Wednesday was a lovely day. Don and Ann spent time around our duck pond, full of ducks, geese, and people having a good time. It was all topped off with an ice cream dipped in chocolate sauce. We ended the day sitting outside and taking a late walk with Toby. The leaves are definitely changing – the golden touch of the setting sun really highlights the changes every evening. The temperatures are still those of summer – 25 C. The farmer’s markets are full of fresh corn, local honey, blueberries, cherries, and peaches. It is one of my favourite times of the year! Tomorrow I am going to try and make charred corn and black bean nachos. There is a wonderful recipe in The Guardian this evening. Looks easy and delicious.
Thank you to the staff of The Guardian~!
Tomorrow, Miyoung arrives to cut our hair. Toby is in dire need, too, but I think I am going to leave him with his great feathering and his grinch feet. He loves his baths, and we cut out any mats that he gets, especially the burrs that he gets tangled in when he goes to the back of the property. He is so good at sitting and letting me clean the fur off the bottom of his pads and any mats—and he loves the massage with shampoo!!!!!!!!! What a joy he is to care for, especially since he doesn’t like going to the groomers so much. (We get his nails trimmed and his bottom tidied at the vet surgery).
I might just make this, take the laptop outside, and watch Wensi. The camera operators gave us some amazing images on Wednesday as Wensi got a fish delivery. Don’t ask me if it was Clarke or Iris – it was quick. No one wants their leg taken off by a ravished fledgling!
Iris and Clarke continue to provide fish for Wensi. This is surely one of the healthiest ospreys in the US this season. I would give anything if Wensi had a Darvic ring so we could hear about her in the future.
‘PB’ sent me a note saying M15 had returned to the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest in Fort Myers, ending his summer vacation. Will the female that he has been seen with join him?
At Big Bear, Shadow was caught on camera calling out to Kaydee, who responded. SK Hideaways has them and their morning duet – have a listen! https://youtu.be/YULMHzwlwJk?
Lizmn catches up with Milda, the White-tailed Eagle of Durbe County, Latvia, delivering fish but no fledglings there to grab it! https://youtu.be/p3omLB2V54M?
Beau is working on those restorations before Gabby gets home!
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 26th August 2026 It’s clear Season Ten is winding down – the Hoodies are very bold, there’s only one chick and Louis still around, and night cam is switching over earlier each night. Louis brought one fish today, a flatfish, and Juniper managed to finish it despite harassment by a Hoodie. The Nest Two tally now stands at four hundred and sixty one, including five brought by Dorcha. The weather was settled today, cloudy and achieving a high of about 20°C, and should continue cloudy overnight with a low of 13°C, and sunny intervals tomorrow with a high of 22°C.
I will be listening to the webinar tomorrow (1300 Winnipeg time).
Its almost Open House at our local wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre, Wildlife Haven. They have now taken in twice as many patients in the first half of the year than they did all of last year!
Check out your local rescues and see if they have an Open House – and remember, save those clean, well-used towels and sheets. They can use them! Clearing out a house of a loved one? Don’t just chuck everything in the bin. Rescue centres need storage bins, woodworking tools, stainless steel dishes, laundry detergent, bleach – you name it – including toys for enrichment.
We are hoping to attend. We haven’t missed an Open House in years.
Get the tissues out. ‘PB’ sent me a link to a tribute to Jackie that I think you will enjoy: https://youtu.be/S7KAIlAcHLk?
There are still ospreys at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
SE38 is sometimes shy about eating. We are all cheering that little one on – and Lady is helping. SK Hideaways captures Lady’s tender encouragement on video: https://youtu.be/ugAnJczXunw?
Now how many eggs do we have at Port Lincoln? Are there two? We are waiting. Bart says between 72-78 hours. As I am watching it is now 76.6 hours since egg 1 so any time!
For those worried that Mum isn’t incubating the eggs all day, this is delayed incubation. It helps get the chicks to hatch closer together. Some of the UK osprey females have made an ‘art’ of delayed incubation, hatching three chicks on the same day – sometimes within a few hours. It really does help with all of the bonking, and oh, do our ospreys love to bonk one another for dominance and fish.
She laid her second egg this morning.
Good news from the Ventana Wildlife:
Christopher has fledged at Tweed Valley this morning.
Some more good news coming out of Wales:
Thank you so much! We love having you with us. It is a gorgeous day for haircuts and then a trip to the country. Toby says it is a great day for ice cream cones! Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to all the contributors – SK Hideaways, Geemeff, all those who post on FB, including the UK Osprey Information group! Thank you to the owners of the streaming cams for letting us see the lives of these amazing birds, and to ‘PB ‘, who is very busy but always sends me news. Thank you. Also a big shout out to the Guardian food contributors for that great recipe – try it! And check out their page on the newspaper site along with their environmental news.
We had a wonderful birthday party for my daughter. Toby was so good… ours is a family of cat lovers, and being the first dog there has been some scepticism amongst the others. Of course, anyone reading this knows how I feel about my little man. He found some mulch, which he knew he was not supposed to have, and look at this silly character!
The weather cooperated – it was cool and sunny without any mosquitoes and no rain! It was so nice to have all the family (almost) together.
There has been some news about Jackie and I want to pass it along to you if you have not already seen it. Jackie is critically ill. She is in the best place she can be to receive care. It appears that she has some kind of toxicity. You might recall that Victor had zinc toxicity. He was a young eaglet, not yet fledged, and he survived to be released. What a glorious day that was.
I believe the date on the posting below is a typo and should read 21 July. So this is the latest information. Thanks, Sharon Pollock.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 21st July 2026
More intruders today but nothing like the dramatic scenes of yesterday when 2024 Loch Fleet chick Blue 9A6 actually locked talons with Dorcha. None of today’s appeared on nest cam but Dorcha certainly saw them and reacted to them, and her day ended with her using her crow voice to warn off a Tawny Owl calling very near by. The RAF also intruded with several aircraft disturbing the peace including a trio of Typhoon jets caught on both nest cams. Louis brought three fish taking the Nest Two tally to three hundred and nine, and causing the two chicks to tussle over a flatfish which was eventually won by Amber 8P6 but not before Juniper 8P7 had had a good go at it. In between fish deliveries and intruder alarms they practised wingercising and both chicks managed a little lift off, only a few inches off the ground but helicoptering and then fledging is on the horizon. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 brought two fish for Aurora 536, taking his tally to one hundred and seventy seven. He made another mating attempt then did some housekeeping, they’re both now ignoring the rotten but still intact egg, and it’s good to see them reaffirming their pair bond. The weather was settled and sunny but not too hot, and will remain so tomorrow with an overnight low of 12°C and a high tomorrow of 19°C.
