19 July 2026
Good Evening Everyone,
This will be an incredibly short posting with what I hope is some really great information.
I have avoided mentioning dear Jackie, our beloved Mum and mate of Shadow at Big Bear Valley, until I saw and heard some information that felt ‘transparent’. A message recording has been put out and here is the link:
https://recorder.google.com/c0a3385a-d53f-40fc-b01b-f66df7f392d6
Thank you, Pam Breci, for sending this to me. We are waiting for any confirmation. This is why Darvic Rings are important, but it would have been nearly impossible to have ringed Jackie, as she hatched in that gorgeous, very tall tree in 2012. She shared with Mr B, then with Shadow and their chicks.
SK Hideaways has sent their video listing for the week:
SK Hideaways Videos for the Week of 12 July 2026
While we may have seen the last sightings of the four siblings at the San
Jose peregrine falcon nest, we continue to enjoy Sandy and Luna at Big Bear,
as well as any and all happenings with the Channel Island eagles. My
Southern Hemisphere coverage will ramp up over next few weeks. That’s just
my little world of coverage for now. Mary Ann covers much, much more and
we’re eternally grateful.
FOBBVCAM Eagles ~ Big Bear Valley, CA ~ Jackie, Shadow; eaglets Sandy &
Luna (hatched 4-5 April 2026)
Courtesy FOBBVCAM | Friends of Big Bear Valley
Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE
Wide View Cam (Cam 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41eq4VzCYc4
Live Recap & Observations: https://bit.ly/3Md8TSz
Sub-Adult Breaches Nest ~ Shadow Attacks and Chases as Luna & Sandy Fly In
(2026 Jul 19)
One of the persistent sub-adult bald eagles followed Shadow to the nest.
Shadow made his displeasure known vocally, but when Luna arrived, Shadow
leapt over him and flushed the sub-adult from the nest, chasing them to the
lake and possibly beyond. Sandy arrived at the nest as the chase was
unfolding, and she and Luna looked on, squee-less. Not a minute later,
Shadow was perched on Twin Pines and 9 minutes later, Sandy and Luna perched
on the Cactus Snag. Shadow remains on Twin Pines, on guard as we publish. We
wish all Big Bear eagles well and continue to wait for definitive news of
Jackie’s whereabouts.
Video: https://youtu.be/3OnNjmhclpo
Dramatic Tug-o-Fish Episode ~ Sandy & Luna Split the Difference (2026 Jul
18)
A dramatic nest entrance and tug-o-fish session ends with both Sandy and
Luna getting some fish. Then they perch together like nothing ever happened.
Video: https://youtu.be/Y1ibuAnekiI
Cross-Valley Eaglet Chortles ~ A.M. Tug-o-Fish ~ Three on Cactus Snag (2026
Jul 18)
Dawn at Big Bear brought another symphony of chatter with Sandy and Luna
squee’ing across the valley. Sunrise was magnificent as they continued their
conversation. When they left their night perches, Sandy and Luna met on the
Cactus Snag till Shadow flew past with the first fish of the day. They raced
to the nest to collect their snack ~ Luna beating Sandy to the grab. About
1/2 way through the fish, Sandy snuck in for the steal; at 3/4 gone, Luna
took it back. They digested on the front perch before returning to the
Cactus Snag, where Shadow ultimately joined them, chortling to Jackie, who
remained off camera. In a spectacular finale, Shadow struck an horaltic pose
that mesmerized even Sandy and Luna. A glorious morning was had by all lucky
enough to see it.
Video: https://youtu.be/ah5ksEbUODY
Shadow’s 7-Fish Day ~ Sandy & Luna Compete Fiercely ~ Score Evenly (2026
Jul 17)
Once again Shadow outdid himself in the fish delivery department. He
brought one fish early, which no one came to the nest to claim. But then
delivered 6 more in a 4-hour timespan. Sandy and Luna competed quite
fiercely for 3 of the fish, as Shadow looked on with an expression we dare
not attempt to interpret. It could have been anything from pride to concern
to mild interest ~ we’ll never know. The other 3 fish were grabbed so
quickly that the “losing” eaglet had no chance of competing for it. Suffice
it to say, both Sandy and Luna both went to sleep with very full crops
tonight.
Video: https://youtu.be/rTgvrWi6hWQ
Shadow’s Fish Fest ~ 2 for Sandy, 2 for Luna ~ Food Comas Ensue (2026 Jul
15)
Shadow was on a mission this afternoon bringing FOUR FISH in just over an
hour. Sandy and Luna were in fish heaven ~ they got two each. Shadow left
them to their food comas, which they duly embraced, each on their favorite
perch.
