It is ‘the golden’ time in the garden. The sun is setting and there is a peachy-apricot- with a touch of lilac glow that kisses all of the western branches of the trees and the shrubs in the garden. Mr Crow is cawing. There are gulls, hundreds of them, flying overhead. They have found insects! The feeders are now quiet. Toby is beside me on the bench and like ant toddler, he wants my attention. No more computer!
I cannot wait to take him to the beach next Saturday. I think a lifejacket needs to be purchased, just in case he is not the great swimmer I think he is. Don is going to sit and watch his grandson, Carter, fishing. It is set to be the perfect end of the summer – ospreys included. The family and their chicks are still at their nest! So excited.
Today I am baking a peach kuchen. Every summer I make at least one, usually a plum one, in memory of one of my dearest friends, Rosemarie. We lived in Southern Manitoba, and our children were friends in the 1970s. She was remarkable. Her parents had sent her over the Berlin Wall to freedom – and that is how she came to be in Canada. I treasure all the recipes she taught me and the time we spent together. They moved to BC, where her husband had a position with the CBC. I left for the UK, and we lost touch. Thank goodness for memories!
Prayers for the people and wildlife in the zone of the hurricane.
The Guardian shows how rewilding can help against drought – and that is something many need to consider.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 21st August 2026 No sight of Amber 8P6 again today so it looks like she might have headed south, very young, but then she always was very determined and ahead of her older sister. Juniper 8P7 is very much still here, on and off the nest throughout the day and always announcing her arrival, occupation, and departure. She’s had to contend with several Hoodie invasions today and shows no hesitation lunging at them to drive them off, defending her fish and using a crow voice just like her mum Dorcha did. At one stage she flew off the nest clutching a fish, circled round, landed with it then took off again, possibly to find a place to eat without attendant Hoodies. Louis brought her two new fish, taking the Nest Two tally to four hundred and fifty, and his personal tally to four hundred and forty five, however there was also plenty of leftover fish from yesterday, and the Hoodies managed to get some while Juniper was away. No activity at Nest One bar a couple of songbirds. The weather was settled today and will continue dry but
chilly overnight with a low of 7°C, continuing dry and bright tomorrow with sunny intervals and a high of 15°C. Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/t5D_e4cLKwI N2 Louis brings fish one but several of yesterday’s are still there 06.07.15https://youtu.be/ZawjOTbmSDA N2 Juniper tries to protect her fish from a marauding Hoodie 11.09.48https://youtu.be/HDLYdQM9HkM N2 Fish number two arrives and so does a Hoodie 11.53.37https://youtu.be/tX2bGpkf4FkN2 Juniper flies with fish and aHoodie enjoys the leftovers 16.40.47
Bonus webinar – next Thursday 27th, with analysis by @SteveQuinn of Louis’ fishing performance and other nest activity this season, and an update from @WTScotland on the restoration of Arkaig Community Forest, with a Q&A afterwards:
The birds are on the move. What can you do to help? Turn out your lights! Ask your town and City to turn off their lights. Leave out water and if you can, put out food!
We now have at least 300 birds eating in the evening. My daughter gave me two triple-tube feeders…we are going through seed as the songbirds make their way south to their winter homes. I am so glad I can help them, along with the ones who live here all winter.
An article about a Snowy Owl – and just to note, the first Snowy Owl, has been photographed in Manitoba this season. Some interesting research – have a short read!
A satellite-tracked female snowy owl in the eastern Canadian Arctic spent 186 days on sea ice, hunting ducks at open water cracks in the pack ice hundreds of miles from land in total winter darkness. The biologists who tagged her expected her to fly south for the winter. She flew north onto the frozen ocean. The finding flabbergasted them. Inuit seal hunters had known about it for centuries.
Jean-François Therrien, a doctoral student at Université Laval working with professor Gilles Gauthier, tagged 12 adult female snowy owls on Bylot Island in Nunavut as part of an International Polar Year research project studying key indicator species of northern ecosystems. When winter came, the tracking data showed something nobody in the academic world had documented with technology. Eight of the 12 owls spent more than 95 percent of their winter locations over sea ice or along the coast. Six adult females spent most of the winter far out on the Arctic sea ice. One stayed there for 186 consecutive days. She was not lost. She was not drifting. She was hunting.
The ocean freezes across the Canadian Arctic every winter but it does not freeze solid. Leads and polynyas, cracks and pools of open water, persist throughout the ice sheet. Sea ducks, particularly eiders, and seabirds concentrate at these openings because the open water is where the food is. The owls found the ducks by finding the water. Gauthier described the hypothesis directly: bird researchers at coastal field sites have observed snowy owls attacking eiders in winter. If the satellite positions of the owls matched the locations of open water leads recorded by other satellite systems, the connection would be confirmed.
The owls were not behaving like the animal most people picture when they hear the words snowy owl. Most people imagine a white bird sitting on a fence post in a farm field somewhere in Minnesota or upstate New York, hunting mice in the snow. That version of the snowy owl is real. It is the owl that shows up on Christmas Bird Counts and birding websites and nature documentaries filmed in places where camera crews can reach. The other version, the one the Inuit have always known, is an owl that flies north when winter starts, lands on sea ice in the Arctic dark, finds a crack in the frozen ocean, and sits beside it killing ducks at temperatures that drop below minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
The isotope data confirmed the diet shift. Stable isotope analysis of feathers showed that marine prey made up a substantial portion of the winter diet for owls that chose the sea ice. A snowy owl that breeds on lemmings in the summer and switches to sea ducks in the winter is not a rodent specialist. It is a predator that changes its entire hunting strategy, its prey base, and its habitat seasonally, moving from tundra grassland to frozen ocean the way a seasonal worker changes job sites.
