Tag Archives: British Columbia

Fledge at Cornell?…Thursday in Bird World

18 June 2026

Hello Everyone,

It was a fantastic day to be outside. The garden is really ‘loud’ with birdsong – you can hear them more than half a block away! And the rain and heat have done the plants wonders.

Some images that we are enjoying.

Close-up of vibrant pink flowers with yellow centers, set against a rustic wooden background.
A colorful birdhouse surrounded by lush green foliage, with two small birds perched on top of the house. In the background, there is a wooden structure partially obscured by the plants.

A memory and a treasure. A Paolo Soleri bell. He died during the month when I met my friend Lynne in Phoenix for a mini-break, too many years ago now.

A vintage, weathered bell hung from a hook with green and rust colors, surrounded by lush green leaves against a background of wooden shingles.

The peonies will be blooming, but are off limits to Toby just like the hydrangeas as they are toxic to dogs.

A cluster of peony buds with green leaves, featuring some buds showing hints of pink coloration, set against a backdrop of light gray wooden siding.

We are sitting outside, and Mr Crow has come for a visit. I thought he was going to have a bath, but he jumped down onto the ground. I wonder what caught his eye.

The sparrows had a lot of fun in the bird bath today, but it meant that we had to clean it about four times! Oh, they make a mess.

A group of small sparrows bathing in a blue birdbath surrounded by lush green leaves.

You never have your camera when you truly need it. Mr Crow is balancing on one of the flower poles, waiting for the squirrel to finish at the table feeder. Oh, he is back at the bird bath and now off he goes. Lots of activity between 1900-2100.

Oh, how sad. It appears the eldest chick (they both hatched on 11 June) crawled out from under New Female at Charlo, Montana during the night when it was in the 50s and succumbed to hypothermia. The NF tried several times to get the chick back under her for warmth to no avail. What a tragic nest accident!

Mum trying to get her baby back.

A hawk sitting in its nest, with two eggs visible, while another bird is perched on a nearby post in low-light conditions.

The Eagle Dock Osprey Nest is located in Cold Spring Harbour, New York. It sits out in the distance across the mudflats, visible from the shoreline near the Eagle Dock Community Beach (on Shore Road) and the adjacent Shore Road Sanctuary. Their osprey cam has gone live and the two adults are present.

Here is the link to their camera – it is blowing a positive gale right now so things are really moving about. https://www.youtube.com/live/z17UbNy075o?

An osprey nest made of sticks with two ospreys perched on top, situated near a riverbank. In the background, a boat is seen on the water.

I think each of you had your eyes on that beautiful eaglet Snow at Traverse City, Michigan, when its nest slid, and it fell. All the while, we noted that the adults were the most incredible parents. Snow had no parasites or infections and was well fed and feathered on the initial examination. Snow was strong, and her two fractures are healing nicely, and she is receiving the best of care at Northern Sky Raptor Sanctuary. Today, they announced that Snow is a female! I will note that the parents continue to go to the nest. Yes, raptors have feelings and they are missing their Snow. What a lucky eaglet to have such good care. Many do not.

A Facebook post from North Sky Raptor Sanctuary detailing the progress of an injured bald eagle named Snow, mentioning physical therapy, medical treatments, and blood test results.
Announcement celebrating that Snow is a female eagle, with details on donations for her care and raptor rehabilitation efforts.
A close-up of a young eagle wrapped in a towel, looking directly at the camera with its beak slightly open. The eagle has a dark plumage and bright eyes.

I am confounded. We are used to seeing fishing line and baling twine on US osprey and eagle nests. It was not until this year that it seemed to be a common occurrence at UK osprey nests. Yesterday, the great folks at Glaslyn successfully removed the fishing line and hook that were wrapped around the youngest chick from the nest of Elen and Teifi. Thank you to everyone who notified them and those who helped quickly!

Update on an osprey nest regarding a Brown Trout with fishing line that entangled a chick, detailing the intervention to remove it and the monitoring of the chicks' health.
An osprey is feeding its chicks in a nest made of twigs and branches, surrounded by green grass and trees.