Bonus update – Following the return of 2024 Loch Arkaig chick 1JW to Spain, here’s news of this year’s cohort of Scottish translocatees just arrived in Valencia:
There is excellent news – David Gessner is getting involved and giving a real voice to fight over the industrial/commercial fishing of Menhaden that has caused a collapse of the ecosystem and the deaths of the ospreys.
One of the ‘groups’ that I support that work hard and punch beyond their numbers is Ventana Wildlife and the California Condors. Here is some great news from Kelly Sorenson, the Director of VWS:
July 21, 2026
Dear Mary,After the heartbreak we shared recently, we are overjoyed to bring you some wonderful news. Condor (340) and Condor (868) have made full recoveries from lead poisoning and are back in central California!
Thanks to the incredible, life-saving care of our partners at the Oakland Zoo and Los Angeles Zoo, both birds are now resting and recharging in our Big Sur pen. Over the next few weeks they’ll build up strength and reintegrate into the flock before their return to the wild in mid-August. And thanks to explore.organd the Live Cams, you can help us keep watch. Once Condor (340) and Condor (868) arrive later today, they should be the center of attention, both for the rest of the flock and for the hundreds of viewers like you tuning in!
(These Pinnacles-released condors would normally return to the Pinnacles pen, but with that pen closed for its annual maintenance, Big Sur welcomed them home. It is a wonderful example of our close partnership with Pinnacles National Park.)
Condor (340), “Kun-Wac-Shun” This 22-year-old male, named by Chief Nelson Wallulutum of the Wasco Tribe, is a true legend. He is the most dominant male in the Pinnacles flock and famously raised the first wild condor chick to fledge at Pinnacles in over 100 years. After showing severe signs of lead poisoning on April 2, the Oakland Zoo’s around-the-clock care pulled him through a critical situation.
Condor (868) A resilient 9-year-old male and proud father of two, Condor (868) was captured on April 30 with clinical signs of lead poisoning and rushed to the Los Angeles Zoo, where the veterinary team brought him back to full health.
A reminder of why this matters: lead poisoning remains the number one threat to wild condors. It is also preventable. By choosing non-lead ammunition, hunters and ranchers become vital partners in keeping these birds safe.Watch Condor (340) and Condor (868) on the Live Cam →Learn about our free Non-Lead Ammunition Program →Read Condor (340) and Condor 868’s full bios →Recoveries like these are only possible because of you. Thank you for standing with this flock through the hard days and celebrating with us on the good ones.
With gratitude,
Kelly Sorenson Executive Director
…and the Condor Crew Ventana Wildlife Society
While we might not think that there is any silver lining to Jackie being rescued after a fight with a large sub-adult, she is getting treatment for an illness that she had that had nothing to do with that other eagle. My grandmother always told me to believe hard that everything happens for a reason. I am glad that Jackie is in care. Thrilled that she was able to have two chicks this season with Shadow to fledge – Sandy and Luna. Imagine if she had young chicks in the nest and got ill without treatment. So, I want to go to bed tonight sending all the positive energy that I can to Jackie for healing. I hope you will do the same.
At our local wildlife rehab, there are two orphan hawks that are in care.
Fledge at Ranworth in the UK:
Beautiful chick at Charlo Montana!
Beautiful chick at Hellgate Canyon:
Two gorgeous osplets at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho! There was a third beautiful healthy chick that tragically died during a very horrific storm that hit the area in late June.
The new couple at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum are terrific. Just look at those two healthy fully feathered osplets.
Mum sheltering her baby in the heat at Osoyoos.
CJ7 and three of her four babies at the Poole Harbour nest in the UK.
Two fledglings wishing for fish at Poole Harbour.
Elen and Teifi’s trio at Glslyn.
Thank you so much for being with us. I really needed you to know how Jackie is doing if you didn’t know. Take care.
Thank you also to everyone who has written to me. My son returns to the Caribbean on Saturday and I hope to have time to answer those letters by late Sunday.
Thank you to Geemeff for her summary and videos and the link to the information about Gessner, to Kelly Sorenson for the great news, to the Ojai Raptor Centre who are trying so hard to heal Jackie, to Pam Breci for keeping me posted, and to everyone else who posted information on FB along with images and the owners of the streaming cams who allow us to follow the lives of these bird families.
It is hot, but it is beautiful. We ate our breakfast in the conservatory instead of outside because the Starling family was having a good old bath. Now, according to Cornell, I should not have European Starlings in my garden this time of year. As a result, I made sure to take at least one image to post as proof! This year, we had two clutches. One family raised their young in the lilacs; they fledged (all six of them) and spent time in the garden before dispersing. Two days ago we thought we heard the ‘sound’ of Starling babies but couldn’t see them for the foliage. They came out today – there are three more. You have no idea how delighted I am to have had nine European Starlings fledge from my lilac bushes. Yes, I know that some people do not like them. They see them as invasive, but, according to Into the Red, they are globally threatened. So I am feeling good about providing them with a safe home to breed their young, a place to eat, and shelter and bathing. Into the Red says, “What monsters must we be, that we have reduced it to sit on the Red List.” (118)
I know individuals who dislike sparrows, Starlings, and any bird that is not ‘cute’. They refuse to feed or provide water for them. I wonder how they would feel if the birds were in charge and looked at them?
So it was a record year, promoted by plenty of food during the winter and spring, lots of water, and shelter – the three things that are required. Six baby Blue Jays as well with the one family. It is not clear to me how many baby crows there are, but there are at least three. They have trouble figuring out how to land on the lilac branches, often falling through the leaves till they decide something hard is safer. One had decided to hop and hop over the hot asphalt roof! Silly little one. Parents have them learn by doing! Dozens and dozens of sparrows!!!!!!