Project SNOWstorm, a US-based tracking initiative that has followed more than 115 snowy owls with GPS transmitters since 2013, found the same behavior at a smaller scale on the Great Lakes. Snowy owls wintering in the northern United States moved out onto frozen Lake Michigan and Lake Erie for weeks at a time, hunting ducks at the cracks that opened and closed between wind-driven ice sheets. The researchers described the Great Lakes behavior as practice for the full Arctic version: owls learning or maintaining the ice-hunting skills that adult females use on the Arctic Ocean in the years when they stay north.
Source: Therrien et al., Université Laval / Gauthier, Université Laval / ScienceDaily / Project SNOWstorm / Birds of the World, Cornell / Old Farmer’s Almanac / COSEWIC (2025).
Bonding sessions are taking place at the Peregrine Falcon scrape of Gimbir and Diamond on Charles Sturt University in Orange, Australia.
Great news. Aurora from Loch Arkaig nest 1 has been photographed in Poole Harbour fishing! Fantastic.
Viki sends us her latest:
“I am pretty certain Junior brought a live fish back to the north copse overlooking his nest – I haven’t seen either parent all morning!!!!
I AM AS PROUD AS A PARENT !!!!! He’s gonna make it !!!”
“Well, he clearly still needs plenty of fish as do his parents, apparently. And that little snit will NOT dive for a frozen bait fish I throw – but Dad (and I think Mom) will …. But they took 2 or 3 fish before Dad carried one out to Junior – who, btw, whether he stole that live fish out of another’s nest or not, dropped at least half of it —- TEENAGERS !!!
But aside from all that, I am so proud of that crazy, crafty #2 chick and his dad!!!!
Back out to throw some more fish. Dad is hanging around so maybe Junior will get some and SHUT UP!!! LOL”
“Junior had been practicing dragging his feet in the water. When he saw me coming down the deck with the fish bag he returned to nest but flew off his nest when I tossed the fish and must have been thinking about going for it, but flew off the wrong direction and Dad got it and brought it to their other “veranda” -nest. So I threw another. Junior just looked and kept calling. Dad brought the fish he’d had to Junior and then did four or five more dives for the other fish TO SHOW JUNIOR HOW TO DO IT RIGHT BEFORE MY VERY EYES !!!
Amazing. And now that I’ve picked my second tick off for that effort I’ll hit the shower. Sheesh.”
Viki is my heroine. She has kept this single osprey family alive on Indian Creek, Maryland, where there should have been 5- 60 chicks; one survived because of her. My heart beats softer and happier because good people like Viki exist in the world.
I love this family and I am so afraid that Iris will not return next spring. We want them to live forever, don’t we?
Clark has a fish. No one comes. In flies Wensi…Clark returns with the fish!
Ospreys at Charlo at night but during the day it seems they are over at Roger’s Place.
No one is home at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Mum continues to provide fish at Santiam. I am not clear what is happening at Blackbush.
One of my favourites, Blue 33, checking the nest at Rutland. The gulls are moving in – known as the clean-up crews – when they think a nest is just about at the end of the season. Blue 33 will be the last to leave after all the youngsters and Maya.
At Tweed Valley:
Kielder’s Kirknewton was the intruder at Dylan and Seren’s nest at Llyn Clywedog. How grand.
Teifi and Elen fledged their entire clutch of three. Beautiful osplets!
It is a wonderful day. Viki added a note that I will put here: “Your stamina as a caregiver is extraordinary. I can’t imagine how you get anything else done. Your husband is very fortunate for having been so unfortunate.
Thinking of you – and so you’ll smile –” . And, yes, I did smile at the incredible feat she undertook to keep that osprey family alive. Bravo. In a world when too many ‘count’ the dead, it is a relief that someone dares to feed.
It is exhausting being a caregiver. I am not sure I have any stamina at all. I am busy reading several books, including one that our reader and friend, ‘R ‘, recommended. My goal is to enrich Don’s life as much as possible, try to understand when he has trouble communicating, and recognise that he is also frustrated living in a body where he is not the person he was. Still, we try to make every day a little special. It could be a friend’s visit, a trip to the park, a walk with Toby – it doesn’t need to be much. The trips to the farm are excellent, and we are definitely looking forward to going to the beach next week!
Take care everyone. We will see you soon.
Thank you to all the contributors today – to Geemeff, to the owners of the streaming cams, to those that post information and images on FB – we thank you so very much!
We have another yellow warning for heat and are being told not to be outside unless necessary. I had hoped to set up Toby’s spray pad, but it had a warning that pet’s toenails should be clipped. Of course. Punctures!!!!!! Hugo Yugo has her dental surgery on Wednesday and when I pick her up Toby will go in and get those nails trimmed then he can have some great fun!!!!! While it might sound silly, I had the deck extended by a modest 5 x 10′ in order for him to be able to have a little pool of this spray pad. The rest of the garden has really been given over to the garden animals so they have lots of cool shelter in the summer. There are bunnies – we thought one and their nest is under our deck. It is a good spot for some of the animals to get out of the way of the hawks and falcons that come for a quick lunch (or so they think!).
