforms under the guidance of Tim Mackrill. The project was successful when 4K arrived and paired up with an unringed female and they produced 2H7 and 2H8 who turned out to be his only offspring. George, Steve Quinn and I were thanked in the credits as Woodland Trust gave permission for us to provide fish stats, video and photos of the two Loch Arkaig nests as the Belvoir nests don’t have nest cams.
The book is an easy read and highly recommended.”
Thank you to SK Hideaways, Geemeff and Simon Curtain as well as Geemeff’s Woodland Trust report, Pam Breci, Usk Valley, St Albans, Raptor Persecution UK, and Birds of Poole Harbour for their reports, their images, and their streaming cams. Much appreciated.
My earlier report indicated that the nest tree at Balgavies Loch had collapsed.
Concern was raised for 4L1. Then something wonderful happened.
Oh, there are birds flying! We may have lost many, but we have to be joyful for those who survived this year. Wish them strength, good health, great winds, and lots of fish – and a return in two years!
Part of Heidi’s earlier post was not attached and it should indicate that at Seaside, Chee fledged! “Seaside osprey cam has had issues with their live stream all season, and it has been frustrating for viewers and the chat moderator, Jewel. There was a fledge the morning of 7/20 that occurred when the livestream was down, and reports came in from ‘boots on the ground’, John and August. With a brief nest view later on, Jewel determined that the oldest chick, ‘Chee’, had fledged at 54 days of age. The BOG’s provided information throughout the day, and when the live stream resumed later on, Chee was seen back on the nest. “
At Alyth SS, Forest, the oldest of the two surviving chicks, has flown on Monday the 21st.
News from the Usk Valley in Wales as they anticipate, in week 7, a huge celebration as 9K5, the first osplet to fledge from a nest in this region of Wales, in over 250 years.
We also have good news coming from Seattle with ‘PS’s report for the weekend.
‘PS’ writes: “Two chicks continue to look good – lots and lots of wing flapping, hopping around, and head bobbing/weaving. Multiple fish feeds by both mom and dad, with dad doing several “touch and gos” just delivering fish and then leaving immediately to look for more. Seem very close to fledging – fingers crossed for these two. Growing body of photos here: https://www.flickr.com/gp/193514804@N08/582NHoev1b
It’s wonderful to see these two doing so well with their crops bulging, and Dad coming in with another fish. So many nests have failed – so as I continue to say, we must rejoice in those that triumph. We cannot lose hope. We need to take action and address the factors that impact our ospreys, such as habitat loss, commercial fishing, and a warming planet.
We interrupt Rita’s History Monday posts to bring you an update on Rita’s former nest in the wild! Though we miss Rita on the nest, her mate, Ron continued to carry on the R Nest legacy when he took a new mate, Rose. After Rita’s injury, Ron and Rose continued to raise more “R” nest eagle babies. With the continued care by Lloyd Brown, Wildlife Rescue of Dade County, and the very generous support of Ron Magill and the Ron Magill Conservation Endowment, these eagles continue to thrive at the nest. On Friday, the old nest platform was replaced, and Daniel Montanez, Modern Day Tech Solutions, was on hand to perform all of the camera and sound system maintenance for the upcoming season. Stay tuned for the announcement for when the cams go live again! Thank you to all of these professionals for their care of Rita and her extended family. Your support for these organizations is greatly appreciated. Without your help, they can’t do all of the amazing and valuable work that they do. JK #ritathebaldeaglehttps://www.facebook.com/share/p/16rY5dH3Fu/
Today we replaced the Bald Eagle nest platform for the “R” nest, the one that is livestreamed from Miami-Dade County, Florida. We pulled down the old “R” nest, expanded the platform and put the new “R” nest in place. The new nest platform was created by South Miami Senior High School teacher Mr. Nick Truby’s class. Our IT guy Danny worked on the cameras and associated electronics. Thanks to our fantastic volunteers Jeanne Kaufman, Jolie Van Der Vlugt, Daniel Montanez, and Mark Monroe, and to Mr. Truby’s students.
This Eagle Nest Cam is made possible by a partnership between Wildlife Rescue of Dade County and the Ron Magill Conservation Endowment. Your donations help us help our National Bird and all the animals in our care: http://dadewildliferescue.com/donate.php
Thank you to Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, Jim Hughes, and the gang at Balgavies Loch; to ‘J’ for the Ron and Rita information, to ‘PS’ for their wonderful photographs and news for the nest in Seattle, Heidi’s monitoring and news, the Usk Valley News, and Alyth. We are so grateful for your concern and care for ospreys! Thank you again.
I love storks – white, black or even rainbow coloured. Storks are wonderful and we are killing them along with other birds such as ospreys because of our general disregard for what plastic does to the world. “The chief culprit was baler twine, a plastic string used to secure hay bales: either the twine or its wrapping was responsible for almost all the entangled chicks. A few were caught up in domestic plastics such as bags or milk containers. The chicks died from strangulation, amputation and infected wounds.
“They roll and roll and they go around and it’s almost as if they tie the rope around their legs even harder as they move,” Franco says.
Acácio likes to talk about successful rescues, too. Once, she peered into a nest built on the stump of a cork oak tree to find two three-week-old siblings, their limbs coiled in spirals of blue baler twine.”
How many times has Dr Greene talked about the baling twine issues with ospreys in Montana? We need to find a solution for this plastic monster. It is more than sad.
Please read the article from The Guardian. It is enlightening.
A situation is developing at Osprey House Environment Centre in Australia. The female is feeding last year’s fledgling and her two young osplets! ‘MB’ sends us the FB link:
Whew! Welcome to the beginning of the week! We hope that each of you had a wonderful weekend.
The Girls enjoy watching the dozens of new baby birds in the garden. They come up close to the conservatory windows and cause quite a stir! Cute little wrens today. The baby Crows still arrive wanting their peanuts, and you can hear the Blue Jays two blocks away if the feeder is empty. It is a joy! Toby has had several walks. We have met many new neighbours and their puppies. He is growing leaps and bounds. I cannot quite believe it. His halter had to be loosened today, and I swear he is 15 cm or 6 inches longer. My new bed seems much smaller, and he really snores. We had a wonderful barbecue celebrating my daughter’s birthday. Everyone was there. It was fantastic. Even the wildfire smoke and wasps could not dampen anyone’s spirits.
I am now a member of the Virginia Wildlife FB group. (Thank you so much for letting me join – I really want to learn about the situation of all wildlife in Virginia.) First thing I noticed – images of Bald Eagles chasing Ospreys to get their precious fish! Check it out on their FB group. Ospreys have trouble with all manner of feathered ‘friends’ trying to get their fish. Gulls, eagles, even other ospreys.
Heidi’s Osprey Nest Notes:
Seaside osprey cam has had issues with their live stream all season, and it has been frustrating for viewers and the chat moderator, Jewel. There was a fledge the morning of 7/20 that occurred when the livestream was down, and reports came in from ‘boots on the ground’, John and August. With a brief nest view later.
Thank you, Heidi.
Gorgeous photograph of the three fledglings from the Centreport Bald Eagle Nest on Long Island, New York.
A good news story about wildlife is always welcome, and I received one last week from one of our regular readers, ‘MP’. I have tried to attach the images, but alas, I gave up. I know that you can imagine a barbed wire fence with large barbs and how, if an animal jumped over the fence, they could easily become injured.
“Hi, Mary Ann. All these photos and writings are from Ron Dudley. He’s showing a good side of ranchers and Nature Conservancy working together for nature. thought this to be a positive side.I thought you’d like to know.~M
Some ranchers in the valley have installed pronghorn-friendly barbed wire fences that have no barbs on the bottom wire. This fence is one of them.
And pronghorn-friendly fences aren’t the only example of ranchers trying to protect wildlife in the valley. Much of the huge valley is Sage Grouse country. When in flight, grouse have a hard time seeing barbed wire, so they often crash into it. When a 6+ lb. Sage Grouse crashes into barbed wire at speed, the results are predictably disastrous.
So some ranchers have allowed organizations like the Nature Conservancy to install bright white fence flags on their fences. The flags are easy to see and research has shown that they significantly reduce grouse/fence mayhem. I took this photo on June 19th in one of the more remote areas of the valley.
Not long after this photo was taken, I talked to a local rancher (Justin) about the fence flags. Here’s what he said (paraphrased) – “As long they (the Nature Conservancy and organisations like them) are willing to pay for them, and install them, I’m certainly willing to allow them to do so.”
Foulshaw Moss and Cumbrian Wildlife Trust:
All three at Foulshaw Moss have now fledged. Congratulations White YW and Blue 35 for another fantastic and very successful year.
Dyfi Osprey Project: Idris is one of my all-time favourite male ospreys. He is known as ‘Daddy Long Legs’, but he is a great fisher. Now he has broken another record. Watch the video to find out what that is: https://youtu.be/Y_GEb2QQapM?
Dunrovin Ranch Osprey Platform:
Allin’s Cove West: “A day in the life of the single parent offspring. Sleep, stretch, wing flat, call for food, and when none arrives, sleep some more.”https://youtu.be/cQx9eX2G31w?
Goitzsche-Wildnis with J Castyner: “Being an only child seems to have only advantages. Zeus and Fjona have focused on taking care of the boy, protecting him and feeding him in the best possible way. We can see it in the video. Mother and son are (I think) on the camera pole screaming to claim the teak, but when the father arrives alone the young man goes down to collect the piece: a beautiful headless fish, a luxurious fillet. For the boy, the best.” (The two older siblings were predated by a Red Kite). Other report below on this nest.
Two Harbours: Date night with long-time bonded mates, Chase and Cholyn by SK Hideaways. https://youtu.be/4PCwSnUvu2k?
West End Nest: Haku is on and off the nest. Makaio has not been seen for some weeks. Many believe he has left for migration since this is off-season. We must wait. It looks like Haku is warming up to the new visiting male.
I receive many questions about Akecheta since he was photographed on the mainland near Ojai. To my knowledge, no other photographs with his blue wing tag have been taken. I am sure he is alright. Is Thunder with him? Well, we haven’t seen her around the nest, and I just think she left eggs so abruptly that it is possible.
Haku and MV (male visitor) are a nice looking couple.
Coeur de’Alene, Idaho: The three surviving osplets are doing well. Mum has not removed the body of the fourth baby yet.
Fru Rauer: The Norwegian Osprey Project and Translocation of Norwegian birds to Ireland.
J Castnyer catches a fish delivery at the Goitzsche Wildnis Osprey nest in Germany. That fledgling was in there quick – ‘Mine and Mine Alone’ is the message. https://youtu.be/C7sh8ngNEVo?
And they give us an update at Eschenbach: “Despite the problems in broadcasting the live broadcast from the Eschenbach nest, I have uploaded this short video to confirm that everything is going well: Herbert has delivered a fish, Hermine is repeating the teak between the children and, most importantly, both are now flying. Normality is a gift from heaven.” https://youtu.be/yp5U1QXB_LQ?
Rutland Manton Bay: Will Maya stay home, postponing the start to her migration to help feed all those babies? We wait to see.
Birds of Poole Harbour: Everyone wants fish. Caught three on the nest.
Trempeauleau, WI: Mum is home, but where is T3? Well, that fledgling is never far away. Mum comes in with a fish and you can hear the sqeeing and then T3 is there to grab her dinner.
Talk about a loving and devoted mother. Mrs T sure is that and more. I get all weepy seeing the two of them together. It was such a challenging year for Mrs T raising this fledgling from hatch alone – and often, as I have said many times, without the help of Mr T, who was a hindrance stealing fish for his other nest with two youngsters from this one! But, nevermind, Mrs T did the unthinkable. She is amazing.
