We hope this finds each of you well and that you got outside, enjoyed the fresh air, and heard some birdsong! The Bald Eagles are gathering in areas north of me in Manitoba. It is another reminder that spring is just around the corner!
Last year Ping Shen shared his incredible photographs of a Seattle osprey family, Harry and Sally. The couple had three osplets. Sadly, one died, but two flourished. It was a real treat. Thank you, Ping! We are looking forward to Harry and Sally’s 2026 breeding season and all your images and stories.
Ping’s article is inspirational for me, and I think that it will touch each of you. We have all sought refuge in the lives of the raptors for various reasons. We need to cherish our wildlife, recognising how much our ‘souls’ are sustained by nature and how much we have in common.
“With noise and sooty exhaust constant backdrops, with a nest built on top of a 1.5 million-gallon storage tank for sewage runoff, these osprey — Harry and Sally, as I came to call them — engaged and persisted in the fraught, delicate dance of raising young. Engaged in my own delicate dance of raising my own young, I found some of the parallels quite humorous — more than once I would return home after watching the young birds demand food, maws agape, and see my own 4-year-old daughter open her mouth in silent command upon seeing me eat something interesting. Beyond humor lay the fortifying recognition of just how much we — human and bird — shared as parents. That parenting is perhaps the most hopeful act of all, that amid and against calamity and tall odds we dance, nurturing and sending forth a little bit of ourselves into an unknown future. A care package of love and hope tucked under a wing is all we leave them.”
‘LE’ sends us news that the first eaglet was born at the Fort Worth Zoo in 117 years! And no, it is not a Bald Eagle but an African Fish eagle! Here is the information:
I am so glad that the NZ DOC and the Kakapo Recovery are keeping us up to date on the 2026 breeding season. These remarkable flightgless green parrots breed only once every four years and 2026 is their year!
Mrs O is at the Tweed Valley nest waiting for a mate. Last year began in a remarkable way and ended in tragedy when two females share the same nest. Once the osplets hatched, the females could not sort out who would provide fish, if they would share duties or what – the male was simply not fit for purpose – and the cute little osplets starved to death.
What a very sad situation.
We are waiting for the first egg for Big Red and Arthur. Poor thing. She now lives in a construction zone.
Heidi writes that the second chick has hatched at the Venice Beach and Golf course osprey platform.
Owls bothered Beau and Gabby’s Kia and Eve Friday night with Eve getting hit.
The triplets at Moorings Park osprey platform are well fed – with beautiful fat little bottoms.
Waiting for White YW and Blue 35. They have raised some incredible chicks at Foulshaw Moss in Cumbria.
The cameras are getting better and better. Thanks, Jeff!
Elen is still waiting at Glaslyn.
A great video of Kai and Eve at the nest of Gabby and Beau in Palm Court, Florida – before the kids depart. It has been a wonderful season for this family! Beau proved all the naysayers wrong and is a good strong mate for Gabby just like she knew. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/CeUxQWwidwY?
There is still time for Maya or Blue 33 to arrive today at Rutland. Birds are arriving.
I would also like to draw your attention to the manner in which the side rails of this nest have been secured. To my knowledge, much of the osprey platforms in the UK are checked, secured, and refurbished before the arrival of the ospreys in the UK. I love what they do at Glaslyn. Why couldn’t someone care this much about the ospreys in the US – such as the nest at Achieva in St Petersburg? How would the owners of that streaming cam like ‘their kids’ to slide through a hole and die? Oh, don’t get me started.
Gentle snow is coming down this morning. The Starlings are waiting for me to put out their kibble while a lone Blue Jay was glad to have the peanuts to itself. Mr Crow is not patiently waiting to get Toby’s leftover meat.
Take care everyone. Check out the wonder that is nature around you, just like Ping Shen you might discover a bird family that you can watch from egg to fledge! I will see you again soon.
Thank you to Ping Shen for sharing their wonderful article with us, to ‘LE’ for letting me know about that African Eagle, to the owners of the streaming cams we are always grateful to be able to watch the lives of our favourite bird families, to SK Hideaways I am always indebted to you for your fantastic videos, and to Jeff Kerr and UK Osprey – thanks. And to all the others who post on FB and take images – bless you!
Well, actually it is Valentine’s Eve and Toby and I are up and I am sending this out to everyone as he is going for a grooming early. I hope to have a nice walk with Don in the English Gardens while Toby is being washed and blow dried. It is hard to describe how fast his hair and nails grow, but he is healthy and that is all that matters!