Despite the heat warning, Ann has taken Don to the park in the hope of finding some cool shade for them to have a walk. They won’t be gone long. Toby and I have made a Swedish sponge cake with whipped cream icing and fresh strawberries for their return.
Oh my God! An old man has climbed up to an Osprey nest just to take photos of the chicks!!
Don’t worry, I’m only joking!
The “old man” is Professor Pertti Saurola, one of the world’s leading ornithologists in the field of Tawny and Ural owls, but he seems to like Ospreys, too. He is now 87 years old, but he still insists on ringing Ospreys himself — even high up in the air.
This is the Janakkala nest. The male since 2025 is Aake, while the female is new and is called Ulpu. Together, they have raised three beautiful young Ospreys, which have already started practising their wings and will hopefully take their first flights very soon.
Aake likes to bring large bream to the nest — a very common fish species in Europe — which is probably why the chicks look so healthy and well-fed.
People in the chat are already discussing whether one of the chicks should be named “Pertti” in honour of the professor. Let’s see whether he will climb up to the nest again next year, at the age of 88, to ring the young ospreys…
I adore this ma – Professor Pertti. I have watched him ring these ospreys for years. Let’s hope that these three thrive!
Please watch this video “Save Menhaden – Save the Bay” by Robert Kellam about the osprey crisis and Menhaden: https://youtu.be/SVLjuIp20PA?s
I want to thank Pam Breci and everyone else who telephoned PSEG about the fishing line choking one or more of the ospreys on the PSEG Oyster Park platform.
You may not think your calls and writing help, but they do. My City was destined to have voted to ditch the 1.2 million-tree budget for our City. Were they in denial as to the type of heat and how well trees help reduce heat in urban environments? A writing-and-phoning campaign ensued, and the mayor overturned the decision. You can make a difference.
In Memorial for Iniko – a most special bird in all the world. Orange 1031.
Iniko hatched in a Big Sur redwood nest on April 25, 2020, the daughter of two of the most storied condors in our program: Redwood Queen (190), matriarch of the central California flock, and Kingpin (167), the flock’s dominant male. She immediately captivated the hearts of viewers. Watching the endearing chick with her parents on our live Condor Nest Cam provided joy and hope for so many during the isolation and challenges we all faced that year.
Iniko’s name means “born during troubled times”, after all that she went through. At 4 months old, the Dolan Fire swept through Big Sur on the night of August 21, 2020, taking the life of her father and nine other free-flying condors. The flames surrounded Iniko’s cavernous nest, but she miraculously survived. As her mother rose to the task of being a single parent, a new challenge emerged. An unmated male condor, Ninja (729), entered the nest, possibly seeing an opportunity to claim a vacant territory left open by the passing of Kingpin. Redwood Queen rushed in to defend her chick, and Iniko was force-fledged, falling to the ground during the scuffle. Redwood Queen chased off the intruder, but Iniko’s prospects seemed dim huddled on the ground with only one parent. Our concern grew as time passed and the chick remained vulnerable and showed a limp. Our biologists came to the rescue and hiked her carefully out of the canyon and transported her to Los Angeles Zoo for treatment. She luckily recovered, was re-released back to the wild with two other condors in 2021, and thrived in the years following.
This year, at 6 years old, Iniko reached breeding age and found a mate in 9 year old male Tyrion (840). The two had a nest in a remote canyon in Big Sur and we were excited to watch her journey in this new stage of life. Sadly, the nest failed. Then we recently got the mortality signal from her transmitter. Losing Iniko is especially painful, so soon after the passing of her sister, Kodama (646). Her early life story—surviving fire, injury, and rescue, is a reminder of what California condors are capable of overcoming and the passion and determination of the people who work tirelessly to save them.
Iniko was a wonderful ambassador for her species and we are grateful for what she has meant to us. Thank you all for caring so deeply about her. Iniko’s legacy will live on in all of our hearts.
She survived so much to die of lead poisoning. Unbelievable the damage we have done as humans to our planet and thus to the wildlife that try and survive.
Tiny at Blackbush has a huge crop today – thanks, PB.
Two chicks dead at the Clinton Osprey nest in CT.
At Kielder Forest nest 2, chick three has died. Two larger siblings were ringed today. Chick 1 is 1K4 and weighed 1270 grams. He is Keenly. Chick 2 was 1K5 and weighed 1370 grams. Both are believed to be male.
Her chicks are ringed. Fru Rauer is now helping dad feed the hungry mob as they fatten up for migration. https://youtu.be/MSf8Vx7Nmy8?
Fireworks cause death. Please work to eliminate them from celebrations.
I am going to sign off today and wish you a lovely end of the week. Take care. I will be back – at least on Monday. We are due to have extreme heat for the next few days. Will make all the efforts to keep the garden animals and my family cool and hydrated during this time. Hoping that the wildlife in the field will be alright.
Thank you to everyone for your posts on FB and images, for the comments you posted to me, and to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to watch these magnificent creatures.
Happy Canada Day to all of us who celebrate. We had a wonderful time with our son and daughter-in-law visiting our local Farmer’s Market today. They are off for more celebrations this evening and tomorrow; my daughter and Tammy, DIL, are coming to take Don out for a few hours so I can have some time to myself. I feel blessed. How kind of them!
For the next few days, I want to focus on a couple of topics in each blog instead of running through all of the nests. I will, of course, try to bring you up to date on what is happening every 4 blogs. Today, I want to focus on this Menhaden issue and the ospreys dying, and I want everyone to write to the Governor of Virginia, the Honourable Abigal Spanberger. Her e-mail is: Abigail.Spanberger@governor.virginia.gov.
Tomorrow, I have a wonderful article by Wes Melkner in Smithsonian Magazine. Wes is an intern, and his research and first two articles have taught me a great deal. I do hope you enjoy the one I will be posting.
Friday, I will be giving you the link for a very special documentary to view over the weekend and a look at the current status of one of my favourite friends with feathers, the Condor.
Oh, I am really on a rant. Every day I check to see if Little Dewey is alive. Little Dewey is the poster child for this battle against industrial fishing and the murder of ospreys in this region of the US.