Video: https://youtu.be/nh_hKzhHc1g
Sandy & Luna Get Their Own Fish ~ Preen Each Other and Nap (2026 Jul 13)
Master angler Shadow made sure both Sandy and Luna got their own fish this
morning. It was a flurry of feathers with each fish delivery after the
eaglets raced across the valley to claim their prize. Once they’d enjoyed
their snacks, they settled down together for some beaky kisses, tail biting,
and ~ as the food coma set in ~ naps. Cuteness overload ensued.
Video: https://youtu.be/VTjElRgpchQ
FOBBVCAM Eagles JACKIE’S HOME! Whole Family Meets on Nest for Fish! (2026
Jul 12)
As we’ve learned since this video was released, Jackie is spending time
further out in the territory keeping an eye on sub-adult eagles who are
passing through the area. She and Shadow are making sure that Sandy and
Luna’s efforts to hone their skills in preparation to become independent are
not hampered. But she did make an appearance on the 12th.
After Jackie and Shadow perched on Twin Pines together, Shadow departed to
get Jackie a welcome home fish. She was very grateful and enjoyed it mostly
to herself, even when Sandy and Luna came home expecting to get some. Life
lessons were taught. But ever the doting father, Shadow brought a second
fish, which Luna happily scarfed down. With this fish, Shadow had fed the
entire family today. Well, of course he had. What a gift to see the entire
family on the nest together. It was a good day in Big Bear Valley.
Video: https://youtu.be/_Ilx0Vwopd0
Sandy & Luna End/Begin Days with Beaky Kisses ~ Stunning Sunset/Sunrise
(2026 Jul 11-12)
Sandy and Luna ended the day together on the nest, sharing beaky kisses and
allopreening with a lovely sunset as their backdrop. When Shadow delivered
supper, Sandy swooped in, mantling with her magnificent wings, but left Luna
a few bites in the end. The eaglets then shuffled some branches before Luna
departed for his overnight roost on the Simba Tree.
As dawn broke, the eaglets remained on their respective night roosts. Then
Big Bear came aglow with a most stunning and long-lasting sunrise during
which Sandy traversed across the valley to join Luna on the Simba Tree.
Ultimately, they relocated to the Lookout Snag, where they finished watching
the sunrise together. It was a magical time and one which we won’t soon
forget. (2026 Jul 11-12)
Video: https://youtu.be/Ua-mAhCld3Q
San Jose City Hall Peregrine Falcons ~ San Jose, CA ~ Hartley, Monty;
chicks Jet, Scout, Stewart, and Walton (hatched 21 April 2026)
Courtesy San Jose City Hall Peregrine Falcon Cam | Predatory Bird Research
Group
Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBSxPjy5sow
Ledge Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pp9TisLmLU
Roof Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQLhmV6bP6o
Walton Learns Territory Defense from Monty ~ Dive-bombing, Talons Up (2026
Jul 14)
As Hartley relaxed on the ledge, Walton zoomed in and bumped her off. But
in a twist of Walton’s prior experiences, Monty was right behind him. Monty
flew over, circled back, and swooped on Walton, causing Walton to go talons
up and tumble to the runway. Monty circled back around and flew over once
for good measure (secretly we think he was checking Walton was OK). Poor
Walton got a tough lesson in territorial defense, which he pondered for a
minute before departing.
As devoted fans, we wonder if we’ll ever see the boys here again, but some
of the trackers seem to be working. Walton’s tracker pinged in San Francisco
and Oakland (~35-45 miles away as the crow flies). Scout’s has pinged
further away at Hellyer Park in south San Jose (~6 miles). Jet’s has pinged
in the Fremont Hills (~18-19 miles). And, unfortunately, Stewart’s tracker
has stopped working. 75% is not bad, though. While we’ll miss them, we’re
grateful to know they are dispersing healthy and hearty.
Video: https://youtu.be/RZ71UkrSYZU
Two Harbors Eagles ~ Catalina Island, CA ~ Cholyn & Chase
Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org | Two Harbors Eagles
Cam Ops
Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yx7RKxpyzQ
Eagle Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5T2eHM8tcI
Cholyn Chills While a BIG Rattler, Lucy Franco, and Rowboater Visit (2026
Jul 16)
While Chase was off doing eagle things, Cholyn sat on their couch as a host
of visitors slithered and floated by. A VERY large Southern Pacific
rattlesnake visited the overlook nest in the pre-dawn hours, the Lucy Franco
tugged by a bit later with goods for a local port, and an intrepid rower
bobbed by. All the while, Cholyn remained on her couch watching the world
and visitors go by. How cool to see what was happening all around Cholyn and
Chase’s habitat.