We love Luna and Sandy – Jackie and Shadow’s soon-to-fledge eaglets – at Big Bear. They are getting closer and closer. SK Hideaways caught Luna getting higher! https://youtu.be/If_H8omr7nk?

This is what our ospreys are up against. The industrial fishing (not the commercial fishing of the locals) needs to stop. Omega needs to be mothballed.

A message detailing the observations of spotter planes tracking fish schools in the Chesapeake Bay, noting the coverage area from a previous day and mentioning several ships and planes involved in the search.
A map showing flight paths from yesterday, marked in orange with highlighted circles, compared to today's flight paths in a different area, indicating a change in flight routes.

One of Canada’s leading authors, Margaret Atwood, is saving Pelee Island (along with her family) for migratory birds)

How Margaret Atwood and her family helped turn Pelee Island into a migratory bird research hub – TheDownload

Oh, there are chicks dying in Finland. The latest is at LS #5.

I had many questions about Steelscape’s camera. It is not streaming. Our ‘sleuth’, PB, had a contact and has discovered that the individual who wanted the streaming cam and who was in IT has been made redundant. These things happen. I continue to be thankful for the Achieva Osprey cam – especially this year, as it has been a stunner, but the individual who led the effort might no longer be with that branch. There was once an active FB group just for the nest.

There is one osplet at The Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbour, New Jersey (south). Baby appears to waiting for fish. This is the first time I have checked on this nest. Does anyone have details?

A close-up view of a bird nest made of twigs and grass, with two hatchling birds visible, set against a backdrop of wetland greenery and a cloudy sky.
An osprey perched on its nest made of sticks and grass, with a green marshy landscape and water visible in the background.
An osprey stands on its nest made of sticks, with a chick partially visible in the nest, set against a backdrop of grassy marshland and blue sky.

Beautiful family portrait of White Stork family in Lubla Parish, Poland. Storklets are Eliasz & Gabriel.

Two adult storks standing beside three young storks in a nest, with houses and trees in the background.

Big Red doesn’t like her babies to fledge when it is raining. Of course, she is so smart – their feathers would be heavy and it is also windy. To keep them home, she often feeds them constantly!

A close-up view of a red-tailed hawk nest on a balcony, featuring several young hawks resting among twigs and branches, with a green landscape and street visible in the background.
View of a red-tailed hawk nest on a rainy day, with vegetation and blurred visibility due to raindrops on the camera lens.
A live cam view of a red-tailed hawk nest on a balcony, with one hawk in the nest and another flying nearby. The background shows trees and a street.
Two young red-tailed hawks perched in a nest made of twigs and leaves, overlooking a street with greenery and buildings in the background.
A red-tailed hawk perched on a railing near its nest, with another hawk visible in the foreground. The background shows a green landscape and a street.

So where are the other two? Are they at the end or down on the ledge? It appears that the first fledge might have been at 1825. I await official confirmation.

All is well at Hellgate Canyon with Iris, Clark, and Baby.

Two ospreys are perched on a nest made of twigs and branches, with a parking lot and greenery visible in the background.
An osprey is sitting in its nest, surrounded by twigs, leaves, and grass.

The oldest chick that died of hypothermia at Charlo, Montana overnight has not been removed from the nest. This is so sad. Let us hope that nothing happens to Only Bob.

An osprey perched on a nest with chicks and an egg, while another osprey stands on a nearby pole, surrounded by a green landscape and mountains in the background.

Three little ones at Osoyoos. Pray for this nest and the others that are struggling – perhaps, in reality, that is almost all of them in one way or another.

A pair of ospreys on their nest, with two chicks visible among the sticks and twigs. The scene is taken from above, showing the nest structure against a green background.

Dewey Beach is still good.

An osprey nest with two chicks and an adult osprey, set against a backdrop of a waterfront view featuring buildings and a dock.

SK Hideaways has news of Zuma! https://youtu.be/3YbwXv9AAQY?