Geemeff sent me Explore.org’s Valentine tribute to the animals on their screens to share with you:
We hope that you are having a day full of love or full of memories of great love.
We loved the VERY young dad, Gimbir, and what is there not to adore about this one very special peregrine falcon fledgling – now a juvenile – at the Charles Sturt University falcom scrape. Girri is amazing. Many of you have been waiting for years – really since the time of the beginning of the cam – to be able to see one of Diamond’s fledglings survive like Girri is doing. She is living her best life chasing parents around wanting food. I love it.
Gimbir has his ‘mature’ plumage now and he is such a darling. Let’s send him a valentine kiss, too!
Red-shouldered Hawk has been causing misery to Willow, the GHO incubating eggs at the Eagle Country nest, who is incubating eggs. https://youtu.be/k3OhNDmqKlA?
Valentines should also go out to Window to Wildlife and those who facilitated the removal of the human debris on Connie and Clive’s nest at Captiva. Quinn is fine!
Ah, and send them some love – two of my favourite Eagle parents, Gabby and Beau and their kids Eve and Kai. Both can stand up straight!
Royal Cam chick is growing and growing. Those NZ DOC Rangers need a virtual hug for all the great work they do keeping the Albatross safe! Last weighing on video: https://youtu.be/k3OhNDmqKlA?
There has been some intense sibling rivalry on the Kisatchie E1 nest of Anna and Louis II. Let us hope that it passes and that prey will be plentiful and settle the nest.
First egg for Bonnie and Clyde at the Cardinal Land Conservancy Bald Eagle nest.
There are three eggs on the new Dale Hollow Bald Eagle nest of Amonette and Franklin.
Calico wants everyone to remember that osprey season in the UK and Europe starts in about a month. To get everyone warmed up, here is the Juniors of Hurst Lodge School singing the Osprey Song during Osprey Week in 2015. https://youtu.be/KoOQK6ejuXY?
Thank you for being with us today. I will see you again on Monday. Take care of yourselves. I hope that you can get outside for some fresh air and bird song.
Thank you to everyone who wrote articles, FB posts, and created videos. I am extremely grateful to you and your amazing talents. They make my blog much better and to Geemeff and others who send me wonderful bird news! I am thankful.
Great news from the American Eagle Foundation. It is official. Beau and Gabby have a pip. This is what I have been waiting for – and what joy this little one will bring.
This image is from the AEF:
First, please do send me some of your favourite memories from our bird nests so that I can post them on 2 January! I really want to hear from you!
SK Hideaways Videos, week of 12/21/25
Channel Island Eagles
Fraser Point Eagles: Elusive Cruz Visits Nest with Andor ~ A Few Sticks are Shuffled (2025 Dec 27)
It was a real treat to see Cruz and Andor together after Cruz’s nearly 2-week absence from the cameras. For those who haven’t met this pair, we provided a little history as they did a bit of stick shuffling and hanging out.
The female, Cruz, hatched at the Pelican Harbor nest on Santa Cruz Island in 2006 and was the first known chick to naturally hatch on the islands since 1950. Andor hatched at the Baby’s Harbor nest, also on Santa Cruz Island, in 2017. Video: https://youtu.be/ijOvAohCxeA Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies, explore.org, Fraser Point Cam Ops Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY4V_AppZ6s
Two Harbors Eagles Cholyn & Chase ~ 22 Years of Devotion & Territory Rule (2025 Dec 21) Cholyn and Chase briefly greeted the morning together at the nest before Chase departed to do eagle things. Cam ops then gifted us with close-ups of Cholyn and we took the opportunity to share some history of these 27-year-olds marvels, who have been together for 22 years. Their story is part of the eagle restoration program in the Channel Islands that began in 1980. Through trial, error, and extraordinary work by scientists at the Institute for Wildlife Studies, the program has been wildly successful. Cholyn and Chase, now the elders of the Channel Island eagles, are just one piece of that story.
