Category Archives: UK Songbirds

First egg for Gabby and Beau…late Sunday in Bird World

23 November 2025

Good evening Everyone,

I am too excited and couldn’t wait til tomorrow to share the fantastic news. Gabby and Beau have their first egg at the NE Florida American Eagle Foundation nest! That egg arrived around 18:33. What a way to start the week!

I hope you had a remarkable weekend and spent some time outside, enjoying the crisp air of late autumn/early winter and getting those legs moving! Don went with Anne to the nature centre for a walk in the golden sunlight and to see if there are any geese on Friday. Toby and I have come in from our walk, and all the Girls, including Calico, are napping. Calico is doing well. Thank you for your kind notes. She is a very special girl to me, and I was so afraid we would lose her!

It has been quite warm. 8 or 9 degrees C on Sunday! We had such a lovely walk. The children were outside playing with only light jackets. We could tell which houses had birdfeeders by the song from their gardens, and many were taking the opportunity to put up fairy lights on a day when their fingers wouldn’t freeze. The time is speeding by. It was a blink, and a week disappeared.

Toby is getting his photo taken with Santa on the 29th. I will post it for you. I can’t imagine taking The Girls to the pet store to get their photo taken although it would be so cute and it is an excellent fundraising idea.

As I mentioned in earlier blogs, the raptors are still in Manitoba, along with hundreds of Canada Geese. It is hard to believe. What else is hard to believe is that for the past couple of weeks, we have seen Christmas trees decorated inside the homes as we go for our evening walk. The lights are gorgeous – I do appreciate them – but when did we start getting ready for the holidays (no matter which one/s you celebrate) right after Halloween?

Look what arrived in the post! (Our postal workers are on rotating strikes, and to receive any mail is rather remarkable.) I am so delighted. The Dyfi calendar is full of beautiful images and historical facts and those beanies will come in handy when winter does arrive.

I want to wish all of our readers who will be celebrating Thanksgiving this week a very special day to enjoy good food and the companionship of friends and family.

SK Hideaways Videos, week of 16 November 2025

Channel Island Bald Eagles
Sauces Bald Eagles, Santa Cruz Island, CA: Jak & Audacity’s Stunning Habitat plus Roosting On the Night Perch (2025 Nov 21)
Cam ops treated us to spectacular views of Santa Cruz Island before panning to the night perch, where Jak and Audacity roosted for the night. 
Video: https://youtu.be/G4Wa_vOuuYQ
Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies, explore.org
Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnTsOesC6hE

West End Eagles: Haku Scarfs Lunch ~ Meets Akecheta on Tor + Night Perch Rendezvous (2025 Nov 18)
After cam ops gave us a glorious tour of the area from the HD camera, they caught Haku devouring a nice, big vermilion rockfish on the nest before setting off to Wray’s Rock and then the far tor, where Akecheta met her. As evening approached, they rendezvoused on the night perch, much to the delight of fans. They don’t tend to spend the night on this perch and this night was no exception. But they did seem to spend much of the day together, and most likely roosted together out of prying camera eyes.
Video https://youtu.be/dLIlDCq_DO0

West End Eagles: Akecheta on Sentry & Haku on Fish + Island Fox ~ HD Cam New Position (2025 Nov 16) 
The IWS re-positioned the West End low cam for better visibility of the nest (no more secret hideout), but it also provides excellent views of the tors. Here we see both Akecheta and Haku from the re-positioned vantage point. As a bonus, an island fox makes a cameo appearance. Seeing Haku devour a fish on the nest gave us the view we needed to get our bearings of the re-positioned camera. The cherry on top was seeing Akecheta and Haku meet up on the far tor, this time on the original West End camera (not HD, but a wonderful scene nonetheless). (2025 Nov 16; 7:12-15:02)
Video: https://youtu.be/ILrE2CbmkoI
Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org
Nest Low Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfuqjSNXZ14
Other Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmmAzrAkKqI
Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kad6O4nF6bg

FalconCam Project Peregrine Falcons
Courtesy FalconCam Project, Charles Sturt University NSW (http://www.csu.edu.au/special/falconcam/)
Box Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv2RtoIMNzA
Ledge Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuZaWzhXSAI
Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj1Y6ydRl1c
Tower Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFAsJvGPd00

Girri Burrows into Diamond for Cute Cuddles (2025 Nov 18)
Girri got the cuddles they were craving from super mum Diamond. A mother-child connection at its sweetest. 
Video: https://youtu.be/aHzjeTDcHcY

Girri Tries to Teach Gimbir to Brood ~ Detente is Achieved (2025 Nov 17)
12-day old Girri still likes to be under a parent, where it’s nice and warm. Gimbir, however, hasn’t yet learned how to brood. Despite Girri’s efforts to wedge under Gimbir, it is not to be. A side-by-side arrangement has, however, been achieved. Not to Girri’s full satisfaction, but it’s working. 
Video: https://youtu.be/vWzj5tnUWOs

FOBBV Eagles, Big Bear Valley, CA
Jackie & Shadow Herald the Start of Stick Season ~ with Raven Cameo (2025 Nov 20)
It was a 9 stick day in what might have been the beginning of stick season. Jackie and Shadow came and went from the nest throughout the morning with Jackie making a final visit just before dusk. It was all about delivery, but little placement. There’s plenty of time. During the day, Jackie and Shadow rested on Split Pine, a raven visited the nest, and there was a sprinkling of snow at day’s end. 
Video: https://youtu.be/GNMyJtB-Zbc
Courtesy FOBBVCAM | Friends of Big Bear Valley
Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE
Wide View Cam (Cam 2): https://youtube.com/live/LCGYWfbyBWc
LIVE Recap & Observations https://bit.ly/3Md8TSz

Redding Bald Eagles
Liberty & Guardian Have Some Branch Management Issues (2025 Nov 19)
Liberty and Guardian performed some serious nestorations, some of which involved tricky branch placement. They each had a troublesome branch that we think will require ongoing tweaking before they’re content. Their new nest is coming along beautifully and will be ready for breeding time whenever they are.
Video: https://youtu.be/5cl-uDFTq0I
Courtesy of Friends of the Redding Eagles, Redding, California
Livestream page: https://www.youtube.com/@FriendsoftheReddingEagles/streams

Sydney White-Bellied Sea Eagles
Courtesy Sea-EagleCAM@BirdLife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park (https://www.sea-eaglecam.org/video.html)
Nest cam also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcKLMh-MGEE

SE35 Attacks Camera Parts ~ Tired of Paparazzi (2025 Nov 22)
SE35 has had an ongoing rivalry with the nest camera that we fans cling to, day in and day out. With SE36 out exploring, SE35 has been the sole star of the show. On this day, SE35 put their talon down and went after the camera equipment, tired of being in the spotlight. They succeeded in pausing its operation for about 10 minutes, but when operation resumed, we were right there watching. SE35 has since realized that being the object of so many fans’ affections is really not so bad after all. 
Video: https://youtu.be/_U_eFdYLgec

SE35’s Quandary ~ Self-Feeding or Being Fed ~ Tricky Fish Skin/Bones (2025 Nov 21)
When Dad delivered a fish, SE35 was somewhat conflicted between independence and the comfort of being nurtured.  It was a pretty gnarly fish from a skin and bones perspective. Lady knew just what to do. She let SE35 stand on part of the fish while feeding the other part. Then she stood back and watched as SE35 practiced self-feeding before helping again. It was a very long meal with lessons learned along the way. 
Video: https://youtu.be/h0y6JphCKDY

Thank you, SK Hideaways!

Windows to Wildlife has updated its cameras. Have a listen to what Connor has to say! https://youtu.be/PHDDXUkIKio?

The Tweed Valley Osprey Project has reason to celebrate and so should we. Blue 722.

The Raptor Resource Project wonders which eagles you are watching at Decorah?

Beautiful condors in heraldic pose captured by Tim Huntington.

Speaking of condors, did you catch the Condor chat with Kelly Sorenson and his team at the Ventana Wildlife Society? If you missed it, here is the link and as always, you will learn so much! https://www.youtube.com/live/XBZIu2i9l5s?

Here is the population update and, of course, it is only one page in the presentation. Please do check this presentation out!

‘A’ sends us her commentary on the Australian nests with a nod to Beau and Gabby:

“Just WONDERFUL news about Wisdom. You know my soft spot for albies – I’ve been watching the returnees at Taiaroa Head finding each other and laying eggs. The announcement of the Royal Cam family for this season is coming any minute now – literally. I will let you know when I hear. The educated money is on LGK and LGL, who are experienced parents and previous Royal Cam parents with a fertile egg this year. 

Meanwhile, the WBSE story continues to be a happy one, with the eaglets doing fabulously well. They continue to sleep in or near the nest, with their parents nearby, and they continue to return to the nest to wait for food deliveries or follow their parents in to the nest when they see them returning from a successful hunting trip. Each day, they are bigger and stronger and more confident. We can only hope they are following their parents down to the Parramatta River – they have been spotted near River Roost – and learning to fish for themselves. But at least they are getting that chance this year. What was it, I wonder, that so convinced me that this would be the year? As you will recall, I have been saying this since they were far too young for it to be even an educated guess. This was just a ‘feeling’, a premonition if you like. But I did feel it, and you are my proof! I am SO happy to be right about this. There are no words. There has been so much hope with such beautiful eaglets in previous seasons, only for them to come to a tragic end or disappear altogether. But this is so special and so beautiful to watch. They are operating as a family group, and this is the secret to the success of this year’s fledglings. 

Meanwhile, I have no news to report on the Collins Street fledglings, and this is good news. My sister tells me that there have been no fledglings brought into care so far – if there are, her husband will know because he will be the person they are likely to be brought to. So the absence of any word is wonderful. I spoke with her this afternoon, just to check, and so far, so good. I am annoyed that Mirvac turned off the cameras on 16 November, so we have no idea whether the chicks are returning to the ledge for food. I am hopeful that they may be, based on what we saw before the cameras went off. The parents both visited the ledge on that final day of footage – I told you about the behaviour in the scrapes – but we also know that all three did return to the ledge on the day of or the day after fledging, and the returnees foraged for leftovers and self-fed in the gutter. So I remain hopeful that they may be continuing to do so. 

