Tomorrow is the day that the vote on Menhaden will happen. It is a big day for our ospreys and I thank everyone who sent their comments to the committee.
Great news about Snow – Flying Higher and Lifting Off. Mum and Dad would be proud.
Victor Hurley was concerned about the female at 367 Collins Street. The adult female has been feeding her and she is eating better and both looked good a few minutes ago.
Adult on nest with prey – eaglet on the branches earlier at the Olympic Park WBSE nest in Sydney.
M15 and F26 were seen mating on the old nest at the Pritchett Farm in Fort Myers, Florida.
Egg watch continues at NE Florida nest of Beau and Gabby.
Thank you so much for being with us on this quick update. There is one other thing – Mary Cheadle is holding a final fundraiser for The Woodland Trust and the Loch Arkaig nest of Louis and Dorcha.
Thank you to everyone advocating for the Ospreys tomorrow – what a great image. Thank you to SK Hideaways and to everyone who else who posted information, images, or both. I am grateful to the owners of the streaming cams that let us watch these incredible birds.
Toby and I have had a lovely walk today and are preparing to meet our friend, Connie, and her dog, Izzy, for a longer “sniffing meet” tonight at 1800. The weather is not so bad. Yes, I need a light wool coat and a toque, but the sun is shining, and the sky is blue, and we are feeling joyful!
Dylan and Seren (Blue 5F) lost their three chicks this year at the main Llyn Clywedog nest in Wales. Seren appeared to have been frightened and bolted, leaving the chicks uncovered during a cool night. All died from hypothermia. Dylan and Seren recovered, and today, Seren was photographed on her favourite post in The Gambia. She has arrived safely.
There are now only two surviving eyases on the 367 Collins Street ledge. The eldest died of either Trichomoniasis or HPAI, falling off the ledge during the early hours of the morning. I hope that the carcass was found and taken for testing so that the results can be known. The other two chicks appear to be fine. Let us hope it stays that way! These are excellent parents.
Congratulations for SE38 who fledged and returned to the nest several times before being seen on camera on the ground.
Jack and Jill were together at the Achieva nest today.
The Woodland Trust published their video summary of the 2026 Loch Arkaig ospreys. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/jKM7mRL0iaQ?
Thank you so much for being with us today for this quick report. Please take care. We will be back with you at the weekend.
Thank you to everyone who posted images and information on FB, to RT at Raptor Persecution UK for constantly seeking the truth, to Jeff Kear and the group at UK Osprey Info FB, and to everyone else – we are grateful for all the news you share. To the owners of the streaming cams, we owe you a great debt as without your service we would not be able to watch these incredible lives.
I just caught this post by Victor Hurley, the Peregrine Falcon researcher in Melbourne.
Good morning Falcon Watchers,
I have been concerned for a little while now that one of the larger nestlings has been looking a bit off colour and not feeding adequately. Diagnoses from this distance is always challenging. From what I have seen both at this site and other urban sites it appears as if this one has a Trichomoniasis infection. This is a contagious disease that attacks the mouth, crop and oesophagus. It occurs in a range of bird species with adult pigeons and doves often acting as resistant, sub-clinical carriers. Its transmission to young Peregrines in the nest is through direct contact via being fed infected prey.
The rules at this site are that we do not interfere. These are wild birds in an urban environment. No correspondence will be entered into on this matter.
P.S. it is unlikely that this one will transmit it to the other siblings. The adults could bring in further infected prey and those too could become infected. Only time will tell.
P.S.S. I could be wrong and it is bird flu. How this one is presenting seems much more typical of Trich and not Bird Flu. However, bird flu presents differently and faster acting leading to death.
P.S.S.S. Yes this will be fatal.”
Let us hope that this does not spread to the others. Sadly, we have seen Trichiminosis at this nest in earlier years.
Thank you to Dr Hurley and to the owners of the streaming cam at 367 Collins Street.
Gosh, the week flew by. In some parts of the world, the time changed, but here in Manitoba, we stayed the same. This year, we did not ‘fall back’. A vote was taken, and there will be no more Daylight Saving Time. I wonder how this will impact people’s lives – or not. We wait to see.
Gorgeous birds at the feeders all week. Those Starlings sure love the cat and dog kibble.
Mr Crow isn’t all black – check out those gorgeous iridescent feathers!
We could not forget about Junior. We continue to have seven Blue Jays at the feeder the instant the peanuts are put out. It is fantastic to wake up to their presence and their song throughout the day.
