Tag Archives: Iris and Clarke

Late Friday in Bird World

21 August 2026

Oh, my goodness. Summer is flying by. We had such a gorgeous day. I don’t want them to end!

We are joining our daughter and family at a beach cottage to take Toby to the dog beach and go swimming. Don is going to love it. He loves the sand and the water – let’s hope the weather is good.

Toby met Ann’s new tiny, tiny dog, Daisy, today. Those two played with Lucy in the garden. Like three old friends. It was a wonderful afternoon away from the house but not being a public place like the zoo – which is full of children attending camp right now.

As for me, I was searching high and low for something interesting to eat. Do you ever just get sick of eating? Things don’t taste good? Takeaway or delivery is often a mix of disgusting food, small portions, cold portions, and service fees, plus taxes and tips. Seriously, two burgers can wind up costing $62. Sorry. We have decided not to do that, so I’m looking for meals prepared locally, like The Greek Market. So Greek it is tonight!

This will be the shortest posting of the week, probably. I left at noon worried about Clark because he had not been seen delivering fish to Wensi. Instead, Iris was taking on this role.

So who delivered this fish first thing this morning? It sure looks like Clark. Am I bonkers?

Wensi came and went from the nest hoping for more fish. at one point he must have seen an adult.

I cannot tell you if this is little 4 at Blackbush or not but whoever it was kept seeing ospreys flying (you could see their shadows) and they were ever hopeful for a delivery.

Please continue to send prayers to those small islands and the Midway Atoll so that Hurricane Lala will pass and head off north.

I have missed commenting on Collin Marsh in Wisconsin. They had three fledglings originally. I cannot tell you if this is the same fledgling or not but it appears healthy. I am very pleased. The Marsh has been drained and the adults would have been fishing the local rivers and inlets.

Eating a nice fish!

Sharon Leigh Miles and friends have put together a family chart for Iris:

We need some really good news and if this doesn’t fit, I don’t know what does. No longer the fire threat to the Big Sur condors and – a condor returning to Big Sur after 21 years? All I can say is, wow. Thanks, Kelly, for your letter.

August 21, 2026
Dear Mary,I have both an update and a genuinely remarkable piece of condor news to share with you today.
 
The Timber Fire is no longer threatening our facilities or any wild condor nests. That said, it is still burning, and in these rugged landscapes anything can happen, so we continue to monitor conditions closely alongside our fire and agency partners. A huge thank you goes to Big Sur Fire, CALFIRE, and the U.S. Forest Service for the incredible job they’ve done managing this fire so far.
 
As for Condor (340) and Condor (868), the two birds we released earlier than planned, both have since flown back toward Pinnacles, putting welcome distance between themselves and the fire. It’s exactly the kind of instinct that has helped this species survive in fire-prone country, and we couldn’t be more pleased with how they’re doing.
 
We’ve also had encouraging news from the field. Early indications suggest the Grimes nest tree survived the fire, and while some of the camera equipment on the ground was lost, the nest cavity itself appears intact. The nest isn’t active right now, but a camera is in place for the upcoming season, and our partners at Explore.orghave already committed to replacing anything that was damaged. We’re grateful for their continued support, and hopeful about what the 2027 season may bring there. Joe will share more at the Condor Chat.
 

The Grimes nest tree still standing after the Timber Fire. Photo courtesy of Tim Templeton.
 
Now for the extraordinary part.
 
An incredible piece of California condor history is unfolding right now. For the first time in 21 years, Condor (161) has returned to the Big Sur coast.
 

Condor (161) back on the Big Sur coast, captured on our live San Simeon Condor Cam.
 
Released into the wild as an eight-month-old chick on December 12, 1997, she became a foundational member of the central California recovery effort. She spent her formative years navigating the rugged cliffs of Big Sur, helping her species push back from the brink of extinction. In 2004, her journey took a dramatic turn when she flew south to join the southern California flock. Over the next two decades, she became a prolific mother, successfully nesting and producing 10 offspring.
 
Biologists are thrilled but mystified by her sudden homecoming. We’re unsure what prompted her return to her original stomping grounds, or how long she intends to stay. This surprise visit is a powerful reminder of how much we still have to learn about the complex behaviors, memory, and lives of these majestic birds.
 
You can tune in to see Condor (161) and other condors on our live Condor Cams, and be sure to join us on the Condor Chat Thursday, Aug 27, to hear more about both stories.
 
Thank you, as always, for following along and for standing with us and the condors.