At Orange, Gimbir is really taking to the role of dad enthusiastically, but it is also true that the little one adores its dad. Watching it trying to get Gimbir to brood made me laugh so much, because of course despite the best efforts of father and chick, nothing was going to make Gimbir large enough to cover the fluffball. Still, both tried hard. Girri was SO determined. The wee one has also followed dad to the ledge more than once – heart in the mouth stuff – and on one occasion, nipped at his tail and wing feathers (playfully or perhaps thoughtfully might be a better description). But it really does seem like dad is a bit of a favourite with Girri.  

As you might remember, I was a huge fan of Beau when he was V3 (I believe there were a total of 13 suitors for Gabby when Samson disappeared), and where all the others were pushy, V3 was quiet and loyal and took his time to respect Gabby’s grieving process and the time she needed to bond to a new male. I was always fond of the way he did his courting (yes, anthropomorphising to the max here but he really was the quiet devoted type when all his rivals were the exact opposite). It felt like Gabby needed to take whatever time it took her to process the loss of a long-term partner, and V3 was the only visiting male to recognise that. But whether or not that was the case, Beau certainly had staying power, and he is certainly doing his job with gusto this season. Just take a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITiCBZwVQys&list=TLPQMjExMTIwMjVp9OEdcQ6I4Q&index=11. What a man!

Update from WBSE: 

November 21: Early to wake and away from the nest before 6am. Dad brought a good-sized fish at 8:35, with SE35 in quickly to claim it. Lady followed soon after with the remains of a gull. SE35 was quick to grab that, a little tussle, Lady fed a little, then SE35 self-fed well, Dad calling in for the tail. Then, it was fairly quiet until mid-afternoon, when one eaglet was close by, with currawong swoopers close too, swooping enthusiastically. Late in the afternoon, the parents were seen down on the river. Then at 7pm, just one was there and one eaglet came in to the nest, hoping, and finding a little scrap. At 7:30pm, Lady and one eaglet were above the nest. The other adult joined them shortly after. The second eaglet was not to be seen. A late duet then. Now all settled?

November 22: Early duets and SE35 came to the nest. At 5:30am, Dad flew in apparently with a small fish which SE35 ate on the nest. Both adults were seen on River Roost. Meanwhile our other eaglet was heard and then seen closer to the river, but in the Armory area. Swoopers were chasing it, ravens and currawongs. SE36 was flying strongly and seen in a tree. Has it been fed during the past day or two when not seen? At 11:20am, SE36 was seen again being chased across parklands – both adults were on River Roost. SE35 was seen below the camera at 13:40, still near home.

So one of our eaglets, SE36, is being chased and harrassed but is apparently flying strongly and could, we know, return to the nest if it wanted to do so. Perhaps it is exploring the Armory area and the Parramatta River, watching its parents fish. It is healthy and strong, so we continue to hope both are doing well even if we don’t see both every day – the BOTG at this nest provide wonderful information for us all. As I type, SE35 is playing with the twine holding the microphone above the nest, having finished eating the fish that Lady brought in. 

More when there is news at Taiaroa Head. 

Much love to you (and a special chin scratch for Calico)”

And more from ‘A’ on Sunday: “There are some concerns about SE36. Last night, SE35 slept in the nest tree, but I saw no sign of SE36. This morning, SE35 was where it had slept, in the branches of the nest tree, and waiting for breakfast. Around 06:28, a parent flew in to the nest with a piece of leftover fish, and SE35 hurried down the branch, squeeing with excitement, to self-feed. Happy eaglet noises! The juvenile seemed to be begging to be fed but Lady (I think it was mum) was having none of that. You’re a grown-up eaglet now! Feed yourself! Eventually, SE35 settled down to eat very proficiently, gripping the chunk of fish tightly in its left talon. The currawongs were swooping but SE35 seemed unconcerned. The parent remained on a branch above the nest while SE35 ate breakfast. The rain was falling and the wind gusted up and Lady flew higher in the nest tree. SE35 responded by doing a bit of flapping of its own, whether to get the water off its wings or whether a burst of energy suddenly overcame the fledgling, I have no idea. But there was jumping and flapping in the rain. At one stage, SE35 took the chunk of fish halfway up the perch branch, where it ate the remainder of its breakfast, still gripping its fish tightly in its left talon. Very well done SE35. But there was no sign of SE36. 

It is noteworthy that only one parent slept in the nest tree last night from what I could see. So the other parent could be with SE36. And it is worth remembering that the BOTG have heard SE36 and spotted it in the Armory area. I think it has also been seen and heard around River Roost. The question is whether SE36 is being fed. When it has been spotted, it has been flying strongly.but it has also been pursued by currawongs. So it is not being harrassed to the point that previous fledglings from this nest have been. However, it is critical that SE36 gets fed, wherever it is at the moment, and I have to wonder why it was not sleeping in the nest tree lasts night, if only because the nest and the nest tree have proved to be a reliable family-run restaurant for both juveniles since fledging. So it follows that if SE36 is healthy and hungry, it should be at or near the nest tree. The only reasons for this not being the case would be that it is injured or exhausted or that it is being fed elsewhere. We have to believe that the BOTG will report some sighting or audio of SE36 today (it is a Sunday in Australia so there should be people out there looking for these two today – and yesterday) and remember that when last spotted, SE36 was in good shape. 

We know little or nothing about the dispersal of fledgling sea eagles in this area because there really hasn’t been any recorded, thanks to the damned currawongs. And we have no idea of the genders of these two. So we don’t know whether one or both of the fledglings will instinctively move to establish a territory away from the nest area, though I would be surprised if either has learned to hunt independently as yet. So there remains a concern that if SE36 is not returning to the nest tree, things are not proceeding as smoothly as they have been. I will of course get today’s ranger report to you asap. It should be posted in the next couple of hours, but with daylight savings, it could be as late as 8pm (it’s 5.22pm now and I would expect it by 6.30). 

After breakfast, SE35 hung around in the nest tree, drying out its wings once the rain stopped, and occasionally vocalising when a currawong came too close. It was obvious that a number of them were above SE35 in the nest tree, but SE35 seemed confident that it was the boss. SE35 is the most exquisite creature, looking absolutely beautiful with its wings outstretched and the glint of the early morning sunlight on its plumage. After foraging around in the nest for any scraps, SE35 flew off the nest at 08:27. 

Shortly after 3:05pm, an eaglet landed on the nest. I am not sure which one but I think it may have been SE36. They’re very hard to tell apart when they’re not together, and I could easily be wrong because the pics of SE35 from this morning were in quite heavy rain and its plumage was therefore looking different. This afternoon visitor was getting dive-bombed by currawongs, swooping low over the nest, and it stood in the centre of the nest, looking up at the currawongs and vocalising as they swooped past. It was definitely an aggressive response, not one of fear and intimidation. But the currawongs are certainly as relentless as they have been in every previous season. Certainly, this prolonged dive-bombing did not occur this morning when SE35 was on the nest, so I wonder whether that also suggests that this afternoon eaglet is SE36. If so, the currawongs are attacking it far more fiercely than they did SE35 this morning, which is concerning, but SE36 (if it is 36) is giving back as much as it can muster and is refusing to be cowed. No parent arrived with food, though the eaglet continued to hang around in the nest tree. 

So SE36 has not been seen at the nest for the past two days, so we are starting to worry. SE35 is doing wonderfully well but I am concerned about SE36. “

“There was no ranger’s report for WBSE yesterday, which is why I didn’t send it to you, but I was hoping it would go up later. Not so. I fear they may have decided the season is over and ceased doing daily reports, which is frustrating because now is when we really need them. There has been no sign of SE36 at or near the nest for two days and two nights now, which is very worrying because it represents a sudden change from the routine the fledglings had established since leaving the nest. I can only hope for the best, and rely on the parents to do their job. At least SE35 is doing well and standing its ground against the currawongs. But I am very worried for SE36. 

News from Taiaroa Head is that the RoyalCam couple for this year is BOK and WYL, who raised a chick in 2024 at Top Flat Track. These are experienced parents and are incubating a fertile egg.” 

Thanks, ‘A’ – so glad there is no news to report on the Collins Street kids. It is as they say: No news is good news!

We are all concerned about what is happening to the osprey and other species due to industrial fishing in the Chesapeake Bay region – I say region because Omega goes out from the Bay since they have taken all of its Menhaden. Heidi found a really informative article from The Washington Post for us on this very subject. Please lobby to protect the ospreys!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1A3tkCy8Cw

Red Kites are one of the most magnificent raptors. The RSPB describes them thus: “This magnificently graceful bird of prey is unmistakable with its reddish-brown body, angled wings and deeply forked tail. It was saved from national extinction by one of the world’s longest-running protection programmes. It has now been successfully re-introduced to England and Scotland. Red Kites are listed under Schedule 1 of The Wildlife and Countryside Act.” In terms of their conservation status, the RSPB states: “Back in Shakespeare’s day, Red Kites were really common, even in cities, where they acted as clean-up crews, catching rodents and scavenging on the scraps of meat that littered the streets. But attitudes changed and Red Kites became the victims of intense persecution. By the end of the 19th century, they were extinct in Scotland, England and Ireland, and just a few pairs were clinging on in Wales.

Thanks to reintroduction projects led by the RSPB and other organisations, Red Kites have made an astonishing comeback in the UK, with numbers increasing by 2,464% between 1995 and 2023. The UK is now home to about 17% of the world’s population.”

Beautiful images from OpenVerse:

“Red Kite” by Michael Brace is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Just look at that beautiul face and the plumage – how could anyone set out to kill them?

“Standing red kite” by Tambako the Jaguar is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.Picture by Tambako the Jaguar

At last someone has been arrested for poisoning them in Essex – but what about all of the others around the UK that have done the same?

