18 June 2026
Hello Everyone,
It was a fantastic day to be outside. The garden is really ‘loud’ with birdsong – you can hear them more than half a block away! And the rain and heat have done the plants wonders.
Some images that we are enjoying.
A memory and a treasure. A Paolo Soleri bell. He died during the month when I met my friend Lynne in Phoenix for a mini-break, too many years ago now.
The peonies will be blooming, but are off limits to Toby just like the hydrangeas as they are toxic to dogs.
We are sitting outside, and Mr Crow has come for a visit. I thought he was going to have a bath, but he jumped down onto the ground. I wonder what caught his eye.
The sparrows had a lot of fun in the bird bath today, but it meant that we had to clean it about four times! Oh, they make a mess.
You never have your camera when you truly need it. Mr Crow is balancing on one of the flower poles, waiting for the squirrel to finish at the table feeder. Oh, he is back at the bird bath and now off he goes. Lots of activity between 1900-2100.
Oh, how sad. It appears the eldest chick (they both hatched on 11 June) crawled out from under New Female at Charlo, Montana during the night when it was in the 50s and succumbed to hypothermia. The NF tried several times to get the chick back under her for warmth to no avail. What a tragic nest accident!
Mum trying to get her baby back.
The Eagle Dock Osprey Nest is located in Cold Spring Harbour, New York. It sits out in the distance across the mudflats, visible from the shoreline near the Eagle Dock Community Beach (on Shore Road) and the adjacent Shore Road Sanctuary. Their osprey cam has gone live and the two adults are present.
Here is the link to their camera – it is blowing a positive gale right now so things are really moving about. https://www.youtube.com/live/z17UbNy075o?
I think each of you had your eyes on that beautiful eaglet Snow at Traverse City, Michigan, when its nest slid, and it fell. All the while, we noted that the adults were the most incredible parents. Snow had no parasites or infections and was well fed and feathered on the initial examination. Snow was strong, and her two fractures are healing nicely, and she is receiving the best of care at Northern Sky Raptor Sanctuary. Today, they announced that Snow is a female! I will note that the parents continue to go to the nest. Yes, raptors have feelings and they are missing their Snow. What a lucky eaglet to have such good care. Many do not.
I am confounded. We are used to seeing fishing line and baling twine on US osprey and eagle nests. It was not until this year that it seemed to be a common occurrence at UK osprey nests. Yesterday, the great folks at Glaslyn successfully removed the fishing line and hook that were wrapped around the youngest chick from the nest of Elen and Teifi. Thank you to everyone who notified them and those who helped quickly!
We love Luna and Sandy – Jackie and Shadow’s soon-to-fledge eaglets – at Big Bear. They are getting closer and closer. SK Hideaways caught Luna getting higher! https://youtu.be/If_H8omr7nk?
This is what our ospreys are up against. The industrial fishing (not the commercial fishing of the locals) needs to stop. Omega needs to be mothballed.
One of Canada’s leading authors, Margaret Atwood, is saving Pelee Island (along with her family) for migratory birds)
Oh, there are chicks dying in Finland. The latest is at LS #5.
I had many questions about Steelscape’s camera. It is not streaming. Our ‘sleuth’, PB, had a contact and has discovered that the individual who wanted the streaming cam and who was in IT has been made redundant. These things happen. I continue to be thankful for the Achieva Osprey cam – especially this year, as it has been a stunner, but the individual who led the effort might no longer be with that branch. There was once an active FB group just for the nest.
There is one osplet at The Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbour, New Jersey (south). Baby appears to waiting for fish. This is the first time I have checked on this nest. Does anyone have details?
Beautiful family portrait of White Stork family in Lubla Parish, Poland. Storklets are Eliasz & Gabriel.
Big Red doesn’t like her babies to fledge when it is raining. Of course, she is so smart – their feathers would be heavy and it is also windy. To keep them home, she often feeds them constantly!
So where are the other two? Are they at the end or down on the ledge? It appears that the first fledge might have been at 1825. I await official confirmation.
All is well at Hellgate Canyon with Iris, Clark, and Baby.
The oldest chick that died of hypothermia at Charlo, Montana overnight has not been removed from the nest. This is so sad. Let us hope that nothing happens to Only Bob.
Three little ones at Osoyoos. Pray for this nest and the others that are struggling – perhaps, in reality, that is almost all of them in one way or another.
Dewey Beach is still good.
SK Hideaways has news of Zuma! https://youtu.be/3YbwXv9AAQY?
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 18th June 2026
It was wet and windy today, and there was a moment which could have been nasty but fortunately wasn’t – a gust of wind caught Dorcha and flipped her over, taking a chick as well. But Dorcha righted herself and the chick quickly crawled back under her with no harm done. On the 6th anniversary of Legendary Louis and the Day of Nine Fish, it was a slow fish day, Louis only brought two fish and the second was such a tiddler it was gone in four minutes. Chick1 achieved a milestone by swallowing the small tail, while earlier Dorcha had struggled to swallow the much larger tail of the first fish. The Nest Two tally now rises to one hundred and fifty three, and Garry LV0’s single fish takes the Nest One tally to one hundred and twenty two. Aurora 536 spent most of the day incubating the unviable egg, how long she’ll keep doing that is a matter of speculation. Heavy rain and light winds with a low of 15°C is the overnight forecast, changing to light rain showers, a gentle breeze and a high of 17°C tomorrow.
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/ReJNNcKbvSI N2 Louis brings the first fish and stays while Dorcha feeds the chicks 13.38.11
https://youtu.be/MVfn-uLCvRk N2 Oh no! Wind flips Dorcha and nearly takes a chick 14.48.18
https://youtu.be/OQL2iuo5Poc N1 Garry gives Aurora a fish and they both depart 17.25.52
Osplet growth in the early stages (our chicks are 17 and 15 days old respectively):
https://www.dyfiospreyproject.com/blog/karis-mwt/feathers
You’re invited to join the lively community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s friendly, free and everyone’s welcome:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam
Thank you so much for being with us. It is time to do a wee bit of weeding in the garden before getting the lads inside. We hope that you had a wonderful Thursday. Take care of yourself. Please get outside if you can. Nature is regenerating!
Thank you to ‘MP’ and ‘PB’ re the Steelscape streaming cam, to SK Hideaways and Geemeff for their videos and for that incredible daily summary of happenings at Loch Arkaig. I am grateful to everyone who owns a streaming cam that stays on and lets us watch these incredible birds. Streaming cams cost money and human power – so thank you! And to everyone who posted information, put images and events on FB – we are so grateful.
It’s been a complex start to the season with no fewer than four combinations of osprey pairings appearing on the nest 
; *NC0 (resident breeding female 2020-2024, not seen since 2nd April) & a New Male *The New Male and an Unringed Female (with the ‘Cluedo’ marking on the back of her head) *LM24 (aka The Dark Intruder, who held territory in second half of 2024 with NC0) & the same Unringed Female, and finally… *LM24 & the Dark Female (with the ‘Bandit’ eye mask who intruded in 2024, and possibly 2023)! Confused !? It’s taken a lot of careful reviewing and analysing to pick apart the rapidly changing dynamic, but it looks like LM24 and the Dark Female have finally become ‘top ospreys’ at the Lowes nest, appearing to be settled as a pair and dominant for a week! Talons crossed for eggs in the next 7-10 days! 
[Note: The osprey which attacked and knocked the Dark Female off the nest was thought to originally be the Unringed Female (with the ‘Cluedo piece’ marking on the back of her head) – however, thanks to some excellent photos by Scott Duncan from the hide, we were able to spy a silver BTO ring on the right leg of the osprey!!