Tatarsan White-tail Eagles, RU: Fledgling visits nest, hoping for food.
Latvian Golden Eagles: Food delivery from Grislis. Spilve feeds – and it was a long feeding. https://youtu.be/-_HhGdK-pi8?
Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal: The entire article and the information on how to write is in my late Monday, 14 July blog. There is a big meeting on May 7. Don’t sit on this. Could you write to the Virginia Legislators? Cute and Paste – send it to all of them, demanding proper biodiversity and an end to commercial fishing in the Chesapeake and along the coasts of the Atlantic. We don’t want any more osplets to die, along with many other species.
If you love osprey, don’t sit on this. Get busy. Set aside two hours – that is all it would take to compose a letter – and send it out to every Virginia politician, along with the journalist who wrote the article, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, etc. This is not the time to be silent.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 20th July 2025
The two chicks practised their flying and landing skills today, popping on and off the nest especially when Louis was around delivering fish. Breac got most of the two fish delivered by Louis, but Darach was determined and attacked both Dorcha and Breac to get a share. Both chicks were mantling and squawking over the fish so it appears hyperphagia (compulsion to eat) is setting in as migration looms in the not too distant future. Louis’ tally rises to three hundred and twenty eight, and Garry’s one fish delivery takes his tally to one hundred and thirty one, although it was such a small piece of fish, Aurora might not consider it worth counting. After staying dry most of today, the rain started this evening and scattered showers will probably continue through tonight with cloudy skies, light winds, and a low of 15°C causing muggy conditions. There’s a weather warning in place for the Highlands tomorrow of heavy showers and scattered thunderstorms causing localised flooding, and a high of 21°C in the Inver Mallie area.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.26.53 ( 03.50.00E); Nest Two 23.19.12 (03.57.54)
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 19th July 2025 Today was a day for celebration – not only did Breac 7P7 return safely after not returning to the nest after his maiden flight yesterday, but Darach 7P0 also fledged, and returned in time to be fed by his mum Dorcha. His fledge wasn’t the nonchalant take off his brother made – Darach did some flapping, hopping, and squeaking before launching himself off the right edge of the nest and out of sight. However, his return was pretty good, he made a smooth landing looking confident as if he’d been flying for a while. So that’s both chicks achieving this milestone, and while some on the forum express sadness at no longer having them around all the time, this is the major step in their development, their parents have been working towards. Many watchers are celebrating by making a donation towards the upkeep of their home in Arkaig Forest – there are many ways to donate, the easiest one is to use the yellow button on this page above ‘What’s been happening on the nest today?’ All donations of whatever size are gratefully received and will be put to good use. In other news, Louis delivered four fish to the nest today, one of which Breac tried to eat starting from the tail! But soon realised his mistake, flipped it around neatly, and started tearing into the head as Dorcha has shown them. Louis’ tally now stands at three hundred and twenty six, while Garry’s rises by one to one hundred and thirty following his delivery to Aurora today. The promised rain materialised and the chicks were just a damp huddle, the forecast calls for more rain overnight continuing tomorrow with thundery showers, with a low of 16°C tonight and a high of 21°C tomorrow.Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.43.27 (03.31.43); Nest Two 23.55.24 (04.00.52) Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/tQMpMSjGkpo N2 He’s back! Darach returns and sticks the landing 17.31.27https://youtu.be/OAkKQWbpQRU N2 Two wet chicks greet Louis arriving with fish number three 18.31.50 Bonus watch – another brilliant video from Steve Quinn of the nest seen from a kilometre away:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 18th July 2025
Today’s main story is Breac 7P7’s fledge. After doing a proper high helicopter off the screen in the morning, around lunchtime he casually had a quick preen, then without any fuss, spread his wings and launched himself out into the world. Older brother Darach 7P0 looked slightly bewildered but mum Dorcha flew off her perch to deal with the interloper, mistaking him for one of the intruders who’ve kept her and Louis busy today. He didn’t return to the nest, but thanks to LizB and her trusty scope, he’s been sighted perching on a tree behind the nest. Link in the bonus section to those trees via the drone flyover video. Despite intruder alarms, Louis delivered four fish to the nest, taking his tally to three hundred and twenty two. Nest One cam was up and running again this morning, allowing us to see Garry LV0 and Aurora 536 on the nest. He didn’t bring her any fish but they did have a successful mating, and when Affric 152 intruded and landed on the nest, they flew off together in the same direction showing their strong bond which bodes well for next year. His tally remains at one hundred and twenty nine. The weather was settled today, the thundery showers didn’t materialise but are forecast to show up tomorrow with a high of 22°C, but overnight it’s expected to be dry and partly cloudy with light winds, and a low of 14°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.41.29 (03.51.51E); Nest Two (04.08.30)
From the Ventana Wildlife Society. I am starting with a quote from the newsletter. The work that these remarkable individuals do should get the highest praise. There are few of them and they really live their lives caring for these amazing creatures.
“If you watched our wildlife documentary, Condor Canyon, you got to know Amigo (204) and his long-time mate, Kodama (646). Often the first condors seen by blossoming birders in Big Sur, CA, Amigo and Kodama were fixtures in their territory at Sea Lion Cove. They raised three biological chicks together playing a key role in the recovery of the species.
On December 13, 2024, Amigo was found deceased on the cliffs of his coastal territory. It is known that condors can live more than 5 decades, however, at the time of his death, Amigo was just 25 years old. Necropsy results confirmed his cause of death was lead poisoning. The lead bullet recovered from his digestive tract was consistent with a .22 caliber. While this caliber is legal in California, lead-based ammunition has been banned for hunting wildlife since 2019 due to its devastating effects on condors and other wildlife. Lead poisoning accounts for half of all known causes of death in condors and unfortunately for Amigo, his life was cut short.
However, this isn’t about blame, but rather, about solutions. Hunters and ranchers across California are following the law and doing their part to protect wildlife. Many responsible land stewards want to make the switch but still face limited availability of reliable non-lead options for smaller calibers like .22, which is America’s most popular rifle. Expanding access and awareness is key to protecting condors and supporting people whose livelihoods depend on working and living off the land.
Let’s honor Amigo’s legacy by advancing practical tools and partnerships that benefit both people and wildlife. If you or anyone you know hunts or has a ranch in central California, please pass along information about our Free Non-lead Ammunition Program. Click or tap the button below to get started.” That button is in the newsletter. If it doesn’t work, go to their website.
Lead toxicity impacts more than just condors. Many of the Bald Eagles taken into care have enormous amounts of lead, so don’t just do this for the condors, do it for all raptors. Call for a lead-free world in terms of ammunition (both recreational and military) as well as in fishing gear, etc. It is do dangerous!
I have received news from ‘TU’ that the mother stork hit by the car in the Czech Republic has died. Thankfully, her storklets are doing very well. Had their rescue taken any longer, it might have been a different story.
‘TU’ and I also discussed Bonus the much beloved Black Storklet that was orphaned, raised for a bit in a clinic with Urmas and Dr Madis, and then fostered by Karl II and Kaia. We all loved Bonus and followed ‘his’ journeys and then his satellite transmitter went dead and our hearts sank. Well, Bonus might not have a transmitter but SHE is very much alive and has been seen and photographed at many nests. Urmas also agrees that Bonus is a female. Yippee. I hope that Bonus finds a safe nest – many more are needed along with artificial ponds full of frogs and little fish – but that she lives long, raises many storklets, and carries on the DNA of her parents, Jan and Janika.
Grandaughter Elysha highly recommends David Attenborough’s Ocean. It is a documentary that raises the issue of overfishing in the ocean and sheds light on our beloved albatross. Please check out the official trailer and then find the documentary on your streaming channel: https://youtu.be/O7V8OuS2BMY?
A new FB group that also looks at Kakapo.
The Cornell Red Tail Hawks, Big Red, and Arthur’s Os are still enjoying their time around the Cornell Campus and having Mum and Dad provide them with meals!~
Thank you so very much for being with us. We are taking a brief retreat-type holiday this week. The forecast, however, is for rain both where we live and at our destination. It is easier to be home to care for Don and Toby, but we are going with open minds and eyes, knowing that home is only 2 hours and 20 minutes away! My Friday blog may be short.
Brock is waiting for food. Then the wasps came and he left. Thankfully, he returned and ate his entire meal. I felt relieved, as he doesn’t look so good these days.
I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘Geemeff, Heidi, PB, PS, TU’, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos, including SK Hideaways, and the authors of posts such as Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, and all those at Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal FB. I am very grateful to you and all the others and to the newspapers that still cover environmental issues as they relate to our precious feathered friends. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.
We hope that the week was kinder to you than it was to the little osplets on the nests. Gosh, I hate to be a bearer of bad news. This year has really ‘gotten’ to me and Heidi. She said something very important on Tuesday and I hope she does not mind my repeating it since it was public. Heidi wrote, “I love them, and I want to be there for them… because it is happening to them whether we watch or not. If they can endure the pain, then so can I.” Precisely how I feel and I know from many of you who have written to me in the middle of the night that you sit up and virutally hold their little talons as they pass. Thank you for being there for them.
The plight is getting news coverage – keep up the pressure! Thanks, Heidi.
The book decluttering was quite the event. The final books went to the fire station thanks to my neighbour for their book drive. They were shocked to get thousands of almost new books! A great place for them. A win-win. The picnic table is assembled. The new beds are lovely and now, the last task is to pick a paint colour for the living room. It is the only room that I am going to refresh. Sometimes these things can become overwhelming so the goal is to stop before that becomes a reality.
In a week, we are going on a short holiday. Toby is going and The Girls are staying with Anne. On our return, Toby will begin his training. The trainer will come to our home. Looking forward.
There has been some sadness in the garden. We discovered that we had two baby Blue Jays. This evening when we took Toby on his walk, he wanted to go a different direction than normal. There in the back lane was one of the Baby Blue Jays. It had either hit one of the utility lines or landed on one and fell to its death. We scooped it up and brought it home burying it under the lime green hydrangea – a place where the little ones often flew. So sad. The adults work so hard to raise their young and in the end, so few survive those first months. There is also other sadness coming. For two nights Brock has not wanted to eat. He rests on the chairs on the deck and then goes back to the woodbox. Despite supplements, lots of good quality hard and wet food, dewormer, Brock is getting thinner and thinner. He does not run away from me but only allows me so close. I told him tonight how much his presence has meant to me and that I only wish he had trusted me enough to let me help him. He will be buried in the garden when he passes under the very large Crab Apple tree. I hope this time is not soon, but it feels as if it is. Send Brock your good wishes. All of this coloured what was to be a fun birthday party for Missey. So we will postpone that for a couple of days. The height of the party will be a small container of KFC. Missey loves KFC!!!!!!
‘PS’ report from Seattle Friday morning: “The two chicks continue to seem to do quite well, with multiple feedings witnessed, lots of flapping and hopping up and down on one leg, and some eating (though also a lot of still being fed by mom). I imagine, if all goes well, they will be fledging within the next 7-10 days? Can’t wait!
Mum has turned out to be a great fisher! It is so nice to see a nest doing well. They did lose one chick but these two are really flapping and getting strong. Thanks, ‘PS’
Some osprey nests have been neglected. As I race to try and decipher all my notes and get the data into the forms, it is time to start at the top and check to see what is happening. Before I do that, my inbox is full of great individuals wanting to help stop the commercial fishing that is taking all the Menhaden. Here is a new posting from Ben Wurtz and his team at Conserve Wildlife NJ.