Man arrested after five Red Kites found poisoned in Essex – Raptor Persecution UKDownload

The study intended to shed light on the release of non-native gamebirds in the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland, which is proving problematic. Thank you, Raptor Persecution UK.

New report on gamebird releases in Cairngorms National Park doesn’t tell even half the story – RaptoDownload

What a stunning image by one of our Manitoba photographers of a Northern Harrier.

Mark Avery brings us up to date in his 21 November blog on Bird Flu in the UK:

“Bird flu: Defra’s most recent update seems to cover the period up to 16 November and has a lot of positive records, especially of wildfowl, with Black Swan, four new duck species and Woodpigeon added to the 2025 list of affected species bringing the total to 52: Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Bewick’s Swan, Black Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Barnacle Goose, Shelduck, Mallard, Gadwall, Wigeon, Pintail, Tufted Duck, Eider, White-tailed Eagle, Red Kite, Buzzard, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Kestrel, Curlew, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Kittiwake, Little Gull, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Tern, Common Tern, Roseate Tern, Gannet, Fulmar, Manx Shearwater, Cormorant, Razorbill, Guillemot, Puffin, Black Guillemot, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Grey Heron, Pheasant,Woodpigeon, Greenfinch and Starling. The flaws in the ‘surveillance’ scheme mean that it is difficult to know what this species list means in terms of species affected – click here. 

Notice, Woodpigeon is on the list. Maybe it would be helpful to know a bit more about those Woodpigeon movements at this time of year.

In Germany (1000+ birds) and France (maybe 10,000 birds) very large numbers of migrating European Cranes have died of bird flu. “

It’s not a bird or a plane, but just a bit of fun with fashionable dogs and a cat in Country Life! (I do think Toby fits the Spaniel – his ability to track the cats that come to the garden is undeniable!)

Haute dogs: How fashion’s finest would dress 11 dogs and one very spoilt cat if only they had the chDownload

Toby has more winter outfits than I do! He loves his red turtleneck.

Adorable friends.

Dear Calico.

Toby and Hugo Yugo caught horsing around.

Thank you so much for being with us today! We hope that you have a marvellous week with lots of birdsong and fresh air – please do get outside if you can! It really does raise your spirits. We look forward to having you with us again next week.

I want to thank SK Hideaways and ‘A’ for their generous contributions to my blog. SK Hideaways’s videos are first-rate and I am so grateful that they create them out of love for the birds and not for subscription numbers. That said, please give them a like and share them with friends and family. I also want to thank ‘A’ for their lively commentary and observations of the Australian raptor families. To the owners of the streaming cams, the blogs and the FB groups that are indicated in bold throughout my blog, my post would not be the same without you, too. I am grateful to all of you!

Saturday in Bird World

6 July 2024

Good Morning,

As I write, it is 25 degrees C in Winnipeg, and it is mid-morning. The birds in the garden are taking advantage of the water, having had their seeds, peanuts, and cheese dogs put in dishes very, very early. I am hoping that the shaded tunnel areas we have created will help keep the birds and small mammals cool. I cannot imagine what it is like in the Pacific Northwest where temperatures will be as high or higher than 100 F.

Yesterday, with that horrid medication, I had a bit of a brain freeze. Smedley was at the Audubon Centre with Bailey – a long-term resident. Don’t tell me that ospreys don’t do well in care! Ridiculous. Sorry, I am on a rant. There is so much disinformation on the chats associated with the streaming cams. That, along with people who cross over into hyper-hyper-hyperbole, causes much damage and frustration in our understanding of avian behaviour.

The sunhine of the day was the first sunflower, a gift of the birds and animals. Every year they miss some seeds and the gift is a garden full of sunflowers blooming from now until the fall.

Everyone wants water or peanuts – or cheesy dogs. Notice this one is missing its crest. The adults are moulting. The new babies have their crest!

Mr Crow is watching me and wanting more dogs before the Starlings come and take them. He can see me. He knows I am sitting here taking his photo – and then he waits and the cheesy dogs appear! On Friday night we had eight crows visit for food.

Hugo Yugo says she prefers flowers.

Thankfully, the Hibiscus is in a place where The Girls cannot get to. Poison for cats, but oh, so beautiful.

It is a work in progress. The path to the feeder is now planted with bee and butterfly friendly perennials and a huge hosta! Can’t wait to see what it looks like at the end of the summer. Mulch will be going in this weekend!

It’s hot. And it will get hotter. Here is a message about the impact on songbirds. I will have a fan out tomorrow and we continue to top up the water!

I really want to give a shout-out to one of our readers, ‘EJ’. We can make a difference, and ‘EJ’ made a bold business move to save the raptors. She told me – “I used to be a co-owner of an agricultural sales business. I did not know about the harm rodenticides did to raptors until I read about it in your blog. At that point, we stopped selling rodenticides and explained to the farmers why. I don’t know if they stopped using them or not, but I wasn’t going to be responsible for the deaths of any raptors, like little Flaco.” Wow. Thank you, EJ. If everyone would do this, the world would be a better place.

We have a fledge at the Patchogue nest on Long Island. Patches made flying look easy and her return to the nest could not have been any better. Congratulations!

It is 80 degrees F with 2 mph winds and a 63% chance of rain. Babies you need to stay on the nest and not try any bold moves when the raindrops fall. Wet feathers don’t do well with a first or second or third flight. You need practice for that.

I love the look on the siblings face as Patches flies! They are going to want to join in the fun. Keep watching. Both chicks are more than ready to fly.

Fledgling rewarded with a nice big fish!

Patchogue adults sure make beautiful healthy osplets.

Patches took off again at 12:47. Oh, the other one is itching to fly. Wouldn’t be surprised if they go today, too.

Good news coming about Louis and Dorcha’s chicks in the Spanish Translocation Project:

I have been monitoring the Snow Lane nest of Hope and Beaumont and here is some interesting observations posted by Ian Winter who lives in the area on the FB page. Hope is also fishing and feeding her two babies.

I did not take screen captures of Hope’s head in last years and would be the last person to say that I could recognise her but, the behaviour of the female on this nest is very unlike the Hope that has been with Beaumont for past years where chicks have starved. So, please, I am not starting a rumour of a new female; just wondering what’s up. But happy no matter what the answer is! The chicks look good. Let’s hope the weather stays great for fishing.

There is also great news coming through Lucille Powell’s post about the second hatch chick at Hellgate Canyon and its eye.

Tuffy on the nest at Moorings Park before the heavy raindrops begin. Cam will stay on until Monday the 8th of July.

The four osplets at Field Farm are difficult to tell apart now. Little Mini grew and is probably a female – all that feist and sass that kept it alive – with those big siblings could only be a girl. They are now working on those wings and dreaming of flying like Patches.

Rain has come to Poole Harbour and the Fab Four of CJ7 and Blue 022. Oh, dripping wet osplets. Ever wonder what a really wet fish laden osprey nest actually smells like?

The rain and gale gusts have stopped at the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn in Wales.

It’s nice at Glaslyn, too. That nest is getting quite full with those big chicks!

All is calm at Clywedog.

Dad has delivered a tiny little teaser and a Starry Flounder (I think) to the Clark PUD nest on Friday before noon. Will watch for other deliveries. It is going to be hot there…Clark PUD could get to 98 degrees F. The heat warnings continue through Monday in the area of Clark PUD, Cowlitz PUD, Osoyoos, and other nests along the Pacific Northwest.

This is the fish that I think is the Starry Flounder.

There is good news coming from Kielder Forest after so many disappointments this breeding season.

‘MM’ reminds me today that Keilder Forest Nest 7 has a streaming cam. It was offline when I checked but here is the link.

https://www.youtube.com/live/-1xNy-elK0Q?si=ESBdYq6o0Iy5Hx1N

The second nest at Llyn Clywedog Reservoir in an area maintained by Forestry England has just ringed two chicks – the first for the adults at this new nest! One girl weighed 1680 grams, and a boy weighed 1410. Congratulations! (They are not on streaming cam only the original Clywedog nest of Dylan and Seren is live streaming).

Dad is bringing in some nice fish at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. 74 degrees F. 10 mph winds.

Chicks at the Iowa DNR nest in Des Moines are doing fantastic. Lots of fish! How wonderful.

Cute little babies of Swoop and Winnie are enjoying their fish meal in Colorado. Looks like we have Reptiles. For those learning about Ospreys, the soft natal down gives way to the ‘Reptile phase’. Notice the black oily heads, the beautiful copper feathers at the nape of the neck. This is normally the time when they get ‘cranky’ and get serious about bonking if it is going to happen. Then you begin to see their pin feathers grow in along the wings and at the little tail and it won’t be long til they begin to look like juvenile ospreys. This stage they are growing very fast and often appear ‘lanky’.

Three cuties for Charlie and Lola at Charlo Montana. Little Three needs some more food – send good wishes.

Three much older osplets at nest #4 in Finland are doing fantastic.

White Storks for the London, UK metropolis?

Rewilding-plan-aims-to-bring-majestic-white-storks-to-London-Rewilding-The-GuardianDownload

Protecting Falcons. Thanks, ‘SP’ for the link.

‘Ive-known-some-of-these-peregrines-for-15-years_-protecting-Scotlands-raptors-–-in-pictures-_-Environment-_-The-GuardianDownload

Great news from the Oakland Zoo – a treated and released Condor.

Prey in the form of several voles and a Raccoon Dog have been delivered by both adults at the Estonial Golden Eagle nest 2. While the oldest gets the majority, the youngest has mantled the remains of the Raccoon Dog, after the oldest ate some, and has eaten. This is good. The oldest still attacks. The eaglets are hungry but now that both parents are delivering again we will wait and watch – with hope.

Another sunrise and two Golden eaglets at Estonia nest 2 alive. Hoping for another Racoon Dog for them today along with a basket of small voles.

‘PB’ is “mpressed with Steelscape! Dad just delivered a lunch fish 1230pm nest time and it’s 88 there high 95 today. All 3 babies look good!” This is fantastic news. Steelscape is in the heat area, too!