Little Dewey is gorgeous. I want her to thrive. Her parents have worked hard to find fish for her and their survival. We are not out of the woods yet but please, please let this nest be successful this year.
The first fish today did not arrive until 1311. I am unclear of any follow up deliveries. Please let me know.
This is staggeringly sad and reflects what is happening all over the region of the NE US:
“Survey my friend and I did in CT today of a small island with 30 osprey platforms. Raw data in image. XXX indicates the platform was abandoned and we did not go pro it. Fishermen are reporting no bunker again in the CT sound. Synopsis: 30 total platforms. 13 platforms abandoned. Only 7 young on island. Only 3 appear to be strong and healthy. 8 dead young found in nests. Almost no bunker gill plates by perch posts. Many platforms have been abandoned in the surrounding towns as well but not part of our study group.”
I realize that Heidi and I have been making comments on the demise of the osprey in this region for three years. I am glad that there is more attention coming to this topic, but I fear that we are late- perhaps too late. I never want to give up hope, so I have to look at what the UK did to reintroduce ospreys that had been wiped out. For example, CJ7 and Blue 022 had the first chicks in the south of England for 250 years. The first chick to hatch in the Usk Valley in Wales for a similar period was last year. Now, I want you to think about what I am saying. It is not decades; it is perhaps centuries before this biodiverse region is balanced again. People can blame whales and Bald Eagles if they want to hide their heads in the sand, but the truth is, it will show that it was industrial fishing unchecked by any oversight that caused the damage for years and years by a single company (not the net fishermen) but a Canadian company, Omega Protein. If I could sue the company and all the officials on behalf of the ospreys, I would. Someone who lives in the US should work with Animal Justice to do just that.
Today, Omega Protein went fishing and didn’t find much. Perhaps they have taken all of the adult Menhaden. Maybe they will be forced to shut down their operations. However, if you live in other NE States, including Maine, beware. Keep your eyes open. Many in Maine say that the Menhaden have left the shores and gone deep into cooler water. I just hope they are hiding from the nets!
Others checking elsewhere.
I believe on survived but has not been fed so the story will be much the same, sadly.
The one surviving chick at Great Bay looks to be alright. This one pushed another off the nest about a week ago – they were all starving. It is a sad fact.
Santiam Canyon is doing alright.
The smallest of the two on the Osoyoos osprey platform died today of starvation.
While today is about the impact that humans can have – in a negative way by overfishing and knowing it – and killing off an entire eco-system, it is also about the fact that humans must come to grips with the damage that we have caused our planet and help when help can be of benefit.
I was asked by a reader to post a rather long statement by a rehabilitation/rescue group. After reading it twice, I think that it is very appropriate to put it in this blog about the deaths from siblicide/starvation that have been caused by a lack of food due to human activity.
This comes from Annette at Wild Heart Ranch in Oklahoma and was sent to me from ‘J’ in Berlin:
I have never given parents advice on how to raise their “human” children, and I probably never will again, so please read this and pass it along. It needs to be said. (Rehabbers, if you agree, just applaud in the comments.) 😉 The photo is an oldie of “January,” a calf brought to me years ago with spina bifida and navel ill, crawling on her knees because her legs were useless. It took months, but I got her up, cured, walking, running, and eventually she grew into a full-grown heifer without any obvious problems. She found the perfect forever home. January WANTED to recover, and there was nothing I could see that would prevent it. She just needed an unbelievable amount of splint work, braces, physical therapy, and support to get there. She wasn’t going to one day be released into the wild. She was going to be somebody’s pampered pasture pet for the rest of her life if I could save her… and she is. She’s still watched over daily for complications her condition could cause as she ages or gains weight. I didn’t have to know she’d be 100% at the end of treatment. I just needed her to become pain-free and mobile on legs that would eventually support 1,400 pounds. But that isn’t the case for wildlife.
I absolutely love when you bring your kids with you to Wild Heart to drop off animals. If we’re going to raise the next generation to support wildlife rescue, they need to see the process. They need to witness compassionate people willing to drop everything for an animal they’ve never met. That matters to me because the future of wildlife rescue is in the hands of today’s children, and the way you handle that handoff matters more than you may realize. It matters because every year there are more roads, more windows, more fishing line, more cats, more cars, more toxins, and more hazards that WE bring into their world. And because, despite my best intentions, I may not actually live forever. I know… shocking. So there is one thing I ask, beg, and plead…
Please don’t promise your children that we are going to save an injured, hypothermic, maggot-infested animal, then ask us if that animal can be saved in front of them UNLESS you have prepared them for the TRUTH. I am not going to lie to your children before you do. I am going to follow your lead, and if you set me up to crush a child, I may have to step away for a minute to compose myself before I can provide that animal the peaceful, gentle ending it deserves. If you care about the animals, please be kind to the rehabber. DO YOU HEAR THE WORDS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH? (My best friend uses that sentence. It is VERY effective!) Wild animals are masters at hiding pain. In the wild, looking sick or injured is basically putting up a billboard that says, “Eat me.” So they keep moving until they physically can’t anymore. That’s why you see a squirrel that’s “just sitting there all calm and content,” and I see a spinal injury or a pelvis that’s been crushed. You see the bunny your cat brought home that “doesn’t look that bad,” and I know it has a fifty-fifty chance of surviving the two tiny puncture wounds where your cat injected a potent bacteria cocktail into its back. Looks are deceiving.
The parents who want to protect their children from the hard realities—and I completely support that—usually hand me the animal, smile, and say, “We know you’ll do what’s best.” The kids thank me for helping, they climb back in the car, and I get to begin triage… treatment… or sometimes mercy. But this is how it sometimes goes for me: A six-year-old has rescued, temporarily cared for, and named a squirrel Kevin. Kevin has big plans. He’s going to leave our care, climb trees, raise a family, pay squirrel taxes, and peacefully die at the ripe old age of 97 surrounded by his squirrel grandchildren. AWESOME. I am all about happy endings.