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 18th June 2026

It was wet and windy today, and there was a moment which could have been nasty but fortunately wasn’t – a gust of wind caught Dorcha and flipped her over, taking a chick as well. But Dorcha righted herself and the chick quickly crawled back under her with no harm done. On the 6th anniversary of Legendary Louis and the Day of Nine Fish, it was a slow fish day, Louis only brought two fish and the second was such a tiddler it was gone in four minutes. Chick1 achieved a milestone by swallowing the small tail, while earlier Dorcha had struggled to swallow the much larger tail of the first fish. The Nest Two tally now rises to one hundred and fifty three, and Garry LV0’s single fish takes the Nest One tally to one hundred and twenty two. Aurora 536 spent most of the day incubating the unviable egg, how long she’ll keep doing that is a matter of speculation. Heavy rain and light winds with a low of 15°C is the overnight forecast, changing to light rain showers, a gentle breeze and a high of 17°C tomorrow.

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/ReJNNcKbvSI N2 Louis brings the first fish and stays while Dorcha feeds the chicks 13.38.11

https://youtu.be/MVfn-uLCvRk N2 Oh no! Wind flips Dorcha and nearly takes a chick 14.48.18

https://youtu.be/OQL2iuo5Poc N1 Garry gives Aurora a fish and they both depart 17.25.52

Osplet growth in the early stages (our chicks are 17 and 15 days old respectively):

https://www.dyfiospreyproject.com/blog/karis-mwt/feathers

You’re invited to join the lively community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s friendly, free and everyone’s welcome:   

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

Thank you so much for being with us. It is time to do a wee bit of weeding in the garden before getting the lads inside. We hope that you had a wonderful Thursday. Take care of yourself. Please get outside if you can. Nature is regenerating!

Thank you to ‘MP’ and ‘PB’ re the Steelscape streaming cam, to SK Hideaways and Geemeff for their videos and for that incredible daily summary of happenings at Loch Arkaig. I am grateful to everyone who owns a streaming cam that stays on and lets us watch these incredible birds. Streaming cams cost money and human power – so thank you! And to everyone who posted information, put images and events on FB – we are so grateful.

Compassionate humans help wildlife, Cornell hawklets anxious to fly…late Tuesday in Bird World

16 June 2026

Good Afternoon Everyone,

We woke up to blue skies and sunshine! And, while sipping our tea and munching on croissants, we counted two Blue Jays at the feeder! Did I tell you about the Cooper’s Hawk hiding in the lilacs that Mr Blue Jay flushed out on Sunday? It was a frightening moment. Mr Blue Jay was screeching at the top of his little lungs. I thought the hawk had his mate or one of their newly hatched chicks BUT maybe Mr Blue Jay just say the hawk loitering in ‘his lilacs’ and wanted him gone. He sure chased him out of the neighbourhood. Imagine.

Ann is taking Don to his annual appointment today and I am going to sit on the deck with Toby and relax. We had an accident yesterday. I know each of us has spilled a cup of water and marvelled at how much there is when you go to clean it up. Well, imagine an extra large mug of hot chocolate. My goodness. Poor Don just couldn’t hold it (early Parkinson’s). The key is like training dogs – nothing negative. Our little Bissell worked overtime after I had scrubbed with a brush. The space is dry but there is still a dark stain in one spot and hopefully after a couple more bouts of cleaning, we can get that out. I bought this big old carpet years ago when wool and silk carpets didn’t cost the price of a car. I love it but, is it time to give it up?

From our monitor, ‘V’, who is writing a book on her twenty-year experience with ospreys living right in front of her. Sadly, life has changed for the birds, but today VV sends us some good news. Please note that I am protecting the location for obvious reasons and the individual.

“Most of my observed nests are a bust again this year. But one of the two nests in front of my house still has at least one chick still alive (bad early bullying, haven’t seen bobble heads in a few days, but someone is still getting fed)— but in the oldest nest, THREE chicks have reached dinosaur stage — first time parents, male an excellent fisher. We’re rigging up a pulley to that nest so we can start adding fish if times get too lean for them. 🤞🏻”

More good news from ‘V’: “It seemed one of the nests up the road also had feeding going on as I drove by. So perhaps there will be a couple fledges from here this year. I can’t imagine we’d be so fortunate.