Learn all you can about Menhaden – the Osprey fish of choice in the NE US. Why they are important and then learn what is decimating the numbers and why coastal osprey in specific areas are suffering nest loss repeatedly.

Inshore-The-Atlantic-Menhaden-The-FishermanDownload

I am hoping that Little Mini at McEuan Park is still with us. Mum shading and I can only see three big ones but baby could be on the other side. No, sadly, Little Mini has passed at McEuan Park sometime during the late evening of Friday or early Saturday morning.

The kids at Grand Lake want fish. Just look at that nice meal Dad just brought in. They were telling Mum to hurry up and quit messing about. “We want fish!”

What a gorgeous evening in Colorado at the Pitkin County Open Spaces and Trails Osprey Nest. One of those successful osprey rescues took place at this nest two years ago. The chicks were accidentally pulled off the nest with some straw. One died and one survived and was in care for awhile because the chick needed to get well before it could learn to fly. Yes, one of those ospreys who testifies that they do well in care! Saying that they don’t is an excuse not to rescue and try.

‘H’ reports:

7/5 Osoyoos osprey nest:  This family ended up having a pretty good day.  The temperature was predicted to hit 35 C.  After two very early fish, there was not another fish brought to the nest for the next eight hours, and I was starting to worry.  But, Olsen resumed his deliveries at 1446, and brought three more fish by 2032.  There were no ‘whoppers’ today.  The meal durations were: 10, 26, 9, 5, 7, and 8 minutes in length.  The osplets were all little angels, and they ate side-by-side as Soo fed them.  

7/5 Patuxent River Park osprey nest:  It was very warm at this nest, at least 97 F.  But, Dad was able to provide ample fish for his family, and everyone ate well.  The chicks are 55, 58, and 59 days old.  Chick #2 continues to be the leader in the race to fledge, showing off with a few mini-hovers.

7/5 Fenwick Island osprey nest (Capt Mac’s Fish House):  The little 21 day old osplet is doing well.  There were six fish meals provided, with one long stretch of six hours between meals.  Because the chick was ‘hangry’, I caught the lil’ one taking its frustration out on Mom.  S/he stretched and sat up as tall as it could and repeatedly tried to beak June in the face.  “I want fish, Mom!”

7/5 Colonial Beach:  Betty and David’s 10 and 11-day-old chicks are doing well.  For the most part, there is harmony and both are getting fed.


7/5 Captiva Ospreys:  We do not have a report from CROW as yet regarding the condition of Darling, since he was rescued from the water on 7/4.  Ding had two fish meals brought to him by Edie on 7/4, but we did not see Edie on 7/5.  Ding is trying his best to learn how to catch a fish.  She made at least eight attempts to fish from the platform on 7/5, with no luck so far.  Fingers crossed that Ding has a meal today, either from Edie, or perhaps when Ding catches her first fish.

Geemeff’s Daily Report for Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Friday 5th July 2024
Louis and Dorcha are still around, and reaffirming their bond – he coy-mantled and attempted mating, she rejected his advances, and later he brought her a fish. At the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, their chicks are settling in and WTS Jill gives us this update: RDWF reported yesterday that both birds are feeding well and seem to be settled in the lovely dry aviary. But it’s still too early to say they are out of the woods entirely. The final vet screening will happen early next week, we’ll get more concrete news after that.  Nest One had a visit from Garry LV0 bringing moss and doing a bit of housekeeping, several songbirds also visited and a Hoodie preened on Dorcha’s perch for a while. The weather was reasonably settled after a wet night but more rain is forecast for tonight, with thundery showers tomorrow. The chicks are missed but the consensus on the forum is that in the circumstances, they’re better off in the translocation programme.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.06.53 (03.35.23); Nest Two 23.45.16 (03.43.32)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/zakv38LnsXI N2 Dorcha’s not impressed: no fish and Louis tries mating 08.00.12

https://youtu.be/EamXrQ5Z1TYN1 Four little birds flit around investigating the nest 09.15.32

https://youtu.be/KM9WDj8AjRk N1 Does Garry notice the two birds chasing each other? 09.36.18

https://youtu.be/rX4DKIlw6dM N2 Louis brings a lunchtime fish for Dorcha 13.20.39

https://youtu.be/kzKHN0llDEE N2 A solo Hoodie flies onto the side of Dorcha’s perch and preens 20.24.30

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/KmKrmLCYAdk  N1 The chicks Bring Jollity doing flight prep quick time 2020 (Classic Ospreys – Holst)

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

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

Both White-tailed eaglet fledglings on the nest resting in the Tucholskie Forest in Poland.

Bety and Bukachek’s only storklet is gorgeous.

Thank you for being with us today. Please take care of yourselves. Stay cool if you are in parts of Canada and the US. Remember to hydrate and for those feeling a little cooler down under, stay warm! Hope to have you with us again soon.

Thank you to the following for their letters, notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, EJ, Geemeff, H, MM, PB’, PSEG, Native Songbird Care and Conservation, Mary Cheadle, Ian L Winter, Lucille Powell, Moorings Park Ospreys, Field farm, BoPH, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, LLyn Clywedog, Clark PUD, Kielder Forest, Minnesota Landscape Arobretum. Iowa DNR, Dunrovin Ranch, Charlo Montana Osprey Cam, Finnish Osprey Foundation, The Guardian, Oakland Zoo, Eagle Club of Estonia, Looduskalender, Steelscape, The Fishermen, McEuan Park, Grand Lake Ospreys, Pitkin County Osprey Cam, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Bielik On Line, Mlade Buky White Storks, Osoyoos, Fenwick Island, Colonial Beach, Patuxent River Park, and Window to Wildlife.

Hatch in Progress at Dyfi…Monday in Bird World

20 May 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

There is a hatch in progress at Dyfi!

Sunday was a glorious day, and instead of sitting in front of my computer in the conservatory with the girls, I took a trip to a small town in southern Manitoba and paid a visit to their greenhouse. They had helped with a fundraiser (plants) for my grandson’s choir tour, and the quality of their flowers and herbs amazed me. So off I went. It was a wonderful half-hour drive with the sides of the road full of Red-wing Blackbirds flitting about the bullrushes and geese in ponds created by the recent heat rains. Everything was green and beautiful, and – it was quiet. If you live in the centre of a big city, the silence of the rural areas does not go unnoticed! This evening, all those herbs – including two Curry plants – will be put in their containers on the two decks with the hope that Dyson & Co will have pity on me and not usurp them while caching their peanuts. I live in hope.

It is interesting. The garden is not mine OR, rather, I have chosen to give it her to the animals which means that I feel that I am intruding when I am outside. I spent only an hour planting and will finish tomorrow. The heavy rains of the last days have meant that many birds might not have eaten well and it seemed cruel to be out there during the evening buffet period. The fledgling Red-wing Blackbirds are flitting about. One is causing concern. It does loops and I fear that it has a wing problem. I am not able to catch it and to be honest, the Wildlife Centre would only put the darling to sleep so I am going to let it live its life around the wood boxes where there is lots of food and see what happens. It has certainly entertained Calico and Baby Hope. The Baltimore Orioles – and this year more females than males – have been eating oranges. Lots of oranges! For some reason they are not at all interested in the grape jelly. Will try again tomorrow. But what an exciting late spring it has been – baby sparrows galore and now these little Red-wing Blackbirds. Their nest is inside a 30 cm high stack of vines that grow on the back woodbox. A perfect place that is well protected from the Crows and Grackles. Their Mummy was very smart!

Sad news is coming out of Glacier Gardens. Freedom was found Dad. He is the mate of Liberty and the Dad of those wonderful chicks Kindness (2021), and Peace and Hope (2023).

‘H’ and I just want to make everyone aware of what we desperately hope will not happen at Lake Murray. The ages and dates for the predation by the GHO in 2023 were: “Big was taken by GHO on 5/15 at age 26 days. Middle was taken by GHO on 5/23 at age 33 days.” Little died from siblicide. Today, the Osplets are 29, 27, and 24 days old. Mum is not sleeping on the nest at night and is away during the day. The GHO is aware of the nest. I hope that the owner has lights and loud music playing regularly now and will not stop thinking the owls have forgotten! Those efforts might help.

Little ate reasonably well on Sunday. I am no longer counting bites unless behaviours or fish deliveries (or both) change on this nest. For now, we have to stay strong and hope the GHO does not take these precious babies.

There are such simple solutions to protect our beautiful birds from harm – by us or other predators. At Lake Murray, for example, the fish grates or lights – GHOs do not like lights – would help. Right now, lights are the only solution. During migration, dimming or turning off lights can save the lives of millions of birds. You just have to flip a switch. Is that so difficult? Geez, it could save hydro costs!!!!!!! Do you remember the Brown Outs of the 1970s? It really is easy. Geemeff found us a good article.

Lights-Out-Turn-off-lights-to-save-birds-lives-newscentermaine.com_Download

The two chicks on the German streaming cam Goitzsche-Wildnis appear to be doing well.

And then the third one hatched on Monday – so a trio!

We have all been worried about CO8 at Captiva. ‘H’ gives us her report for Sunday. “0722 The first meal of the day consisted of a small partial mullet.  CO8 simply decided to sit this one out, and did not approach Edie.

At 0845 Jack delivered a whole sheepshead.  CO8 was beaked, or intimidated several times over the next several minutes.  While Edie ate the fish, C07 simply hovered over CO8 until 0855.  Then CO7 decided to eat.  CO7 ate until 0901 and then moved away.  Edie then started to feed CO8, and ate until 0913, when CO7 returned to the table.  At 0920 CO7 again stopped eating, and CO8 ate for the next 6 minutes.  CO8 was fed for about 18 minutes at this meal.

Feeding #3 was a partial sheepshead at 1003.  CO7 beaked CO8, then CO7 ate until 1011.  CO8 had a short private feeding until 1017, when CO7 returned and they ate side-by-side for one minute until CO8 was beaked.  CO7 ate until 1023, then CO8 returned and ate for 2 more minutes.  CO8 ate for approximately 8 minutes at this feeding.