First, pick a story to make the decline of ospreys ‘real’. Ask these lawmakers if they want to be the ones to go down in history as the killers of the Chesapeake and the cause of osprey genocide? Here is the individual listings of everyone in the Virginia House of Delegates and their e-mail addresses. Write to them. Make it clear what is at stake. Make it personal. Then sit down and write the radio, local television, local newspapers, anyone who will listen. We are gaining traction in our fight to get a moratorium. I want that and a clear 10 mile limit with no use of helicopters or spotter planes!
Allin’s Cove East: The trio are approximately six and a half weeks old. They will be thinking of fledging very soon.
Allin’s Cove West: One chick on the nest. It looks good.
City of Independence: The fishing seems to have slacked off a bit. River and Laurel have two osplets and there is a Bald Eagle nest right across the river! No doubt the eagles try and grab some of that fish that River catches for his family.
Charlo Montana: Mum and both osplets got lots of fish on Thursday evening. Delighted.
Dyfi: All fledglings are on the nest and accounted for Tuesday evening.
Thursday evening at Dunrovin. Little 4 figured out, after several attempts, how to get up and get some of that fish! Thank goodness.
Alyth SS: Flora is an incredible Mum. They lost one this year but two will fledge.
Birds of Poole Harbour: CJ7 and Blue 022 make beautiful babies. Blue has stepped up his fishing and everyone is full to the brim before light’s out.
Glaslyn: Elen continues to keep a careful watch over her nest,which appears she will share with Teifi if both safely return from migration nest season.
Foulshaw Moss 1: Home to White YW and Blue 35.
Steelscape: Two osplets were ringed on Wednesday the 16th!
Yorkshire Dales Castle Bolton Estate: Ringing of three osplets!
Cornell Red-tail Hawks and Ferris Akel: Ferris managed to catch up with the Os.
One or more of the Os have been sleeping in the natal nest on the Fernow Tower recently,
Bald Eagles on the mend at Hoo’s Woods:
Geemeff’sWoodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 17th July 2025
Nest One cam went down shortly after day cam switched over and is still down – technical issues mean it might be down for a while. Fortunately Nest Two cam is unaffected, as all eyes are on the nest awaiting the fledge of the two chicks, which didn’t happen today but is imminent. There were several intruder alerts causing Dorcha to alarm call but no intruders were seen. The chicks spent a great deal of time hopping, flapping, and getting quite high liftoff, and also spent a bit of time peering over the edge and triangulating, the process of determining distance or location which takes the form of rapid head bobbing by the chicks. Louis delivered four fish to the nest taking his tally to three hundred and eighteen. Due to the cam outage we have no idea if any fish were delivered to Nest One today, therefore Garry’s tally remains at one hundred and nine, however off-nest reports from LizB suggest both Nest One residents, Garry and Aurora, were in the area. The rain materialised later than forecast and is expected to last through the night with thundery showers, light winds, and a low of 16°C, and continue tomorrow with thundery showers, gentle breezes, a high of 21°C and a few sunny intervals.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One cam still down since 03.48.19 (03.05.51); Nest Two 22.57.45 (03.51.26)
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 16th July 2025 The weather was settled today and it looked a good day for first flights, but neither chick fledged. Perhaps the intruder alerts in the morning put them off as they spent a lot of time pancaked and didn’t make any helicopter attempts today. They did however do plenty of wingercising and bunny hops, including an amusing incident when Breac 7P7 did a flap and a hop from one side of the nest to the other and landed on Darach 7P0’s back in a flurry of wings then immediately hopped backwards again. Right before that they’d been perfectly in sync, both standing at the front of the nest turning in unison to watch something off-cam then checking out the view over the edge. Steve Quinn was also checking out the view from his vantage point a kilometre away and took some stunning long lens footage of the nest and its residents, link to his video in the bonus section. It was also a good day for fishing – Garry LV0 brought two fish for Aurora 536, and further strengthened their bond with what looked like a successful mating attempt. His tally now stands at one hundred and twenty nine fish. Louis brought five fish to the nest, taking his tally to three hundred and fourteen, but Dorcha didn’t get all of them as the chicks especially Breac are asserting themselves and taking fish directly from Louis as he lands. Tonight’s forecast is dry overnight with a clear sky, light winds and a low of 13
°C but it’ll change tomorrow to heavy rain, a gentle breeze and a high of 23°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.43.23 (02.56.41); Nest Two 23.39.24 (03.28.04)
https://youtu.be/3UCjzdxVnEc N2 Late night fish supper, fish five, arrives 22.43.22 Bonus watch – Steve Quinn’s amazing long lens video of the nest from a kilometre away:
Geemeff’sWoodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 15th July 2025 Intruder alerts and mini-helicopters were the order of the day but not much in the way of fish. Louis delivered only two fish today, a breakfast fish at 5am and a late night supper around 10.45 pm, taking his tally to three hundred and nine. However, an intruder Osprey was in the area causing multiple alarms and came close enough to be caught on camera on one occasion, which would have occupied Louis’ attention, and the second fish was a big lively trout, good for several dinners worth. The chicks’ energy levels are high enough for them to be preparing for fledging by flapping energetically, lifting off, and doing little hovers throughout the day when they weren’t pancaking because of the intruder alarms. Over on Nest One, Aurora 536 had a long wait before Garry LV0 finally brought her a fish at 8.15pm – was she the intruder at Nest Two, looking for free fish? The timings would work but the intruder wasn’t seen clearly – and his tally now stands at one hundred and twenty seven. The weather was mainly settled and set to continue with light clouds, light winds and a low of 12
°C overnight changing to sunny intervals and light winds with a high of 23°C tomorrow. Perfect for fledging? We shall have to wait and see!Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.07.30 (03.17.10); Nest Two 00.33.44 (03.34.57)
https://youtu.be/bn1_moU9mZ8n N2 Late night lively fish supper arrives, fish number two 22.46.14Bonus watch – with fledging imminent, here’s what our chicks will see when they find their wings:
Moraine State Park: First fledge Wednesday morning.
Tweed Valley:
Cornell Red-tail Hawks with N Sirohi:
Fish for all – just not industry. The petition on Change.org has gathered all the required signatures. Letters are going out to members of the Virginia Legislature. Keep sending them. I am reminding them that they could go down in history as the individuals who killed the Chesapeake Bay. Shame.
‘A’ brings us up to date with what is happening in Australia: “I have two major concerns about WBSE this year. First, the gap between the laying of the two eggs is huge – nearly 80 hours (17:50 on 4 July to 01:15 on 8 July) – although delayed incubation was practised until the second egg was laid. Already, I’m hoping that first hatch will be a male. Second, there have been a number of days when no prey has been brought to the nest at all and I am wondering why. Of course it’s not a major concern at the moment but when there are two fast-growing eaglets in that nest, it will matter a lot more than it currently does. Also, Lady and Dad are not the only white-bellied sea eagles on the block, with another adult eagle being spotted on the river a few days ago. That is wonderful of course but it also makes me a trifle nervous, for obvious reasons.
Dad has been doing his share of the incubating, with the pair splitting the nest-sitting duties fairly evenly on many days, though Lady always takes the night shifts. Dad has been sleeping close by and is very attentive. I love how keen the dads are for egg time (and later on, for chick time). These sea eagles really are exquisite birds. I love the delicacy of their heads.
At Orange, there is much bonding and mating occurring. Diamond and Xavier are adorable, and both are looking particularly healthy and well fed.
Eggs are still six weeks away at Port Lincoln and we have heard nothing about Collins Street so far this season.”
Many of you will recall that we had hoped to go and see Puffins this summer. It did not happen. Today an article appeared in The Guardian showing how climate change and the heating of our planet is impacting these precious little seabirds.
Missey, Calico, Baby Hope, Hugo Yugo, Toby and all the garden family including Brock wish you a very happy weekend.
Including Baby Blue Jay (the adults are moulting and have lost their crests).
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care everyone. See you on Monday!
I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘Geemeff, Heidi, PS’, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos, including SK Hideaways, and the authors of posts and articles, including The Guardian, Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, and all those at Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal FB. I am very grateful. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.
Happy Monday! We hope that you had a great weekend.
The three Blue Jays living in the trees in my garden will wake you up! This is how they sound when I deliver a new pail of peanuts. They have lost all their trees but one, and I saw a new orange circle on it, which means it will be cut down, too. Thankfully, we have a home for them.
I want to start with some interesting news and a request for help. Two years ago, Michael St John from Barbados took some photos of an Osprey with a Blue Darvic Ring. That number was Blue KW0. It was unfamiliar. Where was it from? And how did it get to Barbados? Well, it was from the United Kingdom, and whether it was blown off course, got on a ship, one will never know, but it wound up in Barbados and was photographed by Michael. Now he has another quandrum that he is hoping we can help – especially if you are or know someone who is a specialist in Harriers.
There are several species of harriers, all belonging to the genus Circus. The most well-known include the Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus), the Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus), and the Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus). Other species include the Eastern Marsh Harrier, African Marsh Harrier, Swamp Harrier, Malagasy Harrier, Réunion Harrier, Long-winged Harrier, Spotted Harrier, Black Harrier, Cinereous Harrier, and Pallid Harrier. Some species, like the Papuan Harrier and Eyles’ Harrier, are also recognised. Here’s a more detailed breakdown: Northern Harrier: Found in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and they prefer open habitats like marshes and grasslands. Marsh Harrier: A group of harriers, including the Western Marsh Harrier, Eastern Marsh Harrier, and others, is often associated with marshland and reedbeds. Montagu’s Harrier: A migratory species, often confused with other harriers due to similar plumage. Other Species: The African Marsh Harrier, Swamp Harrier, Malagasy Harrier, Réunion Harrier, Long-winged Harrier, Spotted Harrier, Black Harrier, Cinereous Harrier, and Pallid Harrier each have unique geographic distributions and characteristics. Harriers – Raptor Identification – The complete raptors guide The classification of some harrier species, particularly within the marsh harrier group, is still being refined.
This is a young Reunion Harrier (Raptors are the Solution).
Michael St John has sought out the advice of many agencies and I was happy that one of them acknowledged that raptors (birds of all types) get off course.
Doing his own research, Michael has these findings:
“1/ Prominent white rump patch at base of tail
2/ Length of tail…its an obvious longer than normal tail
3/ Five fingers on the hand, makes it either a Northern or Hen, female. This Rules out Pallid and Montague, they have 4 fingers on the hand.
4/ Faint white ring around neck
5/ Wing Bars pattern
6/ Curve of the beak
7/ Yellowish legs
8/ Underbelly plumage: yellow/ ochre streaking
9/ I notice the curvature of the trailing edge of the secondaries in the Female Hen and not the Female Northern, the northern has straighter trailing edge secondaries. I haven’t seen this mentioned anywhere in the literature, I just see this feature popping out in the online photos.
After carefully reviewing Northern & Hen Pictures online I’ve ruled out Northern completely and the 5 photos below, in my opinion… are identical to Hen, female.
My call at this stage of research is Female Hen Harrier.”
These are the images. This is the type of detail you need if you are looking to properly identify a ‘vagrant’.
Still, Michael wants to be certain, and he is reaching out to anyone who is an expert to assist in this identification. Note that Barbados is far south and closer to South America. It is easy for birds from Central America and Africa to get off course and wind up in this region.