You probably wonder about the Calicos – Calico and her baby, Hope. They tend to keep to themselves while these three hang out together all day long.
Again, thank you for your wonderful letters of support. I won’t lie. Am I doing OK? Not really, but we are doing the best we can in a horrible situation, just like millions of other families are right now. I am so grateful for the support I have and the small team that makes sure Don has someone visit him each day. It makes a difference to me. Does it mean something to Donald? I sure hope so, as it is an effort for everyone, and I am so grateful. It gives me a chance to recharge my batteries a bit, so to speak, and to clear my head.
I am hoping to get everyone who visits to get someone to take a photo with them and Donald and then I am going to have those images printed for a book and a tiny blanket. Perhaps it will help him to remember.
Did you have little ones for Halloween? Toby dressed up like a lizard and helped me deliver goodie bags to the five children on our block and one special adult. A nearby street has their annual block party for Halloween, and there are about thirty other children who come trick-or-treating- the weather was grand.
This is the latest from Judy Harrington re the WBSE:
November 1: Rain in the night, with the eaglets flapping -then it eased and all settled again. Early start to the day then both were seen down on the river, one appeared to be eating. Lady arrived at the nest at 7:21, closely followed by Dad with an eel. Eaglets were quick to react – as was Lady, claiming the prey. She fed 37 then both ate. Before that just before 6am SE37 branched -at last official. And again at 6:37. More prey at 9:40 when Dad came with a fish, quickly grabbed by 38 -eating until 37 took over. 38 moved to PB beside Dad. 37 self-fed very well, finishing the rest. Then they rested and waited. Late afternoon both parents were down on River Roost, with a duet. Late afternoon, Lady brought a gull nestling in and again fed them both. Satisfied eaglets at end of day.
With no little chicks this year for Gimbir and Diamond, Holly Parsons has been posting memories along with other ‘Diamond Fans’. Here is a YouTube compilation of Gizmo and Pluto from 2019 by Holly: https://youtu.be/VJvrY7Jbhsw?
The trio at 367 Collins Street are growing right before our eyes. The oldest is a real corker – loving to hang out on the ledge and give us all indigestion with worry.
e-Bird states a Northern Nutcracker is a : “Large, distinctive corvid, roughly the size of a Eurasian Jay. Note the long and heavy bill, white-flecked face, and black cap. Note white-spotted dark brown back and sides. Short tail, white vent, and white tail markings evident during undulating, woodpecker-like flight. Inhabits coniferous and mixed forests, from lowlands up into high montane forests. Often stores nuts for the winter. Mostly resident but large numbers may irrupt periodically out of the normal range in response to food shortages. Gives a variety of calls, especially during the breeding season, including harsh grating rasps, as well as quieter “mumbling” calls and mimicry. Formerly grouped with Southern Nutcracker under the more generic “Eurasian Nutcracker.”
When asked about the challenges that the Northern Nutcracker faces, we get the following:
The primary environmental challenges for the northern nutcracker are centered around climate change, indirect habitat degradation, and volatile food supply failures:
Indirect Climate Change Impacts on Seed Sources
The northern nutcracker is a dietary specialist that relies heavily on a co-dependent, mutualistic relationship with specific trees. In Europe, its primary winter food comes from the seeds of the Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra) and the common hazel (Corylus avellana), while its Siberian counterpart (N. c. macrorhynchos) relies on the Siberian pine.
Alpine Habitat Contraction: Climate warming alters subalpine and mountain ecotones. While nutcrackers assist trees in colonizing higher altitudes by caching seeds at upper treelines, long-term modeling indicates that alpine and montane habitats are at severe risk of extensive species contraction due to rising temperatures.
Severe Food Failures and “Irruptions”
When localized ecosystems experience consecutive years of optimal weather, nutcracker populations experience a breeding boom. However, if these boom cycles are immediately followed by widespread pine seed crop failures, the birds suffer catastrophic food shortages.
Mass Displacement: Extreme resource scarcity forces the birds into massive, desperate migratory events called irruptions. During these periods, tens of thousands of nutcrackers are forced out of their native habitats—Siberian nutcrackers, for example, have been pushed thousands of miles across Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and into the UK in search of basic sustenance.
