Tag Archives: Latvian wildlife

Monday in Bird World

16 June 2025

Hello Everyone!

Late news: Fortis Exshaw had their third osplet hatch!

We are creeping closer and closer to the first day of summer. It is marvellous to have the sun up early in the morning and light still in the garden at 2200. Winter will be here all too soon, and it will then be dark by 1630. These days we have the summer warmth with temperatures ranging during the day from 24-29 C. Coffee in the morning along with breakfast and lingering hours in the evening with our tea and Toby by our side are so enjoyable. It is a little too hot during the early afternoon.

This evening, we sat and watched the Starling parents feed their fledglings. All seven have survived, with another family of five arriving in the garden today. We have gone through so much kibble! They will begin to disperse in a fortnight, and I will miss them so much.

While the Blue Jay babies and the little Crows have yet to arrive, the behavior of the adult birds indicates that there are hungry mouths to feed in their nests. It’s incredibly rewarding to witness these birds flourishing and not having to compete for food. However, I can’t shake the desire to find a solution to bring fish back to the areas where many nests are faltering this year.

I have been working on this post on and off and I know that I have mentioned a few nests twice. Just consider it Double Happiness.

Today, ‘VV’ confirmed the disappointing news that no osprey chicks hatched on St. George’s Island, Maryland, this year, resulting in a staggering fifteen failed nests! The adults abandoned their nests with eggs in two weeks. A few of the adults have returned, but everyone is very disillusioned with no movement in Virginia to halt the overfishing of the Menhaden, which is essential for the lives of our ospreys.

I am deeply ashamed that a Canadian company is on the verge of driving ospreys to extinction in this region of the United States. The nationality of the company shouldn’t be a factor; what troubles me is the lack of a viable solution. Despite the hard work of many advocates raising awareness about this critical issue, Virginia politicians continue to turn a blind eye. Is it true that money can buy favours? Absolutely—short-term financial gain seems to overshadow the urgent need for environmental stewardship. We must demand better from our leaders!

At home, there is no shortage of food and love for all the animals, feathered or furred. Toby and Hugo Yugo are the closest of friends, even when it comes to sifting the cheese out of Toby’s kibble. (Don was a little enthusiastic about the amount and size! My son thought they were eating nachos.)

Back to the birds…

We have been discussing some questions that might arise if you have been watching a lot of the osprey nests this year.

  1. When do we start counting the age of the egg? The minute it is laid! When it emerges from the cloaca. There is no scientific basis for subtracting days, etc. due to delayed incubation. The age of the egg is from the minute it is laid.
  2. Can the second egg hatch before the first egg? Yes. Sometimes it isn’t easy to know which egg is which. In other cases, it is not. The markings on the osprey eggs can be quite distinctive, helping the observer recognise eggs 1, 2, and 3 easily from one another. The data that Heidi and I have kept indicate the following days related to hatch:

2023: This is the data for 342 eggs. If you can’t see it easily, the average time for hatch for the first egg laid is 38.8 days while that for egg 2 laid is 36.9 while egg 3 is 36.4 days.

2024: This is the data for 351 eggs. If you can’t see it easily, the average time for hatch for the first egg is 39.4 days, egg 2 is 37.4 days, and egg 3 is 36.1 with egg 4 at 36.0 days.

3. If the second egg hatches first, do you still call it ‘chick one’? Yes. The first chick to hatch, regardless of egg order, is chick one or the first hatch. This has happened at several nests, including the 2011 Dyfi Osprey Project nest. This is the chart from Tiger Mozone’s log for that season at Dyfi (imagicats):

Many of you know that I have a fondness for Blue 33. I also admire many of the male ospreys in the UK. One way to determine if an osprey pair is considered ‘successful’ is not only by the number of chicks they raise but also by the rate of second-year returnees. For example, Aran at Glaslyn, who was usurped this year by one of Idris’s sons, Teifi, has had three of his sons return to Wales this year. This is a remarkable achievement, and we should keep in mind that these are only the birds that have been seen on camera or photographed, as that’s the only evidence that counts for proving their existence.

There were lots of tributes to the great osprey dads!

Idris and Telyn’s chicks will be ringed this week and we will find out their names.

Latest news from the Cumbrian Wildlife Trust – home to the Foulshaw Moss ospreys.

Meet the neighbours_ our #FoulshawOspreys have company _ Cumbria Wildlife TrustDownload

Knepp Farm News!

News from KneppDownload

Been wondering what happened to the only GHO hatch for Bonnie and Clyde at Farmer Derek’s? Androcat caught up with Starri. https://youtu.be/B261Hw7-sic?

At Farmer Derek’s Bald Eagle Nest, Kanza returned home after fledging to a double fish meal. https://youtu.be/x-HOBz9SFIw?

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Nest: ‘MP’ sent shock waves through me when they wrote that the third egg had hatched at this nest. The chick has not been fed since it hatched (24 hours thus far). Attempts but Mum and chick are having trouble connecting. Fingers crossed.

Wetlands, NJ: Second hatch has died due to siblicide/starvation.

The trio at Saaksilvie #1 are doing great. They are in that terrible Reptilian phase. Hoping for three fledges!

At Saaksilvie #4, the trio are in the Reptilian phase. They seem to be doing well.

Saaksilvie nests 2 and 3 are vacant.

Taipalsaavi Osprey Platform, Finland: Two of the cutest fattest little bottom osplets.

We haven’t checked on the Royal Albatross chick for a long time. Baby fluff is disappearing. There are still 9-10 weeks before fledge. Here is the most recent weight check. https://youtu.be/y6XB3zjflNc?

Charlo Montana: A nice big fish came in for those babies.

Rutland Manton Bay: It is a nest full of osplets!

Dunrovin: ‘PB’ brings us the latest news.

I am sending some ‘old’ news. Heidi sent this for Thursday, and I missed it. The ages of the osplets will be wrong, but I want you to see her news, and we have sadly lost the Only Bob at Dahlgren as of Saturday. My apologies for missing this news. I love how Heidi puts the narrative in the image. She will also have a new report for today.

Heidi’s Report for Sunday, 15 June:

Two notes, one video link to Mispillion Harbor video, and six photos.

Dahlgren osprey nest:  On 6/14, both Helen and Doug were away from the nest leaving their only chick unprotected.  Sadly, the little 4-day-old baby was predated by a crow.

Happy Father’s Day to all the devoted osprey dads, especially to Warren at Mispillion Harbor.  Watch Warren doing his thing, feeding and protecting his family.  Here is “The Warren Waltz”  https://youtu.be/jToQbVm3838

Goitzsche-Wildnis, Germany: The Only Bob that survived the Red Kite attacks has grown big and strong. It is big enough that I believe the Red Kite cannot take it! Fingers crossed no one else comes calling. This is a beautiful osplet for Zeus and Fjona.

Eschenbach, Germany: Two lovely osplets.

Dunrovin Ranch: ‘PB’ reports that Winnie and Swoopie have their second hatch as of Sunday evening. Congratulations.

Charlo Montana: There are three. I really, really hope that Charlie gets a lot of fish on this nest!

Boulder County Fairgrounds: Two remaining Bobs with full crops on Saturday.

Trempeauleau Eagles: T3 is self-feeding and has a stash under the base of the tree. Smart eaglet!

Blithfield Reservoir, UK: Jeff Kear announced in UK Osprey Info FB that they have had a reliable source confirm three little osplets in the nest.

Clark PUD: Both Bobs appear to be in a food coma.

Pitkin County: The images speak for themselves. The largest chick eats first and the smaller goes into submission. Viewers were delighted on Saturday when the little one had a nice crop! The weather is very hot – approaching 90 F.

City of Independence: There are two Bobs in this nest. We can see their little heads pop up at 0842 for a feeding on Saturday. Soon they will be bigger and easier to view!

Gilestone Ospreys Usk Valley: Cogwyn doesn’t have to wait long for her mate Syfaddan to get a fish to their nest to feed their Only Bob. This chick is the first to hatch in 250 years in this Welsh Valley.

Santiam Canyon, Oregon: There are three Bobs. They have made it through the Reptilian Phase and are now getting those gorgeous juvenile feathers. The Santiam Canyon ospreys are located at the Santiam Canyon School District in Oregon. Specifically, they have nested in a football field light for the past two years and now have a permanent nesting platform nearby. This new platform was built in partnership with Pacific Power and other organizations to provide the ospreys with a safer home.