Meanwhile… Kevin has dislocated hips, at least one spinal fracture, a pelvis that’s in four pieces, and internal injuries that make me wonder how he even made it to my door. The back half of him has been run over by a car, and any minute now the front half is probably going to stop working too. Then everyone turns and looks at me and an adult asks, with complete sincerity… “So… is he going to be okay?” Wonderful. (Just shoot me.) While I’m trying to rush this intake so I can put poor Kevin out of his misery, I now get to decide whether I lie to your child or explain euthanasia to someone who still sells their teeth to a fairy. That is WAY above my pay grade. And I don’t WANT to lie to anybody. So please… either have that hard conversation before you come, or avoid putting us in that position. My instinct is to protect your child’s enthusiasm for helping wildlife. I don’t want to be the lady who unintentionally convinces them that “future Kevin” should be hidden in their bedroom because “that rescue lady will just kill him.” Tell them Kevin is hurt. Tell them he is probably in a lot of pain. Tell them you’re taking him somewhere that people will do whatever is best for him. Leave it there… Or have the harder conversation before you arrive.
People sometimes think euthanasia means we gave up. It’s actually the opposite. It would be emotionally easier on us, in that moment, to keep trying. To turn a rescue into what I call “an experiment in heroics” which is by no measure okay unless there is FAR more hope than hurt. It’s much harder to look at an animal we desperately want to save and admit that the kindest thing we can offer is peace. I will NEVER be okay providing treatment only to find an animal dead in a cage later, knowing I could have spared it that experience. That is not acceptable when I KNEW the chances were slim. That is not rescue. That is denial. Sometimes we don’t know, but when we do know, we had better beat death to the punch or we have avoided the only act of care that was reasonable, responsible, and KIND.
A quick, painless, chemically induced death is kind when life without suffering isn’t in the prognosis. There are far worse things than death, and I see them daily. A responsible wildlife rehabilitator chooses what is best for the animal no matter how disappointed we are, YOU are, how many people are following the story on Facebook, or how much public backlash we might receive. NONE of that comes into play when I am evaluating or treating an animal. The ONLY factors that matter are the animal’s current physical suffering, past case experience, advice from my veterinarians, the animal’s probable ability to live independently after recovery and release, and my conscience. If my conscience EVER starts sounding the ego alarm, I am DONE. I know this about me. I will NEVER keep an animal alive because it’s popular or because it brings in donations. I was accused of that almost daily while working with January. I received hate mail from veterinarians all over the country. It was hell because I ALWAYS listen to the advice of veterinarians, but in this case they weren’t here seeing what I was seeing: a strong will to live and a calf that wasn’t going to give up. So I helped her fight. Not to prove anyone wrong. (ego) That never entered my mind during treatment. (But I gloated like hell when that calf charged me across my yard and knocked me flat on my ass!)
But I can promise you my motive is always the same. I believe in an animal’s ability to recover—or I don’t. I believe in my ability to support that recovery—or I don’t. The minute I lose hope that an animal can have an acceptable quality of life, I stop. No matter how much it hurts. No matter what people think of me afterward or what they say about me. (With two million followers, I see the comments. There is always someone who can’t WAIT to screenshot the nasty ones and send them to me, which by the way, it just hurts me and changes nothing else so keep them to yourselves friends) Fortunately for my motivation to keep going, I have almost as much compassion for ignorant people as I do suffering animals. 🙂
Here’s something else to keep in mind. The more experienced the rehabber, the more likely they are to make a judgment call immediately. Why? Because when we were new, we tried to save everybody. Experience teaches you where hope exists… and where it doesn’t. Trust that we have seen these injuries hundreds of times. We’ve learned from our mistakes, our veterinarians, our mentors, and the animals themselves. That being said… Many of my volunteers have zero medical training. They may be the smiling face that accepts your animal before it reaches someone doing triage. They see what you see. If you ask them what they think, they’ll honestly tell you, “I think he’ll be okay.” Then you call later and find out the animal was euthanized immediately. Please don’t assume we lied, didn’t try, or didn’t care. Just ask to speak with the person who actually performed the triage. I promise you, if that decision was made here, it was made because it was the most merciful option available.
Every intake gets our best. Every single person here hates euthanasia, but we are grateful that mercy exists. We remember those animals. We especially remember your child’s face looking at us like we’re monsters without a heart. It’s bad enough when we’re powerless to save a life, but when we’re judged for showing mercy? That destroys us. It destroys me. Last week it happened over and over and over again. It was so bad that I finally stopped going to the front door to do quick intake triage and personally thank the finders because I simply couldn’t do it anymore. Most people are absolutely wonderful. And then… There’s little Kevin’s family. Mom tells me to build Kevin a wheelchair so he can live here forever and “the kids can come visit.” All lies, little dude. All lies. And I just can’t be part of that story.
Those moments don’t stay here when we lock the doors at night. We take them home. They haunt us. They keep me from the sleep I need so badly that I end up writing lengthy educational Facebook posts trying to work through the frustration. So please… help us tell the whole story. Teach your children that rescue doesn’t always mean recovery. Teach them that there are worse things than death, and suffering without hope is one of them. Teach them that love and care are two very different things. Love is an emotion. Care is an action. Sometimes the most loving action is letting an animal go instead of asking it to suffer because WE aren’t ready to say goodbye. Because if I have to tell your child Kevin isn’t going to make it, I’d much rather be reinforcing a lesson you’ve already started than accidentally becoming the stranger who convinced them that bringing injured wildlife to professionals was somehow the wrong thing to do.
If your child cries, that sadness is empathy. Empathy is exactly why they picked Kevin up in the first place, so maybe I don’t have to live forever after all. Maybe there are little humans growing up right now who understand what wildlife rehabilitation is truly about and will support it one day. With time, with funding or even put on their poop shoes and get to work! There are thousands of wildlife rehabilitators scattered across this country making impossible decisions every single day and doing what is best, struggling to stay afloat so the animals have a place to go. I am working on a way to help keep them going with funding. It will take about a year, but in the meantime, let’s all be aware of the things people may never consider that slowly erode their motivation. I promise you I am not the only rehabber whose day is destroyed by someone bringing in an animal that should not be saved and then confronting us over our honest opinion-especially in front of children. The goal isn’t to teach our children that every rescue story has a happy ending. The goal is to teach them that every wild animal deserves compassion. “And we all suffer the same” Maybe that’s something worth thinking about. Thanks for reading.”