Thank you so much for any help. You can leave a comment or write to me at maryannsteggles@icloud.com
‘PS’ sends us the Seattle report for the weekend:
A good weekend for the nest! Numerous feeds (including one where Harry brought back the rear half of the largest fish I’ve seen on the nest this year!) seen on July 11, 12, and 13, and both chicks continue to do well and look good! They both continue to flex their wings a lot, with one jumping ever so slightly up on one leg yesterday. Also they are both trying to take bites out of food on their own, with the larger one actually feeding itself yesterday! Mom had brought back a Coho Salmon and was feeding one chick when the other started pecking at something – I couldn’t tell what. But when it turned sideways to me I could see it had another salmon in its beak! I guess there was a “spare” fish in the nest that it decided to try and eat. Mom and sibling took several funny looking glances at the youngster as it tried to rip pieces off the fish, but it did so many times so seemed to successfully (if inefficiently) feed itself. Several intercept missions by both mom and dad, and I spotted a group of 3 Osprey hanging out atop a nearby crane (that drew Sally off the nest). ~40 days old now, give or take – fingers remain crossed! Few pics here, many more up here (https://www.flickr.com/gp/193514804@N08/8459V5m6z6).
Check out Ping’s gorgeous images on his Flickr account. Link is in the information above!
Sharon Pollock sent the following video link to me remarking that I might cry my eyes out. I did. Get the tissues. It is the story of T3 from egg to fledge. Remarkably raised by a single Mum! https://youtu.be/xj8ZQw63Nzw?
Mrs T is a very remarkable eagle. I have seen others raise eaglets alone but never from the egg to fledge. Great video by Explore!
In the United States, several osprey nests have been attacked by individuals in boats. On Sunday, the three osplets at Smallwood were forced to fledge. They have not returned, and we do not know if they drowned or if they made it to a safe place. The individuals in the boat repeatedly returned to the nest.
So many other nests in the US struggling for food and with high heat or both.
Heidi’s Osprey Nest Reports for the US:
Chick 2’s passing at Cape Henlopen… I don’t intend to post a separate nest-news item regarding this.
We have sadness at the Osoyoos nest in British Columbia. The first hatch was stepped on and died. The second died. Ann-Marie Watson has created a flower garden in memory of all the osplets lost at this nest—poor little souls. I also want to add that she has returned to Osoyoos after working and heading home to retrieve the little bodies that fell off the nest to place them in a quiet, peaceful spot. Her actions always touched my heart – no one else in the town seemed to care! Many have passed away over the years, primarily due to heat domes affecting the region and the male Olsens’ struggles to provide for their family adequately.
Waiting for a food delivery while keeping her four osplets cool at Dunrovin Ranch in Colorado.
Swoop just flew in with a late Sunday evening fish. Thanks, ‘PB’.
Little 4 is full.
Charlo Montana – waiting for Charlie to finish with the fish!
It is hot in Idaho at Coeur de’Alene where the three osplets seem to be doing very well after the starvation of little four.
Birds of Poole Harbour: All four fledglings were back in the nest for night with fish arriving at the following times: 10:02, 16:14, 18:32, 19:29, 21:17. Big round of applause for CJ7 and Blue 022 – they raised four to fledge again.
Dyfi Osprey Project: All three back in the nest for an evening fish and a good sleep.
Everything to know about the fledging of Idris and Telyn’s trio:
Rutland Manton Bay: The three surviving osplets return on and off during the day for fish, which is continually provided!
Alyth SS: Sadly we lost Oakley to siblicide/starvation when they were fullty feathered. The two older osplets are doing well.
Llyn Clywedog 1: Seren and Dylan have had their first fledge since Friday.
Foulshaw Moss 1: White YW and Blue 35 have their first fledge.
At Finnish #3 nest, the Raven helps himself to the three osprey eggs.
At Wildnis-Goitzsche, Zeus delivers the last fish of the day as the sunset captures the reflections. The osplet has fledged. Thanks, Joan Castnyer. https://youtu.be/bdWWyZ_vFK4?
Other images form the live stream from Wildnis-Goitzsche:
Renee and Ricci doing very well at Eschenbach!
Up close and personal with Bety and Bukacek’s two storklets at Mlade Buky.
A nest full of storks in Trutnove in the Czech Republic.
Two Black Stork babies waiting for a food delivery in Bolewice, Poland.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 13th July 2025 Today was all about helicopters – both chicks spent considerable amounts of time practising lift off, and even getting quite high, but not the only-feet- visible-on-nest-cam sort of height for a true helicopter. However, practice makes perfect, and provided Dorcha doesn’t push them over the edge, as nearly happened to Darach 7P0 this evening, both chicks are on course to fledge this week. Louis delivered four fish to the nest, the second of which was his three hundredth for the season, but at times the chicks seemed more interested in bunny hopping and wingercising than eating, although Breac 7P7 did grab a fish directly from Louis, hold it away from Dorcha, and start having a munch on it. Louis’ tally now stands at three hundred and two. There were a couple of intruder alarms, but no one seen on nest cam, although over on Nest One, a shadow was seen briefly as Aurora 536 flapped her wings and squeaked before flying off. Garry LV0 brought her two fish – well, one and a half really, the second was just a small piece – and his tally rises to one hundred and twenty five. He also brought several sticks, one of which he actually rode in on and perched upon for a comedy moment. It was hot again today, at 29.7
°C slightly hotter than the forecasted 29°C, and the overnight conditions call for partly cloudy and light winds with a low of 16°C but the temperature is expected to drop tomorrow to a high of only 20°C, with thundery showers and a gentle breeze to cool things down.Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.51.42 (02.48.36); Nest Two 23.41.08 (03.13.59)
https://youtu.be/Y0dlcEBocmg N2 Danger! Dorcha nearly causes Darach to have an early fledge 21.59.39 (slo-mo zoom)Bonus action: voting now open for Woodland Trust’s Tree of the Year:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch ArkaigSaturday 12th July 2025
On a hot day where temperatures soared to more than 33°C, the chicks didn’t seem to want extra fish, in fact, they appeared uninterested when the second and third fish arrived, preferring to wingercise and do the odd bunny hop. As seems to be the pattern now, Breac 7P7 acts keen on fledging first, flapping energetically and attempting lift off more than his older brother Darach 7P0. Louis brought three fish to the nest, taking his tally to two hundred and ninety eight, and despite appearances the chicks did eat enough to get the fuel they need at this stage of development. Dorcha had her fill of fish too, and spent time perching on the high perch or out of sight behind the nest on the cam post, relaxed despite being dive bombed by an intruder Osprey who buzzed the nest twice before leaving the area. Was it Aurora 536? The timings would work, but the intruder wasn’t seen clearly enough to notice if there was the blue flash of a Darvic ring. Garry LV0 brought two fish to Nest One but took the first away as the nest was empty. Aurora turned up too late shortly afterwards but was present when Garry delivered the second fish, and did her usual grab and mantle before leaving with it. Garry’s tally now stands at one hundred and twenty-three. Tonight’s overnight forecast is clear sky and light winds and a low of 15°C, continuing very hot tomorrow with sunshine, light winds and a high of 29°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.17.27 (02.42.05); Nest Two no switchover as at 00.45 (03.07.08)
There is so much news. The UK osplets are taking to the skies. All four of Blue 33 and Maya’s chicks have fledged. Sadly, we lost one who found himself in the water near the shore. A post-mortem is being conducted. Ringing has finished as far as I know. I wonder how many osplets over the entire UK were fitted with their Darvic rings and their BTO identification. I will try and find out.
Some include:
I am happy to report that the three osplets at the Green Ledge Light Preservation Society nest survived the storm and are now busy flapping their wings, preparing for fledge. Aren’t they beauties? No shortage of fish here! Long Island and New York have strict laws regarding the catching of Menhaden.
‘EJ’ thought we could use a hopeful Osprey article! I agree.
A heartwarming story about a rescue that refused to give up on this eagle: the images tell the entire story. Smile. Thanks, ‘J’.
World Bird Sanctuary adds:
“Happy 1 year intake anniversary to Bald Eagle 24-390!
While it seems strange to celebrate a patient having to be in our care for a whole year, it originally seemed unlikely that 390 would even survive the week. 390’s injuries were severe. He had gunshot injuries to both his left wing and his beak. with a significant portion of the middle of his beak missing due to the injury. Today we celebrate how far he’s come and the fact that his is still with us and progressing towards release!
There were many times, especially early in 390’s care, when we questioned whether it was time to give 390 the final gift we could, an end to his suffering through humane euthanasia. We diligently monitored his pain and stress levels and made adjustments to our treatment in order to keep him as comfortable as possible. At each turn we considered if his chance at recovery was worth everything we had to put him through.
But each time we considered calling it, 390 would take a step forward and show us that he was still fighting. He started taking his hand feeding without needing to be handled, was keeping down food, and started gaining weight again. His beak injury seemed less painful by the day as it started to heal and we reached the right balance of pain medications. His attitude and energy improved as he became feistier for care. All the while the beak was healing and enabled him to start eating on his own again.
It took 7 surgeries and countless wound cleanings over a period of 4 months to get 390’s beak to aligned and healing free of necrotic tissue. It required 8 1/2 months of healing before the gap in the bone finally finished closing. Now we are in the stage of keratin regrowth. 390 will need to grow an entirely new layer of keratin over his upper beak before we can consider him for release. This will likely take a full additional year of care. His beak will always be abnormally shaped due to his injury, but only time will tell if will regrow in a way that enables release.
Thank you to everyone who supports WBS and makes it possible for patients like 390 to have a fighting chance. A special thank you to our Rescuer’s Giving Club, whose monthly contributions go directly to our hospital and enable us to proved care to over 750 injured raptors each year. If you’re interested in getting more involved in supporting our patient’s journeys, you can learn more on our website.”
Another rescue. Father was missing. Mum tried to feed storklets. The fourth one passed. Then Mum was hit by a car. They were rescued. Here is Mum with her Babies. Czech Republic. Thanks, ‘TU’.
So glad to hear there could be two to fledge! This is a miracle in a very dire situation. Omega Protein Ocean Harvesters takes 112 metric tons, or roughly 230 million lbs, and it is based on science that measures the population in the ocean, not in the Bay.
Please sign the petition. I am Canadian and I don’t care what country you belong to – this needs to be stopped and I am embarrassed it is a Canadian company. The donations go to change.org. You do not need to donate but please share widely. We need this to stop.
Want to know ‘why’ politicians aren’t doing anything? What is the cost of the collapse of an eco-system and the deaths of thousands of ospreys? Well look below.
“Political contributions muddy waters
Reedville-based Omega Protein, which makes fish oil products, is the main beneficiary of menhaden fishing in Virginia, and it’s no stranger to politics.
The company has given $955,783 to Virginia political campaigns since 1996, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit that tracks money in politics.
That total includes money given to politicians on both sides of the aisle. The company, for example, has donated $38,000 to the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus over the years, and $34,500 to the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus, according to VPAP.
Locally, Omega Protein has given $32,843 over the years to state Sen. Richard Stuart, a Westmoreland County Republican whose 25th District includes Caroline and King George counties.
And this year alone, the business has given $500 to Del. Joshua Cole (D-Stafford).
Milde, however, said he will not accept contributions from Omega Protein.”
Even with such a catastrophic year, there is a glimmer in some parts of New Jersey after months of bad reports.
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. We will see you again on Friday.
Thank you so much for being with us today. I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘EJ, Geemeff, Heidi, Michael St John, PB, PS, TU’, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos, including SK Hideaways, and the authors of posts and articles, including Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information. I am very grateful. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.
It has been extremely hot, with the heat index exceeding 40 °C and temperatures reaching around 32 °C. The heat has reignited the wildfires north of the City, but the smoke and haze are now making their way south. The European Starlings left the garden a few weeks ago, and they have now returned for food and water. I believe it is because the fires have driven them south.
One of the juvenile Starlings who has eaten some cat kibble and is getting ready to jump to get some water at the bird bath.
Cat and dog kibble are perfect foods for Crows, Starlings, and Blue Jays. Leaving out a single bowl of water can be life-saving. Please do leave out water. Find a shallow dish. Fill it often.