Salt Point: Orpheus and Ursula receive high praise for the care they give their three osplets.

Great Bay: Three osplets. The images show the difference in size and age. I get nervous. Fingers crossed.

VIMS, VA Institute of Marine Science: This says it all. No food. Menhaden taken for years by the Canadian company, Omega, out of Reedsville, VA. Virginia is the only state around the waters that does not have the three-mile protection limit. As a result, no food for the ospreys who have abandoned their nests along with fish hawks in neighbouring states.

WDNU: Female caught feeding the recently hatched chick on 1 June 2025. Two osprey chicks hatched on the WNDU studio tower in 2025. However, both chicks sadly passed away shortly after hatching. The osprey pair had laid three eggs, and two successfully hatched. 

This is a very unlucky nest. It is unclear why the chicks die each year shortly after hatching. The only chick to fledge in three years was Huey in 2023.

FOBBV: On Saturday, the entire family was at the nest. Sunny and Gizmo ate and spent time together. This miracle keeps on giving. Treasure it – when you feel low, remember that this year there were miracles. You are looking at them below. Jackie and Shadow make sure that their babies are fed in the nest or the pine. It is beautiful.

Denton Homes: They survived all the storms, the wind, the threat of tornadoes, the cold and sometimes the lack of food due to the weather. Just look at the trio.

San Jose City Hall Falcons: SK Hideaways checks in to see who is home. https://youtu.be/MjXHLrLbqEg?

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 15th June 2025
Another day where Louis delivered several fish, a contrast to this day last year when he was told off by Dorcha for arriving without fish and showing no inclination to go fishing. 

The start of his illness, although we didn’t know it at the time.. He brought four fish to the nest, all a good size, big and beefy, and candidates to be considered Silver Tourists rather than Brown Trout. In fact one of the fish contained a big surprise – a belly full of little fish! This bonus was snapped up by Dorcha as the chicks didn’t seem to be too keen, and their hugely distended crops shows how well they’ve been eating. Louis’ tally rises to one hundred and eighty eight, while over on Nest One, Garry LV0 brought one fish for Aurora 536, taking his tally to eighty nine. Although there were dry spells today, the weather forecast is for more rain and wind overnight with a low of 12

°C, continuing through tomorrow with a high of 16°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.37.08 (03.32.25); Nest Two 23.09.52 (03.51.37)
Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/XLkxcMgnrLU N2 Fish number one is a big silvery headless trout 05.56.58https://youtu.be/qKGEv6WQ4tQ N2 Louis delivers a second big silvery fish 13.26.31https://youtu.be/1uHKMsVgfjk N1 Garry LV0 finally delivers a fish for Aurora 14.28.29

https://youtu.be/UVotIUbtzMg N2 Louis delivers a monster fish and it has a bellyful of tiny fish! 17.50.51https://youtu.be/bB4kvztpDKM N2 Dorcha’s still busy with fish three so Louis takes fish four away 20.48.02 

Bonus blast from the past: Today’s fish full of fish is not the first time this has been caught on nest cam – thanks to PaulineC for finding Doddie JJ6 eating a fish, with a belly full of fish, in my archive:

https://youtu.be/wzmzLuDZqh8  21 July 2020

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/ntv71sF-N_s  N1 Simultaneous feeding – mum and dad each feed a bob! 2019

https://youtu.be/1RzPgaEWMr0  N1 Limbo dancing 2020

https://youtu.be/PvklkJGfZIc  N1 Home alone chicks amuse themselves 2020

https://youtu.be/J8geReKxLxc  N1 Mumbrella Aila does her best to shelter the chicks 2020

https://youtu.be/FJYbKk1hA-4  N1 A Jay visits the empty nest 2021

https://youtu.be/tsAAz0z9Ac8  N2 Hooded Crow intrudes and perches on the nest 2022

https://youtu.be/k6W6PKYMMYQ  N2 Chicks battle it out as soon as mum leaves 2022

https://youtu.be/LTMLWBLOZnY  N1 LV0 just won’t get the message 2023

https://youtu.be/hFbYpDjHeyI  N1 Affric reaffirms her bond with Prince 2023

https://youtu.be/yvMLAjhrNaA  N2 Hangry chick attacks Dorcha 2023 (quick-time)

https://youtu.be/2hIydufKS3I Fish number one, headless trout, C1 gets it all 2024

https://youtu.be/FlvoO8n_ZAk  Dorcha: from menace with a stick to brilliant mumbrella 2024

https://youtu.be/OiKvZO7vkTU Louis finally arrives but he’s fishless! Dorcha can’t believe it 2024

Why not come and 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

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 14th June 2025

Plenty of fish again today, Louis brought four fish including a late night fish which he had to take away again as his family were too full to bother with it, and his tally rises to one hundred and eighty four. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 brought two fish for Aurora 536, taking his tally to eighty eight, but disappointed her tonight when he arrived with a piece of bark instead of a third fish. Dorcha was startled by a songbird, the size difference is striking, and the Great Tit was equally startled by big Dorcha and left very quickly. All was peaceful today and there wasn’t any fighting between the chicks, and they did a little nest tidying and experimental nibbling at fish while mum was dishing out. The weather was mainly settled today with some rain but there’ll be more rain and wind overnight with a low of 11°C, continuing through tomorrow, with the possibility of sunny intervals and a high of 16°C.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.49.37 (02.44.46); Nest Two 23.10.14 (04.02.00)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/LptdCIh0i2Y N2 Louis delivers a very early fish with night cam still on 03.38.39

https://youtu.be/Yi4Nj3KMsb8 N2 Dorcha is startled by a songbird: the size difference is striking 06.22.59 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/0LhS8ZtGAak N2 The chicks help mum with nest tidying, one does a spot of whittling 09.41.58

https://youtu.be/jhmn2mfnPUY N1 Aurora jumps down from her perch ready to grab the first fish 10.49.23

https://youtu.be/8QUMSzhLiO4 N2 A huge second fish arrives – the chicks have a nibble 11.55.01

https://youtu.be/yeKK1a8IFBA N1 Garry brings a second fish for Aurora and stays to tidy the nest 17.38.31

https://youtu.be/XQ_1oY9y0Lg N2 Although the chicks have bulging crops they tuck in to the third fish 18.53.12

https://youtu.be/QpFug8PNXJA N1 Garry and Aurora spent a little time on the nest but she wants fish 21.51.19

https://youtu.be/8wE4v6xm67E N2 Louis brings a late 4th fish: no one wants it so he takes it away 22.49.34 (zoom)

Bonus guide to Osprey eyesight (thanks Dyfi and LizB):

https://www.dyfiospreyproject.com/facts-about-osprey-eyes

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/Exn19098zow N1 First self-feeding – big bob helps herself 2019

https://youtu.be/vat-pks8C0o N1 Good luck getting those growing bobs settled for the night! 2020

https://youtu.be/Er_He7M1Z_s  N1 Tawny Owl returns and strikes Aila 2020 (slo-mo)

https://youtu.be/KaaAklC7VMY  N2 When mum’s away, the chicks do play – not very nicely! 2022

https://youtu.be/owboya14Psw  N2 Bob2 gets a really good dinner as Bob1 is finally full! 2022

https://youtu.be/FreDgrNdCn4  N2 Bob1 dominates bob2 when Dorcha goes flyabout 2022

https://youtu.be/bony4Vt5TEw  N2 Little bird visits, so tiny Dorcha doesn’t notice 2023 (slo-mo zoom)

https://youtu.be/BecclFVDPAw  N2 Fish number one, chick has a go at self-feeding 2023

https://youtu.be/tOd-hoc2Cxo  N1 High drama: rivals Prince & LVO both bring gifts 2023 (slo-mo zoom)

https://youtu.be/R-32UJt7tBY  N2 Dorcha takes a direct hit! 2023 (Classic Ospreys: Tchaikovsky)

https://youtu.be/cgcWVSNAr4k N2 Dad’s turn to get hit! Equal opportunity squirter 2023

https://youtu.be/xL0saakThcE N2 Fish number two today, number 200 for the season! 2024

https://youtu.be/7J_4iIlHbGE  N2 Fish number three, chicks are calm and queue up with no aggro 12024

https://youtu.be/pDQXzJzcvDw  N2 Oops! Dorcha gets decorated 2024

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

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 13th June 2025
Plenty of fish today, with Garry LV0 bringing two for Aurora 536, and Louis delivering three for Dorcha and the two chicks. Their respective tallies rise to eighty six (Garry) and one hundred and eighty (Louis), although as the missing footage during yesterday’s outage wasn’t retrievable as hoped, their tallies are probably higher. Aurora decided to pay a visit to the Nest Two area, and was chased away by Louis, who kept hold of the fish in his talons throughout the chase and brought it to the nest shortly afterwards. Dorcha decided to do some decorating with moss and sticks, but instead of decorating the nest, she decorated the chicks instead. Both of the two 

surviving chicks are developing nicely and both have well-filled crops. The forecast is 

partly cloudy and light winds overnight with a low of 10°C, continuing tomorrow with light rain, light winds and a high of 16