We travelled out to the garden centre that I prefer, and there were no peonies. I had hoped to add another 3 or 4 plants to an already growing number. They are toxic to dogs, like hydrangeas, and all of the groups are fenced off so that Toby cannot get ill or, worse, die. I am considering planting about ten raspberry plants. I have the perfect spot – with direct southern exposure just beside the conservatory. Sour cherries were also tempting. We will sleep on this over night.
There is no bad news about Telyn. She was eating and feeding the three chicks this morning. Oh, please let her be alright.
From the Dyfi Osprey Project (Emyr Evans):
Teifi has been bringing in some nice Brown Trout for Elen and the triplets at Glaslyn.
The surviving chick at Loch of the Lowes is doing so well. There is a third egg. It could still hatch.
All appears to be well at the Usk Valley osprey nest.
Maya and Blue 33 have been working on the cot rails as those three kiddos get larger. The ‘babies’ are now preening their new juvenile feathers. This also helps take away the keratin sheath – that waxy protein tube that holds the blood feathers.
CJ7 and Blue 022 are masters at raising four osplets at once! Look at the images and spot the fat little bottom of hatch 4.
Dylan and Seren continue to bond and spend time together. Will they leave early for their migration – perhaps in July? This is wonderful to see – bonded and caring, they are protecting their territory and will really fatten up and be fit for their long migration. We don’t know where Dylan goes but we know that Seren Blue 5F goes to the exact tree in The Gambia every year.
Yesterday, Charlie’s former mate, Lola, visited their nest that now has eggs with his new mate. Charlie was incubating when she arrived. It is interesting to me that had this been the other way around, Charlie would have destroyed those eggs.
We are getting closer and closer to hatch for Clark and Iris at Hellgate Canyon.
At Amersfoort, the Little Prince and his sister nap in the scrape box. No worries this year over the tiny baby. Can you tell them apart?
A look at the trio at Loch Arkaig 2 for Louis and Dorcha – a feeding video by Geemeff. https://youtu.be/-O_WQ33FChQ?
I am glad that Little Dewey is a bit spunky. This might help him or her later on. Look at that fat little bottom and there is a fish on the nest – a large one.
Geemeff’s latest Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch ArkaigFriday 5th June 2026
Another day with plenty of fish and wet conditions. Garry LV0 brought two fish for Aurora 536, and his tally now stands at one hundred and one. He’d eaten the first one in a strange way, starting in the middle, but Aurora wasn’t bothered by the way it looked, and took it away to eat off the nest. Louis brought four fish for Dorcha and the two chicks, and the Nest Two tally now stands at one hundred and thirteen. At the time of filing this report (00.45), the third egg on Nest Two has pipped and is chupping away, and over on Nest One, there is a possibility Aurora’s single egg is also pipping, but a better view is needed. The wet weather is set to continue, with overnight drizzle and a low of 9°C, changing to light rain and a high of 16°C tomorrow.
I am so delighted that Telyn shows no sign of being adversely impacted by that fishing line and hook. Let us send our good wishes to all our families who struggle with more than we could imagine. Chicks are hatching in the area that Heidi monitors, and we are just praying for fish for them. They have, in the past, starved to death.
I will leave you with what is making me happy these days – the garden. The rain and heat have kick-started everything to bloom. Soon, there will hardly be any open space left, save for the deck area, so the birds, bunnies, squirrels, and Brock will have a place to stay cool.
There were two plants in the back garden when we bought the property – a peony and a prairie rose bush planted around 1902. These are the roses. They are so fragrant.
The Korean Maple.
The tunnel to the back of the property is now completely obscured.
The direct sun is shining down on all the garden and yet it is about 15 degrees cooler in this area for the birds and animals.
Thank you so much for being with us today. I am very tired and I do not know if I will have a post tomorrow but I will on Monday that will include SK Hideaways weekly videos. I should also mention that we have had fledges at the Spirit Bluff Peregrine scrape. Well done.
Thank you to everyone who posted information and images on FB and to the owners of the streaming cams that allowed us to view the birds and their lives, and me to take screencaptures. Thank you Geemeff for your amazing daily summary and videos. Much appreciated. Thank you so much.
I hope you never get tired of me saying that a single person can make a difference. Well, today, Pam Breci helped out the osplets in the nest with the baling twine in Idaho. Their own website says they will intervene if the event is human-caused. PB did not take ‘no’ as an answer. Today, she made a difference. Tomorrow it could be you. Never give up hope. Always persist.
“Mary Ann! I have a win!!! Idaho Fish and Game listened to me and will remove the twice at Salmon nest!!! I feel so good I may have saved 3 little lives just by being proactive to find their phone number at Salmon Regional office and talked to person who answered the phone. I bet she passed it on to the biologist there and they have on their website they only intervene if man-made like twine. Here’s what’s on chat.
Do not ever underestimate your ability to make a difference! They have no personnel to undertake this over the weekend, sadly but you will note they will do it next week. So when you see something – don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and advocate on behalf of our wildlife. You can be another Pam Breci – who deserves a gold medal today!