I think Annette said many things that I also needed to hear.
Geemeff has posted her summary from Loch Arkaig and I will include it here.
Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 1st July 2026
The weather was wet and windy as forecast but that didn’t stop Louis who delivered five fish, taking the Nest Two tally to two hundred and fourteen. However, the first fish was quite small and the delay of over five hours before the next one saw the hangry chicks having a pop at each other. The aggression didn’t last long and a steady supply of fish, including a large late supper at 10pm, saw the chicks off to bed with full crops and Dorcha struggling to fit them underneath her. Garry brought a single fish for Aurora, a small one which she chose to eat on the nest, which took the Nest One tally to one hundred and forty five. Nest Two cam has been zoomed out ready for fledging which is probably at least two weeks away, and before that the ringers will visit, meantime we get to enjoy the panoramic views again. More wet weather is forecast with light rain, gentle breezes and an overnight low of 12°C, continuing tomorrow with light rain showers, a moderate breeze, a high of 17°C and occasional sunny spells.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care all. See you tomorrow!
Also, if you are enjoying the blog, please hit the like button. It moves us up in the algorithm, so maybe more people will learn about what is happening to our raptors and want to get involved in helping make their lives less challenging. Thank you.
Thank you to ‘J’ for sending me the text from Annette, to Geemeff for their daily summary of activities at Loch Arkaig, for those that posted information and images on FB, and the owners of the streaming cams mentioned that allowed us to follow the lives – the good and the sad – of our feathered friends.
Today is Big Bird Day when all the world is counting. The lists of the birds coming into the garden is growing and growing. For the first time, there have even been some Baltimore Orioles and the numbers of Harris Sparrows continues to grow. The rain forecast for this afternoon has been cancelled by the weather station and it is hoped that those traveling long distances to get to the north of our province have a good rest and feed before starting up that journey again. I made a decision to put out at separate stations many different kinds of food: sliced oranges, grape jelly, peanuts, Butter Bark, Black Oil Seed, White Millet, Solid Seed Suet, and Meal Worms. Gosh those European Starlings love the Butter Bark and the Meal Works while the Harris and Chipping Sparrows are taking to the Millet. It should be a big count by the end of the day.
Southwest Florida. The big eagle nest of Harriet and M15. Everyone thought that E20 had left for the long goodbye but look who is back on the nest branch this morning?
The streaming cam for the nest of Anna and Louis will probably be turned off on 20 May. It was a fabulous season down there with Kincaid that beautiful female. What a treat that she hung around the nest tree for so long. Indeed, she was there this morning proving to be a delight for everyone. It was so nice that Cody got the cam up and running after the latest storm.
Kincaid arrives at 11:19:20.
All of these fledglings will be leaving their parents territory – if they haven’t already – to find their own place in the world.
Speaking of fledglings, the Three Amigos at the West End nest are thinking about flying. Kana’kini hovered this morning. Here it is:
The security system seems not to be bothering the ospreys at the new Llyn Brenig Osprey nest in Wales. LM6 laid her first egg on the 25th of April. Dad LJ2 has been bringing in some fantastic fish. Wishing this couple all success this season.
It is sometimes very difficult to tell which osplet is which at the UFlorida-Gainesville nest. While this is a good thing, it is often hard to focus on who is eating and who isn’t. This morning was very interesting. I am hoping that the dominance attacks on Middle by Big are behind us.
A fish was delivered – it looked like it had been hacked up by a chain saw – by Dad at 08:32. The kids were squawking to be fed but Dad didn’t, as usual, by into that. He left the fish. While both of the chicks pecked about, it was Middle that really got into the self-feeding. Of course, he has had to do this for several weeks now to get any food at times. He is doing well. Mum comes in a little over an hour later and feeds the two. Both were fed.
There are male Ospreys that really like to feed their chicks. This Dad doesn’t seem to enjoy this part of the parenting. I am glad to see a big hunk of fish on the nest.
Middle has found the open spot and he should be able to get some good fish. Notice the ‘design’ of the feathers on the top of its head. That is a way of distinguishing the two. Big’s plumage is darker with a much longer tail, also.
Middle has done a good job on that fish. Another difference is the size of the wings. You can clearly see this below. All bets say Big sibling is another one of those robust aggressive females and our Middle is a male.
Mum comes to the nest. She is feeding Middle. Big is behind her just like yesterday. Interesting.
I wonder if Middle ever wishes that Big would just flap those wings and fly off? She will, Middle! The plumage is gorgeous. There is still a long way to go for that tail to be long enough for flight.
When Big Red laid four Red-tail Hawk eggs at the nest she shares with Arthur on the Cornell campus, everyone went into shock. Almost immediately thoughts of doom and gloom went through the community – fearing that the wee one, L4, would have the same fate as the youngest eaglets and osplets. Not so with hawks and falcons normally. Little L4 has been the first in line making its way through the gang if necessary to get on the front row. Today, L4 is skipping and flapping its wings! Big Red is going to be tired and Arthur has had to bring in more food than ever to feed his family but life is good and everyone is well.
Get the worry beads out! When these four start running and flapping from one end of the ledge to the other your heart will sink several times. But all will be well if you don’t see them as there are blind spots on the cameras. It looks like chippy is for lunch!
The California Condor chick that was hatching yesterday has hatched. You can get a wee glimpse of the newest member of the Condor family at Tom’s Canyon under Mum. The female is 846 and the male is 462. 462 hatched in 2008 and 846 hatched in 2016.
Here is a short video of the hatching:
Alden is trying so hard to be the best Dad and mate he can be. Alden will figure it out. Precious. He caught a moth and brought it in to feed to the chicks. I adore Alden! You know he will get this and he will want to take part in every aspect of the nestlings lives.
He is really hunting and getting the pantry full an those wee white balls are growing! The oldest is 9 days old today! And the youngest is 8 days old.
There are so many nests but I know that some of you will want to go and check on E20 or Kincaid if you didn’t know they were around the nest trees. Have a lovely Saturday. Please take care!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Friends of Llyn Brenig, Cal Falcons, SWFlorida Bald Eagles and D Pritchett, KNF, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, and the Cornell Bird Lab (RTH and Condors).