°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.43.32 (03.17.31); Nest Two 23.25.19 (04.05.13)Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/8ygNdz9hreQ N2 Fish number one, whole medium trout 06.39.21 

https://youtu.be/1th9_-SSf6M N1  Fish number one, headless trout 07.56.54

https://youtu.be/9txqWmPu9OA N2 Two Ospreys do a flyby of the nest, Dorcha is furious 09.19.28 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/SUB7zBX8NsA N2 Fish number two, headless trout 09.52.07 

https://youtu.be/j5WGjP4SooA N1 Fish number two, headless trout 14.36.30

https://youtu.be/6UHho_Lwt5k N2 Dorcha decorates the chicks 14.41.20 (quick-time)

https://youtu.be/IY1_t_Wf3yA N2 Fish number three, whole Silver Tourist 19.37.58 

Bonus read – Riverscapes Partnership, of which Woodland Trust is a member, advocates developing a countrywide waterway system: 

Making Space for Rivers calls for national river corridor network

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/Oec9yfsqzI8  N1 Dad breaks up a fight (2019)

https://youtu.be/7h8o4P1BjOc  N1 Toy-like deer graze near the nest (2020)

https://youtu.be/CmnoKwCdweU  N1 Crashing and bashing: mum creates chaos (2020)

https://youtu.be/RownqjRW6Hg N2 First fish arrives in the dark (2022)

https://youtu.be/qmnWqyl9Nrw  N2 The two surviving chicks enjoy a good feed (2022)

https://youtu.be/sgCSDSOspIs  N2 Chicks take lumps out of each other until mum returns with a stick (2022)

https://youtu.be/QNDrgxWxl6M  N1 LV0 attempts mating and is rejected again Nest One 2023

https://youtu.be/BnWHTwPBiX4  N2 Chick helps sort out the cot rails 2023

https://youtu.be/xCx56MCLBJw N2 Crash bang wallop! Dorcha lands on the chick 2023

https://youtu.be/n0Ev_HsN01M N1 More rejected mating attempts 2023

https://youtu.be/ijeXkzHe_Ew N2 Tawny Owl attack 2024 (super slo-mo)

https://youtu.be/jppiOHQt_ZI  N2 Louis sticks around doing housework after delivering fish two 2024

https://youtu.be/Xvulvoc7oZU N1 A pair of Redpolls (Carduelis Flammea) flit around 2024

https://youtu.be/l2NfkpeONbw N1 Garry LV0 pops in for a quick visit 2024

https://youtu.be/-KeC7f16UvI N2 Fish number five, whole trout, C3 asserts itself and gets some 2024

Why not come and 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

Dyfi Osprey Project: It is terrific to see Telyn waiting and trusting Idris to get those fish on the nest for the trio. Idris never fails!

Birds of Poole Harbour: Blue 022 keeps the fish coming for the four on the Poole Harbour nest. CJ7 waits in anticipation just like Telyn! Tiny Little Bob, #4, is doing fantastic. He has a fat little bottom. There he is sleeping at the feet of Mum, CJ7.

Llyn Clywedog: It was not a good Saturday at the nest of Dylan and Seren. The rain came down. Seren kept the big Bobs as dry as she could. Dylan came in with a small Brown Trout around 1504. The chicks could be heard calling for food earlier. It looks like Dylan is feeding Seren so she can feed each Bob.

Glaslyn: So sad to see the nest without chicks this year.

Rutland Manton Bay: Maya is waiting for Blue 33. He doesn’t fail to deliver! All four chicks are doing very well, even with a delivery of a floppy fish!

Kurzeme Osprey Nest of Selga and Svings, Latvia: We have one osplet. Eggs were laid on April 23, 26, and 29. One egg was broken when an intruder came to the nest on 24 May. The Only Bob hatched on June 1. They are doing fine.

Wondering what that Stellar’s Sea Eagle has been up to?

A new osprey nest for you with three babies: Orihula, Wisconsin about 20 miles from Oshkosh or Freemont. There are three and there is an age difference. I want to be hopeful that little three will survive. It does get bonked so watch with some caution. Here is the nest information followed by the link to the streaming cam.

“The Orihula Osprey started in Orihula in 2016 when two osprey built a nest on a power pole nearby. The nest got knocked down and a nesting pole was then installed for them to lay eggs and raise baby chicks on. Since then they have been coming back every year. The names Cliff and Judy were picked for the birds this year to honor the legacy of Cliff and Judy Hahn as they were very well known and loved in the Orihula community. The male bird has a neck with more yellow feathers on it and band that has the number f24. He was banded in 2016 a few miles away in Weyauwega as a chick that year. We are not sure where the female is from but her neck is completely white and has no bands. Typically the birds come back around the first week of April and lay eggs middle to the end of April. Once the eggs are laid the mother or father will stay there 24/7 until the eggs have hatched in late May/early June. The chicks will continue to grow very rapidly from their parents feeding them from the Ospey’s fish diet. Cliff will bring fish back to the nest for Judy to feed and Cliff will then sit on the eggs until she is finished. He will also bring back fish for the chicks and Judy will then feed it to the chicks in pieces. Currently there is one egg that was laid around 5:30 a.m. April 20th, an Easter egg surprise! Egg number 2 was laid Wednesday April 23rd at 12:30 am, and Egg number 3 was laid Friday April 25th at 5:59 pm. Updates will continue to be posted with egg count and when they have hatched. You are able to zoom in on the live stream to better see the birds or eggs as well. Feel free to comment any suggestions or any other cool things that you may see while watching!”

https://www.youtube.com/live/JgPN0nlj-QA?si=NvG5wP80v8gQ_8xk

‘TU’ sends us news that Urmas is busy with the fish baskets for Kergu and his Blackstork Mate in Estonia. They write, “Urmas helps Kergu and Kerli to feed their chicks. ESTONIA nest in Pärnu County #Kerli + #Kergu + 3 chicks “A fish basket was installed on 07.june to the place where Kerli was caught last year. Next day she was already feeding there.” – info shared by our Madli Allsoo 🌹

‘A’ writes with some news on the upcoming Australian season and other things: “Thanks to you, I have discovered Bruce and Naha and their three osplets at Seaside in Florida, and what an adorable family they are. Bruce is a great fisher and all-round good dad – he and Naha did a dual feeding on Sunday afternoon. Too cute. No bonking amongst the siblings and Little Bob has no fear of its larger siblings (known as ‘the twins’). Naha is, like most female ospreys, extremely vocal when it comes to demanding fish. Poor Bruce is nagged off the nest – he dives a metre underwater to shut out the sound of Naha’s shrill fish-calling. Catching a fish down there is just a bonus!

But the three osplets are such cuties. I have to say I have only forced myself to watch ospreys because of you and your passion for them. It has taken me some time to truly warm to the species, but I think I am there now. Of course Iris had a lot to do with winning me over. It’s hard not to be won over by Iris, and of course Finnegan was SUCH a darling. I am sad to think of what has happened to Finn. I am probably anthropomorphising here, but I believe that he would have returned to Iris had he been able to do so. The fact that he didn’t leads me to the awful conclusion that he ran afoul of the bird gods on his migration. But I won’t stop hoping that he may return next season. We never know. It is amazing that Iris is again being courted by a much younger bird. Our queen really does have a very attractive piece of territory and I suspect she could probably hang onto it by herself if she had to, but at nearly 30, we don’t want her to have to, so it’s nice that she has suitors to keep Louis at bay and an eye on Iris. 

The Australian season approacheth and we are watching Diamond and Xavier courting. TThe bringing of food gifts is a year-round ritual at Orange. Madame Diamond is a demanding lady. Of course Collins Street is an annual source of frustration, with no cameras until we have at least an egg or two in the scrape. We have no idea whether or not a pair is even using the scrape this season, and if so, whether or not they are the same birds as last year and which end of the ledge they are using. We will have to wait to find out any of those things. 