Jackie With and Without Fishing Line 🎣 With Shadow and Wonky Stick (2025 Dec 26-27) Jackie arrived on December 26th with a long bit of fishing stuck to her beak. She stayed at the nest a short time, flying off with the line still attached. We were relieved to see her arrive the next morning without the fishing fine, but with a beautiful, big wonky stick. Shadow joined later to celebrate and we all breathed a sigh of relief. Video: https://youtu.be/qscEDVaWNwM
Jackie & Shadow Bicker, Beaky Kiss & Bump During Big Nestorations (2025 Dec 26)
Jackie and Shadow spent just over an hour bringing a wide variety of branches to build up rails and begin forming an egg cup in anticipation of nesting season. Along the way, they entertained us with bickering, beaky kissing, and bumping each other to and fro. Video: https://youtu.be/cn4LWsO8YQU
San Jose CH Falcons: Hartley & Monty Stop By to Deliver Holiday Greetings ❄️ (2025 Dec 25)
Hartley and Monty stopped by for some pair-bonding after opening and devouring their Christmas gifts.
AEF-NEFL Eagles: Gabby and Beau Have Long Conversation Before Changeover (2025 Dec 23)
Gabby and Beau may have been discussing the fact that pip watch for NE32 and NE33 is just 2-3 days away. They talked for quite some time before Gabby relieved Beau of incubation duty. The chortling and chirping was music to our ears. Video: https://youtu.be/2UAbkrjUyp8 Courtesy American Eagle Foundation/NEFL Eagle CamOps
FalconCam Project GIRRI RETURNS TO TOWER! 2025 Dec 23 Girri shows off her strength and flying skills as she returns to the top of the tower to meet up with her parents. She fledged just 5 days ago. Great job, Girri! (2025 Dec 23) Video: https://youtu.be/2Yvnm67rL2A Courtesy FalconCam Project, Charles Sturt University NSW (http://www.csu.edu.au/special/falconcam/)
We’re on HATCH WATCH at NE Florida for Beau and Gabby and it is raining Monday night. The AEF confirmed a pip in the afternoon around 3pm.
Gabby is restless.
There will be a little one tomorrow.
We have a hatch at Hilton Head.
Everyone else is doing fine.
My news is that my husband is in the ICU waiting for a bed in the hospital so that he can be fully treated. I do not know what the future holds but he is calm and knows me, and there is nothing nicer than lying next to him cuddling. Thank you for all your positive wishes – that beautiful energy sent from around the world is precious and is helping us I am certain.
Please take care of yourselves. I will check in tomorrow briefly.
Thank you to SK Hideaways for their great videos, to the owners of the streaming cams, and to those who post news on FB. My blog would be nothing without your input.
It is a beautiful Saturday on the Canadian Prairies. On Friday, many towns in and around Winnipeg reached a high of 16.7 degrees C, the highest temperature recorded in Canada that day. It was truly uncharacteristically warm, and thus worrisome.
I am actually sending this post out Sunday evening instead of Monday morning. I hope this is not too confusing! Monday morning is going to be very hectic. Toby has an organized dog walk with Ellen and then we are going to fetch our friend Ruth who is coming for lunch with a pop in visit by our daughter. Enjoy!
Oh, how nice it is to have you with us today. I hope that everyone has been watching that cute little fluff ball of Gimbir and Diamond. He or she now has a name – Girri – and thankfully it is one of two syllables that is easy to pronounce!
Cilla Kinross broke down the votes – but look at the number of votes. That is a fantastic response!
I have the listing from SK Hideaways of her weekly videos but this one is particularly cute. Can we truly take our eyes off little Gimbir, first-time dad, and his little baby!?? https://youtu.be/SyatpPaTnJU?
Is it my imagination, or is Gimbir getting much more time with his chick than Diamond allowed Xavier? Gimbir even tries to brood the baby! Or is Diamond just away a little longer and doesn’t see the interactions?
There was lots of activity and SK Hideaways has caught it on video:
We love that little fluffball of Gimbir and Diamond. Can you imagine someone stealing it to sell for profit? Well, Raptor Persecution UK is following a court case for someone who does just that!
Some of the cute stills of Gimbir feeding the little one for the first time. This is precious.
Look how big Diamond is compared to Gimbir in the image right above.
Just imagine Gimbir and Diamond arriving at the scrape with that precious baby gone?
Raptor Persecution UK continues to follow the plight of the Hen Harriers especially those found dead in and around the large hunting estates. You might recall that I reported on five little Hen Harrier chicks stomped to death several years ago. Their mother has now been found dead, and once again we are made starkly aware of how dangerous the lives of these amazing birds are!
Snow on the nest of Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear Valley on Sunday.
Both eagles at US Steel.