We have a terrible problem in our neighbourhood. But, before I begin, let me say that for most of my life, I have had a cat or two or more. My Dad had a ‘warm’ spot for animals. Today he would be known for feeding feral cats and caring for them. More often than not, we adopted the strays, fed them, and found homes for the kittens. He taught me that they deserve love and respect as he went about rescuing puppies abandoned and starving cats. In other words, I grew up loving animals and am particularly fond of cats. I have not had a cat since last July when my dear Honey died of kidney failure. I do adore them.
Honey was a Sorrel Abyssinian. We rescued her from an apartment where she had been locked in for a month with no one home. She was amazing. She was a lap cat and loved to be into everything that was happening.
Our City has a by-law that cats must be kept inside. It was instigated so that the large feral cat population in the City would decline. The problem is that certain people do not adhere to the by-laws and, of course, no one does anything about it if they don’t. So that is the very back story to today.
The bird feeders were full and one of the small squirrels -either Dyson or Scraggles- was eating away in the square feeder when I left to go and get the produce for the week. Everything ‘seemed’ fine. When I returned an hour later, there were few birds at the feeders. I decided to refill the one for the Starlings. They do love the Meal Worms and Butter Bark for some reason. When I did, I noticed fresh blood under the Black Sunflower feeder and frozen blood in the centre of the square feeder where the squirrel had been. Something injured one of the squirrels while I was away. It was not Sharpie – he only takes a Sparrow once in awhile and there were no feathers flying about. The cats are the likely culprit. You will often find me chasing them away from the feeders. I could not see blood anywhere else. Did the cat actually carry the squirrel away? or did the squirrel escape? We wait to find out. I have looked everywhere for clues and nothing.
None of the squirrels are in the garden not even Little Red and there remain few birds. Events like this are traumatic for them. They can smell the blood and might not know what happened but they would not that something was harmed. Sadly, the wildlife rehabbers will not take squirrels for fear of rabies. So we just hope that whichever squirrel was harmed, it heals properly. It is normally Scraggles that gets in the way of the cats. He is called ‘Scraggles’ because of his shaggy tail and torn bits of fur when he came to the garden more than half dead a couple of years ago. He sat and ate black oil seed for days hardly moving and in a few weeks he was looking good. Fingers crossed for whoever is injured. Please send your warm wishes!
Why am I telling you this when I know you keep your cats inside? Because cats are the major predator to birds at feeders, bunnies, and squirrels. While people believe they need to be outside, most vets will tell you that cats are safer inside watching the wildlife from the window. They will not get injured, hit by a car, lost, or become prey to something larger. Spread the word to those that do let their cats roam.
Bird behaviour is very interesting. You might have read my blogs mentioning Jennifer Ackerman. She is the author of The Genius of Birds and The Bird Way. I picked The Bird Way up again last night to read through a section and was reminded how good Ackerman’s writing is on the topic. So if you are looking for insightful books on our feathered friends and why they do what they do, when they do it – these are excellent choices.
The pattern of feeding at the Captiva Osprey nest is holding. Three good feeds in the morning with the last of the three around lunch time and the first right after dawn. The final feeding – the fourth – is around 16:00. Andy arrived with the fish at 15:56 and by the time Lena got it and the chicks were situated they were right at 16:00. You could almost set your watch by this nest.
One of the things that keeps chicks from having food competition is stability. This nest is regular and stable. Fantastic. There are no surprises. No long period without food save from the last one to the morning feed.
Turn around Little Bob!
Andy is being very vigilant.
The feeding lasted for forty minutes! Lena filled up those chicks so full but, remember, this will be their last meal for the day if the pattern these two adult Ospreys have been following holds. One of the chatters commented that, “Minibob’s got a crop so full that it’s not just getting fatter it’s getting longer as well!” (BJ). That is always good to see.
You can see a bird flying behind the palm tree. There are predators around the nest. It did not go unnoticed by Andy and Lena. Andy is being careful. No one will harm his family if he can help it.
The trio are slowly falling into a sleep coma. There was no fish left for Andy and even Lena didn’t get a lot. The osplets are demanding more and more each feeding as they grow. They will all be entering their second week by the end of this week and that is a big growth period for nestlings.
Andy is off to get his fish. Lena might be wishing he would bring in another one so she could have some more fish, too. Meanwhile she is trying to get the full and sleepy puddle of chicks settled.
Big Bob is not being very cooperative! Get to sleep Big Bob.
Finally! It is a cuddle puddle.
Spring is in the air for all of the California Condors at San Simeon and The Pinnacles. Ventana Wildlife Society just posted this beautiful image with an announcement of a Zoom session. You might want to check it out. I have attended several of these. They are free and very informative.
There is a pip at the home of the Duke Farms Bald Eagles!
Here is the link to their camera. I saw the announcement on FB but the view from the cameras is not good enough for me to get an image capture.
One of our readers, ‘S’ from Latvia reports that the swans are returning. They have been flying over her house and foraging in the nearby fields. Isn’t that wonderful. Next week I will include a discussion on all the nests in Latvia and Estonia – White-tailed Eagles and Storks – that you can watch. Eggs will be laid on some of the nests, such as Milda’s around the beginning of spring. It gives me hope – hope that warm days are coming.
All of the nests are doing well. NE26 and 27 ate so much today they could hardly walk! I have not seen Ervie but his tracker shows he is exploring the area around the bay where the barge is located. Hopefully we might get a glimpse of him, soon.
Take care everyone. Thank you so much for joining me today. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Window on Wildlife and Captiva Osprey Nest and Duke Farms.
Is there a better way to spend a snowy Sunday than to watch little eaglets being fed in their nests?
Gabby and Samson’s NE26 hatched at 03:04 on the 23rd of January. It was caught in an image that Pascale Ragon posted on FB. What an adorable little eaglet! It is also very strong, holding its head up high and not bobbing along so much!
The image of this sweetie below shows clearly the very sharp egg-tooth that was used to break out of that shell. It looks like 26 has already caught on to the latest in eye liner styles!
This ‘new born’ is also eating large flakes of fish. I could not believe it. Oh, what a sweet little tongue.