The wildlife is being squeezed in every direction. The heat is causing the fish to go deep or to die. Pesticides are running off agricultural lands into streams and rivers, killing fish and contaminating the land and water. As I have repeatedly stated, commercial fishing in the Atlantic is driving many species to extinction. Omega is now using helicopters to drive the Menhaden from the shore to their nets at the three-mile limit. How can this be legal OR moral?
I have become more militant as I see the little osplets starving on the nests. It is something that can be stopped, but the voices of millions of people—and the votes—have to be there, or the Chesapeake Bay will be ‘dead’. The ospreys will be gone, along with the terms, the striped bass, the Rockfish, the Crabs, and the Terrapins. The Dolphins and Whales have already deserted the area.
PamBreci is stepping up. Please sign this petition! But don’t stop there. Contact the news agencies, write to the politicians, phone them! We need a tsunami to turn this around. Every voice counts.
You don’t need to donate. It is sent to the company to be posted on other sites. You can do this yourself. Please send it to every group and person you know. What we want is an end to commercial fishing in the Bay and a ten-mile limit in the Atlantic!
Thanks Pam for not turning away but getting mad and making a difference.
Some places stock the lakes. For example, Forestry England releases 45,000 brown trout into the Clywedog Reservoir for both anglers and ospreys. A family of two adult osprey and three osplets eat on average 525 fish per season (information comes from Forestry England).
Today, there are pictures of The Girls and Toby. I was reminded that it seemed I had forgotten my precious cats! No. Never. The Girls have been very busy watching the new bird babies in the garden. They are everywhere! The conservatory is a perfect spot to watch. It is like a hide. This morning we had a treat. Dyson was at the feeder along with the adult Blue Jays and the Crows. We have three grey squirrels now instead of four. Three adult blue jays. Two adult crows and four baby Crows. There appears to be only one Little Red. The Starling adults and juveniles come and go.
Calico and Hugo Yugo making themselves at home on the little table in the conservatory. Our little Hugo Yugo grew! She is nearly as big as Calico.
Sweet Calico who put her trust in us and came into the house two summers ago.
Baby Hope prefers to be out of the limelight. She is now two years old and is our miracle baby.
I have only seen one Little Red lately. Isn’t this one a sweetie?
Toby. What can I say? He knows who needs comfort. He never barks except at the Bissell floor cleaner, which he hates. He growls and chases it, barking his head off. Toby sleeps with his head on a silk pillowcase next to me like a human. Hugo Yugo sleeps in Toby’s dog bed below him. Going from a King to a Double bed was a bit of a shock, but I slept 11.5 hours on my new bed Wednesday night. It was sheer bliss waking up rested and refreshed. What a change!
Missey’s birthday is next, and that is the 15th. So a party is in order. She will be three!
Monday was a day of sadness, and it was coming from the UK. The third hatchling and the fledgling of Maya and Blue 33 at Rutland Manton Bay drowned Sunday evening. https://youtu.be/T8ug4xyIqTw?
Dyfi: Idris and Telyn have a second fledge! Brianne is their big girl first hatch.
Then word came that the little third hatch, Oakley, at Alyth SS had died of siblicide. Things were going well for the fourth hatch at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, but the tide has turned nasty again with the third hatch continually attacking little four. As I write, four had not eaten in 24 hours.
Rutland Water Manton Bay: The baby fledges! So Maya and Blue 33 raised four to fledge. Sadly they lost one and we will wait the results of all the tests before making any attempt to find out what happened other than drownding.
Birds of Poole Harbour: Blue 022 delivers a late fish so everyone has a full crop before bed!
Cape Henlopen: Tornado warning Wednesday night. Mum is holding tight with thunder and lightning, trying to keep the babies safe. Heidi reports on this nest below, but the storm and lightning were intense at this nest.
Couer de’Alene, Idaho: The situation is not good. Since 1 stopped punishing little 4, 3 has stepped up the attacks. I do not expect 4 to survive unless there is a miracle. It didn’t. The wee 4 fought hard to live. It died during the night.
Juurusvesi, Finland: Chicks are doing very well. Fish are arriving every two hours or so.
Heidi’s Osprey Notes:
Kent Island, Chesapeake: Tom is doing a nice job providing his family with fish. Chick 3 doesn’t always get to eat at meals, but thanks to Mom Audrey, s/he seems to be able to have its crop filled a couple times a day.
The Fortis Exshaw nest is another nest where the third chick has had some rough days with not much food. But lately, Harvie has been having some great luck with fishing, and Little 3 has been able to eat well for a few days. (Cam is black and white this season)
Cape Henlopen: There have been some very good days recently with lots of fish including some big ones, and chick 2 has been able to stuff his crop. Thursday however, was a lean food day, and chick 2 did not have much to eat. There were 10 fish, but they were all fairly small, so Chick 1 never got full enough that s/he didn’t care if chick 2 ate.
OBX (Outer Banks): These chicks are doing very well, and there’s lots of fish. Chick2 has started to catch up to chick1 in size.
I’m so proud of one of my ‘home’ nests…Mispillion Harbor. Della and Warren have done an exemplary job in raising their two osplets. They are 54 and 53 days old, and I think they may be two big gorgeous girls.
‘PS’ report from Seattle: “Visited July 8 and today, July 9. July 8 was just a quick peek at sunset – mom was tucked in with the two osplets, waiting on dad and a last fish of the day, perhaps. I was hoping for a nice sunset and got an ok one but nonetheless nice to wish them goodnight. July 9 was a short visit but what a short visit it was! I arrived to find mom watching over the 2 youngsters sleeping in the nest (windy and overcast day), and over the next 29 minutes dad brought in 3 fish! All some kind of sole/flatfish – one after another after another, he’d come in high from the west, swoop down against the wind before flaring for landing in the nest, then off again, then back – 3 times while I was there! Quite a show to witness. The kiddos look good – flexing their wings, eating well, and being relatively civil with each other, too. Hope mom and dad keep up the good work! Few pics here, rest at the usual spot (https://www.flickr.com/gp/193514804@N08/h36YS14h3R).
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch ArkaigThursday 10th July 2025 Chick2, Breac 7P7 looks like he might fledge ahead of older brother Darach 7P0, judging by the amount of wingercising he’s been doing, along with little bunny hops across the nest. He’s only a day younger than Darach, who’s also been wingercising – perhaps they’ll fledge within a few hours of each other like Vera JJ8 and Captain JJ7 did back in 2020. Not long now before we see how it all pans out. They’re getting plenty of fish from dad Louis, four fish today which takes his tally to two hundred and eighty nine, while over on Nest One, Garry LV0 turned up with a fish for Aurora 536, raising his tally to one hundred and eighteen. Steve Q produced the weekly fish stat analysis showing Louis is on track with previous years, last year excepted, link to the details in the bonus section. The weather was settled today and is expected to remain so. Tonight’s forecast is for partly cloudy skies and light winds, with a low of 14°C. Tomorrow is expected to be sunny, with a high of 26°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.29.16 (03.38.40); Nest Two 23.17.31 (03.47.38)
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 8th July 2025 There were a couple of intruder alerts but none seen on nest cam, and it didn’t put either male off fishing – Garry LV0 delivered two fish to Aurora 536, raising his tally to one hundred and seventeen, but Louis was in fine form and delivered five fish to Dorcha, taking his tally to two hundred and eighty one. He delivered three fish in under an hour before 5am, setting a new record Nest to Nest (N2N) time of only 6 minutes 26 seconds in the process. Darach and Breac continue to grow almost before our eyes, and Darach managed to decorate Louis with an ill-judged squirt. Louis is an old hand at chick rearing – this pair take his total to fifteen ringed chicks – and merely ignored it but departed quickly. The weather was settled today but is set to change overnight to light showers and light winds with a low of 14
°C, and the wet weather will continue on and off tomorrow with a high of 17°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.47.59 (02.42.44); Nest Two 23.30.08 (03.05.17)
‘TU’ sent me this update: “Well, there are more sadness and birds for the Memorial Wall. A few days ago, I think on July 4, a tailed eagle killed two big storklets in the nest in Lithuania. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlDz3mwwMbc“
The hibiscus in the garden is blooming and blooming. Hot and humid. They think they are in the tropics!
We wish you a wonderful weekend. Take care. See you on Monday!
Thank you so much for being with us today. I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘Geemeff, Heidi, PB, PS, TU’, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos, including SK Hideaways, and the authors of posts and articles, including Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information. I am very grateful. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.
First up. Calico has a question for you (answer at the bottom, don’t peek!)
What is this Blue Jay doing on our feeding table, and why is it doing this? If you are wondering about the weather, it is 31 degrees C, and this bird is in the direct line of the hot sun.
Just an update to start: FOBBV lost its bid to stop the fireworks in Big Bear Valley. I cannot imagine a more frivolous way to burn money and to harm wildlife and domestic pets. It is outrageous. And if anyone thinks Jackie and Shadow do not react, well, there is a video showing Jackie being frightened off the nest during fireworks at New Year’s (2025). The notes under the video read “Jackie and Shadow, two of the most famous bald eagles in the world, have returned to their nest in San Bernardino National Forest after a fireworks scare. The elegant eagles were startled during New Year’s celebrations. Jackie returned to the nest first, carrying a stick with her, calling out loudly to her mate to let him know where she was. “Even though eagles see very well in the day, they do not see well at night, so it can be dangerous for them to be flying around at night, especially in the panic of a crisis moment,” wrote the Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam. “It’s great to have them back and know they are safe after they flew off their roost tree in the middle of New Year’s eve night.” Jackie and Shadow have become internet celebrities thanks to their ongoing love story and their fierce dedication to their eggs, especially through extreme weather, including intense snowstorms. 2022 was the parents’ most recent success story, with “Spirit” successfully leaving the nest in May of that year.”https://youtu.be/3cibe6R5IUA?
Loch Arkaig: Name the two male chicks. Go to the Woodland Trust Scotland FB page and put in your two selections. Be sure to give a reason for you choice!
Ventana Wildlife: Their film Condor Canyon is available for $20 US. Free shipping in the US. Visit the Ventana Wildlife Society website for more information.
Washington not on camera nest monitored by ‘PS’. Sadly, the third chick has not survived and passed sometime during the evening of 2 July and was removed from the nest by Mum. Two healthy chicks survive.
We will begin with Heidi’s Osprey notes. One of the nests will be a repeat- it is just too sad not to mention twice.
Dewey Beach: 6/26 was the last good day for this family with one surviving osplet. After that, Dad was not seen again for a few days, and we did not know if he was injured, or worse. Mom had already been fishing for several days to supplement Dad’s deliveries, but suddenly she was having difficulty catching fish. Mom was only able to bring in 1 fish on 6/27, 2 fish on 6/28 and 6/29. Mom arrived late on 6/30 with a fish, and she fed her baby. None of those fish had been very big, and since Mom was feeding the youngster, Mom ate some too. Then Mom stopped coming to the nest. Dad brought in 1 small fish on 7/1. The 48-day-old chick had very little self-feeding experience, and did not have any experience self-feeding from a whole fish, but by golly he got it done. He unzipped and ate that whole fish. Viewers had tears of joy. On 7/2 the chick was alone the entire day…neither parent came to the nest. On the morning of 7/3, the osplet died of starvation, at just under 50 days of age. That beautiful chick’s Dad and Mom had been having a hard time finding fish, even though the nest is situated between the ocean and a large bay. (note: Mom is okay, she has since been seen at the nest)
Cape Henlopen: Miles and Hennie have two chicks, that are 21 days old on 7/4. This nest has seen a few lean days recently. Hennie had been fishing and bringing in some fish. Miles was seen dealing with intruders at times so he had also been protecting the nest. The weather was generally very good. But, it did seem as though Miles and Hennie were having difficulty finding fish. There simply wasn’t enough fish to satisfy the oldest chick, so s/he became aggressive and made it very difficult for the youngest osplet to eat for a few days. On 7/3, Miles and Hennie brought 7 fish to the nest, and two of Miles’ fish were quite large. By the time the third fish arrived, Chick1 had already been stuffed, and didn’t even mind if Chick2 ate. Little2 had a full crop most of the day. Tears of Joy! There will be good days and bad days, for sure… but, we hope the good days far outweigh the bad ones.