The fish- pulley apparatus has been “rigged” — waterman vernacular — and we’re going to try to attach it in the morning when the tide is lower. That’s what someone needs to video, the 74 year old woman wading out to the piling for the 83 year old man to haul and attach a bird feeder.   Dodo birds to say the least. Ha!”

V is my hero. Not afraid to save their babies. There are others – I’m like a geisha – I never tell, but there are a number this year that have decided to establish fish ponds to help their ospreys.

There has been questions about Iris’s other two eggs. Egg 2 is 40 days today. Not going to hatch. It is possible that Egg 3 might hatch. Personally, if every osprey nest fledged one very healthy chick, we should feel blessed. I keep thinking about Dewey Beach in the same way. One healthy – not four with 2 or 3 dying of starvation and battering.

Baby One is doing just fine. One nice, strong chick. Yesterday, it disappeared into that bark that was brought in, and many of you became concerned that something had happened. You had to look closely to find its little head.

A close-up of a baby osprey chick interacting with a parent, surrounded by nesting materials.

Another human is helping some storks, with one of the adults in trouble. There are so many compassionate people throughout the world. Sometimes we have to pull away from the news – and just look at the good or we can easily drop ourselves into despair.

Here is the video: https://youtu.be/fp6ZQJJmDbE?

A nest with young storks and an adult stork feeding them, with a view of a village in the background.
Two young storks are being fed in their nest, with a view of a rural area in the background.

“One of the storks with a leg ring has both legs wrapped in long pieces of metal bands. It can’t free itself from the tether. The parent with the ring was in the nest this morning and again this afternoon, and you can see that its legs are still tied. One parent is feeding the young, the other is charred with soot, but it’s not enough food. Yesterday, the storks received a large portion of meat food from a human, and today, the human also threw a large amount of fresh meat into the nest. Storks are afraid of people; it will be difficult to remove the metal band (because it’s not a string) from its tangled legs. Perhaps this stork will be caught on the ground and its legs will be freed.”

‘J’ sends us the latest installment of Kakapo news.

Kakapo Files podcast episode 18:
15 Jun 2026

Six months after this record-breaking kākāpō breeding season began, all 91 living chicks have fledged and left the nest. The chicks remain with their kākāpō mums and are still being fed by them, as well as eating a range of plant material, and as cold wet midwinter weather sets in the chicks are learning to find dry roost sites. The Kākāpō Team’s Daryl Eason and Andrew Digby answer listener questions, including why did Kākāpō cam star Rakiura spend so much time in the nest digging, what can you learn from a piece of egg shell, and could old museum specimens be a source of lost kākāpō genes?

In this episode:
02:06 – Island news with ranger Daniella Whitaker
06:21 – Update on Kākāpō Cam star Rakiura
11:43 – Sick kākāpō
15:19 – Are kākāpō smart?
18:19 – Previous nest cams
20:05 – Why did Rakiura dig so much in her nest?
24:00 – Do kākāpō compete with other species?
25:30 – Kākāpō on Coal Island and at Sanctuary Mountain Mangatautari
30:57 – Museum specimens and lost genes

Learn more:
Follow the Kākāpō Files podcast to keep up to date
Listen to the Voice of the Kākāpō series for a recap of the 2019 breeding season. Also listen to the episodes covering the interim 2022 breeding season, and about how a few male kākāpō have fared in the North Island, in the fenced Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari
For more New Zealand science and nature find and follow the Our Changing World podcast, and subscribe to the show’s monthly newsletter

Guests:
Kākāpō ranger, Daniella Whitaker, Kākāpō Recovery Programme
Kākāpō technical advisor, Daryl Eason, Kākāpō Recovery Programme
Kākāpō science advisor, Andrew Digby

Kakapo Files season II:
https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/k%C4%81k%C4%81p%C5%8D-island-diary/id1447593081?i=1000762432199 
https://www.youtube.com/live/UL6P1TdsRXc?list=PLB06qFjAt4VBoq1t-spjkxq6IB5WcEexS 
https://www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/wild-sounds

Dewey Beach. This must be a female – and continue to send positive wishes to her so that she fledges!