Gabby and 26 have this all worked out. Mom tilts her big beak 90 degrees and baby brings its beak straight up the middle. Bingo! I cannot tell you how impressed I was with what was going on at this nest today — but mind you, Samson and Gabby are always at the top of my list for Baldie parents.
Look at this sweet one looking up to Mum. That is simply adorable.
Hi there.
I feel like a new grandparent showing off pictures — I could seriously have cut and pasted so many you would be bored to tears. It is hard to take your eyes off a 12 hour eaglet!
The eaglet at the Kisatchie National Forest Bald Eagle nest had 10 feedings today, again. They began at 06:47 and ended at 17:40. I compares the times from one day to another. So, on Friday, the first feeding was at 06:52 and the last one at 17:41. There was a similar pattern for Saturday. Does Anna have an app that tings at the same time each day? Or are the feedings linked to dusk and dawn? Bald Eagles are diurnal. They hunt and eat during the daylight hours. The little eaglets are trained and treated as such from the time they hatch.
You can see that this eaglet -who is 11 days old today- is beginning to change. The light grey fluffy down is giving way to the darker thermal down. This will mean that once that thermal down is all in, Anna will not have to brood the eaglet so much.
Today, Anna let the eaglet have quite a bit of warm, not hot, sunshine. Both her and Louis were close but they let the little one have some air!
In the image below, the ‘baby face’ is also disappearing. The beak is growing longer and the egg tooth is almost totally gone. If you look at the wings you can see little black lines. Can you believe feathers are coming??
I have had the Big Sur condors on my mind and was very thankful when Ventana Wildlife Society posted this message on their FB page today. What a relief! Little Iniko 1031 was only released back into the wild six weeks ago, on 4 December 2021, after being caught in the Dolan Fire and having a long rehabilitation.
The Kakapo Recovery are also very happy. This is the ‘white board score board’ for the eggs. It looks like it could be a really super year if they all hatch and the chicks survive.
Each time I went to check on Ervie, the nest was either empty or there were pigeons doing clean up.
Then, all of a sudden, at 13:00:51 Ervie comes flying in. He was sure putting on the breaks. Just look at those magnificent wings. Oh, Ervie, you are so special.
Ervie must have a motion detector for when Dad is coming to the nest with a fish! It was 13:01:09. Ervie arrived 15 seconds before Dad!
That timing is not a coincidence. So where did Ervie see Dad with the fish? Was Ervie on the old barge while Dad was fishing?
It was a really nice fish and Ervie will enjoy every morsel!
Ervie spends several minutes mantling and alarming before he digs into his lunch.
Ah, thank you Port Lincoln! Ervie is a beautiful bird.
Two hours later and Ervie is screaming for more fish!!!!!!!!! I bet they could hear him across the bay!!!!!! No wonder Mum and Dad don’t stay on the barge when Ervie is about.
R1 and R2 were well fed today. This is the coldest day Miami has experienced this season. It is currently 16 C – which on the Canadian Prairies would be considered a nice summer day! But, if you live in Miami, everyone would be cold.
Rita was making sure that everyone was eating.
Both eaglets had nice crops before Rita informed them it was bedtime!
Rita tucked both eaglets in as best she could to keep them warm from the wind and what would be to her, the cold temperatures.
There has been a bit of concern by the watchers of the Berry College Bald Eagle Cam. Missy stepped on the left wing of the eaglet. Something startled Missy about 20:12 and she got up abruptly. Is it hurt? I do not know. We will have to wait and see how it is doing tomorrow.
The eaglet was moving its wings fine at the time of the image below.
All is quiet now and then something startles Missy.
She gets up, looks to her right and stumbles around the baby.
Send warm wishes to this little one that everything is alright. They are so fragile at this stage and B15 is doing so well. Something startled Missy about an hour later, too. Everyone is tucked in now and we wait to see how the baby is doing tomorrow.
I will leave you with a nice shot of Ervie with his crop. What a handsome osprey you are, Ervie.
Thank you so very much for joining me today. With the exception of the worry at Berry College, Bird World is looking good. Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or FB pages where I took my screen shots: The Kakapo Recovery, Ventana Wildlife Society, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Berry College Bald Eagle Cam, NEFlorida Bald Eagles and the AEF, KNF Bald Eagle Cam, and the WRDC Bald Eagle Cam.
Daisy arrived at her eggs in the Sydney Olympic Forest at 04:47:25. She is a little earlier than yesterday. There will be a full report on Daisy later today. She is alert and perhaps slightly nervous with what happened yesterday with the Ravens.
Ventana Wildlife Society have posted the release video of Iniko. Here it is:
The Port Lincoln Lads continue to fly around the cove and their parents continue to provide them with lots of fish to keep them in fit shape. Deliveries after noon include: 12:32 for Ervie, 14:45 for Bazza (a huge fish), 16:29 for Falky, and Ervie picks up the 16:34 delivery.
Ervie is on the left and Falky is on the right eating their fish. Look at how good those feathers are. These three are just doing fantastic!
I have to admit that I really miss the little Ospreys. Jack and Diane have been working on their nest at Achieva and the Osprey couple at Captiva were trying to mate yesterday.
My friend ‘S’ has sent me a great video showing Osprey fishing. It gives you some good insight into how physically fit these birds have to be to fish. Think about it. The male fishes all day long when there are eggs and chicks on the nest. Incredible.
Ken Phung is from Taiwan.
In Bald Eagle world, everyone is waiting for Anna at the KNF Bald Eagle Nest in Central Louisiana and Connie at the Captiva nest in Florida to lay their second egg today. Indeed, all of the Bald Eagle nests are busy – one way or the other. Gabby escorted the sub-adult female off her nest yesterday.
This is a short report. Daisy seems to have taken over my life – and I am happy but the other nests sure don’t get much attention. In our garden are 27 European Starlings and several hundred sparrows. It is cold today, -16 C. Feeders are full and everyone is depleting them!
Take care everyone. Full report on Daisy later today but for now the eggs were safe over night. Rain and storms predicted again which might help our little Duck. See you soon!
Thanks to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Port Lincoln Osprey Project. A big shout out to ‘S’ for the Osprey video. That is fantastic.
feeling happy in 