This morning I reported that Telyn had swallowed a fishing hook and line. Here is the blog from the Dyfi Osprey Project. Please read it:
The image below is the family portrait. That is Idris, the amazing Dad, feeding his children. It is night now and Telyn is a little restless on the nest. We hope that her stomach enzymes will eat up all that human debris.
I cannot tell you how angry I feel today. My father loved fishing. My sons loved fishing. My oldest son is in Asia at a conference and will be going fishing with friends. My grandson goes fishing. For my son the quiet in his little boat like thing in the mangroves is his sanctuary. But this puts me in a real quandry. Don quit fishing when he realised the mess that humans leave that wildlife have to deal with. I don’t even know how we could clean it up – baling twine in farming areas like Idaho and Montana. Dr Green and his team spend lots of time removing baling twine. But recently we have seen Jackie eat a hook and line. Now Telyn has. How many others that are not seen are hurting, bleeding inside from the barbs on those hooks. My only consolation – if I am right – is that the hook is smaller and barbless in the UK. I want to be hopeful.
Hugo Yugo will be going for dental surgery on Wednesday. Poor thing she had to go to let the vet have a look to make sure that she needed the surgery. Look at the two of them – Toby and Hugo Yugo are seriously joined at the hip so to speak.
Toby weighs 29.3 lbs. Hugo Yugo weighs 12.2 lbs. This carrier is meant for a 16 lb pet!!!!!!!!!!!
Hugo Yugo is so traumatised from just being at the vet that she will not stop howling. Poor thing.
The garden is beautiful now. The rain turned everything emerald green but the wind and rain destroyed the blossoms on the lilacs. The cherry blossoms lasted about 40 hours. I just love the garden right now and when I looked there are some buds on the Prairie roses.
So I want to check on some good nests and I want you to look at the calendar. Iris and Clark will be on pip watch on Monday!
Big Red’s babies are beautiful and they are getting their juvenile feathers fully in and flapping like crazy.
There is great news coming out of Dale Hollow. DH23 is back in the nest after being knocked off during a prey delivery.
Right now Louis and Dorcha have two chicks, but Geemeff thinks that there is a pip in the third egg!
Blue 210 has fed part of the dead chick to the remaining chick on the nest. Dad has brought in 3 fish and a tail, which he ate early in the day, but this nest needs more big fish! Nothing late.
I love Little Dewey.
Blue 33 feeds his babies while Maya takes a break at Rutland.
Teifi and Elen hanging out on the perch while their babies nap.
We are happy to share that Snow has not presented the medical team with any new complications since his initial assessment, and he, so far, continues to respond well to his supportive care regimen consisting of stress management, medications for pain and inflammation, and a healthy supply of clean food (he’s a hungry boy!).
We have two ways that YOU can help Snow’s recovery efforts… read on for more!
Many of you have asked for a quick explanation of what the coaptive approach to treating breaks and fractures entails:
-In scenarios where bones are still developing, the goal is to take a path that provides the highest likelihood of ensuring proper long term function.
-In Snow’s case, the curved edge carpal splint (orange foam in the photos) will support the shape of the wrist in the right wing during healing, with the splint itself being removed, and alignment inspected (using a combination of x-ray imaging and manual palpation), twice each week.
-3 to 4 times a week, the body wrap holding the splinted wing up for support (orange vet wrap tape) can be released for range of motion exercises in the shoulder and elbow while still leaving the wrist supported by the splint.
-On Snow’s left side, the ulna fracture is supported with a wing to body wrap (the pink vet wrap tape).
-This wing will also receive full range of motion therapy 3 to 4 times per week aimed at preventing synostosis (the ulna accidentally attaching to the radius) and to keep developing muscles from tightening.
One of the key medical components for the effective treatment of breaks and fractures is X-RAY IMAGING, and for Snow’s treatment plan, he will require a fair number of them throughout the process. While we do have access to off-site radiographic imaging, managing the stress of travel for patients that are already compromised is a real concern.
Fortunately, over the past 2 days, thanks to the incredible compassion and generosity of so many of you who have followed Snow’s story from the beginning, we find ourselves well on our way (35%) to being able to purchase a PORTABLE X-RAY MACHINE that would be game changing in how we are able to serve not just Snow, but ALL of our patients for years to come!
***IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A WAY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE for Snow’s recovery, this is a truly impactful way to do it!
In the meantime, we will continue to serve our organization’s mission by providing Snow, and all of our patients, with the highest quality of care available! As always, you can continue to support these efforts by donating at www.northskyraptor.org/donatenow.
We genuinely couldn’t be more appreciative of the support our community has shown, and we will endeavor to keep you informed as treatment continues!”
I have nothing yet from Geemeff. It has been a busy day. I suspect the minute I hit publish she will post her daily summary. I will include it tomorrow. Take care everyone. We are enjoying a beautiful early summer evening. The birdsong is very loud in the garden but we can no longer see them for all the foliage that will keep them cool and maybe dry when it rains. We did spot a baby bunny this evening. Such a wonderful sight.
See you soon!
Thank you to ‘PB’ for persisting in getting a change at that Idaho nest. Thank you also to PB for the screen capture of Little Dewey and to everyone else who posted on FB or wrote articles, I am so grateful. To the owners of the streaming cams, thank you for letting us watch these incredible birds.