High Boreal Forest Dependency
According to data tracked by the BirdLife International DataZone, the northern nutcracker possesses a high forest dependency rating. This makes them acutely vulnerable to any disruptions in contiguous old-growth coniferous and mixed forests. Widespread logging, clear-cutting for infrastructure, and extreme, climate-driven boreal wildfires heavily compromise the specific stands of trees they need to harvest and cache up to 100,000 seeds annually per bird.
The end of the season update from Rutland Water on the Ospreys with a YouTube video link:
“As all three got more confident in their flying abilities, 8R7(26) caused a bit of concern on 22nd July. Seen leaving the nest just after 6am, he was absent for a large portion of the day, but returned to the nest just after 4pm, having not been seen at any of his usual spots during that time at all.
It was then 8R5(26)’s turn to disappear, spending extended periods off the nest and then, on 31st July, we saw him for the final time this year, flying off the poplar branch after a large breakfast, off round the back of the poplar trees and away. At the time, he was 80 days old, so rather young for migration, but he had proven to be a strong chick during his 29 days since fledging. Hopefully, we’ll see him again in two years.
Seemingly inspired by her male siblings, 8R6(26) then had a period of disappearing from the nest for more than a day at a time but, after a week of this, then stayed around the nest. However, on the morning of Friday 21st August, both 8R6(26) (99 days old) and 8R7(26) (96 days) were seen spiralling up on thermals over Manton Bay, led by 33(11), a short while after 10:15am. Neither of the chicks were then seen on or near the nest, so had obviously started to make their way south. It’s interesting that they chose to go together. The winds were favourable that day, blowing from the north west, so we hope they both made swift, and safe, progress.
Meanwhile, over on our previously unoccupied nest this season, at Lagoon 4 on the reserve at Egleton, we suddenly had a regular visitor. We were able to see this close up thanks to the two cameras now installed at the nest. Identified as 9R0(26), one of the chicks from Site B, she was being visited by her male parent, 359(21), who would bring fish and sticks. This went on for a few weeks.
The sharp-eyed of you might remember the number 359(21) as he was one of the pair that spent a lot of time at Lagoon 4 last year, but he and 3H9(23) went their separate ways when they returned this year, taking up spaces on nests where experienced parents didn’t return. 359(21) took over from 30(10) at Site B, pairing with HJ8(14), and they had two chicks – 8R9(26) and 9R0(26). According to Tim Mackrill, HJ8(14) looked like she had already migrated and 359(21) was left feeding the two chicks, with 8R9(26) staying at Site B and 9R0(26) moving to Lagoon 4. Interesting behaviour and possibly shedding some light on the off-nest time of our Manton Bay chicks…
Thank you so much for being with us today. I will be posting one or two times per week for the next little while. I find that The Girls and Toby are quite needy, in addition to my regular every-other-day hospital visits. Keep us in your thoughts. We are hanging in there, and I hope that you are, too, no matter what is thrown at you. We can’t change what happens to us, but we can change how we react. Right now, Don is much more content, and that helps me. We have picnics, listen to John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy album, and dance in the dayroom with the help of a wheelchair. It makes us smile.
Thank you to all who created videos today – Rutland Water, SK Hideaways, Holly Parsons amongst others. To those who posted information and images, we are always grateful and to the owners of the streaming cams – thank you more than you will ever know!
There isn’t much going on in Bird World. Ervie and Bradley both showed up at the barge nest. Many wondered what they would make of the two eggs. Gosh, I wish Ervie would find a mate, and there was food for the ospreys, so we could see him be a great dad! We’ve been waiting…Ervie.
Incubation continues at 367 Collins Street where we are now on pip watch! Diamond and Gimbir will be a little later.
Something nice: Dani Conor Wild did a great video of 300 Cedar Waxwings clearing berries off the trees in Northern Sweden. Have a look! https://youtu.be/9O7uGnE5LNw?
I keep trying to keep my wits about me. It is great to have The Girls and Toby, as well as all the Blue Jays, in the garden. Nature can really turn a rough day into a smoother one. Since I last posted, the furnace decided to go on a blink. Turns out the thermostat’s internet connection set everything in motion, but in the end the motor was going (are they really set to fall apart once the warranty is up?) and a new furnace will go in on Thursday. No one wants to live in ‘Winterpeg’ without heat. We have been known to be colder than Mars, but this year is the Super El Niño, so how will that impact us? Milder, they are saying. We wait.
Toby continues to steal the hearts of people in the hospital or the bank. He is adorable. I am so grateful for the great days I have gotten to spend with Don as he works hard to recover.