Thank you, Heidi. It has been more than a rough year for the nests you are monitoring.
A sadness that is hard to bear will be here, and then we will proceed to the good news. I continue to call for everyone to tell anyone who will listen and can broadcast what is happening in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey to their osplets. Parents abandoning eggs, or in this instance, abandoning a fully feathered, almost ready-to-fledge osplet on the nest to starve. It is not their fault. Sadly, they should have been forewarned and not even bothered to lay eggs or abandon their eggs like the ospreys on St George’s Island. This is a true tragedy, worse than what was seen in the era of DDT. Please take a moment to consider what that means. All species in the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding areas are dying and could become extinct in this region.
Of course, Heidi will also cover this tragedy. This chick, near to fledge, needs to be the poster boy of the tragedy that is taking over all the osprey nests. I cannot tell you that you need your voice heard. Don’t just sit there and say it’s so sad and turn off the camera – get mad. Do something. Find a politician who might listen, or even a radio host, a newspaper that has the backbone to cover this killing off of the fish hawk.
We have had a busy week, but we managed to get some fun in the midst of a massive declutter! The weather was very hot, reaching to 30 C, and there were many walks with Toby in the cool of the morning and evening. In the late afternoon we found shade and worked in the garden while Toby sniffed about trying to find hidden treasures in the soil. There was Baby Hope’s birthday party on Tuesday – she turned two and I still get weepy whenever I think of Calico being dumped, living outside in the winter, and then having only one of her kittens survive. Thankfully they are both safe inside now.
You will not see Baby Hope anywhere. She came to the table, noticed Anne was there and took off. She will not come out if anyone else is in the house. Oh, maybe one day.
There were walks in the English Gardens to see the beautiful flowers and Toby had his first doggie ice cream complete with bone on Wednesday!
Oh, the shade was so refreshing in the 30 C+ heat. This is what you get if you are a puppy! Toby said it was delicious.
Inside his pram, a wee bit of a mess but he licked it all clean.
Our garden is thriving. It’s hot and humid, and I could be fooled into thinking I was in the Southeastern US. My Latvian Dry Soup Peas have blossoms – pink with the most gorgeous burgundy centre. Whenever I see them growing so well, I think of Sassa Bird, a friend from Latvia, who used to post on FB. She sent me their traditional/national recipe for a dish using these dried peas.
The Snow Peas have white blossoms and the tomatoes and peppers are thriving.
Of course, I have excellent help with watering, thanks to Toby. Toby loves water, and his big floppy ears should not get wet. The other day, he ran right into the shower with me before I could get the door closed. Found a child’s swimming cap today for him. He can come in the shower anytime he likes now!
Confirmation has come from all the observers in the Big Bear Valley that Sunny and Gizmo have now left their parents’ territory. I am glad they do not have to endure the fireworks.
Today we are reaching the conclusion that most likely Sunny and Gizmo have left the Big Bear area of this mountain. We could be wrong, yet our history of sighting eagles in Big Bear indicates to us that they are no longer in this area. With the amount of solid hours we’ve dedicated daily to areas around the entire lake and to the areas we were observing Sunny and Gizmo in, there have been no solid confirmations using our photos (which we enlarged) or our binoculars since 6/27. The history of when Jackie and Shadow’s only other fledglings left the area also coincides with the timing of what we believe is the departure of Sunny and Gizmo from Big Bear. From our observations – Simba the eaglet from 2019 and Spirit the eaglet from 2022 each took 26 days to leave the area after fledging. On 6/27/25 it would be 25 days since Sunny fledged and 20 days since Gizmo fledged. When Owen had asked me before the two fledged how long I thought they would stick around Big Bear after fledging, I responded that I thought they may leave a bit sooner as they may depart together and they have each other so I didn’t think they would stay longer than a solo fledgling. That might be what has happened and if the two have left we should be glad that they had the solid foundation Jackie and Shadow gave them. There are many locations not that far from Big Bear that have lakes where plenty of food can be found. There have been at least four visiting younger eagles in the area this past month. It’s possible that Sunny and Gizmo followed one or more out of the area or they may have just left on their own. On 6/27 we observed the pair in flight going up quite high, most likely an altitude of 9,000 feet or more. They did come back down yet I said to Owen that I thought they were reaching a point that they may leave soon. We got our last photos of them right after we saw them doing higher altitude flight. We will still be doing eagle observations as usual and will definitely report any sightings we may have of Sunny or Gizmo. We’re at great peace knowing we witnessed them doing so very well on their own with flight, landings, take offs and having some stretches of time alone. Jackie and Shadow seem to also be indicating by our recent observations that the kids have gone on their longer distance journeys. We believe Sunny and Gizmo will revisit Big Bear yet it will be hard to know if it’s them once they have molted. Remember that young eagles are nomadic and they like to roam and travel in their first four to five years of life. Tourists are already arriving and we’re looking forward to a wonderful 4th of July holiday week here in the eagles neighborhood by Big Bear Lake. – Trish
P.S. More observations of a visiting eagle as well as more observations of Shadow and Jackie coming soon!”
Dunorvin Ranch had another rescue on Tuesday. Chicks 1 and 2 went off the edge and got stuck in the sticks. Out came the cherry picker and two great individuals who placed some wire garden fencing and worked on the twigs so that, hopefully, the osplets will now stay put! The osplets were continually misted. Two frozen fish were left. Swoop came and took one and returned it, headless. Winnie stepped up and ate and fed the chicks. Now, I want you to remember this. Ospreys will eat frozen fish. It is not required that the fish provided be fresh!!!!!!!! Myth busted right before our eyes.
Frau Rauer Osprey Platform in Norway: Mum and the two chicks excited about the arrival of Herr Rauer and a fish dinner
Contented chicks with their juvenile feathers being civil during the meal. So well behaved.
Plenty of fish for Mum to have a nice before bed dinner, too.
News from ‘PS’ on the Washington nest (no camera):.
“Thank you for the notes below – great to know about dads feeding the young! Perhaps Harry here just didn’t feel like it on that particular day…and also, makes sense that as the young grow mom may fish more just given the caloric need.
An update for July 1 – some worrisome and perhaps unfortunate news today (will try to confirm tomorrow). When I arrived there was a feeding just getting started, with mom clutching a pretty nice sized Starry Flounder. The two largest osplets were arranged around her being fed but I noticed that #3 was in the foreground of the nest (relative to me) in the usual submissive pose I’ve seen it get bullied into before. However…it didn’t budge from this pose/position during my entire visit, and I never saw it move. I was there ~45 minutes or so. Osplets 1 and 2 had plenty of food from that flounder but I worry that #3 might no longer be with us. I wish I could have stayed longer – perhaps it moved once the feeding was over…I will try to visit again tomorrow to get a better idea of things. At any rate, 2 osplets still seem to be doing relatively well – sunny, warm, and not too windy weather due over the next week so fishing should be good. Few new pics up on Flickr.”
I love the nests in the UK and Europe and today, Dunrovin made gold by rescuing the oldest osplet of Winnie and Swoop who backed up and got caught in the twings of the crib rails (well, not much there). The quick rescue, a fix of the rails, and some fish saved the day. But, the US osprey population is in trouble and particularly those nests impacted by the commercial overfishing of Menhaden.
Latest post from Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ:
There are individuals angry at Ben Wurst for not supplying fish to a nest where the third hatch died. This is the issue – there is no food. He said he could supply fish every day, but he would have to, because there would be no food for them if they fledged. Adults are dying. I continue to mention that they laid eggs and abandoned them. I wish that had happened at these other nests. Is it better to die at a young age than a fledgling?
Rutland Water Manton Bay: The first hatch of Maya and Blue 33, 3R5, fledges on 2 July! https://youtu.be/kII5xhl2Gwc?
Three of Maya and Blue 33’s chicks have now fledged as of 3 July 3:14 CDT. They are 3R5, 3R6, and 3R7.
Alyth SS: The three osplets were ringed and the nest cleaned on the 2nd of July. Two females and a male. My nickel is on Oakley being the male. I’ll be sure to follow the details and let you know.
Birds of Poole Harbour (if you missed it): Chicks were ringed on the 29th.
5R3 – 1.75kg – female
5R4 – 1.44kg – male
5R5 – 1.45kg – male
5R6 – 1.35kg – male
Foulshaw Moss/Cumbria Wildlife Trust: The osplets of White YW and Blue 35 have been ringed. They are believed to be a female, the first hatch, 7K1. Two males, 7K2 and 7K0.
LS Finnish Nest: Three gorgeous osplets. Video captured by Mie shows Dad bringing in a huge stick. https://youtu.be/2V-5l0Yh8I4?s
Taipalsaaren sääkset: Two of the three eggs hatched. The osplets are approximately three and a half weeks old.
#1 Saaksilvie: A miserable wet day at the nest! Eura delivered a headless fish at 22:24:35.
#4 Saaksilvie, Satakunnan: It is a wet day for the three osplets. Nupu is trying to keep their little heads dry. It was nice earlier. Nemo brought a whole fish at 23:16:38. The camera was off, and a huge fish was delivered. N1 threw up at the last delivery but had a large crop from the previous meal. Hoping nothing is wrong with the eldest chick at this nest.
Paltamont Osprey Platform, Finnish Osprey Foundation: Two gorgeous chicks.