With gratitude,

Kelly Sorenson
Executive Director

…and the Condor Crew
Ventana Wildlife Society

‘R’ sends us news of Avian Flu in New Zealand.

https://www.npr.org/2026/08/18/nx-s1-5929107/the-threat-the-h5n1-avian-flu-poses-to-australia-and-new-zealands-unique-wildlife

That is good news to close on. Take care everyone. Send good wishes to all our ospreys as they struggle to get fit for migration!

I will see you again – on Sunday. I am going to take a day off. I really am! I urge all of you to turn off the screens and step back for a few days and just enjoy the end of summer.

My faithful companion who really brings so much joy to my life I cannot even find the words. He loves having a bath – Toby is truly a ‘Spaniel’.

Thank you to everyone who contributed information that I have included in this blog. To R and Kelly Sorenson for their news on Avian Flu (R) and the good news at Big Sur. To everyone who posted on FB, and to the owners of the streaming cams that let us watch the birds.

Has Dorcha fledged?…Late Saturday in Bird World

8 August 2026

Hello Everyone,

Friday was a busy day. The plumbers have almost finished making our main bath ‘accessible’ in case Don needs mobility aids. They were working hard today, and it was often loud, so Don went with Ann to our Zoo, and he got to see Lumi, the little lynx that was rehabilitated by Wildlife Haven. It was exciting, as they had missed seeing Lumi on three previous occasions. This evening, Don’s second cousin, a budding Vancouver photographer, was here visiting her Mum, and Susan agreed to do some photos for us at King’s Park. It was ideal, and there was more – we had some photos taken near a waterfall and pool where Toby had his first swim!!!!!!! I am going to get him a kiddie pool. You would have thought that he went swimming every day – Toby is a real duck.

Susan will edit the images but she did send us one.

As you are aware, Jackie’s latest red blood count has dropped below 10%. She has returned to the critical care unit and has to have oxygen. I feel for this beloved eagle. Without asking you, I am pretty certain that each of us would love to see her fly back to the nest to be with Shadow. The truth is – she is hanging on to life. I have seen the craziest comments – like let her fly up to Shadow, give her another transfusion. First of all, she can’t fly. Secondly, a second blood transfusion is very dangerous. I believe that, at this point, we have to trust the highly qualified vet team and Jackie to know whether she has the strength to continue fighting. Some of you will recall that at the end of June, Jackie’s behaviour was a bit off. She had a fight with Shadow over a fish. She had to have been sick then. The team are desperately seeking answers and getting more clues daily but our girl is more than extremely sick.

No matter what happens, I will be forever grateful that Jackie used all the energy she had to bring two beautiful eaglets into the world, Sandy and Luna, with Shadow this year. I suspect she was ill at the time, and that must have really taken its toll on her body. Poor thing. If it is to be, then I hope she soars into the ether with Sandy Speers, who loved Jackie so much, and that Shadow, like M15, finds another very good mate. Until then, I continue to hope for Jackie’s full recovery.

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 7th August 2026

Today was heavy with fish deliveries but light on key players – neither Dorcha nor Garry LV0 turned up today. Aurora spent a little time on Nest One but on her last appearance this evening just perched silently before flying away, clearly Garry wasn’t in the neighbourhood. The Nest One fish total remains at one hundred and ninety four. Louis however was very much in evidence, delivering eight fish to his two chicks who were stuffed so full, neither turned up for the eighth fish and he took it away again. The Nest Two total now stands at three hundred and eighty nine, four of which were brought by Dorcha. Has she left on migration? It would be an early departure for her, she usually waits until the chicks are around seventy five days old, and today Juniper and Amber are sixty seven and sixty five days old respectively.  She has been known to stay away from the nest for a day or two before leaving, popping in occasionally, so perhaps we’ll see her tomorrow. It was very wet today with heavy rain showers throughout the day, and the rain will continue lightly overnight with a low of 13°C, then heavy again tomorrow with a high of 17°C.