Video: https://youtu.be/9PVJot6LfqI
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 19th July 2026
Another day featuring intruders, this time Ospreys who divebombed and overflew Nest Two, including a ringed Osprey. The ringed Osprey didn’t fully appear in the camera view so the ring couldn’t be read, and Dorcha flew off the nest to get rid of it when it perched in the Scots Pine. When the chicks weren’t pancaked because of intruder alarms, they practised wingercising with enthusiasm, getting ready for the day when they find their wings and fly off into the world – not too long now. Louis stayed for minutes at a time after delivering his fish, despite Dorcha’s urging, and even did a little nest scraping, but he didn’t desert his duties, and delivered five fish today, the last of which was his three hundredth for the season – quite a milestone achievement! The Nest Two tally, including Dorcha’s two, now stands at three hundred and two. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 delivered two fish for Aurora 536 taking the nest and his personal tally to one hundred and seventy four. The weather was settled and mild, and set to continue with light cloud and light winds overnight with a low of 12°C, and sunny intervals with a high of 21°C tomorrow.
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/H6r948rg6Zo N2 Neither chick seems interested in an early trout breakfast 04.39.33https://youtu.be/VSsTf6-iBNA N2 Fish two arrives and departs due to a divebombing intruder Osprey 05.02.07https://youtu.be/uNVCqaojMyM N2 Louis returns fish two and does a bit of housekeeping 05.19.57https://youtu.be/egFLzENxHnQ N2 Dorcha’s not there so Louis waits with fish three 06.14.10https://youtu.be/zDW0KXA0JqM N1 The nest’s empty when Garry brings the first fish 09.19.08
https://youtu.be/UMx3zPi7Bcg N2 Dorcha’s unusually quiet when Louis brings fish four 13.50.15https://youtu.be/bandf1qHQ1Y N1 This time Aurora’s waiting for Garry when he returns fish two, a whole flatfish
16.02.18
https://youtu.be/EBX6A_18VmM N2 Louis shows no sign of leaving after delivering fish five 17.37.32https://youtu.be/iX0_19-Se8I N2 Dorcha sees off a ringed intruder who overflies the nest 18.10.08
Everyone’s invited to join the lively community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s friendly, free and you’re all welcome:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam
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Today there were a record number of fledges in the UK – they are calling it Super Sunday. Ten chicks from streaming cams fledged, including – hang on to your seat – Aeron Z2 and Blue 014’s trio, all within a few hours from start to finish, with each returning to the nest. Remarkable. I do not recall that ever happening. Dads and Mums are busy delivering fish at all the nests with some fledges still to come.
Deaths continue in the US osprey world. Too many that need to be added to the Memorial Wall now.
My hero of the day is Viki who is desperately trying to keep the only two chicks on Indian Creek alive. Imagine watching twenty osprey nests for more than two decades to see a nest, now without its female who left a few days ago, struggling. Viki is providing frozen fish. The male is eating and has delivered to the nest and the eldest chick can self-feed but the younger one can only peck at the fish. Let’s hope it gets the hang of this quickly! But if one chick can be saved, it is a miracle considering that all other nests failed.
Females are leaving the nests. They must fatten up before migration, and it is clear they understand how difficult it is. They are leaving to find fish elsewhere. We see this behaviour later – the normal is that the females help supply fish after the chicks have fledged and then leave much earlier than the males, who continue to bring fish to the nest til the last chick has departed on its first migration. I remember that Aran at the Glaslyn nest had to wait until late September one year to leave. But in the US, these chicks have not fledged! Many have no parents to feed them. It is my fruitless hope that those individuals who have the authority (or not) will declare what Norway did and that the heat domes, the warming lakes, oceans, rivers, and ponds due to that heat, and the lack of fish are all human-caused. Help would then be provided – no bloody excuses!
When Viki wrote me today she said: “Also, I heard a very interesting thing from a local man who takes folks out fishing. He’s discovered that the little fish swimming on top of the water, always indicative of larger fish beneath them, have no larger fish beneath them. Weird.” ——- I guess those larger fish have all been scooped up by the nets of the industrial/commerical trawlers.
I never thought I would live to see an ecosystem as beautiful and alive as The Chesapeake Bay die, but it is dying. And our beautiful fish hawks are dying with it – ‘the canary in the mine’. The warning signal of the total collapse to come. It breaks my heart.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian osplet at Fru Rauer’s nest that was rescued because it was getting bashed and being held from getting sufficient food, is doing splendidly in care. Here is the update: https://youtu.be/2XeVWs9zgkU?
Thank you for being with us. Please do take care. Send good wishes to all the nests.
Thank you to Pam Breci for sending me all the latest on Jackie, to SK Hideaways and Geemeff for their videos and daily summary. To Viki – my hero who is desperately trying to keep two babies alive and to the camera owners who allow us to watch these families as they struggle to survive in a changing world.