Both eagles at Cardinal Land Conservancy. Will there be an egg soon?
On a sad note, Blaze has not been seen at the Eagle Country nest for eleven days now.
I am enchanted with what is happening at the Sydney Sea Eagle nest this year. Lady and Dad arrive at the nest in the early morning with prey and no sea eaglets. They begin to defeather, looking around, and then both eaglets fly to the nest! In all the years I have watched this nest, this has never happened (at least to my memory). Does anyone else remember a year where the fledglings could fly freely around the forest returning to be fed? Please let me know!
This just brings tears to my eyes and I hope yours, too. These two eaglets from the Olympic Forest in Sydney will surely survive. They will get strong, learn how to hunt and beat those darn Currawong!
Just over the moon – almost beyond giddy. How long have the supporters of this nest have waited for a season like this one?
‘A’ has sent in a lot of commentary, and I need to post it, as I have been sending out little blurbs when an event has happened without a comprehensive narrative. I know how many of you enjoy their ‘take’ on what is happening in and around Australia, so here we go – albeit some out of order. Enjoy.
“It is nearly 8pm in eastern Australia and starting to get darker (it won’t be dark for a while yet with daylight savings) and both our eaglets are settling for the night on the branches above the nest. Lady is also perched nearby, in the nest tree. As I said, this is a family unit, working together. It is wonderful to watch, and the eaglets are gaining in confidence by the day. I have not seen this before. I hardly dare to hope that this really is the season they will succeed but I have felt that all along, as you know, and it is beyond thrilling to see the eaglets flying with confidence, returning to the nest for food and rest, and refusing to be cowed by those damned currawongs. “
“The upshot is that all three chicks have fledged and that one of those three has successfully returned to the ledge. Mum brought a snack too, which is encouraging – I am hoping we see all three return to the ledge. As I said, I’m hoping no news will be good news in terms of their welfare and whereabouts.
I will keep an eye on the cameras to see if we get any returnees but you would be best keeping an eye on the Facebook group – I am not a member of Facebook and refuse to become one at this late stage, but it might be worth it at this stage of events for the Collins Street group. It is exciting news that all three have fledged successfully and each one of the three appeared to fledge strongly and confidently. It terrifies me to even think about how difficult it is for young falcons to learn the intensely dangerous skills involved in their hunting technique, but I suppose this is where the parents play yet another critical role. I have been tremendously impressed by these parents, and the moment the crash landing back into the gutter occurred, a parent (probably mum) was immediately in the frame, doing a fly down (probably following the chick) to check that the chick was okay, indicating that the parent in question had been very close by during that fledge and obviously supervising everything that was going on. I do hope that indicates that these parents are going to be good teachers of their chicks. So many times during this season, I have been astounded at the size of the prey items brought to the ledge. These parents are very good hunters – let’s hope they’re great teachers as well. I suspect they might be. How wonderful would that be? There must be room for at least one more pair of peregrines in the CBD area. I’m still wondering where there are suitable nesting areas near Melbourne Airport. I must ask my sister that question again.
It will be raining in Melbourne over the next couple of days – not good flying weather for new fledglings. I do hope they return to the ledge for shelter, rest and food. There is plenty of time to learn all the skills they will need to survive alone out there.”
“Superdad M15. My favourite bald eagle male of all time. He is amazing. We will never forget his efforts the season he reared two eaglets alone. I think Mrs T might be in front in the female version of that award. And I noted from your blog that Mr T is up to his old tricks yet again. Leave the woman alone, you cad! What’s the betting he leaves her incubating a fertile egg and then takes off for the girlfriend’s island nest? I have no trust in him, I’m afraid. Once a cheat, always a cheat.
Oh, the joy of watching WBSE post-fledge. I never thought I’d type that! What a happy mutually supportive family they are this year. That nest makes me so happy at the moment.
Meanwhile, at Collins Street, two fledglings are on the ledge. The little male who returned after fledging yesterday spent the night on the ledge and in the scrape, and one of his sisters joined him around lunchtime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYQ2f7XnC8I&list=TLPQMTMxMTIwMjUIejz-QtbpwA&index=6. Wonderful! The returnee’s first priority is a little self-feeding in the gutter. Excellent. Let’s imprint that return to the ledge for food behaviour. The control she showed flying onto the ledge was impressive, don’t you think? Strong and balanced.