Port Lincoln, of course, has become a much less stressful watch since the advent of the fish fairy. It is a strange nest, with uncertainty regarding dad’s identity and the possibility of some sort of neurological disorder with whichever dad owned the nest the season before last. It’s like a new adventure at that nest every year.

We have had some hopeful sightings on the Parramatta River over the past couple of months, with a juvenile WBSE sighted catching fish around the island. We have to at least consider the possibility that this is a past fledgling from the Olympic Park nest. Oh how I hope so. This is yet another circumstance in which we wish they had some sort of tracker or at least a Darvic ring or something to give us an idea of the longer-term survival rate and dispersal range of these sea eaglets. I wish I knew why it wasn’t being done. With any of our Australian raptors apart from the Port Lincoln osprey fledglings. And of course the same applies to the falcons. “

Closing with one of the most wonderful raptor nests – Cornell’s Fernow Tower Red-tail Hawk nest of Big Red and Arthur! Just look at the Os – . Big Red still feeds them even though they can self-feed, and they are exploring the flight landing for fledgling. It will come sooner than we want. Count the dark lines on the tails. We would like to have 6 (but often they fly with 5).

I am counting four dark bands. We have some more time with these two cuties.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Your presence and insights are always invaluable. I sincerely apologise for my delayed responses. The garden is flourishing, but it requires far more time and attention than I ever expected. Sadly, the osplets are dying in so many nests, and I find it increasingly challenging to keep pace with the overwhelming situation. I am actively seeking a prominent figure to help raise awareness about the extinction of these magnificent birds in the Chesapeake Bay area. It’s truly devastating. They are in serious decline.

Everyone at our home and in our garden wishes you and yours a lovely week, full of happy birdsong.

Thank you to the great folks that send me nest summaries or news – ‘A, Geemeff, Heidi, MP, PB, Tiger Mozone, TU, VV’. I also want to thank those who created the videos included in this posting: SK Hideaways, Cornell Bird Lab, and all the owners of the streaming cams indicated in bold. I would also like to thank the English Forum on Looduskalender for their news on the Latvian Osprey nest and Bruce Mactavish for his post on the Steller’s Eagle in Newfoundland as well as Jeff Kear and the UK Osprey Information FB Group! All of these wonderful people are brilliant and generously share any osprey news they find.

Thursday in Bird World

27 March 2022

Hello Everyone,

Thank you to everyone for sending in news items. It is much appreciated and it is all too easy for me to miss something which is important. So, we are going to put the news items in my inbox up front today.

‘J’ let me know that the much loved Latvian Golden Eagle Spilve, mother of the late Klints, has laid an egg. In 2020, Spilve laid her first egg on 29 March. It is believed that she has not been breeding since then – at least not at this nest. https://youtu.be/DOj7tYjk1j0?

“EJ’ sent me a wonderful news article. Imagine gold fish ponds everywhere ——–imagine ponds and large holding tanks, no deeper than 3 feet – full of koi. That sure would put an end to hunger on some of those osprey nests! I remember marveling at the adults at Collins Marsh one year. The normal fish were small and one day the adults found a koi pond. I wondered if it was a garden centre or a home. Their babies ate well then.

https://www.fox5vegas.com/2025/03/26/goldfish-dumped-henderson-pond-attracting-birds-prey-bird-enthusiasts

Port of Ridgefield, WA: ‘BHA’ writes: “Sorry the photo isn’t very good  – this is on my t.v. New camera is great, complete with date and time this year (which doesn’t show in this picture). As you can see it’s a beautiful day here in the Pacific Northwest. 🌞”. The couple laid three eggs last year with only one chick reaching fledge (2 DNH).

I think that image is very good and we so appreciate your sharing it with us. What a nice day for this couple to be home!

‘PB’ sent us the 2025 US State of the Bird Report and it shows numbers os birds are dropping significantly.

2025 U.S. State of the Birds Report Shows Widespread Declines – Birds and BloomsDownload

Osprey Nest News:

Heidi’s News:

Patuxent River Park osprey nest (MD) – 3/26 the cam went live for the season, and I was delighted to see the same ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ at the nest.  It’s good to see they both made it back.

Seaside osprey nest (OR) – Bruce returned on 3/24, and Naha arrived on 3/26. It’s always wonderful when a beloved pair are reunited after a long migration.

Crooked Lake osprey nest (IN) –  An osprey pair is at the nest.  The chat is referring to the male as Noble, and is referring to the female as ‘Mom’ (rather than Whitley), but I think it is the same female.

Moorings Park osprey nest (FL) –  The chatters were fond of calling Sally and Harry’s only osplet ‘Solo’.  But, on 3/26 the community bird club officially named the 17-day-old youngster “Ozzie.”

Other Osprey news:

Bassenthwaite/Blackgate Farm Ospreys: J Kear reports that both ospreys have returned to their nest.

Llyn Brenig: Blue 372 is eating a lot of fish and restoring her strength and health in time for breeding season.

Dyfi Osprey Project: Perhaps Idris is trying out for the Olympic pole vaulting team! Idris worked hard on that nest and now he can celebrate with his mate Telyn who returned today.

Yeah, Telyn is home!

Kielder Forest Nest 4: Mrs 69 is home!

Another female home | Kielder OspreysDownload

Roudsea Wood: Both adults are back at the nest.

Birds of Poole Harbour: CJ7 got down to business and got rid of Maya’s 2022 daughter, Blue 1H1, and has been getting nicely reacquainted with her mate, Blue 022. These two raised four osplets to fledge – the little one won everyone’s heart for its tenacity!

Loch of the Lowes: Blue NC0 is some great fisher. She is going to be incredible shape.

Colonial Beach Ospreys: A mystery female appeared on the nest on Wednesday.

Sun Coast Ospreys: Sara and Sota have their second hatch.

Lake Murray: At least two attacks on the nest by other ospreys yesterday. Hoping resident ospreys, Kenny and Lucy, are safe.

Blithfield Reserve, UK: Male has returned to the nest.

Bald Eagle News from the Nests:

US Steel: The first hatch is here!

NCTC: Bella had to defend her three eaglets against an intruder. https://youtu.be/Tj64Q6HSD74?

It is possible that one of Bella and Scout’s eaglets is injured. Deb Stecyk reports that it could be puncture wounds. Please send good wishes. https://youtu.be/8KsYYqn5qOU?

Big Bear Valley: The two eaglets are thriving.

Jackie and Shadow brought in 8 fish deliveries. https://youtu.be/UUNNWIsz24k?

Decorah North: Mr and Mrs DNF have a failed season. Their first eaglet tried for five days to free itself of a crushed shell before dying. The second egg is 41 days old today and deemed unviable.

Duke Farms: The triplets still doing very, very well.

Sauces Canyon Eagles: Betty Lou is growing and growing!

West End: The blood from the encounter off camera to save territory is drying on Haku as she stands proudly by Maiko.

Hilton Head Island Trust Eagle Nest: The two eaglets are doing fantastic. https://youtu.be/DOj7tYjk1j0?

Sutton Centre Eagles: They have their second hatch of the season.

Glacier Gardens: The male died last year. Mum was seen ‘eyeing’ a potential new mate in late December. Mum was at the nest on Wednesday.

Kistachie National Forest E3: E03 had at least one prey delivery today. I rewinded late in the day, but the eaglet did appear to have a crop earlier, too. 03 appears to have branched, slightly.

The nest appearance was an empty taloned adult.

Birds and their eggs were rescued from the California wild fires – what a nice ending for today!