Thank you for being with us today! It is time for Toby to have a nice walk. We hope to be back with you as soon as there is hatch at Collins Street. Take care.
Thank you to everyone for their videos, their posts on FB, to Jeff Kear – your group is amazing, always grateful for that great data – and to the owners of the streaming cams, thank you as always, for letting us watch these amazing bird families.
Toby and I are out in the conservatory. The birds were fed along with The Girls, then my coffee, then Toby’s omelette and finally, our morning walk. The sky is heavy weith grey clouds and everything feels damp. It is decidedly autumn. The squirrels and birds are busy caching. A gallon pail of peanuts seems to disappear in the blink of an eye!
This morning Mr Blue Jay was waiting patiently.
Then, when Junior got his first peanut, he seemed not to know what to do with it. Was it because one of Dyson’s kits had arrived?
The images were all taken through the conservatory glass with the new camera. I am pleased!
Canadian author Margaret Atwood loves birds, especially Ravens. She shared this with her late partner. Graeme Gibson.
“Now, Gibson’s legacy is about to help expand humanity’s understanding of birds. On Friday Western University, in London, Ontario, announced that Atwood had donated C$1m (£540,000) to celebrate her late partner’s love of birds.
The gift will create the Graeme Gibson chair in avian biology, with the goal of better understanding the fundamental processes that shape how birds move, adapt and behave in an environment undergoing profound transformation.
You can read the ‘good news’ article in The Guardian here:
I missed the Webinar with Ben Wurst on the osprey decline in the Chesapeake Bay region. I hope it will be archived on YouTube. I will provide the link if that happens.
Osprey starvation is not new to those reading my blog. We have been discussing this for at least three years, but this year appears to be not only the critical breaking point (is it a point of no return?) but also a call for help from various agencies and individuals. Michael Academia and others have been sounding the warning for many years!
This is a huge study. Please look and act when you can.
“(Williamsburg, VA)— The Center for Conservation Biology at William & Mary has compiled the 2026 breeding performance results for osprey populations along the Atlantic Coast of North America. Within the Chesapeake Bay, breeding performance in ospreys has been poor for several years due to extreme food stress during the nesting season. Productivity has declined to critical levels that now threaten the stability of the largest osprey breeding population in the world. The primary objective for compiling osprey monitoring results for the broader Atlantic coast is to visualize breeding performance at scale and address the question “Are ospreys experiencing reproductive deficits in waters beyond the Chesapeake Bay?” The 2026 effort includes monitoring results for 2,886 pairs from 65 study areas across 10 states (Table 1, Figure 1).”
Please read Audubon’s Call to Action and sign the form at the link to help Ospreys. No money required – just a note to the commission, and please share extensively on social media and with friends and family.
Hope has returned to her nest at the Osprey Environment Centre after losing all three chicks due to a lack of fish.
We wait the arrival of the falcons in both Melbourne and Orange.
The wee sea eaglets are doing fine. SE38 isn’t backing down when it comes to food!
Shadow and Kaydee didn’t blink – Toby and The Girls would have hide with Toby howling – but not our new Big Bear couple. SK Hideaways got them: https://youtu.be/4AIX1M9dwGI?
Thank you for being with me. I am hanging in there. We are now 4.5 weeks into Don’s stay in the hospital. He was able to put weight on his feet three days ago and has walked some. He can feed himself on occasion. His communication is somewhat better. A day at a time, a day at a time.
Thank you to The Guardian, SK Hideaways, and everyone who is working hard to save the ospreys. Please do check out the posts and voice your opinion! Now is not the time to sit on our hands – it is time for action. Thank you also to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to look into the lives of these incredible birds.
I am having trouble with my Internet and the technician cannot come out until Saturday so my post today will be very short and I will be back late Sunday.
SK Hideaways has completed their tribute to Jackie. Enjoy!
It is very late- 22:00 on Monday evening. It’s been a beautiful, albeit very busy, day, so I hope this post is interesting but brief. It is all about fish!
This is the latest post (from Bart M) about the events that have unfolded at the Port Lincoln barge where the osprey nest of Mum and Dad – the place where our dear Ervie and Giliath hatched and who, thankfully, have thrived. Let’s hope that continues.
” 21 September 2026
What is happening at Port Lincoln?
Just like last year the parents have left the nest, with the eggs unhatched.
We are not 100% sure why, but we can offer plausible causes.