At 1557 Jack delivered a large live gafftopsail catfish.  CO7 intimidated CO8 and ate first.  By 1602 CO8 had worked his/her way to the other side of Edie, but was beaked by CO7.  At 1617, CO7 was taking a break from eating, and CO8 was fed…but only for 2 minutes, when he was beaked by CO7 who resumed eating.  CO7 ate for at least the next 30 minutes, and CO8 was only able to grab one or two bites.  At 1651 Edie was alarming and flew off with the fish.  She soon returned with the fish still in her talons, and CO8 ate for 1 minute before being intimidated by CO7.  At 1710, CO7 once again retired from the meal, and laid down to take a nap.  CO8 was able to eat for the next 8 minutes, before being pushed from behind by CO7.  CO7 ate until 1725, then CO8 was at the table and waiting, but Edie was distracted, presumably by an intruder.  At 1728 Edie flew off in a hurry.  Edie returned 5 minutes later.  There was just a small amount of the catfish remaining, and CO8 ate for the next 3 minutes.  CO8 was able to eat for a total of approximately 14 minutes, and only had a small crop after a fish that lasted roughly 90 minutes.  Overall however, CO8 did fairly well today, and had a large crop a couple of times today.”

Dr Ericke Green continues to post good information about Ospreys which I will share with you in case you are not on FB. This is an exciting year and we will know the name of Iris’s New Guy soon!

I had so many lovely letters today. There is news that I want to share with all of you.

‘AM’ has discovered a new Peregrine Falcon nest. It is Kingston College. She tells me, “The mother was badly injured and euthanized and the father is raising the young alone. Recently, a new female has started coming in.”

Here is the link to their streaming cam:

‘MM’ reassures us that the Dad at the MNSA nest is doing a fantastic job! She comments, “Mom seems to feed the littlest chick first and in the few days I’ve been watching there has been one episode of bonking that I’ve seen and it was between the two oldest chicks and it wasn’t at meal time. “

‘MM’ asked about Mum at MNSA begging Dad to feed her. Many of you might not have seen it before, but there are a number of Ospreys that either like to be fed or do the feeding. Iris has been begging New Guy to feed her while she is incubating just like her Stanley did. Several UK nests have the male feeding the female. I wish I had images. This is the screen capture of Dad feeding Mum at MNSA.

I am always happy to get your letters. Please do not ever think for a moment that I do not like hearing from you!

Annie and Archie have really provided a lot of ‘light’ to everyone’s lives this year. ‘B’ writes: “…just to say how much fun it is watching the Cal Falcons this year, and how impressed I am with both Annie and Archie. Annie is even more impressive every year, and she’s lucky to have Archie, too. I wasn’t expecting the fourth egg to hatch, and I was a bit worried when it did that it would be just too much. But Annie and Archie are just not skipping a beat with four chicks. Archie just keeps the prey coming, and Annie is so skilled at distributing the food to the chicks. And wonderful to see Archie again yesterday joining in to tandem feed the chicks.” 

What a shocking difference in size between Small at Amersfoort and one of the two older siblings.

Big Red loves her Ns. They are getting their juvenile feathers and their interest is shifting beyond the world of the nest on the light tower. We can expect fledging in June.

Rose and Oren’s sweet babies at Syracuse University. This nest is going to get really crowded.

Another location for Red-tail Hawks to raise their young – New York City! Yolton commented in his blog, urbanhawks.com, that the female had been picked up earlier in the week and taken into care. She was released and returned to her nest to the delight of her growing community of human well-wishers.

I am so happy that Bruce Yolton is posting his videos on FB for everyone to see.

Other Red-tails are nesting on Governor’s Island.

All three osplets have fledged and returned to the nest at the Venice Golf and Country Club platform. Adults continue to deliver fish – six or seven today!

Waiting for hatch at Boulder County.

Day old osplet at Great Bay doing well.

It looks like Dad will be fishing for two chicks this year at PSEG Patchogue.

Frederick keeps bringing in the fish to Betsy and the two chicks at Outerbanks.

Hebert and Hermine’s trio at Eschenbach are a little older than the chicks at Goitzsdhe Wildness.

For all Ervie lovers, myself included, he is still hanging around Port Lincoln! With all these boys, Mum and Dad could have grandchildren close by in a year or two.

‘A’ sends us the latest on Mum and Dad, the WBSE at Sydney Olympic Park:

“Speaking of which, I am intrigued by Lady and Dad and wondering whether this is their usual schedule and I just have been unaware of it (not checking the nest basically until eggs are due to be laid or have been laid, I think) or whether they are very early in nest-building and frequent mating behaviour this year. I suppose time will tell. We’ll know by the date the first egg is laid. 

Here are the reports for May 18 and May 19.

May 18: The eagles were by the nest last night and came in early, at 6:22am, with a duet and mating soon after. They brought a couple of sticks in, then were off. At 11:10am, a duet could be heard coming from Mangrove Island, though the eagles were out of sight of our observer. Then one was seen soaring overhead – in the picture. It was a windy day. Unknown where they were for the rest of the day. Then at dark, at 5:30pm, both arrived at the nest and settled nearby. Very few sticks were brought in today – Lady two and Dad one.

May 19: A fine day. Our eagles were awake early, with mating. Then both were in and out during the morning with sticks and leaves – five for Lady and seven for Dad. From about 11am, neither was seen at the river or nearby. Finally, at around 4pm, at least one was seen at Goat Island. Then at dusk, at 5:19pm, Dad showed up at the nest with leaves. He settled nearby. Where is Lady?”

More news about Laddie – and yes, I am thrilled they issued an appeal and were on top of what might have happened to our beloved male at Loch of the Lowes. (As Jeff Kear notes, “If the shot went straight through, it would not show up on an X-Ray”. Laddies body was found eight days after he went missing.

Update on death of Osprey ‘Laddie’ from Loch of the Lowes Reserve in Perthshire

If you are lucky enough to live in London, UK you might wish to take in the new exhibition at the Natural History Museum that focuses on how birds survive – and do not.

Vampire-finches-and-deadly-tree-snakes-how-birds-went-worldwide-–-and-their-battles-for-survival-Download

Thank you so much for your letters and for being with us today. Lots of excitement coming up in the next fortnight as we continue with fledges and hatches. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, AM, B, Geemeff, H, MM, MP’, Dyfi Osprey Project, Steven Bowery, Glacier Gardens Nest Cam, Trudi Kron, Lake Murray Ospreys, Animals, Goitzsche-Wildnis, Eschenbach, Window to Wildlife, Montana Osprey Project, Montana Osprey Cams and Dr Green, Kingston Campus STCG, MNSA Ospreys, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways, Amersfoort Falcon Scrape, Cornell RTH, Syracuse University Hawk Cam, Bruce Yolton, VGCCO, Boulder County, Great Bay Ospreys, PSEG, OBX Osprey Cam, Eschenbach Ospreys, PLO, Sydney Olympic Cam, Raptor Persecution UK, and The Guardian.

Grateful for those that are thriving…Saturday in Bird World

13 April 2024

Hello Everyone,

Thursday and Friday were difficult days. Jackie and Shadow said goodbye to their eggs after one cracked, with Jackie covering them later. The miracle babies hatched at the NTCT nest of Bella and were killed and eaten by the male, Scout. Audacity surprised everyone with another egg, but it broke Friday morning. Little B17 died and Meadow is ill. It felt a little bit like a roller coaster of emotions. Others call it ‘hope fatigue’. These events take their toll and sometimes we need to go outside and listen to the birds or sit and stroke a beloved pet. Then we need to stop and be very thankful for those that survive – they are very precious.

Bella feeds her second little eaglet before flying off to find food. She returns, looks around the nest, cannot find the baby while Scout is on the perch, then Bella flies off saying goodbye. It would have been difficult, if not impossible or Bella with the attitude that Scout was exhibiting. Many wondered if this was not a blessing in disguise.

The empty nest says it all.

The Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey is expressing concern over Meadow’s condition on Friday. Send your positive energy to this eaglet.

So what is giving us hope?

Iris returned to her nest at 20:51:22 Friday night. She looked like she had a full crop. So the Matriarch is fine! She stayed til after 0633 Saturday morning. Perhaps she didn’t want Louis to see her!

Annie and Archie. We are 11 days away from hatch watch. ‘A’ is getting excited. “Annie is looking particularly lovely this evening – she really is an exquisite specimen of a bird. Just beautiful. I cannot wait to see four little fluffy eyases lined up with their beaks open in that scrape. Poor little Archie is going to be run off his talons. And if he thinks it’s difficult to incubate four eggs, wait until he tries brooding four chicks. That should take some serious enfluffling.”

Tuffy is getting smarter and is sometimes braver. This nest gives me hope because of “H’s great observations.

‘H’ reports on how Friday morning began well for Tuffy: “At 0728 Harry arrived with a large live tilapia.  Sally started to eat, and for once Sally was positioned near the rail facing outward.  Her positioning would afford Tuffy an opportunity to position himself on the other side of her from Ruffie.  Tuffy was on Sally’s right, and Ruffie hung back a bit.  Tuffy received 5-6 bites of fish before Ruffie reached over and beaked him.  So much for Sally’s new positioning.  Tuffy scooted away and tucked.  At 0728 Tuffy was trying to move around to the other side of Sally, but Ruffie saw him and cut him off at the pass.  At 0750 Tuffy was getting a little too close to Sally for Ruffie’s liking, so she beaked him.  By 0753 Ruffie moved away from the feeding, but still kept an eye on Tuffy and was giving him a warning look.  Soon, Ruffie started to eat some more.  At 0803, brave lil’ Tuffy decided to go for it, and shuffled right up to Sally in front of Ruffie, and started to get some bites.  Ruffie turned away for a PS, and she then stayed away.  Good.  By 0813, Tuffy had eaten approximately 100 bites of fish.  The view was partially blocked and I was not able to see if bites were dropped.  I just had to count when Sally leaned toward Tuffy, and he leaned toward her.  At that point Ruffie returned to the table to eat some more, and she beaked Tuffy.  Ruffie was finished, this time for good, at 0816…Tuffy untucked and resumed eating his breakfast.  Tuffy took a break for about a minute at 0822, then resumed eating.  At 0831 Tuffy simply couldn’t eat any more and shuffled away from Sally sporting a very large crop.  Sally finished the fish.  Tuffy ate an estimated 180 bites of fish.  Great way to start the day!”