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/u8OvfLOFDDI N2 Juniper crash lands too late – Amber’s already got fish one 06.24.08https://youtu.be/EKjatdnyNxI N2 Juniper gets fish two and doesn’t let go 07.39.56https://youtu.be/X2qE9z_sP5A N2 Louis waits with fish three on an empty nest 08.44.00https://youtu.be/oThXmsFRh2Y N2 Amber’s alone on the nest waiting for fish four 10.15.20https://youtu.be/Y2AthKRU0FI N2 Again it’s Amber who gets fish five 13.18.03https://youtu.be/Y6UGSEGtJdg  N2 Fish number six is a very large, very lively trout 18.19.16https://youtu.be/wHjquYUZyP8 N2 Is an intruder around when Louis brings fish seven? 19.33.20https://youtu.be/2CBec3aUa9U N1 Aurora waits silently then departs as Garry doesn’t show 20.05.48https://youtu.be/V030Nw9v4jo N2 Louis takes fish eight away again as no one’s there 21.29.00 (zoom)

Everyone’s invited to join the friendly community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s fun, free and you’re all welcome:

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

Geemeff sends us a good news story – boy do we need it.

“A remarkable story – this little rescued nestling has gone on to have a long and well-travelled life!”

https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/26439373.hastings-blackbird-rescued-15-years-ago-found-newcastle

I love Blue 33 – everyone knows that – and his mate Maya. A lovely image of two of the fledglings from this year.

I am so proud of the individuals who are stepping up to stop the gill net fishing of Menhaden. There will be a survey that can be sent in to a meeting in November. I will send that link, but please educate yourself on the impact of this vacuuming of fish and the use of spotter planes has had on the entire ecosystem, including our dear ospreys dying before our eyes. Many have lost their businesses as well to save 196 jobs at Reedsville, Virginia.

Viki is still feeding three ospreys including that fledgling! She writes, “Indeed, your language is nothing compared to my anger language. ONE flipping living chick in 3 flipping years. Fed this morning. On the search for another box of bait to keep it up. Good to know that they learn to fish at migration.”

Viki was worried that the chick would not be taught to fish so I sent her a couple of articles. There are no fish for the ospreys – the nests were in sight of her porch. She is distraught but determined – like those fighting against a 0- 50% reduction because no one knows how many fish Omega are taking. It is the most frustrated I have been in years. So when the time comes to step up and speak, I hope you will join me.

George and Hope are at the Osprey House Environmental Centre in Griffins, Australia. They have three lovely osplets this year. All very healthy!

The West Midlands (no streaming cams) had a very good year for ospreys. Congratulations. Here is the total for the 2026 class:

Good news out of Rutland – chick wasn’t lost, just looking over the territory!

Wensi follows Iris to the nest to claim a fish! Listen to dear Iris call her baby. https://youtu.be/pG2fvUB51aA?

C22 slept on the nest at Charlo and has been flying around Saturday morning with Chloe – always heading back to the nest in hope of fish! Doing well.

The fledglings are all eating at Blackbush Beach Resort in Prince Edward Island, Canada.

I was very distressed this morning to see that there are proposals for an upgrade at the park near where I live. Our mayor doesn’t like geese, apparently. So this year they culled the eggs and greased others to get rid of the population. I think they don’t know much about geese or ducks. People bring their families to see the wildlife. Why not hire a few high school students during the season to power-spray the sidewalks? It would allow the families to continue to enjoy the ducks and geese; paths would be cleaner, and the wildlife would have the right to their nesting spots they have used for aeons. 3.4 million is the cost. We have lots of crime now, lots of people who are homeless with drug issues…our City is rapidly becoming not a great place to live. Many blame it on the current group of suits that are at City Hall, not just the mayor.

I agree. We need to be outside more and not on our screens. One artist is hand-drawing 1,000 birds to try and get us to do just that. But how would an app keep us off our phones? Please read.

“Hansen, a renowned ornithological illustrator and author, has a monumental task – a hand-painted compendium of every one of the roughly 1,000 bird species ever recorded from the US and Canada, including those found in waters up to 200 miles from shore, Hawaiian birds not included. When finished, it will complete the visual backbone of an app called Flock, whose mission, compared with that of most apps, is quietly subversive.

For rather than seeking to monopolize and monetize its users’ attention, it deftly employs elements of computer gaming and social networking to draw people outward, into the world of birding, with the broader aim of cultivating a community of conservationists.”

The ornithological artist drawing 1,000 birds by hand – all for an app that wants you off your phone

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/08/birds-artist-flock-app-california?CMP=share_btn_url

am signing off. We are going outside today. Rain is predicted for the beginning of the week and today the temperatures will go up to a wonderful 23 C. Take care all. I hope you are well.

Thank you to Geemeff for their wonderful summary and videos from Loch Arkaig, the UK Osprey Info with Jeff Kear, to all those who post on FB, to Susan Thompson for the great photos at King’s Park yesterday, and to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to watch our bird families. We are so very grateful to each and every one of you. Thank you as always to The Guardian for including interesting wildlife stories every day.