The main cause is that there is not enough fish brought to the nest by Dad. We’ve seen Mum fishing herself a couple of times the past weeks (since 8 September), which in itself is a sign that she’s is not getting enough fish.
On 19 September she leaves the barge, with the eggs being 26 and 23 days old.
So why is Dad not bringing enough fish?
Is it age related?
There is no evidence of that. Just a few weeks ago, when Mum was having her ‘affair’ with Ervie, he was able to bring lots of fish per day, convincing Mum he could do his job.
There is evidence of there not being enough fish in the bay: Fishermen in Port Lincoln are saying the fishing is so poor, they are leaving their boats out of the water. Also other nests are suffering, like the white tailed eagles nest. And we see Ervie and Giliath fishing further away on the GPS trackers.
The cause?
The past years the temperature of the water has been rising, and this leads to two things:
1) In 2025 there was a big bloom of algae, and a toxic one, killing thousands of fish and other marine wildlife and also this year there is a lot of algae blooming again.
2) Fish will head into colder, deeper, water, making it harder for osprey to catch them.
And when there is not enough fish, the instincts kick in.. stress levels rise and Mum abandons the eggs. Note she only laid two eggs in the first place, which is already an indicator.
She (and Dad) will probably incubate the eggs for a while.. also instinct: Eggs! Incubate!
But the eggs won’t be viable anymore.
Last year showed the embryos died just prior to Mum leaving them for a day. So even a couple of hours without incubation was enough.
Could the fish fairies help is a question in chat?
Of course, but that would take a lot of resource, both money to buy the fish, and people bringing the fish to the barge. And PLO would have to do that for a whole season, until even late in December. That is just too much to ask and not sustainable. Note that in 2024 only on 29 days fish were actually supplemented.
So is there nothing we can do?
Not for this season, and not for Mum and Dad on the barge.
But we can shout to the world and everyone around you that we as a people must take better care of our world. This is a sign we cannot ignore, and it’s not only here that it is happening. In a lot of places, all over the globe, Osprey and wildlife is suffering because of climate change.
And we can only hope nature in the Port Lincoln area will adept and recover, so next year there will be more fish.. and we can enjoy the sight of new little osprey on the nest.”
I was shocked this evening to find that the topic of Menhaden, the primary fish for many ospreys in the NE United States, was central to a post by a leading chef based in Paris!!!!!!! I have cut and paste what was said in Spilled Milk #499 by Andrew Zimmerman in :
The Choices We Make Are Killing Us
I am off to NYC today to attend UNGA81 for Climate Week, to learn, listen, share my experience and try to make a difference with all my United Nations, nonprofit and NGO partners. And I can’t shake this brilliant op-ed by Mark Robichaux in The Washington Post.
Robichaux is a former Wall Street Journal reporter, fisherman and author, which is an unusually useful combination for this subject. He understands both how to follow an institution and how to read the water. His piece is about Atlantic menhaden, an oily little fish most Americans have never heard of and almost none of us eat. Which is precisely why this matters so much.
Atlantic Menhaden: The Small Fish Holding Up the Ecosystem
Menhaden are forage fish. Striped bass eat them. Bluefish eat them. Tuna eat them. Whales eat them. Ospreys eat them. They are one of those unglamorous species upon which glamorous species depend.
Robichaux points out that researchers studying Chesapeake Bay ospreys found reproductive collapse in high-salinity areas where menhaden are an important food source. The researchers carefully stopped short of proving that commercial menhaden harvest caused the decline but made a superb case that reduced menhaden availability is a primary driver of poor reproductive performance.
Meanwhile, we keep removing staggering quantities of them. Ocean Harvesters, whose catch supplies Omega Protein’s Virginia reduction plant, harvested nearly 300 million pounds of menhaden in 2024. That’s about 70 percent of the Atlantic coast harvest. Much of this extraordinary biological resource is turned into fish meal and fish oil for aquaculture, livestock feed and supplements.
Think about the absurdity. We are removing one of the foundational foods of the Atlantic ecosystem so that we can grind it up and feed it to other animals. And increasingly, we learn that we don’t have to. We are literally devouring our own planet. Gobbling it up until nothing will be left.
Microalgae and the Alternatives We Already Have
Microalgae naturally produce the same long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, for which we prize fish oil. Algal oils are already commercially viable ingredients in aquaculture and research shows they can replace substantial amounts, sometimes all, of the fish oil in certain feeds without sacrificing growth or fish quality.