Hello everyone, from a very hot Canadian Prairie that is due to get hotter. Ann kept Don and Toby inside. Friday is to be 34. I think that sounds like a walk at the mall!!!!!!!!
Allow me to take a deep breath, and before we get into the lawsuit in Florida about Scrub Jays, I want to say that by some miracle, the branch that broke on the Traverse City Bald Eagle nest in Michigan, fell and caught itself on the tree adjacent, and is supporting that tilted nest. How long it will hold, we do not know. I hope it is long enough for Snow to fly. We need a good three weeks. The average is 10-14 weeks. So, right now, Snow is 6.5 weeks old.
Now, back to the Endangered Florida Scrub Jays. We have a detective in our midst, and ‘R’ was able to find out the following information which should really bring a light to the threat to the birds!
“I searched for this, and got the following:
Yes, it appears Colosi knew (or should have known) about the protected status before buying. Key facts: • Purchase date: March 2024.  • Habitat plan: Charlotte County’s Scrub-Jay Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) was approved in 2014 — a full 10 years earlier. It’s been public policy since then, with clear rules and fees for building in designated areas.  • Public records: The county’s property records for his specific parcel note that “Land value may be adjusted due to scrub jay habitat.” It’s also visible on the county’s GIS maps (a public online tool)
Did he actually know? • Colosi and his lawyers (Pacific Legal Foundation) have not directly said whether he was aware of the restrictions when he bought it. When journalists asked, they avoided answering. • Critics and local observers point out it’s hard to miss: the restrictions are on maps, in public records, and part of standard real estate due diligence in the area. Many people assume he bought it anyway, possibly betting on a legal challenge. This is a classic “buyer beware” (caveat emptor) situation. The restrictions were already in place long before he purchased the 5 acres. He’s now challenging the fee system as unconstitutional rather than claiming he was blindsided.”
I love this type of deep digging and finding the true facts. Thank you, ‘R’. I hope that there are lawyers representing Scrub Jays. They have represented ‘trees’ why not birds and rivers? I must look into this. Gosh I wish I had the time I had before Don’s dementia entered my world.
A respected scientist recognized.
We are all pulling for Dewey Beach. Last year, the only surviving osplet died on day 50, five days from fledging, due to starvation. This year only one egg hatched and this little sweetheart has woven itself into our hearts. Dad is finding little fish, sometimes a nice sized Menhaden. Please keep sending positive wishes that this single osplet survives and flies. Now the question I have is this: When does Omega Protein start taking out all the fish?
Found out: Omega Protein’s menhaden reduction fishing in the Chesapeake Bay typically begins in May. For the 2026 season, operations are set to ramp up significantly in June.
Fundraising at Poole Harbour. Looking for a beautiful osprey print?
Myrtle, the female whose five eggs were destroyed by two different males, has returned to Loch Garten and is being courted by a pale male.
‘PB’ reports that there are four osplets at Steelscape in WA. They note that the older two are already fighting! Send them positive wishes. Mum is trying her best to feed all including little 4.
Please be sure to go and vote for the name for NewGuy2 at Hellgate Canyon. Iris’s great mate needs a name!
Help name Iris’s mate! Vote on your favorite name by June 2, and you could win free enrollment in Bird Academy’s Hawk and Raptor ID course. Vote here https://hubs.la/Q04hFrKD0
A nest of hawklets for Big Red and Arthur!
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 27th May 2026
No rain, no intruders, just sunshine and plenty of fish today. Louis delivered two fish for Dorcha, taking the Nest Two tally to ninety, while over on Nest One, Garry LV0 delivered three fish to Aurora 536, taking that tally to eighty five. Aurora actually refused the second fish but took the third one eagerly, perhaps she’d worked up an appetite following her encounter with a Great Tit which startled her so much she fled the nest. Safe to say, the tiny passerine was also startled – the size difference is stupendous. Another dry night of clear skies and light winds is forecast with a low of 9°C overnight, continuing tomorrow with sunny intervals, a gentle breeze and a high of 25°C. At the time of filing this report (00.30), Cam Two is still on day mode. This time next week we could have our first hatch! Fingers crossed these calm conditions continue.
Monty and Hartley certainly have their hands full with these four boys. Thanks, SK Hideaways for capturing some of the antics: https://youtu.be/gJPOZNVVLf4?
The trio at the nest of Maya and Blue 33 are now in the Reptilian Phase. Big ones in food coma and Maya feeding the third hatch. It looks like the final egg is a Dudley.
One of those short reads that is so informative – think White Storks and how people love them. They bring luck and my friends and readers in Poland and other parts of Europe treasure these beautiful birds and pray that they will make a nest on their home!
‘PB’ sent me a note at a time when I really needed a renewal in trusting humans to help. A female White Stork whose eggs were hatching lost her mate. The community takes turn feeding her just like they did at Mlade Buky.
Good night Bety and Bukachek.
Little Golden Eaglet safe under Mum in Estonia.
Black Stork Nest 3 in Estonia has 3 eggs.
Toby says ‘enough is enough’. It is time to play fetch! How can I resist those eyes?
There is a second hatch at Pont Cresor! Yeah for Aeron Z2 and Blue 014.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. Stay cool and hydrated if you are in a region that is hot like it is here. See you soon!
