2 November 2026
Hello Everyone,
It is heavily overcast and 14 degrees C in Winnipeg. Incredible. We have had drizzle all day, but it didn’t keep Toby from wanting to go out for a walk and then – to run all over Melissa’s clean floor!
The garden has been full of birds. I think the Starlings beat the Crows today. They are so beautiful. The squirrels have thick fur for the winter and everyone is caching.
We have videos!
SK Hideaways Videos Week of 25 October 2026
Channel Islands: The Extreme Sport of Eagle Nest/Cam Maintenance ~ Dr. Sharpe, IWS, and explore are ROCKSTARS~ 2026 Oct
This was extreme sport at its most extreme. The incomparable team of Dr. Peter Sharpe and his team ventured across hill and dale, scaled craggy hillsides, and helicoptered in to spruce up the Two Harbors, West End, Sauces Canyon, and Fraser Point territories of our beloved Channel Island Eagles. Enjoy the adventures of these superheroes, thank your lucky stars it wasn’t you, and consider donations to the amazing organizations that make it all happen.
Video: https://youtu.be/CYKma9rOOKk
Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org
With Gratitude to “Retired” Superhero Dr. Peter Sharpe and his team, and the incredible IWS/Explore Cam Ops pros
Fraser Point Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY4V_AppZ6s
Sauces Canyon Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnTsOesC6hE
Two Harbors:
Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yx7RKxpyzQ
Eagle Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5T2eHM8tcI
West End:
Nest Low Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfuqjSNXZ14
Other Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT1adgYSfbcqI
Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCGyi19a6J4
367 Collins Street Falcons ~ Melbourne, Australia ~ F24 & M24, eggs hatched October 1, 2 & 5
Courtesy Victorian Peregrine Project | Melbourne
South Facing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oibsohQ14cY
North Facing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNKk0ivuWe4
Sadly, we are likely to lose at least one of the female chicks this week, as previously reported. Glad to have been able to capture some happy times last week.
M24 Declares GUTTER STOMPING Kickoff with Food Lure ~ 2026 Oct 30
The chicks have been content lounging in the northern wing since they discovered it 12 days ago. But dad M24 decided it was time they got some exercise, so he lured them back across the gutter with food. (OK, I made that up, but it did get them moving.)While it wasn’t a full-blown gutter stomp, it was a great start, whetting our appetite for more to come.
Video: https://youtu.be/fPE_FIXZFqQ
Wingers, Mini Gutters Stomps & Ledge Heart-Stoppers ~ 2026 Oct 29
At nearly 4 weeks old, the chicks are nonstop entertainment. While gutter stomping hasn’t begun in earnest, there are plenty of wingers and beak nibbles, as well as laying on the ledge, which causes older viewers a bit of heartburn. Grateful to Dr. Hurley for zooming the north camera such that we have a closer view of all the antics.
Video: https://youtu.be/xdgJN1A6VC0
Little Man Scrambles Up to Nest ~ Cuddle Puddle Threesome Unites ~ 2026 Oct 25
Three cheers for this determined, feisty Little Man. He scrambled up to the north nest with his sisters like a champ. All is right with his world.
Video: https://youtu.be/e1BXSwcR5ao
FOBBVCAM Eagles ~ Big Bear Valley, CA ~ Shadow (12 years), Jackie (dec. 10 August 2026), KD-1 (Kaydee 4 years), Sandy, and Luna (last seen on camera 23 July 2023)
Courtesy FOBBVCAM | Friends of Big Bear Valley
Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE
Wide View Cam (Cam 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41eq4VzCYc4
Live Recap & Observations: https://bit.ly/4wGjwVg
Eagles, Eagles Everywhere ~ A Busy Day in the Habitat ~ 2026 Oct 31
There was a stream of eagle traffic in Shadow’s habitat this afternoon. Not sure if there were two or four eagles perched on two of Shadow and Kaydee’s favorite trees, but they were all a joy to see whoever they were.
Video: https://youtu.be/SrEcbiUurA4
Two Harbors Eagles ~ Catalina Island, CA ~ Cholyn & Chase (28 years old; mated pair for 23 years)
Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org | Two Harbors Eagles Cam Ops
Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yx7RKxpyzQ
Eagle Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5T2eHM8tcI
Chase Catches a WHOPPER ~ Not Too Interested in Sharing with Cholyn ~ 2026 Oct 29
Chase arrived at the Two Harbors nest with a massive fish ~ tailless, which was a surprise ~ and began chowing down. But all the while, he kept an eye out for Cholyn, who has been known to swoop in and steal his meal. Well, she did swoop in, but Chase was ready and flew to the Overlook nest to finish eating. He continued to guard the fish till he’d had enough, then moved aside at which point Cholyn arrived and enjoyed the leftovers. Those two ~ what a joy to behold.
Video: https://youtu.be/eNwjTR-gktk
‘J’ sent me a good news story from Switzerland. Ironically, it is from the area where my family live/d. My great-great-grandfather, Johannes Simeon Bruesch (and many before him) helped to govern the area around Chur. This is about the Bearded Vulture.