The remaining problems are principally economics, formulation and scale. Those are solvable human problems. We are really good at it.
That distinction matters because this isn’t really a story about menhaden. It’s about us. We have developed an astonishing habit of identifying damaging practices, developing alternatives and then continuing the damaging practices anyway.
That is an ideal definition of insanity.
I am so pleased that the plight of the ospreys and the need to protect our oceans, rivers, and lakes/lochs has been brought to the attention of such a diverse group of individuals. Hearings continue. Politicians need to be ‘buried’ by your letters and e-mails. Now is the time to speak up. Do not be shy. Write a heartfelt letter about your observations, nests that you loved that failed due to a lack of fish. Make it personal because this is personal – we all love our fish hawks. Just imagine how you would feel if Iris sat on her nest starving to death before you and you had done nothing? Again, now is the time to write to your politicians. Read Andrew Zimmerman’s blog closely – maybe you will want to sign up for his free blogs?? – it might give you some ideas for writing your own letter.
People who want to protect menhaden from industrial fishing by Omega Protein can write to environmental conservation groups, state legislators, and fisheries management commissions, campaigning for stricter catch limits.
Where to Write and Contact
Save Menhaden Campaign: Visit Save Menhaden to sign petitions and contact local representatives.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF): Write to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to support conservation studies and tighter restrictions in Virginia waters. This is the article above that is ‘Save the Bay’.
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC): Submit comments directly to the commission responsible for managing Atlantic menhaden quotas.
Virginia General Assembly: Write to local Virginia state delegates and lawmakers to urge legislative action on industrial reduction fishing in the Chesapeake Bay.
Thank you so much for being with us today. I will be back later in the week with our good news stories!
Take care everyone.
Thank you to everyone for their posts, their articles, and the will to save the fish for the Ospreys – Menhaden do not need to be chicken feed!!!!!!!!! Thank you also to Open Verse where I found the image of Menhaden!
My days are the type of routine that underline there is a change but that life goes on, just day by day, not knowing what will happen. Toby and I get up and feed the birds. By the time Toby and Hugo Yugo settle on the old sofa and the cat tree in the conservatory, the Blue Jays are flying in, little squirrels are running along the power lines to then jump into the lilacs and find nuts, while the songbirds begin landing on the leafless limbs of some of the trees. This is the scene we watch every morning while I sip my coffee.
It has always been this way, with the exception that Don was sitting at the table drinking his tea and trying to count the Blue Jays and squirrels or me. His seat is now empty, and I do not know if he will ever join us again.
It is difficult. But more about that another day.
This blog was meant to be about ‘good things’, but ospreys in South Australia are abandoning their eggs, as they have in the NE United States and Eastern Canada (NS, in particular). Today, Mum finally stopped incubating the eggs on the barge at Port Lincoln because of a lack of fish. We also saw the issues related to the lack of food at the Osprey Environmental Centre. This is, sadly, widespread. Fran Solly tells us that Ervie and Giliath are having to travel farther and farther to find fish.
We are witnessing what warming waters, droughts, and overfishing are doing to our feathered friends that depend on the fish. Red Algae blooms are in the area of Port Lincoln, causing havoc.
367 Collins St. Falcons ~ F24 (female) and M24 (male)
F24 and M24 have incubation changeovers down to an art. She is doing the bulk of the incubation and he is doing the bulk of the hunting. After a short incubation stint this morning, we saw M24 doing laps around the building, presumably hunting. Did someone say the fastest animal on earth? Whoosh! Video: https://youtu.be/jwJhbaxKMa4 FOBBV Eagles ~ Big Bear Valley, CA ~ Jackie, Shadow, Sandy, and Luna
Courtesy FOBBVCAM | Friends of Big Bear Valley | California
Shadow & Kaydee’s Eventful Morning ~ Fish Sharing Not Happening ~2026 Sep 16 Shadow and Kaydee spent another night together on the roost tree ~ Kaydee cozying up a bit at dawn before departing. They went their own ways for a couple hours, then Shadow brought a fish to the nest with Kaydee in hot pursuit. She didn’t have a chance to try to share as Shadow made it crystal clear that this was *his* fish and *his* fish alone. Kaydee remained on the front perch till Shadow gulped down the fish tail. She then cautiously entered the nest, where she and Shadow spent a short time together. Kaydee nipped Shadow’s tail and there was some beaking, but Shadow seemed to want to be on his own today. He departed, while Kaydee remained on the nest for another two hours. Another day, another adventure. Video: https://youtu.be/bvJyHjfo0VA
KAYDEE’S FIRST STICK!She Showers Shadow in Beakies & Nibbles ~ 2026 Sep 12
Kaydee brought the first stick of the season to the nest. When Shadow arrived she seemed excited about her accomplishment and nibbled his beak, then his feathers, which he accepted. It was quite a change in dynamics from the previous day. Video: https://youtu.be/ZA4JA6tfchQ
Lady is Perfect Sun MUMBRELLAfor SE37 & SE38 ~ 2026 Sep 14
Lady deemed it necessary to shade her seaglets, spreading her gorgeous wings over them to do so. SE37 and SE38 were of two minds about it: while the shade was nice, it was pretty toasty under all those beautiful feathers. Also included is some close-up footage of SE38’s glorious crop.