Thursday with Wensi

6 August 2026

Hello Everyone,

I don’t know how you feel but having Wensi fledge and then return to the nest just made my Wednesday. Today, Wensi has been fed on the nest, spent time on the pole in the river, and is perfecting her flying skills.

If you missed the hour-long talk about this year at Hellgate Canyon, Dr Ericke Green stated that he believed that Wensi is a female. That made me so happy. Iris’s DNA – strong survival DNA along with luck – has kept her alive for more than thirty years. Indeed, counting from the time Iris first bred on the hydro pole at Missoula before the nest where she is currently, meant that thirty is the youngest she could be. It is more likely she is thirty-three or thirty-four. My goodness. Dr Green also assured people that the fish that Clarke had brought to the nest were sufficient for Iris to remain healthy during the incubation and hatch periods. You might have noticed those huge fish recently. As the waters get warmer, Clarke is bringing in suckers that weigh 3-4 lbs, much more than he weighs. Everyone agreed that Clarke is an incredible fishing partner for Iris. He has also brought in Mountain Trout.

At any rate, I hope you enjoy these screen captures from today:

Clark brought in a very early fish for breakfast before the day gets hot.

Still eating nearly 40 minutes after they began feasting on the fish.

Amazing Clarke. He bonded with Iris last year but it was too late to breed. He also brought Iris fish last year. So glad he returned successfully this year. He is an incredible Dad.

Wensi continues to practice her flying to and from the pole on the river.

I wonder what Wensi is saying to Mama Iris.

What a magical year it has been. I really suggest you watch this amazing osprey family and smile. We never know what will happen next. We know that Iris’s favourite return date is 7 April, so I know that all eyes will be on this nest in 2027. I pray both she and Clarke return safely.

Sadly, the second chick from Colonial Beach that was electrocuted did not make it through its surgery. This is the chick that was electrocuted on the pole.

‘PB’ reports: Blackbush 8/1/26 FLEDGE 8:27:17 for one of oldest chicks. “6:39:50 the amazing fisher dad delivers headless flounder for breakfish. Mom feeds all 4 chicks together. 7:32:16 the chicks watch mom tidying up the nest. lots of hovering going on….8:26:40 The chick that is about to fledge looks back at all its siblings to say “watch this”.”

Jackie has now undergone surgery, including a bone marrow biopsy. Ojai Raptor Centre is trying desperately to find what is making our girl sick. She came out of the surgery fine.

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 6th August 2026

It was a very slow fish day today – no fish arrived on camera on Nest One, although Aurora had a nicely rounded crop, so Garry’s tally remains at one hundred and ninety four. Louis only brought two fish, taking the Nest Two tally to three hundred and eighty one, Juniper got the first and Amber the second, and Dorcha had to fend for herself. There were one or two intruder alarms but no one caught on nest cam, apart from an intruder so small Aurora didn’t notice it – a Willow Warbler paid a brief visit to Nest One, and the only other item of note was Amber flying around with a chunk of wood caught in her talons until she landed on the nest and managed to free herself. After some overnight rain, the weather was settled today but it’s raining heavily at the time of filing this report (half past midnight) and heavy rain with light winds is forecast to continue through the night and tomorrow, with a low of 12°C and a high of 16°C.Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/iHiyC7yBkWM N2 Nest’s empty when Louis arrives with the first fish so he waits patiently 08.16.15https://youtu.be/sBTb1u_A2vU N2 Amber flies with a chunk of wood stuck in her talons 08.41.25https://youtu.be/bqwpslScm7w N2 Dorcha’s calls aren’t answered so she departs leaving Amber still calling 11.16.49https://youtu.be/e4uGZcg5Dfo N1 Aurora doesn’t notice a little Willow Warbler paying a visit 17.21.18  (zoom)https://youtu.be/AN4rUYXz-aU N2 Finally! A second fish arrives, and Amber steals it off Juniper 18.59.01https://youtu.be/wEFctw2jz1g N1 Aurora gets fed up calling in vain and departs 19.31.09 Bonus watch – An 

Osprey-eye look at a migration route from Perthshire to Africa:https://youtu.be/bu_fiEUCti0y


Come and join the friendly community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s fun, free and everyone’s welcome:

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

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Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care of yourselves. See you soon.

Thank you to Pam Breci and Geemeff, to the owners of the streaming cam at Hellgate Canyon (The Montana Osprey Project along with Cornell Bird Lab) and everyone who posted information on FB. I am very grateful.