An osprey adult stands near a nest with two chicks, one visible and looking up. The nest is surrounded by sticks and located near a body of water with buildings in the background.

The trio are so fully feathered at Manton Bay and the nest of Blue 33 and Maya.

A closely grouped family of ospreys in a nest made of twigs and sticks, with one adult bird observing the chicks. The background shows a body of water.

‘PB’ reports that Cowlitz has its first hatch today.

A pair of images showing bird eggs in a nest, with one egg hatching and a chick visible next to the eggs.

The reality of not enough fish is spreading through the nests – Forstythe, Field Museum, Farm Field amongst others.

Heidi reports on the loss at Field Farm:

An osprey feeding its chicks in a large nest made of twigs and branches, surrounded by green grass.

Heidi also reports on The Bridge Club osprey nest in NY.

An osprey taking off from its nest with young chicks visible inside the nest, surrounded by a natural landscape during dawn.

‘PB’ reports on Achieva:

Facebook post detailing a fishing report with timestamps and observations of interactions between birds and fish.
A collage of images depicting an osprey nesting area, showing the bird with its wings spread, sitting on a nest made of sticks, and interacting with nestlings or prey.

Charlie and the New Female together on the nest at Charlo Montana feeding their two babies.

Two adult ospreys in a nest with several chicks and remnants of food.

Look at those beautiful juvenile feathers on the Pitkin County Trails Osprey nest in Colorado!

An osprey stands over its chicks in a large nest made of sticks, set against a green landscape with shrubs in the background.

It can be very dangerous being an osprey chick during fish deliveries. We have seen chicks killed, almost smashed…today it was Louis turn at Lock Arkaig 2 to flip a chick. Geemeff has it on video: https://youtu.be/boMblyAoBC4?

A very successful nest is Wolf Bay in Alabama! One of the three chicks has fledged and the live feed has now returned. Aren’t they gorgeous?

Three young ospreys in a nest, surrounded by branches and overlooking a body of water.

At Osoyoos in British Columbia, Canada, the three osplets are still alive. Please send this nest good wishes. They have had trouble with heat and getting fish to the nest for many years.

Two ospreys sitting in their nest surrounded by twigs and branches, with some chicks visible beneath them.

So far it looks like we still have four osplets alive at the Blackbush nest in Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Two ospreys in their nest with several chicks at Blackburn Beach Resort.

Two big osplets at the Havre de Grace Maritime Museum osprey nest.

An adult osprey feeding two chick osprey in a nest made of sticks and foliage.
A nest with four young ospreys, sitting on sticks and leaves, while one adult osprey is feeding them.

The Fortis Exshaw streaming cams in Alberta appear not to be working.

We still have two osplets at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. I will try to find any news I can about the woman who was caring for three osplets alone in Minnesota and post it tomorrow. If you happen to know, send me a note!

An aerial view of an osprey nest made of sticks and straw, with two adult ospreys visible near the edge of the nest and a chick resting inside the nest.

At the Red-tail Hawk nest of Big Red and Arthur (one of my favourites) the two older chicks P1 and P2 are preparing to fledge. Cornell did a video of their anxious moments: https://youtu.be/vS44rBVDG_U?

They are so cute. Big Red and Arthur will be showing them where to fly to – and you can count on Arthur for making sure that his babies are well fed after they fly.

A group of red-tailed hawk chicks standing on their nest, preparing to fledge, with greenery and a road visible in the background.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. There is so much happening – it is very difficult to keep up.

It is so nice to have you with us, and I appreciate all your notes, your e-mails, comments, and good wishes. Everyone is so kind, and it means so much to me. I want to add that there is something odd going on with my e-mail at times. Several letters from one of my friends in SF, who supplies us with those wonderful videos, SK Hideaways, were a week late in arriving in my ‘Inbox’, and they all came at once. I could be missing yours, or they might not have arrived – so if you sent me something and I did not respond, please resend. I do try to reply within 48 hours, and normally the same day if things at home are going smoothly.

Thank you to everyone who sent me news, posted information or images on FB, created videos – I am so very, very grateful. To the owners of the streaming cams, we are all so very thankful that you allow us to watch these incredible families.