Look at Tuffy’s crop!

“… At 1128 Harry brought a nearly whole tilapia.  Ruffie was fed, and Tuffy remained on the sidelines.  Harry stayed in the nest for a while, so Tuffy gradually moved to get into Dad’s shade.  Even after Harry left, Tuffy stayed away from the feeding line.  At 1207 Tuffy moved to be closer to Sally, and was beaked by Ruffie.  By 1214, Ruffie had moved aside slightly, Tuffy moved in, and it appeared that Sally was feeding Tuffy (view was blocked).  Sally did move a little bit and we were able to see that Tuffy was eating.  By 1218 Tuffy had eaten 40 bites of fish before being intimidated by Ruffie, and he shuffled away.  Ruffie continued to eat, and around 1222, Sally reached over to Tuffy to give him some bites, before Ruffie again banished Tuffy to the sidelines at 1224.  At 1227 Tuffy was again reaching to Sally to receive fish bits.  Ruffie simply did not want little brother to eat, so at 1228 she made a big physical display of dominance and Lil’ Tuffy scurried away.  At 1234 Ruffie seemed to be finished eating, and our view was partially blocked, but it was obvious that Sally was feeding Tuffy.  The meal was over by 1248 save for a few scraps.  Tuffy ate at least 78 bites of fish.”


.”..Harry delivered the third fish of the day at 1705, a headless tilapia.  It was a smaller piece of fish, which did not bode well for Tuffy’s chances for a nice meal.  Ruffie approached Sally, Tuffy moved further away from Sally.  I noted that Tuffy’s crop was flat at that time.  Ruffie was giving warning glances to Tuffy as Ruffie was fed.  However, Sally managed to periodically sneak a bite to her little one who was standing off to the side.  Many of those quick bites to Tuffy went under Ruffie’s radar, but some did not.  When Ruffie would notice Tuffy getting a bite she leaned toward Tuffy to intimidate him.  So, Tuffy would move a little further away, but would then slowly inch closer to Mom as he dared.  By 1731 Tuffy had eaten 14 bites of fish by Sally quickly sneaking bits to him.  Then he received 5 bites in quick succession while Ruffie was trying to eat a big piece of skin.  Ruffie was not able to eat the skin, so she dropped it, but seemed irritated that Tuffy had eaten those bites…so she charged Tuffy who went to the rails.  Ruffie then wedged herself in between Sally and Tuffy.  Finally, at 1743, Ruffie was full and moved across the nest and laid down.  Tuffy made a beeline to Sally, but unfortunately there wasn’t much fish left.  Tuffy ate, and some bites were a pretty good size.  Sally did her best to pull every last bit of meat from that fish tail, then she offered the tail several times to Tuffy, who simply could not do anything with it.  Total bites for Tuffy at this meal = 46, and he had a small crop.  Total for Tuffy so far today = 304 bites of fish.”

Sally was calling for fish at 1957.

The three osplets of Talon and Stella at the Florida-Gainesville campus continue to do well. This is excellent news. They are all lined up like the three lads at Port Lincoln in 2022. You can see the size difference now between the first hatch in the centre and the baby on the right. At one time, they were almost all the same having hatched within a 36 hour window.

‘H’ reports that the Canada Geese and the Ospreys have switched nests at McEuen Park in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. Grateful for Geese and not owls!

In the UK, Idris and Telyn have their first egg of the Osprey season on Friday at the Dyfi Nest in Wales.

Waiting for Seren and Dylan at Llyn Clywedog to have their first egg of the season. Seren was not impressed with the food gift o a frog that Dylan brought to her and when he wasn’t looking, she dropped it overboard.

Intruders have been bothering Aran and Elen at Glaslyn. It was sent packing over to the Pont Cresor Nest of Aeron Z2 and Blue 014.

Louis fishes in the worst weather and delivers beautiful fish to Dorcha.

I am grateful that Laddie LM12 made it home safe this year to Blue NCO. No eggs at Loch of the Lowes yet.

Blue 33 guards Maya. He has been bringing in gold fish – beautiful bright orange-gold Koi. Someone’s pond is getting raided. He must like the colour!

Bradley makes me smile and it is fantastic that Port Lincoln continues to post videos of him bringing his fish to the barge. It is heartwarming when these fledglings thrive. A still form that video. Check out what is happening at Port Lincoln by going to their FB group.

And there are these various stages of some of the bobbleheads that are doing well:

US Steel 7: It is pitching down rain but Irvin has the nest full of fish and Claire is trying to keep the wee one dry while keeping it fed.

Little Miami:

Johnson City-ETSU:

Superbeaks, Dixie and Mason:

Kansas City, Cheyenne and Wichita:

Duke Farms, Jasper and Leaper who will be ringed on Monday:

ND-LEEF – Dad’s new mate Gigi appears to be doing well:

Eagle Country – Swampy in the nest and Meadow in care. Hoping dear Swampy is not sick, too:

Denton Homes – three Majestic babies:

Decorah North:

Redding with Liberty and Guardia:

Port Tobacco:

Bluff City and Viper:

Fort St Vrain. Two little bobbles doing well.

West End. Aklecheta and Thunder showed us how to deal with three healthy energetic eaglets this year:

Fraser Point, two adorable eaglets for Andor and Cruz:

PA Country Farm – a family who can consistently raise three:

Dade County, R6 has fledged and returns to the nest:

SW Florida, E23- so grateful that M15 had a new family this year after the sorrow of losing Harriet and the joy of raising E21 and 22 to fledge by himself:

Poor E23 has had to defend its nest!

JB Sands Wetlands, JBS20. We lost JBS21. Please keep Mum in your thoughts because of her injury:

Trudi Kron captures JBS20 getting ready to fly.

It isn’t all of them, but count these as blessings. In a year when many nests did not have a single hatch, we can be grateful. There is no news on Meadow Saturday morning form the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey.

Jackie and Shadow start over. What an amazing pair of eagles these are! ‘A’ writes: “Meanwhile, the sadness at Big Bear is felt by thousands of BB viewers. Jackie and Shadow are much loved by so many. This video really broke my heart. They take it in their stride and carry on, together. While they have each other, there is always next year. Spirit was such a miracle. It was a joy watching that couple caring for their precious eaglet. They were so devoted. That little one sure was spoiled for love. And fish, obviously.” 

The Royal Albatross are always bittersweet. Little fluff ball TopFlat Chick, the Royal Cam chick, waits for food deliveries. LGK Lew in on Friday to feed the little one who can be heard squeeing. At the end, you see TF flap its little wings copying the adults.

The top bird sightings in the UK. Please note the huge decline in House Sparrows since 1979 and the growth of some others. House Sparrows live amongst humans that is why they are seen so often and we are destroying their habitat which is why the huge decline. Feed them. Be joyful when you hear their song. Just imagine if they were not there.

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Thank you for being with me. Step outside. Celebrate spring, listen to the birds that live around you. Smile. There are things in the world that we have no control over. We change what we can, when we can doing the best we can. We mourn the little ones that are lost, but remain joyful and hopeful for those thriving on the nests.

*Disclaimer: Every effort is made to credit individuals who send me information, those who take screen captures, create videos or posts, those who write articles, and those who operate streaming cams. If I miss acknowledging someone’s contribution, please let me know so I can rectify that omission. Thank you.*

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, streaming cams, videos, and articles that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, J, H, PB, SK, TK’, NCTC Eagle Cam, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Cal Alcons, Moorings Park ospreys, Florida-Gainesville, McEuen Park, Dyfi Osprey Project, Llyn Clywedog and CarnyXWild, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, The Woodland Trust (Loch Arkaig), Geemef, The Scottish Wildlife Trust (LOTL), LRWT, Port Lincoln Ospreys, US Steel Eagle Cam, Little Miami Conservancy, Johnson City-ETSU, Superbeaks, FARMER DEREK, Duke Farms, ND-LEEF, Eagle Country, Denton Homes, Raptor Research Project, FORE, Port Tobacco Eagle Cam, Bluff City-ETSU, Fort St Vrain, IWS/Explore, PA Country Farms, WRDC, SW Florida Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, JB Sands Wetlands, Trudi Kron, Lady Hawk and The Guardian.

JJ finally got some fish…Sunday in Bird World

6 August 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that you have had a really lovely weekend so far. Here the potatoes in the fibre bags are dying off at the top, signalling they are ready to be dug. Some tomato plants think they are finished producing, while others have substantial green heritage tomatoes waiting to turn red. The pepper plants produced one pepper each, while the cucumber plant gave me two delicious English cokes. This year’s garden winners were the Basil, which grew like a small bush, the thyme, and rosemary. The grape tomatoes were also abundant. There is a ‘feel’ in the garden, like the summer is ending, something that doesn’t happen until September. Everything is still emerald green…it just feels a little ‘off’. It has been a very strange year.

When I first left my urban existence to live on a small acreage in rural Canada, some things did not make sense. Surrounded by big corporate farmers, they had cut down the hedgerows that kept the topsoil from blowing away when the winds were high and the soil dry. This caused them to have to use more fertiliser. The end result of all of that was my pond’s poisoning and my orchard’s death. That was decades ago. It all came back like a tidal wave today when I saw this article on farming and the benefits of hedgerows and fens to bring back wildlife.

There are many simple things that we can do, too including working to create what I call mini-corridors for the birds in our neighbourhoods as well as the other small mammals. Think using native plants in your garden along with bird feeders and sources of water. Create a pathway with your friends and neighbours for the birds and animals to move from yard to yard – thriving. The idea that birds and wildlife can find food readily available in urban centres should become a reality – we destroyed their habitat. Let’s help do something for them.