All three of the Collins Street fledglings returned to the ledge yesterday – the little male was still there from his fledge and immediate return the day before, but both his sisters joined him there during the day (how cute were the beakie kisses when the first sister returned and they lay side by side on the ledge? Just too adorable. I hope they can help and support each other just as the sea eaglets are doing. I’m sure it helps. Meanwhile, at Orange, our darling dad in training is progressing with determination. “
The Friends of Osprey South Australia and Port Lincoln have announced that, due to the failure of the trackers that have been placed on the osplets, they will now only be banding the little raptors.
Our local wildlife rehabilitation clinic, Wildlife Haven, is helping a Red-tail Hawk!
It is that time of year when people start thinking about the upcoming holidays. No matter what religious persuasion you are (or maybe not any), gifts find their way into the celebrations. Why not do something to help wildlife? One year, our family adopted the hawks, the Crow, and some of the other raptors at Wildlife Haven instead of buying ‘stuff’. Indeed, I do not need anything, having spent the last year trying to rid myself of the many things accumulated over a lifetime. Instead, we now gift small, locally made consumables. We will also reach out to local clinics in various ways. We have two large, used once dog carriers that are way too big for Toby. They will be donated along with a pet crate and various items on the wish list. I hope our family approves! Over the holidays, we will have a four-legged visitor to join our gang – Nellie, a very large British White Retriever. She is Toby’s bestie. The plan is to invite another four-legged friend and provide treats for the cats and dogs, along with some delicious shortbread for the adults.
There continue to be an enormous number of Canada Geese in and around Winnipeg along with Bald Eagles at every turn. Many of the geese have turned into lunch or those eagles. Great image by Kevin Eisler.
We still have osprey in Manitoba, too – the water is still open and fish and prey are readily available for the raptors. Migration times are extended!
Hawk Mountain’s latest migration chart for the week of 12 November. Those osprey numbers are not good.
Please continue to spread the word: Good Wolf reminds us that balloons have no place in celebrations in 2025. We know that they harm wildlife – it isn’t speculation. There are many other ways to decorate that are safe for our raptors and other wildlife.
Thank you so much for being with us. Please take care of yourself. We look forward to having you back with us for our next Bird World post which should be on Monday 24 November. See you soon!
Thank you so much to SK Hideaways, Heidi, and ‘A’ for their videos, notices, and commentary and to the owners of the streaming cams and FB groups who keep us informed, and The Guardian -I am in your debt. I am grateful to everyone behind Raptor Persecution UK who are working hard to bring justice for our raptors and to all who work hard to protect our precious feathered friends.
We are one week away from the autumn solstice. It is a beautiful Saturday on the Canadian prairies. It is 24 C. The sky is a hazy light blue with the sun beating down on the garden. The cranberry bushes are turning flame red, the leaves have been turning for some time, and early in the morning, sitting on the deck with Toby and a coffee, we can hear the geese far above us honking.
Time passes too quickly. Not two blinks ago, the children were getting out of school for the summer holidays, and now they are back. We are even having our annual street party tomorrow. It felt as if the last one was just months ago. Do you ever feel this way? Like time is melting between your fingers? Still, it will feel like aeons until Gabby and Beau have their first egg. Time will drag til the ospreys return, and then it will fly again!
I am happy to report – thank you to all the good energy you sent – that Baby Hope is completely healed and new fur is growing over her injury! I cannot tell you what a relief this is. We worried that she would continue to scratch at the injury so that it wouldn’t heal. Toby is also fine. He is a little ‘stiff’ going down the stairs but he is back to wrestling some with Hugo Yugo. They continue to sleep together in the big dog bed. It is so sweet. Missey and Calico are well, too. I cannot ask for more.
So what is happening in Bird World? For the most part, the ospreys are gone. Tiger Mozone reminds us it is approximately 178 days til they return in the UK. What will we do without them? — Watch Port Lincoln! And the Bald Eagles, right?
We will start with two video offerings by SK Hideaways to get us excited! None other than Monty and Hartley and, of course, our favourite Big Bear Valley Eagles – Jackie and Shadow.
San Jose City Hall Falcons Hartley & Monty (2025 Sep 14)
Monty arrived to tidy up the nest prior to Hartley’s arrival. Their meeting was a veritable beaky kiss fest. Guess three successful broods is the key to a successful relationship.
Heidi reports that the male is still at Field Farm feeding his two juveniles who fledged mid-August.
It has gone quiet at Rutland Manton’s Bay Osprey platform.