Thank you to all my contributors – to SK Hideaways and Geemeff for their videos and reports, to ‘PB’ for keeping me up to date on several nests, to the folks that are literally with their will power and that supporting branch miracle holding up Snow’s nest, and to the others who wrote reports and posted them on FB and to the owners of the streaming cams who let us view these incredible bird families. Thank you to all! We are so fortunate.
It’s hot. We were out early with Toby and now we are inside, drapes drawn and AC on. Cavaliers are susceptible to many ailments (I don’t care, I will take good care of Toby forever) so that Toby cannot be out in the heat of the day. He has a ‘chill’ coat that is soaked in cold water and a chill mat and I have made ice lollies for him with bone broth. Interestingly, Don has a medicine that restricts him from being out in the heat, too. So I guess summer is going to be interesting!
The first hatch has happened in the Glaslyn Valley and it is at the Pont Cresor nest of Z2 Aeron and Blue 014.
There are still two at the nest of CJ7 and Blue 022 at Poole Harbour although I almost caught myself thinking there were three.
There are three osplets at the Moraine Preservation Fund Osprey Platform. Little is so tiny! I hope they get lots of fish and this baby survives.
Clark PUD in Washington State has three babies and no shade!
Newport Bay Conservany has two osplets that are getting their juvenile feathers.
Three babies at Smallwood…
Beautiful babies with Mum at Brevard in Florida.
Incubation continues in the Usk Valley in Wales.
Two little scrappers at Port of Ridgefield in Washington.
Please send the Dewey Beach every ounce of energy you can. One little osplet. Please, please let them have enough fish to keep this baby to fledge. Two small fish have come to the nest. Dad is trying but the adults have to be so hungry. This whole lack of fish ‘thing’ that is human caused is simply driving me to the brink.
Incubation continues at Loch of the Lowes in Scotland.
First fish from Jack at the Achieva nest came at 0832. The family was waiting. Mum got it and fed everyone.
Chick 2 has hatched for Idris and Telyn at Dyfi.
There are still three chicks at Rutland’s Manton Bay nest of Blue 33 and Maya.
Three eggs being incubated at Lyn Brenig in Wales.
One beautiful baby so far for White YW and Blue 35 at Foulshaw Moss.
Frankie and Angel and their two darling osplets at Loch Doon.
Dylan loves delivering Brown Trout to his family at Lyn Clywedog in Wales.
Life in the osprey world appears to be going well at these nests. There are, of course, many others, and we must check in on Iris. Tomorrow is the first day to vote on the name for NewGuy2. Please take part.
These two are hilarious.
Rosie Shields brings us the latest news from Border Ospreys.
I am excited that Aran and his new mate will have chicks in a few days. He was the mate to Mrs G, then Elen (who is now with Teifi), and it is just great that there was a platform and a female for this dedicated dad.
Mary Kerr posted a YouTube video of Teifi and his brother Tywi in 2020. Teifi will be a dad in a few days when his and Elen’s eggs begin to hatch. Teifi is the son of Idris and Telyn. https://youtu.be/x1ewvCXqql8?
It appears that Richmond and Wendy’s first egg is not viable at 41 days.
Kielder Forest news – and there is a hatch at nest 1A.
The livestream has been turned off of the Falconshire Bald Eagle nest where Scout eats crumbs and picks at his injured wing. Will he survive? We will never know what happened because they chose to intervene to band the chicks but not to keep Scout in rehab. Banding is, in my mind, a good thing but it is an intervention on the nest. Why not help Scout? Instead of hiding what is happening just because they are overwhelmed by people who care? Caring people should motivate for good!!!!!!
The last screen:
Good night from Missey.
First egg of the 2026 Loon Preservation Society has been laid!
Bird flu has been detected in a pair of goshawks in the UK.
The heat on the Canadian Prairies has kept us inside. Don sleeps more as his disease progresses. Sometimes Toby ‘allows’ me to check on the bird nests. Toby is a bit like a toddler when their mother is on the telephone and they want attention!!!!!!! And how can I refuse?
If you are living in the UK, I know it is HOT, with temperatures of 35°C. Geemeff told me. Unbelievable. Mark Avery, head of RSPB for 25 years, has included paragraphs on a hotter Britain. I have included those thoughts in their entirety. “A hotter UK: a report published a couple of days ago – click here – by the Climate Change Committee contained the slightly chilling phrase ‘The UK was built for a climate that no longer exists today and will be increasingly distant in years to come.‘. That focuses our minds on what we need to do to adapt to the climate-mediated changes that are heading down the road anyway, such as increasing summer temperatures and increasing length of periods of what are currently abnormally high summer temperatures.
It won’t be me who is living in my current late-Victorian semi-detached brick-built, no cavity wall house in 25 years’ time but whoever does will need to do a bit more than know which curtains to shut, which doors to shut (and when to leave them wide open) to cope with high temperatures. Our house has quite a lot of roof that faces south (which is why solar panels work pretty well) but only one small window that faces south so the sun doesn’t beat down into rooms in the middle of the day. And the front door, and largest windows face west (whence the wind often comes) and the back door faces east, so it is possible to flush hot air from the house when temperatures drop in the evening. Even so, sitting quietly, reading a book, with one’s feet in a bowl of cold water is still an option applied even in these times.