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There really is not a lot of news in Bird World as fledglings and their mums fatten up in the UK and Europe for their migration. The same thing is happening in parts of North America but there are still chicks on the nest to fledge like those in Newfoundland/Labrador. We all watched in agony as the osplets of Hope and Beau died on the nest but, what we didn’t see – because the nests are not on streaming cams – are the numerous other nests in the region that thrived producing at least two but, often, three osplets this year.

The big worry of the day came from Fortis Exshaw where intruders – at least one female intruder – caused havoc. I will let ‘H’ tell us all about it but, there are intruders everywhere. In Canada, we can imagine that those in the regions hit hardest by the wildfires lost their nest and/or, their mate, and their chicks. Others are floating around. Some are heading south from further places in the north hoping to get an easy fish. Around the Canmore, Alberta area where the Fortis Exshaw nest is there are numerous Bald Eagles, these intruders or floaters, 2 year olds looking for a mate and a nest, and gulls to name a few of those that would love to peck off a free fish from an osprey. They don’t know there are two hungry babies on the nest needing that fish!

But it is not only Canada that is experiencing intruder issues. We have seen this in the US and it is also happening at some of the nests in the UK. Some, like Dyfi, are having visitors – two year olds scouting for nests and mates before migrating.

Just look at that beautiful bird. The genetics running through her is exceptional. Indeed, one of my friends says the measure of the success of the nest and the good DNA – along with a lot of luck – is in the two-year-old returnees. The problem is seeing them!

Another view of this gorgeous two year old.

Here is the information on the Dad, Merin. Interesting bird.

Llyn Clywedog has its share of visitors as has most of the other nests. Hopefully they will land, look, and take off without causing any mischief.

But the news of the day was being made at FortisExshaw and here is ‘H’s report: “What a range of emotions for the viewers of the Exshaw nest on 8/5.  The youngest osplet, JJ, had not eaten in nearly two days, so we were hoping for a fish-filled day.  But, intruders were the theme for most of the day.  Louise and O’Hara were busy fending off intruders, and even when there seemed to be nothing happening, we knew that they were unable to bring fish to the nest.  On at least two separate occasions a female intruder spent some time on the nest.  (The video quality  was still pixelated most of the day, so it made it very challenging to figure out the identities of all the birds.)  The female intruder was actively preventing Louise from landing on the nest.  Then, an amazing move by Louise at 1339 . . the female intruder and O’Hara were both on the nest, when Louise flew in with a fish and landed right where the female intruder was standing, intentionally delivering the fish to the intruder.  The intruder quickly grabbed the fish and flew away, never to be seen again for the rest of the day.  Brilliant idea, Louise . . feed the intruder!  After that, several hours went by without a sighting of any adult ospreys.  We were worried for JJ.  Banff had eaten two fish the previous day.  At 1729 Louise landed with a huge headless fish, and of course Banff grabbed it.  Banff ate for 90 minutes before she finally walked away from a large leftover piece.  Finally after 52 hours, JJ had some fish to eat.  At 1936 Louise brought a very large whole fish to the nest, and Banff ate for a few minutes, but she was still too full.  At 2021 there was a bit of a kerfuffle between the sibs, and Banff stole the remnants of fish #1 that JJ had been working on.  JJ started eating fish #2 at 2046, and ate a pretty good amount of it.  Louise landed with fish #3 at 2054, and Banff ate some of it.  JJ quit eating from fish #2 and went to eat from fish #3.  But, Louise wasn’t done yet . . at 2140 she brought in a large live fish.  Louise started to feed Banff, so JJ returned to eating fish #3, but then he changed his mind and ate some more of fish #2.  There was so much fish that JJ had a veritable fish buffet, lol.  At 2150 Banff stopped eating, so Louise was able to eat from fish #4.  At 2153 JJ quit eating from fish #2, walked over to Mom, and Louise fed JJ.  Then, quite a memorable moment . . at 2154 JJ ate the tail of fish #4.  In my mind, JJ scarfing down that fish tail was symbolic of this family having overcome so many challenges.  Happy tears!  In case you were wondering, only fish #1 and #4 were eaten in their entirety.  Pieces of fish #2 and #3 remain somewhere on the nest.  Louise assumed her position on the T-perch for the night at 2200.  Good night to our beloved feathered friends.  SOD.”

Let’s keep going with ‘H’s reports –

Osoyoos – It was another very good day for the Osoyoos ospreys.  Olsen brought in nine fish for his family.  Olsen’s fishing success is especially remarkable in view of the continuing heat wave and smokey air quality. 

Severna Park – The juvies are still occasionally seen at the nest, and Oscar continues to provide meals for his fledglings.

Forsythe – Ollie spent most of the day at the nest, and Oscar brought her one fish.  To my knowledge, Owen was not seen. 

At the Patchogue nest, Mini had some nice fish. I counted at least three nice ones but there could have been more. She has a perch where she can see Dad coming in or she is on the nest waiting. The older ones do not seem to be coming in for fish – they would be fed ‘off camera’. In normal circumstances, the youngsters may try to fish (but not all do) and most are not proficient in fishing until they are on their own during migration.

Mini flies off at 0741 after eating her breakfast fish which had arrived at 0701.

She was full. You can see that lovely fish tail left on the nest. Dad will find it when he delivers Mini her next fish and he will finish it off.

Mini at 0844.

Enjoying a huge fish at 1503.

Collins Marsh: Both chicks have now fledged! Congratulations to everyone on a super successful season.

Clark PUD: Mum and the two osplets were hot and hungry when a big fish came to the nest. Mum wasted no time taking charge of that fish and all three ate. Well done, Mum!

MN Landscape Arboretum: Numerous small fish hitting the nest which is fantastic….sometimes the chick is not even hungry became they can arrive in such rapid succession.

Sandpoint: Two fish arrived – a small one and a medium one -. Like many nests, this one could use more fish!

Cowlitz PUD: The fledgling had at least two very nice sized fish on Saturday. Fantastic.

Boulder County: Cam 1 is back on line! And you can now return and watch the three fledglings eating beautiful fish with Mum and Dad close at hand.

Dyfi: Even with an intruder, all is well with the fledglings. Nice fish and the weather is improving.

Glaslyn: OH1 and OH2 are waiting for some fish! They are definitely not starving. Aran is a fantastic provider.

Poole Harbour: One chick has a crop and two are eating fish. What a fantastic nest this one is. CJ7 got herself a good mate by waiting.

Loch of the Lowes: The only ones around are Laddie LM12 and the first hatch, the female. I feel sad when I look at this nest plagued by intruders all season. Blue NC0 gallantly defended the nest and her babies so many times. she has not been seen since 15 July, and the second hatch, the male, has not been seen for some time. Is Laddie proving for him off camera?

Llyn Brenig: The crop in the top image and the fish in the second say it all. This nest is doing well.

Loch Garten: Asha and Brodie’s two fledglings waiting for fish, too. Brodie often brings in a late one so that Asha can enjoy some fish with whichever chick hasn’t had fish. They, too, have had their issues with intruders but the nest has been successful.

Loch Arkaig: Geemeff reports that there were so many fish brought to the nest by Louis on Saturday that Ludo could not eat them all. He was full to the gills! The nest even had intruders but hopefully Louis got some fine fish, too.

Finland #1: Fledgling waiting for fish. This is what we are seeing on most nests.

Finland #4. Apila really looks miserable – it is damp and its crop is really empty. This baby has yet to fledge according to the obs board for the camera.

Ilomantsin: All of the chicks have now fledged and all have returned to the nest and have, at one time or another, had a nice fish meal.

Sydney Sea Eagles: ‘A’ reports that SE32 got plenty of fish. “But today, like yesterday, the little one got plenty of food. Dad brought in two fish and mum brought in one, as they were a little smaller than those being caught last week. But there was plenty to go around and although SE32 had to wait its turn, it did end up getting three or four very good feedings for the day. The best position for it is behind SE31, so that it can reach over SE31 for food. Otherwise, if SE31 is behind SE32, it finds the back of SE32’s head just irresistible! …SE32 is becoming a trifle more confident, though it varies from feed to feed.”

SK Hideaways gives us a video of 32 getting lots of that fish!

Cornell Red-tail Hawks: Ferris Akel had his traditional Saturday tour and he found Big Red, Arthur, and L3 who was recently released in the area after being in rehab for around 9 months (please feel free to correct me on the time but it was many, many months).

Arthur out hunting new Holey Cow.

Big Red, our beautiful matriarch who is now 20+ years young.

L3 who is now flying beautifully and has her own red tail!

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, observations, videos, photos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, Geemeff, H’, Ian L Winter and the Ospreys of Newfoundland and Labrador, Sally Whale and Friends of Dyfi Osprey Project, Dyfi Osprey Project, Osoyoos, Severna Park, Forsythe, PSEG, Collins Marsh, Clark PUD, MN Landscape Arboretum, Sandpoint, Cowlitz PUD, Boulder County, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Poole Harbour, LOTL, Llyn Brenig, RSPB Loch Garten, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Finnish Osprey Foundation, SK Hideaways and Sydney Sea Eagles, and Ferris Akel Tours.

Sydney Sea Eagle ‘Dad’ feared injured has returned…Thursday in Bird World

29 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

Did you miss June? It seems to have flown by. In Canada, school holidays are beginning. The nature centres will be full of young people learning about their environment, kayaking and canoeing, and, of course, the dreaded ‘fishing’. Still, we want them outside appreciating what Mother Nature offers and learning how to be good stewards of the land. If fishing increases the need for stocked ponds albeit with cleaning up line and hooks and using non-lead equipment or if duck hunting helps create more wetlands and places for the waterfowl, then I can live with that…not my best option but better than the alternative.