Making the departure of Blue 33 and Maya complete, Colin, the Cormorant has moved into the nest!
As I shift the blog to Mondays until the first hatch at Port Lincoln, I hope to fill you in on some of the books that Calico and I have been reading. Yes, it has been more than two years, and we are still having story time – four cats and a dog! Here are our first offerings. Some will make great holiday gifts.
The Naturalist’s Notebook for Tracking Changes in The Natural World around You by Nathaniel T Wheelwright and Bernd Heinrich (2017).
It is a beautifully illustrated book with gilt edges and just the right size to hold and read comfortably. The authors discuss their ancestors and how they learned to observe the changes in the natural world, day by day and month by month. In the back is a five-year calendar divided by the seasons, reminding us to be present in our lives. I am particularly fond of the extensive calendar, which allows me to easily compare the arrival of the Starlings, the fledge of the Blue Jay babies, and the first honks of the geese flying overhead to their winter homes. It would make a lovely gift for someone just beginning to learn about the world around them, or for someone like me who wants to keep track of what is happening in my garden. $24.95 CDN.
The Company of Owls by Polly Atkin.
This is a review on Goodreads – and it is spot on! Atkin, like Wheelwright and Heinrich in The Naturalist’s Notebook for Tracking Changes in the Natural World around You, observes owls that live near her. She doesn’t travel far and wide, and like so many, she is not a professionally trained expert in the behaviour of owls. She is a person, just like all of us, who loves animals and birds and is a keen observer of their lives. That review reads: “Polly Atkin does not profess to be an expert on owls or anything else. This refreshing book brings the love of birds, especially owls, right from her heart to yours. It also brings the sights, sounds, and weather (oh, the weather!) of England’s Lake District right into your sitting room.
In The Company of Owls, we are treated to the author’s observations of the owls that choose to live near her. This nips off to other places she’s lived and visited, which adds richness to her descriptions, but it is her ‘home’ birds, and particularly one year in their lives, that is the primary focus.
The author has wonderful descriptive powers, and it is no surprise to glean her interest in poetry from her tale. Her description of the bog habitat where she went looking for short-eared owls is superb, although given the daily walks that provide the basis for her writing about her local owl family as they grow, it is amazing that there is no hint of repetitiveness.
Atkins supports her story with solid research, comparing owl numbers now with the records since Victorian times. These details tend to slip in as anecdotes, and more narrative quotes combine to give a really good picture of how owls have fared over the last century or so.
It’s a very personal record, and she isn’t afraid to reveal her own mistakes, which brought me back after a slight dip in attention in the middle of the book. On the whole, I think this is a really good book for the cosy bird lover, and people who like to know all the birds on their patch, rather than the twitching variety. I’m a patcher, of course.”
Both of these books take a very personal look at the natural world that is around them. They are inspirational to each of us to look just outside our back door – we don’t have to travel the world checking off lists – great things are happening beside us – now.
The power couples of Florida’s Bald Eagle streaming cams are returning to their nests and restoring them for the new season.
M15 and F23 have been home at SW Florida working on their nest.
Beau was absolutely delighted when Gabby arrived home to their nest in NE Florida early.
Ron and Rose are at the WRDC nest near Miami.
Now what is going on with Connie and Clive at Captiva?
In California, Andor and Cruz are at Fraser Point.
‘A’ is keeping a close eye on the Royal Cam chick for us as well as the others in Australia.
“Dad came in a couple of hours ago and fed his big girl breakfast. She was very excited to see him, and watched him closely as he took off after the feeding. It is hard to think this may be the last time they see each other. We (the viewers) hope not because Miss SS Trig still has what the viewers are calling a belly mohawk, with quite a bit of tummy fluff we would like to see gone before she leaves. Her feather development when compared with dad’s this morning was obviously still a week or so away from being ready, so we do hope she doesn’t get overexcited (or caught in a storm Lillibet style). Miss SS Trig is 229 days old today (Lillibet fledged at 219 days, the second youngest ever, the youngest being 218 days old a few years ago). And that number I was trying to read the other day wasn’t 555 at all – her number is YE55 (so the E looked like a five and the Y was further around her leg and not readily visible). This may become important later on, as she will lose the GPS device with her first moult, I presume. I did read something about this being a better GPS device but can’t remember what it was.”