There is much food for thought on flooding, the viability of farming, wildlife and infrastructure in this report. Read it and please never, ever, consider voting for Reform or the Conservatives whilst they have their current policies of scrapping net-zero measures. “
It is not just Britain that is hot. And the water that holds the fish for our beloved ospreys will be warming. Life will be difficult. How can we help? Remember: Put a bowl of water outside. There will be someone who needs it, and you might not know. It could be Mama Raccoon, the Sparrow, the homeless cat or dog, that comes in the middle of the night. Water is life.
It isn’t about raptors but if you happen to be near Mumbai, head over to see the art show and listen to a talk by my friend Pherozah Godrej.
Beautiful Big Red and her babies. The oldest is just becoming steady standing.
Ruth and Oren’s two hawklets are older at Syracuse University. Look at their juvenile feathers coming in and how good they are at standing.
Geemeff’s The calm routine of the previous days changed today when Louis was kept busy keeping intruders away from the nest – while Dorcha protected the eggs, Louis chased away first a crow and later in the day an intruder Osprey. Neither got close enough to be a threat and Louis still had plenty of time to deliver two fish, taking the nest tally to eighty six. No intruders troubled the occupants of Nest One, and Garry LV0’s tally rises to eighty one after he delivered two fish to Aurora 536. The Inver Mallie forecast for the nest area is dry overnight with light cloud and light winds and a low of 9°C, continuing tomorrow with sunny intervals and a high of 20°C. Today’s videos:
The Amersfoort Tower that has falcons in The Netherlands has another little one, Little Prince. He is doing so much better than Smallie that we worried so much about years ago!
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum – new couple? two eggs? three? hard to see. I did not see any fish brought on to the nest for the female. I hope I just missed the delivery. Looks like intruders about, too.
Remember. Names for NewGuy2 posted tomorrow!
Thank you for being with us. I expect many more osprey babies to enter the world over the next couple of days. It is marvellous. I don’t believe I have ever worried about fish coming on a nest, save for the year that Aran was injured. What a contrast to the concerns in the NE US. Send wishes to all those nests, please – if the eggs hatch we need fish!
I have just learned that California has passed a law that would protect endangered species. I will find out more and report in a day or two. If this is true, it is wonderful – a real change from what is happening in Florida.
Take care. Stay cool. Remember to drink lots of water! Stay hydrated. See you soon.
Thank you to all of today’s contributors, whether it be videos, FB announcements, newsletters, or invites. We are grateful for all the camera owners who allow us to watch the lives of the birds, and we would be very grateful to know what has happened to Scout.
We were expecting it. Big had been flapping her wings in the rain, getting stronger and stronger, and this morning he took off and returned to the nest like a pro. Time: 10:25:41. Thanks ‘PB’ and Heidi.
Proud Mum Jill and Little watched as Big circled around the nest. Congratulations – this is the most well deserved fledge and just wait til Little flies – maybe at the weekend.
Jill did it with a little help from Jack at the start and a lot of help at the end. Now to keep the fish coming for the fledgling.
This is just wonderful…at one point we feared these two would starve to death but Mum Jill literally taloned up and kept her babies fed. I remain astonished at all she did and so proud of her.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 20th May 2026
Another calm routine day, no alarms or intruders, just rain and fish deliveries and the males taking their turn on the eggs allowing the females to stretch their wings and go off nest to eat. Garry LV0 brought three fish for Aurora 536, taking his tally to seventy three, and Louis brought one fish for Dorcha, taking the Nest Two tally to seventy three. The forecast overnight and through tomorrow is more rain, with a low of 7°C and a high of 17°C.
They could hear the chicks at the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn in the microphones overnight! Won’t be long!
I love this! Jeff Kear says, “SO TODAY COULD BE BUSY.
With possible hatches at:- DYFI, POOLE HARBOUR, LOCH DOON and KIELDER NEST 7. And the second Chick at Clywedog has already hatched, Egg Number 4 at MANTON BAY as well(forgot that one)”.
Yes, it will be a busy one. Take care everyone. I will see you with the latest on the UK hatches this evening.
Thank you to ‘PB’ and Heidi, to Geemeff for their Loch Arkaig Summary, those who post to FB and the owners of the streaming cams that let us look into the lives of our friends.
Pip – a really good effort going on – in the second egg go blue 33 and Maya at Rutland Water.
P3 gave us quite the fright yesterday. Must have really been in a food coma – or tired. Up and getting bites this morning at the Cornell nest of Big Red and Arthur.
White-tailed Eagles to be released in Exmoor National Park in the UK next year.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 13th May 2026
Today was back to routine, quietand calm with no intruders to shatter the tranquility. Louis and Garry LV0 brought two fish each for their respective partners Dorcha and Aurora 536, the Nest Two tally now stands at fifty nine, and the Nest One at sixty two.The weather was mainly settled, just a little light rain occasionally during the day, but more is forecast for tonight with drizzle and light winds and an overnight low of 5°C, continuing through tomorrow with light rain showers, a gentle breeze and a high of 12°C. The weather shouldn’t affect the males’ fishing abilities, and if you missed Steve Quinn’s fish count update posted on Monday, just pop Nest 2 fish count update to week 3 (8th May): into the search bar (click on the tiny magnifying glass symbol on the right above the pinned comment) for some interesting facts and comparison with previous years. We learned a little more about intruder Blue 2B8, she is female, eldest of a clutch of three female 2023 Kielder chicks with an English mother and very likely a Scottish father as although his Darvic ring has been lost, his BTO ring is on his right leg. No further sightings of local lad JJ4, there was some light hearted speculation that it would be nice if he and 2B6 paired up together somewhere not close enough to be a threat to either of the Arkaig pairs.