Dozens of bird eggs and chicks rescued from collapsing tree in Californiahttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/25/birds-rescued-california?CMP=share_btn_url

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

Thank you to those who sent news, for comments, videos, articles, images, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘BHA, EJ, Geemeff, H, JK, LDF Golden Eagle Cam, Fox5Vegas, Port of Ridgefield, Birds & Blooms, OspreyInfoUK, Dyfi Osprey Project, Birds of Poole Harbour, Woodland Trust (LOTL), Colonial Beach Ospreys, Moorings Park Ospreys, Sun Coast Ospreys, NCTC, Deb Stecyk, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Duke Farms, IWS/Explore, Hilton Head Island Trust, Sutton Centre, Bartlesville, OK, Patuxent River Park, The Guardian, Crooked Lake, Seaside, Patuxent River Park, Lake Murray ospreys, Kielder Forest

Early Wednesday in Bird World

29 June 2022

The walk in the forest and seeing some beautiful songbirds and several woodpeckers yesterday afternoon was lovely. “Forest Bathing” or shinrin-yoku. I have mentioned this word and the concept many times before but I highly recommend going for a walk outside with the trees if you are able. You can just sit, too. It is highly relaxing and really does remove stress. To my delight, there were a few – three- goslings. There should be some slightly older goslings about somewhere but I could not find them. There are lots and lots of fish in the water even in areas with lots of algae cover. I hope the Bald Eagle couple are taking the fish and not the goslings!

This little gosling was skipping along between its parents. Only one for them it appears.
This Canada Goose couple have two goslings. In former years I would have seen hundreds of goslings.
The little red squirrel was enjoying the seeds being dropped on the ground at the feeding station.
Little female Downy woodpecker was working really hard to get the peanuts.
There were lots of American Goldfinches at the feeding station today. This very dominant male did not want to share!

Still, the worry for Little Bit 17 and the disappointment that nothing has been done to secure an assessment on his condition is becoming more bewildering.

This is the status of the nest Wednesday morning. There is no possible way that the three birds – 15, 16, and 17 could last on this fast deteriorating nest very long.

This is precisely the situation that little Yurruga was in at the Orange Australian scrape. His feathers were not fully developed but he did fledge and fly only to have torrential rain and die. Little Bit now requires food. Is he catching mice and things? Maybe. But does anyone know that for sure? and has he moved a significant amount to show that he is actually mobile? And why not call in the experts to assess him?

I needed a laugh and ‘R’ sent me the shortest video from the NADC-AEF nest that did just that. Perhaps you need a giggle, too.

I wonder how many times a hawklet is taken to a Bald Eagle nest as a prey item and winds up being raised by the Bald Eagles? It happened in 2017 in Sydney, BC with Spunky and currently Malala is part of an eagle family on Gabriola Island. There is another nest in Ohio with a Red tail Hawklet being raised by the eagles!

https://www.dispatch.com/story/lifestyle/nature-wildlife/2022/06/18/red-tailed-hawk-found-being-raised-among-bald-eagle-family/7607615001/?fbclid=IwAR2TenANChmQsBasSZLlvSMAwG_HvRRNhH3Z0b3tPGOtEKnqKsFcmtnZq5k

Malala is still doing so well at the Bald Eagle nest. Lady Hawk just released a video showing her mantling two prey deliveries on Tuesday. How grand! When she was forced fledged and found her way up to the nest, everyone was so happy. Hopefully she will continue to thrive on the nest until she is really ready to do a lot of flying about.

So how many trout did Aran bring for Mrs G and the three Bobs before the rains began? On two consecutive days, he brought in 8 trout and the following day it was 13. Wow. Mrs G was more than delighted – .

Richmond has been busy bring in the fish to Rosie and the Two Bobs, too.

The two fledglings at the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest wish that their Dad would bring in a lot of fish for them, too! Dad might be thinking they need to go to the local lakes and give fishing a try! I understand that the camera will be turned off at the end of the month so check out these two. They are beauties.

The little Lesser Spotted Eaglet at the Zemgale, Latvian nest of Uldis and Laila is called Hugo. Uldis has been bringing in rats, mice, and small birds to the nest. Hugo is doing well and growing so fast.

It is another wet day in Wales at the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn. Perhaps today is ringing day. Last year there were two chicks. Dysynni was the heaviest male chick in history. Many still think that perhaps Dysynni is a female. Measurements can be taken but to know 100% DNA tests need to be done. They are expensive for the nature centres and most often not undertaken.

It dried out for the Dyfi nest and the three chicks were ringed. The Darvic numbers are Bob 1 = 7B0 Bob 2 = 7B1 and Bob 3 = 7B2. None of them are Bobs – they are three girls! Telyn’s mother, Maya, also had three girls at the Manton Bay nest at Rutland this year. The Manton Bay chicks are getting ready to fledge.

There is currently a vote going on at the Dyfi Osprey project chat with the streaming cam. Question. Should the names of the three girls start with the same letter? or not?

It looks like it is another miserable wet day for Mrs G and Aran and the kids at Glaslyn. I wonder if Ospreys get sick of the rain like human animals do?

The Glaslyn nest dried off in the afternoon, too. Thankfully! Aran has been out chasing an intruder. Not good.

Blue NC0 is waiting for the morning breakfast fish to be brought to the Loch of the Lowes nest. As I was looking at her nest it occurred to me that it is a rare thing to see human garbage on these UK nests. Yes, the occasional carrier bag but even that is rare compared to nests in North America.

The females on the Manton Bay nest at Rutland of Maya and Blue 33 are wet on Wednesday morning – and they are waiting for Dad to bring in the breakfast fish!

By the afternoon, everyone is dry and the three girls have been doing some hovering. Aren’t they gorgeous?

I love California Condors. There is a little chick in the cliff nest at Tom’s Canyon. Cornell has set up a camera in collaboration with the USFWS. They posted a really nice video showing a feeding caught on the camera. Notice how the little one flaps its wings in anticipation of the arrival of the adult and some much wanted food.

When I went to check on Richmond and Rosie again, I was tired, too, and felt just like Rosie. If you look for an osprey nest to add to your list for next year, Richmond and Rosie are highly recommended! SF Ospreys.

The Dad at the Mispillion Harbour Osprey nest brought in a really super fish before dawn this morning. In the process Mum’s foot hit that vodka bottle and it went flying off the nest. ‘H’ caught the action and sent me a clip saying ‘Mispillion cannot be considered the party nest any longer!’. Absolutely. Thank you, ‘H’.

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxsM8D4em7CFUXnX_dYlI4JT-_ljpkI60r

Lindsay made an early appearance on The Campanile ledge this morning. Gosh, those two fledgling falcons are looking so good and so strong in their flying. Yeah for Annie and Alden teaching them to survive in the wild!

Have you ever noticed that it is when one osprey looks directly into the eye of another that they often have a bit o a dust up?

The two Bobs at the Loch Arkaig nest of Louis and Dorcha did just that. Dorcha has been having to deal with an intruder thought to be a non-breeding female.

The two eaglets of Liberty and Freedom at the Glacier Gardens nest are getting their thermal down. Oh, goodness have they grown. Mum still, sadly, likes to bring in plastic bags!

Suzanne Arnold Horning posted some fantastic images of Big Red and Arthur’s fledglings of 2022, the Ls. Thank you Suzanne for allowing me to share! Gosh those Ls are cute – and doing so well. The three like to spend time together, too! How interesting. Just like Lindsay and Grinnell Jr do – playing and enjoying life.

Big Red and Arthur are delivering prey. Prey drops are often on top of buildings where it is safe for the Ls to eat. They are also expanding the area on campus where the fledglings go to hunt. This also strengthens their flying. Fantastic family. Highly recommended for your list of nests to watch next year.

There is no update on ND17 or on the Pitkin osplet that is in care. That chick might have passed – no one likes to give bad news. Fingers crossedd for Little Bit getting some assistance if he is not more mobile and has not been seen eating. There is no way that he can make it up to a crumbling nest 60 feet high – if he does, I will make a big donation to our local wildlife rehabber! Which reminds me. Tomorrow I will be spending the day at the wildlife clinic with the raptors if the weather is good. Hope to get some good images for all of you of our local ambassadors.

Thank you so much for joining me. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures, their images or their videos: ND-LEEF, NADC-AEF, GROWLS and Lady Hawk, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Latvian Fund for Nature, Dyfi Osprey Project, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, LRWT, Cornell Condor Cam, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys, the DDNR, and ‘H’, Cal Falcons, Friends of Loch Arkaig, People’s Post Code Lottery, and the Woodland Trust, Glacier Gardens, and Suzanne Arnold Horning.

Henlopen Osplets die of starvation and other late Saturday and Sunday news in Bird World

11 June 2022

UPDATE: THE DEATHS OF THE THREE OSPLETS AT THE CAPE HENLOPEN STATE PARK NEST IN DELAWARE WAS CAUSED BY INTRUDERS TAKING OVER THE NEST. THE FEMALE WAS LAST SEEN ON THE NEST ON THE 10TH. ALL CHICKS WERE FINE. BOTH PARENTS ARE MISSING AND THE BIRD ON THE PLATFORM NEST IS NOT EITHER PARENT.