It is hot and humid and there is going to be rain today. That is grand. We need it. The rivers in the city are very low. There could even be a thunderstorm which means that Lewis will be quite anxious. And guess what? They were right. We had dark swirling clouds and a heavy and longish downpour. The garden turned even more emerald green than it was and the flowers perked up. The squirrels and Blue Jays have planted sunflowers everywhere. I had no idea that they could root in almost no soil…I will get some photos for you. Last year there were a few and in the fall the birds ate the seeds! Oh, it was magnificent. I love my ‘Gone to the Birds’ garden.

Missey and Lewis have been helping with the flower arrangement. They seem to prefer the asymmetrical look.

Of course, when I came to check they were snuggled up in the chair together not saying who did what! Precious rescue kittens. We are starting our 9th month together. According to Missey’s file, she will be a year old around the middle of July while Lewis will be a year old the following month.

One of Dyson’s babies. Isn’t it sweet?

Everyone was busy eating before and after the storm.

I am having a fun dinner party for an old friend that I have not seen in so many years…so I am starting early on Thursday and today’s blog will be much shorter than normal.

Let’s get started with Little . Of the four chick nests, there are now only a couple that still have four chicks and I want to be confident in Mini fledgling. It is looking better every day. Did Mini get the breakfast fish? That has to be the question for every day. The answer is YES! Mini ate for ten minutes from 0521-31 until Big took the fish. Mini was pecking at the leftovers at 0646. Another fish lands on that nest at 0825, and Little Mini is being fed until at least 0839 – Mini is sleeping with the bones at 0902, no doubt concealing that precious fish from the big siblings. Another giant fish lands on the nest at 0954. A Big Sib is trying to self-feed but is not having much luck unzipping that hard-headed fish…I have no worries that Mini will find a way to get some fish, even if it is scraps from that fish.

Loving how Mini is looking so healthy and standing up strong. Mini can move around the nest really quick too especially if there is fish.

Mini found scraps. Mini can self-feed better than Big!

Mini being fed from the 0825 fish. Chick 1 is really an enormous female. Just look at the size of that bird. We have to be thankful that Dad really kept the fish coming on the nest so the chicks never felt that there was a severe issue with food, Mum looks out for Mini. Wondered about that for a couple of days but, yes, Mini gets its fish. The big first hatch is a gentle soul. We have fretted over Mini but for a nest with four chicks in an urban area this has been an incredible experience.

If there is fish around, Mini is lurking or standing right up front. I don’t know how many scraps Mini got of the 0954 fish, but he was right up front when the 1137 fish landed. The kid ate, ate, and wound up with a nice big crop that could still be seen at 1346. Now Mini is funny. There was some leftover fish, and at 1250, Mini decided to cover it up under him! Clever. Love this little osplet…let us continue to hope that he survives (this has to be the world’s tiniest female or a tiny, tiny male).

1147: Mini having a great big feed. Way to go Mum!

1220: Mini ‘sniffing out’ the fish that one of the Bigs has. Mini will later hide that fish.

“If I just get up close and slide my wing over this piece of fish those big siblings will never miss it!”

“Fish? What fish?”

Look at Mini sitting up tall with its big clown feet. That sure does look like some necklace developing on Mini!

20:43. Mini is eating scraps off the nest…did we say ‘SURVIVOR’? This is from the 2018 fish…it is raining.

Our beautiful Mini with the skinny neck tonight…watch this one change. The chick behind Mini to the right has long legs like a male. Looks like 3. The other one to the left has thick stocky legs like a female.

Mini’s tail is growing.

Thursday morning did not start well for Mini. It missed the breakfast fish which was taken by one of the Bigs (#2). Mini found some old fish skin and was pulling on it. His crop is sunken…let us wish for a lot of fish today.

There is growing concern over the fate of the 21 year old male White-Bellied Sea Eagle, Dad, from the Sydney Olympic Park nest. He had two falls and has not been seen in more than 22 hours. Lady is incubating two eggs.

The latest reports on Dad are: “12:45pm BOTH eagles have been seen and heard – flying and duet. Ground obs have not been able to get a good look at Dad, other than he is flying ok. He had been high up in a tree not too far from nest when they started looking.” THEN: “1:30pm – Dad returned to nest, he is currently incubating. He doesn’t seem himself. While he remains in the treetops there is nothing we can do but monitor.” Gosh, isn’t this a relief! I hope Lady gets some much needed food.

More dual feedings at the Boulder County Fair Grounds – thank you, Dad. This nest is doing well because these two adults work so well together to make sure all three – including that little third – get fed. It reminds me of some of the UK nests in that regard. Lots of fish came on this nest today and everyone ate very well.

Deyani is growing up and she brought prey to her nest – and Tom and Angel’s – on the 27th. Growing up successfully!

Mum at Mn Landscape Arboretum fed the chick at 0551 and 0956. Much of the time Mum stands at the edge and eats – seemingly waiting for the wee one to come over. I was glad to see that twice Mum went to the chick. Maybe. Hard to hope.

‘M’ has noticed a ring on the male at this nest. If you are watching, keep an eye and please let me know if you get all the numbers. We know there is an MS or M5. Thank you. This pair have tried to bring in sticks and the minute they get on the nest, they fly off. I hope they bring some more fish. This wee one needs to be shaded and brooded! It does not have its thermal down so it can regulate its temperature…asking for small miracles.

From the observers of the MN LA nest:

The camera remains offline at Bridges Golf. This image is from Tuesday.

Lots of fish coming to the Boulder County Fair Grounds nest today. Everyone is eating well!

Slow fish delivery at Cowlitz PUD but…the little one got a good feed.

The chick, however, continues to have a hollow crop meaning it is hungry. Dad brought in a little mud puppy, but Mum is so hungry she might eat it all – her crop is hollow, too. It is regrettable…I wonder how many eagles are in the area taking Dad’s fish.

Boy, if we could only FedEx some of that nice fish at Seaside up to Cowlitz. Goodness.

Oyster Bay is great.

There had been some concern for Tom as in Tom and Audrey on Kent Island but ‘H’ reports that “Tom arrived with a large fish around 0630, some 20 hours after the last fish.  Our view of the actual feeding was blocked, but you can see that the chick’s crop after the meal was much improved.  Audrey and her baby polished off that entire fish!” That is excellent news.

At the Patuxent 1 nest, ‘H’ reports: “We will never know why the chicks appeared so starved the other day when the live stream returned.  It was days after the stormy weather had passed.  But all is well at this nest.  There were 5 large fish delivered that I saw.”

At FortisExshaw, the report is good. ” Jasper delivered 5 good sized fish that I saw.  And there were also feedings from leftovers.  The kids do not seem to mind eating leftovers, lol.”

Everything’s settling down at Forsythe! Thank goodness. ‘H’ counted ten feedings with Middle sometimes getting to eat alone! What a turn around. Food security is back.

‘H’ has also been monitoring the Osoyoos nest and says no pip seen in the third egg and the other two chicks are doing well.

All of the other nests -Severna Park, Dahlgren, Boathouse, and Barnegat Light-are reported by ‘H’ as doing well.   

A 19 year old male Osprey is getting much needed help at A Place Called Hope, one of my favourite rehab centres in Connecticut. Send all your positive energy his way! He has a family somewhere…let us hope his mate can care for the kids and that those osplets are old enough to leave so she can go fishing.

The ‘Grey’ Storklets are thriving in Germany.

M3 is still in the nest at Cornell and has not fledged yet. Big Red brought meals for M3. Meanwhile, Big Red and Arthur are making food drops and feeding M1 and M2 over on Rice.

Ferris Akel is on the Cornell Campus with Big Red and family on the day that M1 fledged, a week ago:

‘A’ reports on Diamond and Xavier’s scrape in Orange: “At Orange, there is a lot of bonding behaviour occurring, with Xavier bringing prey for Diamond (whether or not she ends up eating it is another question – her crop was HUGE this morning when she arrived in the scrape) and the pair of them having undisturbed bonding in the scrape twice today. Xavier is looking particularly healthy this season. Diamond is SO much larger than Xavier. She does look like a grand dame.  I do hope they don’t have more than two chicks this year, and a spoiled only chick is quite okay with us. Diamond is getting older and we don’t want to see her overly stressed by parenting. She is a gorgeous bird and many people love her dearly. She is definitely approaching old age in wild peregrine terms, so we do worry about her. At least, I do.”

 Things are so much better at the nest of Karl II and Kaia. The storklets are big and healthy with all the good little fish and frogs that are coming in.

The White Storks in Tukums, Latvia are also doing so well. What a relief for everyone.

We should all be concerned about the ocean and its fish and the need for their protection for all of the wildlife that depend on the seas. Birdlife International discusses this and the need for protections – as well as the UK and the EU working together.

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The wildfires from Canada that have been spreading acrid smoke have cost the environment.

Did you know that British Columbia has more Bald Eagles than anywhere else? Yes, that American symbol loves living in Canada – for the salmon! Hancock Wildlife has a couple of new eaglets with names. They have not fledged yet. Check out their camera and all the timely things that Hancock is doing – including building eagle nests with shade features and fighting the removal of eagle nests from parking lots.

Please remember to put out water for the birds and wildlife. You never know who might come to thank you.

Ringing continues to take place on the UK nests. I’ll let you know more about that as information comes in. BTW. How are you doing trying to cut plastic out of your life? It isn’t easy…I hope you won’t give up.

Thank you so much for being with me today as I touched on just a few nests that ‘H’ and I have been monitoring. Please take care! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to create the content for my blog today: ‘A, H’, PSEG, Se McGregor and the Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Boulder County Fair Grounds Osprey, Lady Hawk and Window to Wildlife, MN Landscape Arboretum, Twin Cities Metro Osprey Watch, Bridge Golf Course Ospreys, Cowlitz PUD, Seaside Ospreys, Kent Island, Patuxent River Park, Osoyoos, Forsythe, A Place Called Hope, @CornellHawks, @ProfBillMcGuire, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, The Eagle Club of Estonia, Liznm and Must-Toonekurg, Latvian Fund for Nature, The Guardian, Ferris Akel, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, Janice Betts and UK Bird Lovers, BirdLife International, and Frank Neufang.