“During this year’s breeding season, 30 young bearded vultures fledged in Switzerland. Of these, 29 came from wild broods, and one young bird was released into the wild. This brings the total number of young bearded vultures that have fledged in Switzerland since the reintroduction project began in 1991 to just under 300. About 80 per cent of them came from wild broods.
A New Record
The international project to reintroduce the bearded vulture has set a new record for 2026 with 72 wild broods. The bearded vultures were most successful in Switzerland, with 29 wild broods, followed by France, Italy, and Austria, which recorded 18, 17, and eight wild broods, respectively.
Reintroductions Remain Important
Since the project began in 1991, a total of 299 young vultures have fledged in the Swiss Alps. Of these, 242 came from wild broods and 57 from reintroductions. This illustrates that, in terms of numbers, reintroductions now contribute less to the growing population. Nevertheless, they remain important because the risks of inbreeding are increasing. For this reason, young bearded vultures continue to be released into the wild, contributing to the genetic diversity of the still-small population.
Hotspots in Graubünden and Valais
In Switzerland, the bearded vulture population density has so far been highest in Graubünden and Valais. In these two cantons, eighteen and seven young birds, respectively, have fledged this year. Two breeding pairs were also successful in the canton of Bern, while one pair each in the cantons of St. Gallen and Ticino raised a young bird.
Bearded Vulture Count, October 10–18
Once again, we are organizing the annual count of bearded vultures living in Switzerland. Volunteers are invited to help with this effort.”
The link: https://bartgeier.ch/news/30-bartgeier-ausgeflogen
According to the Vulture Conservation Foundation, “The Bearded Vulture is Europe’s rarest vulture. Still, the population of the species on the continent is on the rise thanks to extensive reintroduction and conservation efforts. It is an unmistakable bird, both for its breathtaking features and its unique behaviour.”
“Bearded Vultures were once found in all the mountain ranges of southern Europe from western Spain to the Balkans. Over the 19th and 20th Centuries the Bearded Vulture was intensively persecuted and combined with a decline in wild mountain herbivore population and changes in farming practices, the population becoming extinct across nearly all of its European range.
Efforts to reintroduce the Bearded Vulture began in the late 1970s with the Alpine Reintroduction Project and in the space of just 40 years the population of Bearded Vultures in the Alps is firmly been reestablished, making it one of the world’s most successful wildlife comeback stories. Following the success of this project efforts began in Spain to bring the Bearded Vulture back with the Andalucia Reintroduction Projects in 1996 followed by the Valencia Reintroduction Project in 2018.
Whilst today the species occupies a small percentage of its former range, in the Pyrenees, Sierra Nevada and Alpine mountain ranges and small populations on the islands of Corsica and Crete, the population in western Europe is increasing.”
| Genus | Gypaetus barbatus |
|---|---|
| Common name in other languages | German Bartgeier; French Gypaète Barbu; Spanish Quebrantahuesos; Portuguese Brita-ossos; Swedish Skäggam |
| IUCN Red List Status (Europe) | Near threatened |
| Left in the wild | 1,675-6,700 mature individuals worldwide (BirdLife International 2021) |
| Breeding pairs | 465 breeding pairs in Europe (Vulture Conservation Foundation 2022) |
| Breeding behaviour | Usually monogamous pairings but trios occur |
| Range | Pyrenees, Sierra Nevada and Alpine mountain range, Corsica and Crete (Europe) |
| Habitat | Remote, mountainous areas, with precipitous terrain, usually above 1,000 m |
| Size | 100-115cm |
| Wingspan | 2.5-2.85m |
| Weight | 4.5-7.1kg |
| Diet | Feeding on carrion, with a large proportion (around 85%) made up of bones, usually of mountain herbivores such Ibex, Chamois, Red Deer and domestic animals like sheep |
| Life expectancy | up to 40 years in captivity |
An adult Bearded Vulture from the e-Bird archives:
The Olympic Park eagles are getting ready to fledge!
At 367 Collins Street, the sick chick is keeping itself to the north end of the ledge while the two, hopefully healthy, babies are at the south end flapping.
Diamond and Gimbir aren’t giving up on those eggs. So sad.
Liberty and Guardian are working on their nest in Redding, California today.
Eagle having a meal at Little Miami Conservancy:
Beau and Gabby are working hard at the NE Florida nest.
Some sad news coming out of Latvia from Maria Marika:
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care of yourselves and thank you, as always, for your love and support. Toby, The Girls, and I are coping with a horrible situation but we are alright. The key is to not try and go back but move forward – and find joy in ways you might have forgotten or overlooked.
Thank you to SK Hideaways, to eBird for the image of the Bearded Vulture, to the Bearded Vulture Conservation Society for their information and to ‘J’ from Berlin for sending me the good news story. Thank you to everyone else who posted information and images on FB, and to the owners of the streaming cams, I am always grateful, always.