SE38’s Happy Eel Meal Deal ~ Leaves Wee One with HUGE Crop ~ 2026 Sep 12
When SE38 steps up for a good meal, there’s a collective cheer throughout the fan base. This was one of those days. Lady and Dad have brought a few eels to the nest, providing great nutrition for the seaglets. SE37 eats first, then SE38 sometimes, but not always, steps up to eat. This was one of those days in which SE38 ate very well. It was a joy to behold. Video: https://youtu.be/qMUP6PbcjO
Updates from Window to Wildlife updates including Connie and Clive:
And all the way from Berlin, our happy moment for today – a story about Black Robins. Thanks, ‘J’.
Thank you for being with us today. It appears that our dear Iris has now left the Hellgate Canyon are on her migration. This is one of the last, if not the last, image of her on the baseball lights. We will wait anxiously til April for her and Clarke to return.
Thank you to SK Hideaways for their videos covering so many nests this week. Please check them out! And to everyone who posted on FB, to ‘J’ for the story of the Black Robin, and to Windows to Wildlife for their update – and all streaming cam owners – we thank you, too.
I am exhausted. Changes to the house continue in case Donald is ever able to come home. If not, they will be there for me or someone else. With the lack of ospreys in Australia, the news is very thin as we wait for hatch at Collins Street and Orange. Please continue to watch the WBSE – they are adorable and growing so fast. How will changes to the water impact these eagles who also depend on fish amongst other prey?
It is very late on Friday night. Toby and I have been at the hospital for most of the late afternoon and very early evening. What a delight it was to talk to Don’s ‘neighbour’, Heidi. Heidi is a walking history book – born in Lubek, Germany in 1942. She told me how, when the wall went up, her mother stuffed food and treats in her pocket because she knew Heidi and her friends were crossing a little ditch into ‘the East’. I told her how I spent time woodfiring pottery in Mecklenberg. The region of Mecklenberg is also home to many, many lakes with ospreys!!!!!!!!!!! We learned something from one another. As for Don, he has been given a drug that appears to have had a dramatic negative impact on his independence. I am hoping that miracles do happen.
Toby just lives his best life at the hospital. He loves everyone and now stops and chats – after three weeks, long-time patients recognise him. A sweet girl starts waving a wand when we come through the locked door to Don’s ward. Toby always loves chatting with her and getting some pets. One of my greatest joys is seeing him bring happiness to others – and I am so thankful that we had him trained to be a therapy dog so he can be shared with them in hospital or in care homes. He is an incredibly ‘good’ dog – he only barks with other dogs. Is it some kind of canine symphony? or when he sees ‘a cat’ out in the garden and it is not one of his sisters. He does not jump or scratch or lick without getting some kind of signal from the person (that signal I have to work out – it is like a silent yes going through some sound wave I cannot here).
Still best friends. This is every morning…if it didn’t happen, I would worry. It is their way of getting to eat breakfast together as long as their waitress brings their plates!
But, enough…is Iris still here?
The latest Iris ever stayed in Missoula was September 11th. She is still there, as far as I can tell! Remember all the comments about Iris looking tired and a bit dishevelled? I am pleased that she is staying later and eating a lot of fish to build up her system so that her migration and return are successful.
A compilation all about Iris:
Charlie is still at Charlo, too!
Missing Idris and Telyn along with their cute kiddos? Dyfi have put together videos like no one else!