Juurusvesi Osprey Platform, Finland: Fish deliveries at this nest were: 05:18, 11:49, 13:15, 16:26, 19:11, and 23:07. That is a nice delivery pattern for these three osplets. Note that the two older have their juvenile feathers while the last hatch still has its wide white stripe along its back and thermal down. All seem to be doing well.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 3rd July 2025 The day started with a celestial visitor which made its presence sufficiently felt that Dorcha noticed it from her high perch. A bright fireball made by a meteor entering Earth’s atmosphere caused the night sky to light up with bright flashes which the chicks slept through but the nest cams recorded. As did many people throughout Scotland, and the BBC featured the meteor on tonight’s Reporting Scotland and included clips of the event caught on the Osprey cam. Today we also received the information that both chicks have been assessed as male: chick1 Blue 7P0 weighed 1320g and chick2 Blue 7P7 weighed 1270g. Now the fun begins as George WTS has opened the naming contest, full details in the bonus section. Enter as many suggestions as you wish but get them in by noon on Sunday 6th. In other news, no intruders were seen today, and both males brought fish to their respective nests. Louis brought four fish for Dorcha taking his tally to two hundred and fifty seven, and Garry LV0 brought one fish for Aurora 536 taking his tally to one hundred and eleven. T
he weather was wet and windy but did perk up with some sunny intervals, however there aren’t any sunny spells forecast for tomorrow, just heavy rain and a moderate breeze with a high of 16°C following tonight’s heavy rain and a gentle breeze with a low of 12°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.42.30 (02.30.21); Nest Two 23.34.25 (03.16.01) Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/GoGJEamzmMw N2 Name those chicks! Contest now open, closes noon Sunday 6th Bonus opportunity – naming contest for the chicks now open, full details:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 2nd July 2025
Today was a significant one for the chicks – they were visited by the licensed raptor expert and ringed -their Darvic rings are Blue 7P0 and Blue 7P7, and in due course we’ll be given the rest of the information obtained today, including sex, weight, and measurements. Once that’s been received, George WTS will open the naming contest so if you’ve started thinking of names, please wait to post them until George gives the word. Unusually the chicks were removed from the nest and ringed on the ground as a safety measure due to the wind, then returned to the nest where they were seen pancaked when the nest cam was switched back on. Dorcha was perched nearby during the ringing process, Louis stayed away then turned up with a fish at 21.45 which the chicks were soon tucking into. Louis brought three fish to the nest, taking his tally to two hundred and fifty three, and the nest cam was zoomed out ready for watching the chicks swoop about once they’ve fledged, which could happen in as little as ten days time. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 and Aurora 536 worked together to see off an intruder Osprey, after which he brought her three fish, and his tally now stands at one hundred and ten. The weather was settled today, and will continue overnight with light clouds, light winds and a low of 9°C, but changing tomorrow to light rain showers, with gentle breezes and a high of 15 °C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.39.16 (03.02.08); Nest Two 00.36.39 (04.05.36) Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/REZhgRkSfXI N2 Fish number one, whole trout, still twitching 04.38.19https://youtu.be/lMDRnL3mKTM N1 Garry delivers a mid morning fish for Aurora 10.46.26https://youtu.be/UYMSGpVUQhY N2 One chick feeds the other prefers to preen when the second fish arrives 12.16.37 https://youtu.be/NASlzrW9tKc N1Garry stays and feaks his beak after Aurora leaves with the second fish 13.55.35https://youtu.be/vHsHP9HmhrI N1 Garry brings a fish, leaves and returns when Aurora’s there 16.39.29
https://youtu.be/gyZNAG8kjew N2 Meet 7P0 and 7P7 – the chicks have been ringed! 19.31.10 (zoom)https://youtu.be/TKGg7C2awVI N2 Dorcha looks a little wary, and keeps looking round while dishing up fish three 21.44.35 https://youtu.be/UTNch0cOXAk N2 The cam changes to the expanded view, ready to enjoy seeing the chicks flying about 22.32.29 Bonus info – interested in becoming a ringer? British Trust for Ornithology give the facts:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 1st July 2025 Darkness falls to end a dramatic day, but different in fundamental ways from the very dramatic events which took place on this day last year when the chicks were removed from the nest to join the translocation programme, an event so unusual it made the STV evening news (see blast from the past section). Today’s dramas involved Osprey intrusions on both nests. On Nest One, Aurora 536 had three separate events first with an unringed male attempting to land, then an unexpected visit from Affric 152 who did manage to land but only for a few seconds before a furious Aurora got rid of her, and finally a third intruder who couldn’t be seen properly by the nest cam watchers although clearly Aurora thought they’d come too close for her liking. On Nest Two, Dorcha had several flybys by an unidentified intruder Osprey, which prompted chick1 to join her in defending the nest – instead of staying pancaked like chick2, chick1 actually stood up and alarm-called! The ringers are probably coming tomorrow due to the poor weather forecast for the end of the week, and chick1 seems to be demonstrating how grown up and ready for the next stage s/he is. Aurora received no fish on the nest today so Garry’s tally remains at one hundred and seven, but Louis delivered five fish, and that fifth fish is his two hundred and fiftieth for the season to date – well done Louis! Tonight’s forecast is misty and light winds with a low of 8
°C, changing to sunny intervals tomorrow morning then light rain showers and a gentle breeze in the afternoon and a high of 17°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.21.55 (02.36.10); Nest Two 23.31.54 (03.40.36)
https://youtu.be/7fAZDt8DN2I N2 Dorcha returns in time to get fish number five from Louis: fish number 250 for the season! 21.47.03 Bonus action – Woodland Trust urges anyone with a garden to put out a bucket of muddy water:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Monday 30th June 2025 On this day last year, the family were spending their final night together, although they didn’t know it – the following day the two chicks would be removed and placed on a translocation programme under the auspices of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Fundación Migres in Spain. Woodland Trust Scotland’s statement on the translocation in the bonus section. Despite today’s wet weather, conditions are nothing like last year’s – Louis is healthy and providing plenty of fish, the chicks are developing on schedule, and all being well with both the weather and the ringers’ nest schedule, the chicks could be ringed on Friday 4th July. Despite the rain and the odd intruder alarm, Louis delivered four fish to Dorcha, taking his tally to two hundred and forty five, while over on Nest One Garry LV0 brought two fish for Aurora 536, smaller than she would have liked, and his tally now stands at one hundred and seven. Despite the overnight forecast stating partly cloudy and light winds with a low of 10°C, it is raining as I file this report (shortly after midnight) and Dorcha and the chicks are a huddle of damp plumage. Tomorrow’s forecast is for sunny intervals and light winds with a high of 19°C, fingers crossed it actually turns out that way. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.31.31 (03.16.30); Nest Two 23.02.15 (03.45.04)
And to Dr Tess, who spent a wonderful year at Wildlife Haven in Manitoba, a fond goodbye. You experimented with various apparatus to save the animals under your care. We wish you well in your new position in Florida.
Golden Eagle, Latvia: Spilve and Grislis have been taking turns providing prey for Meldrs.
Blue Jays flatten down, or “flop,” on the ground as a form of sunbathing, also known as “anting” or “sunning”. This behaviour helps them maintain their feather health and remove parasites. They might also open their beaks to pant, which allows them regulate their body temperature in the heat.
Here’s a more detailed explanation:
Sunbathing/Sunning:Birds, including Blue Jays, spread their wings and body on the ground to expose their feathers and skin to the sun.
Anting:This is a specific type of sunbathing where birds use ants to help clean their feathers.They might lie on the ground where ants are present or even pick up ants and rub them on their feathers.
Feather Maintenance:The sun’s heat helps to remove parasites and spread preening oils throughout the feathers, promoting overall feather health.
Temperature Regulation:In hot weather, Blue Jays might pant with their beaks open to help cool down.
Other Possible Reasons:While sunbathing and anting are the most common reasons, some research suggests it might also be related to other behaviors, such as a bird feeling dizzy from flying or potentially even self-stimulation.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. We will see you again on Monday! For those celebrating the 4th, have a lovely, safe, happy day.
Thank you, as always, to those darling individuals who consistently send me great news items: ‘Geemeff, Heidi, PB, PS’. I am grateful, as it is so difficult to keep up with all the news! To those individuals who posted news on FB or websites and whose names are highlighted in bold, thank you so much. To the streaming cams highlighted, we are all grateful that you allow us the privilege of watching the lives of these amazing birds as they raise their families in the most difficult of times. Thank you to all, as my post would be nothing without you.
First up. Port Lincoln Ospreys posted a lot of flight paths of the ospreys, but one will interest all of you – Ervie. I put in the details of what this most loved fledgling from the barge has been up to.
To give everyone a smile. This has been a generally good weekend in the garden. The European Starling parents are ready for their fledglings to leave the nest and garden area and go and find their way. This is perfect for Mr Crow and his two fledglings, who started coming to the garden Saturday evening. The baby Crows are as big as their parents. They are easy to spot as they will land on the craziest of things and they can’t quite balance themselves on the wires. They also walk all over the roof of the conservatory! The cats were absolutely fascinated with them.
Hugo Yugo almost popped her eyes out!
Baby Hope seemed a little frightened with the scratchy noise on the glass.
Calico was simply fascinated.
Missey was no where to be found.
I write this blog with a continuing heavy heart. Baby osplets are dying everywhere in the area that Omega, the Canadian corporation, is doing its industrial/commercial Menhaden fishing. We know only of those nests on the streaming cam unless you start to read Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal FB where many have answered my posts with information. No surviving osplets around the Virginia coast. None on St. George’s Island, Maryland. Ben Wurtz of Conserve Wildlife tells us that there is no use putting fish on the nests in NJ because when the chicks fledge, there is no fish to eat! Remarkably, even the adults are surviving, so I tell you, be happy if any of those nests fledge one chick. Please don’t be hard on the male who is working his little tail off to find fish that aren’t there.
The fault lies with politicians taking donations from Omega and a three-mile fishing limit. We need a ten-mile safe space. That might do it, although I would be much happier with a complete moratorium on the fishing of Menhaden. There are petitions to sign. I will put them at the end of the blog. Please sign them, write people, write the newspapers, the radio stations, The New York Times, 60 Minutes…whatever. There must be someone out there who has the agency to get this topic of extinction on the airwaves and get more people lobbying to protect the osprey.
One of our long-time readers, ‘EJ’, sent this to me to share with you today. There is little mention of the lack of Menhaden, never mind the direct cause.
Terrapins are dying along with the Striped Bass and Blue Crabs. The whales and dolphins have left the area.
More sadness. Trolls are trying to blame this on Bald Eagles! Seriously. Omega Corporation (I am embarrassed that it is a Canadian company) takes 112 million pounds of adult Menhaden and perhaps even more when they are scouring the shores of New Jersey and Delaware. Ospreys need adult Menhaden to survive. That is it. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Please don’t skip the image below of a dead osplet. Perhaps I have said this twice. You are watching the extinction of a species in this area. It can be stopped, but no politician in the area seems to have the will to do anything for wildlife. Are they so afraid of the next election and those great big donations?
Instead of stop watching these nests where the babies are dying – watch and learn and then get mad and do something. Sit down and write 20 letters – cute and paste is easy. Get the information on the overfishing in the area by a commercial company, the need for a 10 mile limit instead of 3, and write and write. Get everyone you know who cares about wildlife to write. Send it to the papers, the radio stations, those who care about the environment. Write Corey Booker in NJ. Maybe he will help!
Today, we lost the second hatch at Island Beach State Park, NJ. Notice it is NJ. It isn’t just the Chesapeake Bay. Omega is fishing off the shores of NJ and Delaware, but the ospreys are impacted in all the states in the region, including Maryland. Strangely, we are now having some issues with the third hatch at the Great Bay Osprey Platform in New Hampshire. it might not survive the weekend. We wait to see. Little Peabody died Monday morning.
It is the last day of June. Where did the days go? Tomorrow is Baby Hope’s second birthday. It’s also Canada Day, so we’ll be having a big party! I am not going ‘crazy’. The world doesn’t need to manufacture any more stuff and my ‘fur babies’ do not need a thing. Baby Hope loves those squeezy treats and what my friend, Geemeff, knows as Dreamies in the UK. She also has a new toy. Anne will be with us, so it will be grand. I might even get some vanilla ice cream and share it with everyone!
Good news coming in from our reader ‘PS’ who is keeping a close eye on the osprey family in Washington with its three chicks. Just look at them. They have outgrown the Reptile stage and are developing juvenile feathers. Each has a nice crop.
‘PS’ reports: “Quick update for today, June-28…a very good day! The family was finishing up a meal when I arrived, and all crops were very full, even the littlest one. Which was good enough, and a delight to see, but then dad showed up with another fish (looked like some kind of flounder or sole) 20 minutes later! Nestlings were mostly sleeping and couldn’t even be bothered to get up, except for the littlest one who figured why not, and continued to eat more. Mom ate a lot of this one too, then took a quick break down to the shoreline, walked around a bit, dunked her head in the water, then flew back. Dad was mostly taking a break on a nearby lightpost. Seems like the eating was very good today (bright, sunny, warm, calm winds). So good to see!”