Oh, Saturday was just such a beautiful day. We all must treasure them and get outside and listen to the birds singing and smell the freshly mowed grass and the flowers. Our summers are so short in Canada that it is such a pleasure just sitting and listening, sometimes. Today the wee rabbit found itself underneath the square feeder by the lilacs. It was certainly enjoying those Black oil seeds and millet that had fallen to the ground. Mr and Mrs Grackle have fledglings and they are very noisy if you go anywhere near the lilac bushes – and then there is Mr Crow who arrives demanding bread, cheese, and sausages. It was quite the afternoon. I will try and take my phone out and get some photos another day for all of you. My big camera doesn’t quite understand that when it is set to CQ mode it is supposed to be ‘quiet’ and instead the noise frightens everyone within ear shot.

Saturday was not, however, a great day for Little Bit 17 at the ND-LEEF Bald Eagle nest. But it was not all bad, either. In fact, there was so little food brought to the nest that for Little Bit to have a crop was a blessing. He spent various times through day working on a raccoon that had been brought into the nest. He started working on it once at 14:39 and was still eating on it at 14:58. It looks like he ate the entire head which would have had lots of meat and fat. There were two other times that he worked on it. A fish was brought in but the older siblings seem to have been fed all of it. At one time, 16 tried to hurt Little Bit 17. It is over and Little Bit is fine. Let us all hope that there is more prey tomorrow. The nest is really relying on road kill it seems. Perhaps the river is still too high with all of the rains and too murky for the eagles to fish. Last Sunday saw a lot of fish brought to the nest – will the same thing happen tomorrow?

16 (I think it was 16 because of their actions towards Little Bit) came up wanting some of the remaining raccoon.

Mum flew in and fed the two older siblings. Little Bit stood by the side rails hoping there would be a little left but, alas, no.

All spread out and sleeping with the turtle shells. Someone said that there are at least 50 of them somewhere in the nest. You can see Little Bit’s primaries growing and his tail. I wish his head feathers would grow back. Poor thing. Any sore spots seem to have healed, thankfully.

Wish for fish everyone!

And the fish came Sunday morning. Mom brought in a Walleye at 08:28:21. At 08:40:11 Little bit 17 steals that walleye from one of the older siblings! He takes it to the porch to eat it.

You can see Little Bit pulling that fish to the porch. There is no head and he is going to heat for several minutes (7 or 8) and then 16 is going to steal it back.

At 09:59:47 Dad brought in a Blue Gill. Little Bit 17 stole the whole fish. He took it to the porch and ate the entire thing!!!!!!!!!! All by himself. Can you believe this kid? Bravo Little Bit.

Little Bit ate all of the fish and returned to look out at the world while the older siblings are up on the branches. He flapped his wings – they are growing – and stopped. You can only get a sense of how big his crop is over by the edge but he is one happy full little eaglet this morning and I have tears rolling down my eyes. He has been super brave pulling that last fish right out from under the older sibling!!!!!!

Both fledglings at the UFlorida-Gainesville have been on and off the nest eating or hoping for a delivery. At one point it started raining (or was it hail?). Middle was trying to hover off the nest and was having difficulty – of course Middle you can’t fly in pouring down rain!!!!!!! Just look at those beautiful, beautiful wings! These osplets are simply gorgeous. The feathers are absolutely perfect. Oh, I wish Little Bit was as healthy as the two fledgling ospreys.

It is rainy and windy in Gainesville Sunday morning and Middle is on the nest thinking it is a good day to stay home.

Ferris Akel has wonderful Saturday bird tours around Montezuma, Sapsucker Woods and Ithaca. At the end of the tour today, everyone lucked out as the Ls and Big Red were quickly located. I cannot tell you which chick is which from these images – so just enjoy a basket of cute little hawks.

Big Red was over on the other light stand. An adult is always around close watching the hawklets. Arthur was not spotted. He was probably off hunting!

All of the storklets still remain on the nest of Bukacek and Betty in Mlade Buky. They are growing and growing. While there is a significant difference in the size between the oldest (front right) with the youngest (back left), each is holding their own and as I have mentioned several times, there appears to be no effort to do any brood reduction by the adults. Fish must be plentiful – wonderful news!!!!!

It was a feeding fest Sunday morning in Mlade Buky. Watch how the two little ones get in there to get those fish.

Karl II and Kaia’s storklets are also growing and are being very well fed. There appears to be plenty of fish at their source in the Karula National Park in Estonia.

Kaia has fish and is getting ready to regurgitate them on the moss so the storklets can eat.

They are grabbing them with their little beaks.

Just look at the little fish in their bills. So sweet. The moss nest keeps these babies so nice and white compared to the red iron soil of Mlade Buky. The eaglets are always looking a little dirty there.

Bywyd Bwyllt Glaslyn posted some information on the osplets of Aran and Mrs G today on their FB feed. Little Bob is certainly smaller than Big Bob at the front!

There is much sadness at the Henlopen State Park Osprey Nest. One of the osplets appears to have died. I did not see it move at all today. The other osplets are weak and very hungry. Mum came in with a tiny fish. I thought she would feed the other two and they did too but, she didn’t. I fear that all will die.

It is a tiny fish. In raptors, it seems that their first priority is the protection of their territory, then to keep themselves fed and alive, and lastly the offspring. Mum has to be strong enough to fish. I do not know what if any was delivered after the 8th in terms of fish til this morning. It was not enough to keep the osplets alive and the two surviving have very concave chests.

On Sunday all three of the osplets have died. What a tragedy. The poor Mum – she lost her mate and all her lovely once healthy chicks in a few days. Incredibly sad.

There appears to be no attempt by anyone to provide a fish table for this family. Just sayin’. Most of the issues related to getting fish or other prey to the nest including those at the ND-LEEF nest can be attributed to human interference in some way or another. Changing weather patterns causing torrential rains, floods, and mudslides is impacting the rivers so that the Bald Eagles and Ospreys cannot ‘see’ to fish. Most of you are very much aware of the impact that we have had whether it is habitat destruction, rising sea temperatures due to a heating planet, etc. There isn’t much that we haven’t caused so I will not accept the answer that it is ‘just nature’ not to help out these lovely raptors.

In contrast, we have the surviving three Black Storklets in Estonia. They are being well fed and taken care of and every aspect of their future well being has been considered. Please note that they do not see ‘human animals’ very often – just the decoy mother, the step-father who feeds, and themselves. This is so they will not imprint on others.

The smallest chick even had a private feeding to ensure that it gets enough to eat with the two much larger siblings. Just like at the size of its crop when it is returned!

Everyone has been talking about the Bald Eagles raising the hawklet in their nest on Gabriola Island. Here is a delightful discussion of another Bald Eagle adopting a Red-tail hawklet a couple of years ago. Here is the complete story from beginning to successful end. Please listen. This is such an informative discussion with live footage in the nest showing the eagles and the hawklet.

The Dyfi Osprey Project posted an excellent bit of information on their FB site this morning about Osprey growth.

These are the osplets that Dyfi is referring to – the three of Idris and Telyn. We should know their names soon! Over 200 suggestions – wow.

I often wonder if the change of the plumage and the itching makes the osplets crankier during the Reptile phase that then causes them to start pecking one another????

It has been very windy up in Alaska at the nest of Liberty and Freedom. The two little eaglets don’t seem to even notice! They are having a nice meal.

The winds are raging at Loch of the Lowes too. The wee chicks are calling for food as Blue NC0 waits to see if Laddie will have some luck fishing Sunday afternoon.

Dylan brought in a perch at 16:04 at Llyn Clywedog and Seren is happily feeding all of the Bobs. The weather does not look as windy – thank goodness. This nest in the Cambrian area of Wales has been wet for several days now.

The third hatch, Little Bob, at Glaslyn is really starting to catch up. Aran is bringing in lots of fish. No one is hungry. There is even a fish sitting on the nest waiting for the next feeding. That is Little Bob by the side of Mrs G.

Poor Dorcha. The Loch Arkaig nest seems to be getting all of the bad weather. It is rainy and windy. Louis, thankfully, prevails in getting fish on this nest in the most dire of times. He is literally amazing.

I want to leave you with something beautiful. Andris has come to the nest and he is feeding the small eaglet! Mostly the males do not do this so it is very special. Oh, such a sweet little fluff ball. Andris and Anna have their Lesser Spotted Eagle’s nest in Zemgale, Latvia.