Geemeff’s last summary:
Final daily summary for Loch Arkaig Season Ten: Friday 18th September
A few little birds thought about paying a visit then changed their minds – neither nest looks very appealing in the prevailing wet grey conditions. Our Osprey family are well on their way to their wintering grounds after a very successful season. Dorcha returned early on 4th April and both Garry and Aurora returned on the 7th, stopping in first at Nest Two before going to their own home at Nest One. But then we waited, and waited, and Louis didn’t arrive. It was getting tense and people were starting to write him off and then like magic, he turned up on the 17th looking fit and well and ready to start the new season right away. While Garry and Aurora got off to a slow start eventually producing just the one egg which didn’t hatch, Louis and Dorcha produced three eggs and hatched three chicks. Sadly the third chick faded away after only five days, but the other two grew big and strong and fighting fit. Perhaps a bit too much fighting, despite a steady supply of 481 fish from Louis and 5 from Dorcha, however both females went on to fledge and migrate and their feisty natures should stand them in good stead for their future prospects when seeking nests and mates of their own. The season ended on 4th September when Louis paid a final visit to the nest, and we wish them all fair winds and plenty of fish, and look forward to seeing the adults back next spring for Season Eleven.
WTS George will post this season’s highlights video here in due course, and then the comments will close until that glorious day next March when they reopen and we all return for Season Eleven. Meantime, you can join fellow followers of the Arkaig Ospreys on Facebook or over at Adam’s site, and chat about all things Osprey over winter:https://www.facebook.com/groups/829595230542720https://walkingwithdaddy.com/osprey/
Many thanks to Woodland Trust for installing the nest cams and providing us with such a thrilling look at the wild world of the Ospreys while protecting our precious ancient woodland for the generations to come. Thanks also to the People’s Postcode Lottery for sponsoring the nest cams, and to everyone who participates and makes this forum such a friendly and informative space. Farewell until Spring 2027!
Season Ten 2026:
April 4 Dorcha arrives N2 12.21.56
7 Garry LV0 arrives N2 08.56.13
7 Aurora 536 arrives N2 13.38.44
12 Western Arkaig male JJ4 arrives N2 18.50.08
17 Louis returns! N2 17.57.42
18 Louis & Dorcha are reunited 06.37.28
26 First egg for Dorcha & Louis 06.56.29
29 Second egg for Dorcha & Louis 05.34.12
30 First egg for Aurora and first on Nest One in six years 19.18.37
May 2 Third egg for Dorcha & Louis 03.12.24
June 1 First chick hatches! 12.40.39
3 Second chick hatches! 06.21.54
6 Third chick hatches 00.49.09
11 Sad death of little Chick3 10.00+
12 Dorcha disposes of the body in the forest 08.09.00
Heidi would like us all to turn our attention to Mum and Dad at the Port Lincoln osprey barge:
I am saddened by what happened at the nest of Hope and George at the Osprey Environmental Centre, and I hope fish fairies fly in to help Mum, Dad, and the kiddos. I am certain we can all help buy fish from our cookie jar stashes!!!!!!!!
It is the first time I can recall so much attention being placed on the importance of Menhaden. It is wonderful, but is it too late? Anyone reading my blog knows that I abhor any company of any nationality, including my own Canadian ones, wrecking the environment and an entire ecosystem! I really hope gillnet fishing will stop – everywhere.
Sea Eaglets are growing and getting beautiful feathering. SE37 still dominants the meals and sometimes SE38 has to wait but Lady is doing the best she can!
Toby and I can attest that raptors’ eating habits are anything but organised. We have witnessed them plucking on our Japanese arch, on top of the fence, with feathers and fur flying in every direction when the wind blows. Lately, we have sadly been finding grey squirrel heads near the park where we like to walk.
The Reds seem to escape the tyranny.
Lots of sparrows at the feeders.
The island was moved today and I just left the mess so tomorrow is going to be a day of ‘surface cleaning’ til Melissa gets here on Monday. I hope to have a short report for you with the ‘good news’. If not, it will arrive Sunday evening.
In the meantime, get outside. Enjoy the crisp autumn air. Go for a walk if you can. If not, breathe in what feels like really clean air. I love the smell of fallen leaves as you walk over them. They often remind me of my university days, heading off to the football stadium in Norman. It is interesting how scents/odors can transport us to another time and another place.
Thank you so much to Geemeff for that final summary on Loch Arkaig for the Woodland Trust, to those who posted images and information on FB, to the individuals fighting for Menhaden and saving the ospreys, to The Guardian for its environmental and wildlife reporting, and to the owners of the streaming cams – we are grateful.