If you haven’t checked out ‘PS’s’ Flickr diary of this family, please do:
We also have a report from ‘PS’ for Monday morning: “Hope your weekend has been a good one – one update for you from today, June 29. Unfortunately it was a slow day from what I could see, at first – not only were the three nestlings not sporting bulging crops, but mom left the nest three times after I arrived, for up to ~12 minutes at a time, presumably to hunt on her own. No dad during this time. First two times she came back empty-taloned…then after she left a third time one of the parents returned, at last, with a fish! I thought it was odd, though, that this adult landed in the nest, looked a bit befuddled, left the fish, then decamped for the perch, without feeding the kids (in looking at my images later I realized that this was dad, but didn’t realize it at the time)…some ten minutes later, the other adult returned, this time with a pretty large southern Rock Sole (headless – fuel for the journey no doubt) which was immediately fed to the nestlings (this was mom, though at the time I was still somewhat confused as to who was who). Sadly, #3 was bullied out of the way by #2 (the size difference is enormous). I had to leave before the fish was finished, but hopefully everyone had enough and/or the parents were able to get more fish.
It was sunny today, but very windy, so perhaps challenging conditions…it was worrisome to see mom leaving so often, and coming back with nothing. Clearly she didn’t want to leave for so long, but felt she had to…”
While chicks have been lost on nest 2 at Foulshaw Moss in Cumbria, at nest 1, White YW and Blue 35 continue to raise their three chicks without issue! White YW brings in these huge fish, and Mum is excellent at getting the bites spread around despite having three ravenous beaks.
Notice the difference in plumage between the three chicks on the Washington nest and Foulshaw Moss 1. The most petite chick on the Foulshaw Moss nest still has ‘slight’ remnants of that big white wide stripe of its youth, while all the chicks at Washington are slightly younger and retain the white stripe on their back. Soon it will be covered with gorgeous, beautiful juvenile plumage!
At Rutland Manton Bay, the oldest chick is doing some amazing hovers. Landings on the nest are tricky with three large siblings! Watch for the first fledge of an osprey in the UK anytime!
Birds of Poole Harbour are celebrating the return of CJ7 and Blue 022’s of two-year-old Blur 5H3.
This year’s four will be ringed on Sunday morning the 29th so I will be able to report this today!
Here’s the video of the four pancaked and showing the Blue Darvic Ring 5R4 on the chick from Birds of Poole Harbour! https://youtu.be/eaxk967rTQI?
The cutoff for the weight for males usually is below 1600. Over is female, coupled, of course, with measurements to support that weight. In the end, though, only a DNA test can definitively provide the gender. (Sometimes the ringers are wrong.)
Here are the results:
Llyn Clywedog: Seren Blue 5F with her two gorgeous, big, healthy chicks. Unringed Dylan does a marvellous job of feeding his family. One year, he was tracked and timed by John Williams, revealing he flew 25 miles to chase an intruder away, returning with some lovely Brown Trout. (Trout was available at the nearby reservoir, but this fish did not come from there – he was watched closely.)
The Llyn Clywedog ospreys were ringed in 2025. Instagram reports that two chicks were safely ringed at the Llyn Clywedog nest as part of ongoing conservation efforts. The chicks were ringed with blue rings, and the specific numbers were not mentioned in the Instagram post.
Dyfi Osprey Project: Idris arrived with a fish on Saturday night around 2000. Look at the flurry. You can see some of the new bling on the chicks in the second image.
Loch Doon: Angel and Frankie’s two surviving osplets are now hovering!
Saaksilvie #4, Finland: Three healthy osplets, stretching and walking around the nest and one dirty camera lens!
Saaksilvie #2 LS: Three osplets finished their meal, and the fish left on the nest!
Couer de’Alene, Idaho: The four osplets are doing very well! No overfishing here that I am aware.
Smallwood: Look at these three beauties.
Boulder County: Family portrait.
Charlo, Montana: Someone is going to ‘yell’ at me and tell me I’m wrong, but right now, I have a little concern for the third hatch at this nest. The two larger earlier hatches are eating a lot of food, and the little one is in submission a lot. It is clever and finally sees an opportunity, getting on the opposite side of Mum to come away with a crop. That crop was not easy – it worked hard for it.
Dunrovin: Oh, that wee third hatch makes me ache. But, look, it is right up there – all three in a line being fed by Winnie. Dad Swoop up on the perch after flying in with the family fish meal.
Independence City: We can finally see that there are two beautiful chicks in this nest!
Heidi’s Osprey Report:
Great Bay: All the chicks survived the heat dome that lasted for a few days, but since the weather cooled, it seems that Dad just cannot deliver enough fish to the family. The chicks are 27, 26, and 23 days old on 6/30. The two older chicks have big appetites, and Little3 has not been able to eat much for a few days. Little3 may not make it. But, he has won the hearts of many people who are praying for him. Little3 is much loved.
Dewey Beach: Dad has not been seen since 6/26. Mom has been fishing for the osplet, in fact, she had already been fishing for several days prior to Dad’s disappearance. But, for some reason, fishing has been slow for a few days. Mom is catching fewer fish per day now, than when she was supplementing Dad’s fish deliveries. The osplet is 47 days old, and has been doing some flapping.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 29th June 2025 The weather was much more settled today and both males provided plenty of fish. Garry LV0 brought two fish for Aurora 536 taking his tally to one hundred and five, and Louis’ four fish deliveries saw his tally rise to two hundred and forty one. Chick2 is developing rapidly and not only downed a tail today, but also made off with a whole fish, taking it away from Dorcha who’d only just received it from Louis. But the chick wasn’t allowed to keep the prize for long, Dorcha reclaimed it and feeding commenced as usual. However chick1 also attempted to make off with a whole fish but Dorcha didn’t let go and the chick lost the tug of fish battle. The ringers are due in a few days time, a far cry from this time last year when a rescue mission was needed which saw the chicks getting their rings in Spain after joining a translocation programme, but this year everything is going well and both chicks are developing nicely. The overnight forecast for the Inver Mallie area which covers both nest is for light rain and light winds with a low of 17
°C, changing to heavy rain with a gentle breeze and a high of 18°C tomorrow. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.57.10 (03.07.04); Nest Two 23.19.26 (03.34.20)
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 28th June 2024 After a stormy night leaving the family wet and bedraggled, the weather brightened up somewhat, although at the time of filing this report (midnight) the rain has started again and the wind’s picked up. Dorcha’s plumage is pearled with raindrops as she does her best to shield the chicks who none the less remain partly exposed to the weather. Today was a very low fish day, only two from Louis and none from Garry, so their tallies stand at two hundred and thirty seven and one hundred and three respectively. There were some intruder alerts, none too close to the nest, and with the choppy conditions of the loch Louis might be forgiven for only delivering two fish. However, it does bring back memories of this time last year when he stopped delivering fish and licensed raptor experts had to be called in to save the chicks from the twin threat of hyperthermia and starvation. Fortunately this year’s weather is much better than last year’s and tonight’s forecast is light cloud and a gentle breeze with a low of 11°C followed by sunny intervals and a high of 19°C tomorrow. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.16.26 (03.23.11); Nest Two 23.18.10 (03.35.21) Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/sLFUneYm7DAN2 The family’s glad to see breakfast arrive after a wild wet night 07.22.01https://youtu.be/19TjA7ShPk0 N2 Everybody’s hungry and ready when fish number two finally arrives 18.21.22https://youtu.be/XTmA9TtWnGkN2 Up up and away! Louis makes a wind-assisted exit 18.26.43https://youtu.be/DfdspR4jUqM N2 Is moving sticks on a windy day a good idea?18.42.48 Bonus map – keep cool during the hot weather and go down to the woods, the updated Woodland Trust map will guide you:https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/woodland-trust-woods/
https://youtu.be/c2oZrwNXbvI N2 Dorcha and the two chicks huddle together on a dreich night 2024 Why not come and join the lively community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s friendly, free and everyone’s welcome:
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 27th June 2025
The weather was the main feature today, it rained almost continuously, with a few dry patches here and there, leaving the chicks frequently looking very wet and bedraggled, but Dorcha did her best to protect them although she’s no longer able to cover the big chicks fully. Louis kept the chicks and Dorcha fueled with three fish deliveries and his tally now rises to two hundred and thirty five. Despite the weather the chicks are developing nicely, and chick1 passed another milestone today by uttering alarm calls, to which Dorcha responded by flying off the nest to investigate. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 brought Aurora 536 a single fish, taking his tally to one hundred and three. The weather forecast calls for overnight rain and a gentle breeze with a low of 13
°C but looks to improve by mid morning with sunny intervals and a fresh breeze, with a high of 17°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.44.36 (03.15.18); Nest Two 23.17.34 (03.53.44)
Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/5QGsGqpXlXM N2 Louis delivers the first fish and stays to do some feaking 07.59.09
Trempealeau Eagle Nest, Wisconsin: T3 has hatched but not fledged. Mum needs a gold medal. Her mate had two nests. He often took the fish she caught for her eaglet. She overcame the adversities. Just look at T3! Well done.
Denton Homes: They survived severe weather in their nest, which stayed in place. How lucky. So many worried! They have now fledged. Of course, the bad weather is still around. The camera has all these views, trying to keep up with those fledglings.
FOBBV:
San Jose City Hall: Chico keeps returning for food! No vacation yet for Monty and Hartley. SK Hideaways caught the last hatch, little Chico (everyone’s favourite) on the ledge with his distinctive red band. https://youtu.be/wi-93Aur43s?
Mlady Buky, Czechoslavkia: Bety and Bukachek’s two storklets have their bling! Aren’t they gorgeous?
Cornell Red-tail Hawks: The Os have fledged. The nest is empty and all the BOGs are getting great exercise chasing the fledglings around the Cornell campus trying to get a photo.
Nesting Bird Life and More video of Lesser Spotted Eaglet, Estonia: Mum feeds breakfast! https://youtu.be/XvS1kPgPwjM?
Golden Eagle, Latvia: Spilve has already delivered prey. Her baby is no longer a baby!
‘A’ sends us report for happenings down under: “The sea eagles at Olympic Park are mating constantly and sleeping in the nest tree. Lots of fish gifts are being brought to the nest for Lady. The nest itself could not be more prepared for eggs. They lined it perfectly last week. We are on tenterhooks awaiting the big day. Last year, their first egg was laid on 27 June so they’re running late. I’m expecting an egg this weekend.
The pair at Port Lincoln are so close, they even snuggle on the nest at night. I don’t recall this being the case last season so maybe it’s a different pair or maybe they are just more tightly bonded a year on. The first egg wasn’t laid at Port Lincoln until late August last year so there are still eight or nine weeks to go by that schedule. August 27 was the day the first egg was laid at Orange last year, so those two nests are on a similar schedule.
Our sweet albatross chick is the most beautiful creature. She is snowy, fluffy white, but her grown-up plumage is starting to show through in a major way now, so that she is rapidly beginning to resemble an albatross rather than a giant fairy floss. It is scary to think that when they take off, it will be years before they return, and they head off to fend for themselves with no training in flight or fishing, essentially alone, on a 6,000-mile journey. It’s incredible. And then, as if that were not miraculous enough, they return to within 50 metres of the nest in which they were raised. (Or is that just the males?) Every year, it amazes me anew. What incredible navigation systems they must have.”
Birdlife International has some great news including a link to the AviList – don’t know what that is? Well, check it out and discover something new.
Thank you for being with us today! Please take care. We look forward to having you back with us on Friday and pictures of Baby Hope’s second birthday party complete with ‘pet friendly cake’ and ice cream.
Thank you to the individuals who have sent me articles, information, observations and photographs, and news – you are amazing: ‘A, EJ, Geemeff, Heidi, PB, PS’, – thank you so much. Thank you to all the individuals whose names are in bold and who made videos from information on the streaming cams – and to all the owners of the streaming cams in bold, we are so appreciative as well as all the FB groups and individuals with their posts!