Anna is feeding the wee eaglet later. Oh, how precious.

Grinnell Jr and Lindsay are sure keeping Annie and Alden busy at the UCalifornia-Berkeley scrape. They are running all over the place chasing any adult food begging – even if they are full – and are beginning to self feed. Adorable. Being the pests they are meant to be!

Grinnell Jr has a blue band and Lindsay has a gold one.

Last but the falcons are never least, the wee little peregrine at the Manchester New Hampshire nest, Colby, woke up watching everyone fly around. At 06:52:49, Colby fludged just like Clem. I am certain the volunteers will be out to make sure he is OK and perhaps he will be returned to the nest with Clem tomorrow!

The weather certainly changed on the Canadian Prairies. We had thunderstorms all during the night and much more rain. My garden is beginning to look like a thick forest – which is what I have wanted for years – a forest in the city! The sadness at Henlopen weighs heavy today.

Take care everyone. Thank you for joining me today. See you tomorrow!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams, FB posts and video clips: ND-LEEF, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Ferris Akel Tours, Mlade Buky, Eagle Club of Estonia, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Henlopen State Park Ospreys, Christian Sasse, Dyfi Osprey Projects, Glacier Gardens Bald Eagles, Loch of the Lowes and the Woodland Trust, CarnyXWild, Friends of Loch Arkaig, People’s Post Code Lottery and Scottish Wildlife Trust, Cal Falcons, Peregrine Network, and the Latvian Fund for Nature.

Early Monday in Bird World

6 June 2022

Liz has posted a video of Urmas and his team removing the Black Storklets from Janika’s nest in Jegova County, Estonia on 5 June. I reported earlier that a glove like a Black Stork shape had been used to place the storklets in the basket. That information is incorrect and my apologies. Bare hands were used. One storklet, sadly, died in the nest over night before the intervention. They need temperatures of 22-28 degrees C. They cannot thermoregulate their temperatures yet. In addition, it rained and well – I hope the remaining chicks survive and thrive. It will be a first for the Veterinary College to raise Black Storklets to fledging. Good luck to Urmas and his team!

Here is the video that Liz posted:

The White Storks Bukachek and Betty still have five storklets in their nest in Mlade Buky, The Czech Republic. You can see the difference in size from the oldest to the youngest known as ‘Little Finger’ by the chatters.

Bukachek (male) is making sure that the wee storklet gets food in the image below.

It has been raining on and off. The rich Red Iron in the clay makes all of the Storks look dirty. Maybe when it is not so rainy more straw will be brought to the nest! That would help.

Awhile ago I mentioned the Lesser Spotted Eagles. Andris and Anna, at their nest in Zemgale, Latvia. The camera was down for awhile but it is now back and running. In the meantime, a beautiful little Lesser Spotted eaglet has hatched!

It is so cute and fluffy! There was only one egg so this is the only chick. Had there been two eggs, the first hatch most always predates the second. So having only one is a good thing! The parents can focus on bringing food to this cutie pie.

Voldis came to the White-tailed Eagle nest that he shares with Milda near Durbe, Latvia. He arrived at 05:30 and stayed for well over an hour.

Milda has had a terrible time since her long time mate, Raimis disappeared two years ago. I hope that Milda and her mate if it is to be Voldis have a very successful next breeding season. This year the eggs were predated.

Margit hatched on 25 April and is growing by leaps and bounds with the tender care of the parents, Kalju and Helju. This Golden Eaglet’s nest is in Soomaa National Park in the southwest of Estonia.

Oh, such a beautiful eaglet. Margit is waking up. The black dot behind the eye is the ear. It will be covered over with feathers before the eaglet fledges.

Helju just brought breakfast for Margit. Liz caught it in a video:

This is the streaming cam for this nest:

What is happening with Ahote? Ahote, the youngest of the three eaglets at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta, fledged on June 2. He has spent the time since then on Transmission Rock and is getting hungry unless food was delivered. Working his way back to the nest, he got some wind on his wings and got to the nest but was blown off course. No doubt he will get there! Very determined.

In the image below you can see him directly below and slightly to the right of Kana’kini and Sky.

Checking on Osprey nests in the UK, the third chick hatched at Llyn Brenig but did not survive.

Aeron Z2 and Blue 014 have had their first hatch at the Pont Cresor nest in the Glaslyn Valley.

Laddie LM12 delivered nine – yes, 9 – to the nest for Blue NC0 to feed their three Bobs at the Loch of the Lowes.

All three Bobs seem to be doing fine at the Glaslyn nest of Aran and Mrs G. Just look at how dark Mrs G’s plumage is and that necklace.

Aran has been busy delivering fish. Little Bob is not always in the most perfect position!

I do have to admit that Idris and Telyn are my favourite Ospreys in the UK along with Blue 33 and Maya.

Telyn is feeding the two older Bobs while Bobbie Bach is asleep.

Food coma!

Oh, could that be comfortable?

There is Bobbi Bach ready for his meal while the others sleep. Poor Telyn. They are surely keeping her busy.

It looks like it is starting to dry out for Dylan and Seren at the Llyn Clywedog nest. Gosh, Seren was just so wet and hunkered down keeping the three Bobs warm and dry. Let us hope the sun comes out, too, to warm them up.

Both of the Ospreys were on the UFlorida-Gainesville nest sleeping during the night.

Both are back on the nest waiting for a breakfast delivery!

Good Morning Little Bit 17! Everyone is waiting for prey deliveries at the ND-LEEF nest. I hope that the adults will feed Little Bit like they did yesterday. That would be grand.

The scrape box at Manchester NH is getting to be quite the mess! A good wind will help clear it out. It is hard to believe but this scrape will be on fledge watch beginning on the 10th or 11th of June – this coming weekend!

Nancy is on the nest at 08:40 feeding E1. It looks like they will have a beautiful day at that Bald Eagle nest in Minnesota. Wonder when E1 is going to take to the skies? Nancy has done wonders taking care of E1 and fending off intruders.

Fledge watch is on for the three at the Pittsburgh-Hayes Bald Eagle nest. It looks like only two but 17 is up higher in the tree.

There are still two eaglets – Sentry and Star – on the Redding nest of Liberty and Guardian. We are on fledge watch for these two also! It could be a very busy week!!!!!!

We are definitely on fledge watch for the eyases on the nest of Big Red and Arthur on the Cornell campus. The chicks are restless and L1 is definitely ready!

Oh, the excitement of a nest of four hawks – each itching to fly including the youngest, L4. Wonder if L1 will be the first of the oldest to go? Stay tuned.

Thank you so much for joining me this morning. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: the Eagle Club of Estonia, Mlade Buky White Storks, Latvian Fund for Nature, IWS and Explore.org, Friends of LOTL and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, CarnyXWild, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, ND-LEEF, Peregrine Networks, MN-DNR, Pix Cams, Friends of Redding Eagles, and Cornell Bird Lab RTH.

Early Wednesday in Bird World

25 May 2022

There is so much news that it is difficult to know where to start sometimes. But today it is going to be in Port Lincoln, Australia on the Osprey barge. Mum and Dad were sitting next to one another on the ropes. Mum then went to the nest and was looking around. She was not happy. One of the long time watchers of the barge of this Osprey family, ‘M’ suggested on the chat that Ervie had been trying to land to eat a puffer, like he has done now for nearly 5 months. The camera did not pull back so that we could have a clear view. Something was definitely making Mum quite upset and ‘A’ writes this morning and confirms that at 0952 Ervie was trying to land.

This is, indeed a sad day for all of us that loved Ervie and wished beyond anything that the parents might let him come to the barge. Maybe he will go to the old barge with his puffers – the alternative for Mum and Dad. (Is it still there?)

Mum was still preening at 11:10 on the nest.

The feeding of five little storks! They have grown so much in a week!

While those White Storks have been growing, Betty and Bukachek at the Mlade Buky nest in The Czech Republic are welcoming their newly hatched storklets. Congratulations!

At the black stork nest of Jan and Jannika in Estonia, frogs and fish were brought in to feed all of the storklets. If you have never seen storklets fed, this is a great way to start watching. The parents regurgitate the fish for the little ones.

There is a very confusing situation at the Latvian Black stork nest of Grafs and Grafiene. The ‘real’ Grafiene returned late and now there are three on the nest with mating and fighting.