Thanks everyone. Have a great day. I just wanted you to know that P3 is doing well. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to all of the owners of the streaming cams, for those that post announcements about their nests, for those that post on FB, and to Geemeff for their daily summary of all things Loch Arkaig.
Dr Green can correct me, but I am pretty sure that this is NG2. They are keeping an eye on the skies – possibly for Louis and other intruders.
Oh, Iris puts a smile on my face with or without a partner and with or without babies. She is so resilient. There are so many lessons to be learned from her including always keeping our house tidy!
‘PB’ has sent me another good news story: The little baby of Irvin and Stella had to be rescued. Everything went well. Here is the story: “Rescued little US Steel #11 (3rd hatch) swallowed synthetic fishing worm and already in digestive tract. Needed surgery and baby doing well.”
Jack has brought in a fish at Achieva, but the little one is not eating. Perhaps the eldest will survive. Send good wishes to this family. Mum is trying her best in difficult circumstances.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 18th May 2025
It was business as usual today – a fish was brought to each nest, taking Nest One total to sixteen and Nest Two to three, along with a few sticks and other nesting materials, and after dealing with an English intruder Osprey, ring either 2B6 or 286, Louis and Dorcha were reunited. Any lingering fears about Louis’ health were allayed by the vigour with which he commenced mating activity, he initiated multiples sessions which all appeared successful and we could be looking at eggs on Nest Two within 12 – 15 days, and on Nest One even sooner as Garry LV0 and Aurora 536 started much earlier. Fingers firmly crossed! The media enjoyed the return of Lockdown Louis and many emphasised the gettiing rid of the toy boy angle, link to one of the news articles in the bonus section – we wish JJ4 well but we are really happy to have Louis back.
That’s all for today. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us into the lives of these wonderful raptors and to ‘PB’ for sending me that wonderful good news story. A big shout out to Geemeff for the daily summary from Loch Arkaig and also to Kielder Forest for keeping us up to date. Thanks everyone!
There have been consistent worries over whether or not Jack would be able to provide for his mate, Jill, and his two osplets at the Achieva Credit Union osprey platform in St Petersburg, Florida. I was one that doubted he could do this based on past history.
Today, with her second hatch really suffering from a lack of food, Jill took control and went fishing. She had to be really hungry to leave these two little babes, and surely the little one would not have lived much longer on the meagre portions it had had. This is something that Diane would do. Diane would go and catch catfish – she knew precisely where to go for them!
The fish was a whopper. The eldest ate well and then little go to have its fill and so did Mum. This nest was hungry!
Tears of joy.
Here it comes.
Looking for information. ‘MP’ has found a number of barrier designs for owls to be kept away from eagle nests. They understand that someone posted a statement saying that Peanut had been hit 55 times by that owl on the Winter Park nest. Does anyone know who posted that number? ‘MP’ is gathering all the information they can to try to convince the powers that be that this is possible and why it is important. Send me a note if you know. Thanks!
I was so excited about Jill’s fishing. Little Bit lives another day, and this Mum understands that she cannot rely on her mate, Jack. Sad that, but I am pleased for the kiddos.
So this is just a brief post. Take care all. See you soon.
Thank you so much to ‘PB’ for alerting me to this grand event and to ‘MP’ for learning about owl barriers in order to help eagles. To those who own the streaming cams, I am grateful. If not for you, we would not know about these amazing birds. Thanks to FB posters and to Kielder Forest for their newsy letter and the great images of Eschells.
There are a couple of good news events that everyone should be aware of. The first one is that WBSE 36 has fledged! They flew to a nearby branch known as Dad’s perch. Later, Lady arrives at an empty nest. Congratulations Olympic Park Sea Eagles!
A tired fledgling.
WBSE also returned to the nest. What an incredible season. Let us all wish both 35 and 36 the very best and lots of prey and Lady and Dad teaching them the ways of the WBSE on the Parramatta River.
So far, there is only one hatch at the Charles Sturt Falcon scrape in Orange, Australia. That little one is a very strong cutie pie.
Dare I say that it would be nice for Gimbir to be broken in slowly and to have only one little one to provide for and Diamond this year?
Once upon a time, the trio at the 367 Collins Street scrape in Melbourne looked like that little bobblehead of Gimbir and Diamond. In fact, less than a month ago, they were pink-toed and beaked and now they have their juvenile plumage and will, sadly for all of us, fledge soon.
The great news is that Kielder Forest’s Blue 714 has been seen and photographed by Jean-marie Depart in Senegal! Blue 714 is the only chick from the 2024 nest 7.
Thank you so much for being with me for this quick update. Please have a lovely weekend. I will have another quick update on Monday.
Thank you to the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold who give us the great privilege of monitoring the lives of these amazing raptors and to those who track and photograph them and keep us up to date after they leave the nest like Jean-marie Dupart.
feeling grateful.