Wow. Doesn’t SE35’s feather development over the last few days astonishing? So much more advanced than SE36, who is still a fluffball with few discernible black lines along its wings. This afternoon, the pair have been left alone on the nest in the dappled sunshine, working as hard as they can at converting fish into eaglet feathers. The effort is obvious, as they are flat out like a lizard drinking (sorry – old Australian saying). SE36 has a huge crop so has obviously eaten well today. SE35 is never hungry so there’s no need to update you there! Oh they are exquisite at this age, are they not? Every bit as gorgeous as they were last week and probably just as beautiful as they will be next week when their plumage will be completely different to what we see today. (In other words, they are absolutely lovely every single day of their growth, from the moment they hatch to the day they fledge, and even then, their plumage has many stages to go through before (hopefully) they finish up looking like Lady and Dad.
I did mention to you that the juvenile red wattlebird in my garden has breast plumage that reminds me of the young falcons but from doing a bit of reading, I think those vertical striations (in either greys or caramels with cream) must be common to many (perhaps most) young birds – the red-tailed hawks have a similar pattern. Obviously, it is an excellent camouflage because it is very similar to the way objects appear when struck by the rays of the sun glinting through leaves.
But I digress. I came here to Olympic Park to say that the littles are doing fabulously well, as usual. Lady is such a devoted mum, and Dad, despite or perhaps because of his advancing years, is an incredibly reliable provider, even in difficult conditions. I have to believe that is the result of his experience – he must know exactly where he can fish when the winds are coming from a particular direction or when there is prolonged rain or whatever the prevailing conditions are. These are the advantages of old age I suppose. And Lady is no slouch herself – she often brings in a late afternoon fish when she has the chance to stretch her wings. It’s easy to forget how old these two actually are. Their fertility appears stable – two fertile eggs per year.”
Incubation continues at Port Lincoln Osprey barge.
It has been a wonderful year at the Osprey House Environment Centre. If you didn’t follow the nest, the fledgling from 2024, helped the parents to care for the little ones in 2025. It turned out marvellous. The babies thrived and now the first one has fledged.
Incubation is still going well for the falcons in the CBD of Melbourne at 367 Collins Street.
Little Gimbir is winning hearts and minds as he has proven to be an exceptional hunter and provider for Diamond at the Charles Sturt Falcon scrape in Orange.
The Wedge-tailed Eagle is the largest in Australia. This is a short film, 18 minutes by Filming Wildlife, of this large raptor hunting! https://youtu.be/TEJ7gSYUOek?
Meldrs, the Golden Eagle fledgling of Spilve and Grislis, no longer comes to the nest in Latvia but is out following the adults, learning to hunt.
‘L’ from South Carolina sends me the most gorgeous images of a Cooper’s Hawk that visits their garden often, drinking at the bird bath. It is a reminder that we should all put out water for the birds that stay and those, so thirsty, that are passing through on migration. (The hawk is enjoying a Shrike lunch).
Emergence Magazine is launching its next volume, Seasons. I am attaching a link to a film, Crying Glacier by Lutz Stautner. The author says, “In the trickling, creaking, and gurgling heard through hydrophones and contact microphones, sound artist and composer Ludwig Berger listens for the voice of Switzerland’s dying Morteratsch Glacier. Directed by Lutz Stautner, this short film follows Ludwig on one of his many visits to the glacier, where he gathers its hidden sounds, the pop of centuries-old air bubbles and the groan of ice, inviting us into the intimacy of listening to more-than-human voices. One hundred years from now, we may only be able to hear the sounds of glaciers through recordings like these.”
Dedicated individuals continue to fight to end the industrial fishing of Menhaden if the osprey and other species are to survive in the Chesapeake Bay and region.
It’s migration. Please encourage everyone to turn off their lights!
One lucky little gosling.
Your smile for the week comes from Toby who is busy excavating peanuts in the flower pots where the squirrels have hidden them!
Very pleased with himself.
Toby had his operation on Tuesday. He can’t have a bath for another week and a half! He is so dirty and stinky!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for being with us today. We hope that you had a lovely weekend and were able to get outside and enjoy lots of fresh air and bird song. Take care. We will be back with you again on Monday the 22 of September. Fall will have officially begun!
I want to thank our notable contributor, ‘SK Hideaways’ for their videos highlighting the nests we are following, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos and the authors of posts such as Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, and all others, often too many to name but whom I have tried to cite in bold. I am very grateful to you and to the newspapers and journals 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.