The second eaglet on the Fort St Vrain Bald Eagle nest in Colorado, US is sleeping quietly. The eaglet is 6 weeks old and I am so hoping that there is a parent near by. Last night a raccoon climbed and pulled an eaglet off the nest to feed it and possibly its babies. I hope this eaglet stays safe!

Before night, Little Bit 17 was flapping its wings on the ND-LEEF nest. They are getting bigger and he is getting stronger with every bite of fish that he eats.

A fish arrived on the ND-LEEF nest at 0820. Little Bit 17 began moving up to eat and was at Mum’s beat at 08:21:37 where he got fed. Yes! That is a very good way to start a Wednesday morning.

It got a bit wet on the nest this morning and Mum is there with the eaglets.

Lady and Dad are busy working on the nest first thing in the morning. Dad has been bringing fish to the nest every day for Lady. Lovely.

‘S’ was kind enough to forward a statement from the Scottish Wildlife Trust on the issue relating to Laddie, LM12’s eye. They said, “

Our breeding pair, LM12 and NC0 have made an incredible effort to provide for their growing offspring since the first chick hatched on 19 May.

If you’ve been watching the webcam you might well have noticed that resident male LM12 has an injury on his right eye – this may have been caused by an abrasion sustained when his protective, translucent, third eyelid, also known as a nictitating membrane, was open.

Fortunately this injury seems to minor and it doesn’t seem to have affected his ability to fish. LM12 brought two perch to his hungry family at 20:05 and 21:20 this evening.”

Laddie’s eye appears to be perfect. He has brought in a big fish for Blue NC0 to feed the babies!

The two osplets of Dylan and Seren at Llyn Clywedog are almost the same size. They are terribly cute. It is pitching down rain there today and the third Bob has hatched. Congratulations Dylan and Seren.

Both eggs have hatched at the nest of White YW and Blue 35 at Foulshaw Moss in Cumbria. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Idris and Telyn on the hatch of their first chick of the 2022 season at 1628 on the 25th of May! It is Tiffin Cake all around in Wales today I am told.

Both of the osprey chicks on the UFlorida-Gainesville nest were fed by Mum this morning. They were both full with Mum betting a chance to eat the tail at 1105. Later images show them with a nice crop each.

Look at the size of Middle’s beautiful wings!

The only surviving osplet on the Dahlgren Nest in Virginia US used to be the size of the Bobs at the Loch of the Lowes and Llyn Clywedog. Just look at how big that chick is today!

It was heart warming to learn that the Friends of Big Bear had so many letters of support to stop the development in Big Bear Valley. Jackie and Shadow are much loved. In terms of social media stars, they have the highest number of visitors to their streaming cam than any other Bald Eagle nest. This is fantastic news.

The day that Spirit flies off the nest is coming. It could even be today. She has been on the branch flapping her big beautiful wings and standing on one leg this morning.

Was Spirit getting some advice for the future?

DC9 has been sitting on the rim of the nest looking out at the world from the National Arboretum nest in Washington DC. Mr President is doing a great job taking care of his only eaglet this year. Mum Lotus has not been seen for several days now.

The triplets at Pittsburgh-Hayes are starting to get out on the branches!

The oldest US Steel Eaglet is 50 days old today while the youngest is 47 days.

Liberty and Guardian have been making regular prey deliveries to Star and Sentry throughout the day. Some viewers have worried. There is a chat associated with the nest and the moderator will list the times of prey deliveries and visits from parents. The two eaglets are so large they take up the entire nest!

The eyases at the Manchester New Hampshire scrape continue to loose more of their fluffy down revealing their beautiful feathers.

The San Jose City Hall falcons are so cute. They are starting to lose their fluff revealing some nice feathers, too. Such cuties sitting there like little Buddhas. They are 20 days old today.

Here is a short video of Pedro meeting those chicks. Look at how much they have grown.

Talk about losing baby down! The two Red-tail Hawks at the Presidio Trust nest in San Francisco sure look a lot different this morning. I have not checked on them for awhile and they are big hawks!!!!!

It is a crazy time in Bird World. So many nests and everything happening from mating to fledging – with lots of intruders! Let us hope that all of our feathered friends have uneventful days. One of our readers asked about the Berry College eaglet. B15 fledged – if my memory holds true – on the 28th of April. She was still visiting the nest to everyone’s delight at 110 days old. Good solid eaglet. Pa and Missy continued to provide food for her.

Gorgeous picture that someone sent me of Pa Berry and Missy. (Do not know who to credit). They are a beautiful couple and did a fantastic job this year with B15.

This has been a long blog today. Please pardon any crazy typos or wording – I tried to cover too many nests! I will do a short check in on some of the nests with recent hatches later today. Take care everyone. Thank you for joining me.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Berry College Eagles, Presidio Trust, San Jose City Hall, Peregrine Networks, Redding Eagles, Pix Cams, NADC-AEF, FOBBV, Dahlgren Ospreys, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Dyfi Ospreys, Cumbrian Wildlife Trust, CarynXWild, Loch of the Lowes and Scottish Wildlife Trust, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, ND-LEEF, XCel Energy, Mlade Buky Storks, and Port Lincoln Osprey Project.

Late Sunday in Bird World

15 May 2022

It has turned out to be a brilliant day on the Canadian prairies after the morning’s dreariness. At 18:33 the sky is clear blue, not a cloud anywhere. This, of course, could bode very well for the lunar eclipse tonight which I should be able to see – providing the sky stays the same – around 22:30-23:15. Will see if I can grab some shots of it for all of us!

It was a pretty good day in Bird World taken as a whole. The smallest eaglet in the Notre-Dame nest could really use some food. My goodness he is a tiny little tiercel compared to those two sprawling big siblings. I always get nervous when I check on that nest.

A fish was brought in to the UFlorida-Gainesville nest around 17:55. Middle managed to get a few good bites at the beginning by the old snatch and grab and screaming. Then Mum proceeded to feed almost the entire fish to Big. Middle is hungry but not starving. Holding my breath for tomorrow or another fish tonight.

The other super star of the male Ospreys in Wales is Idris. He has his nest with Telyn near the River Dyfi. Idris is ‘Daddy Longlegs’ and he is known for bringing whoppers onto the nest just like Blue 33.

I can’t wait for the chicks to start hatching on this nest! Last year these two fledged two brilliant osplets – a male, Dysynni and a female, Ystwyth. They have just been ringed and we will be looking for their return next year.

Blue 33 did as Blue always does – he brings in the fish, sometimes too much, and Maya has him remove them. The three chicks continue to thrive. No worries here.

The weather turned and it began to rain and blow in the late evening. Blue was on the nest with Maya and the kids. He is extremely protective and one of those ace providers! He also likes to feed his chicks.

The Dale Hollow eaglets are 77 days old. The average age for fledging is 84 days. So we still have some time, hopefully, with them.

The nest is falling apart in some places and River and Obey will have some work to do for next season. These two are gorgeous.

Just look at what was the rim of this nest. It is almost entirely gone!

E1 at the MN-DNR nest is pancaked down on the nest right now. Is there an intruder somewhere? or is this food coma?

Nancy was in to feed E1 at 19:00. These two are doing alright. Nancy is taking good care of E1, Harriet.

I have not checked on the Goshawk nest at Riga, Lativa for a few days. It is another one of those times when you blink and the chicks are getting bigger. There are four. I have checked and all seem to eat fine.

It rained heavily on the nest yesterday. Mum comes in with food and here is a video of that feeding of these Goshawk chicks. Goshawks are beautiful birds. I just don’t like them around Osprey nests!

One of the best books on the Goshawk continues to be T.H.Whites, The Goshawk. It has been reprinted in a small paperback for a very reasonable price.

There is no news that I am aware of coming from Richmond and Rosie’s Osprey nest in San Francisco about a pip.

When Big Red and Arthur laid their fourth egg many became quite concerned that the last hatch would simply not survive with three bigger siblings. It is always good to remember that this is a hawk nest – like the Goshawk above – and all of the chicks will be fed. In fact, when L4 hatched he was just a cracker. Nothing stood in the way of L4 and Mum’s beak. He learned quickly from a few days old just to heave himself over or through the big siblings. Of course, they are not beaking him or intimidating him onto the other side of the ledge. That is why watching Big Red’s nest is the best. The absolute best.

I made a video clip today of L4 doing his stunt to get in front. It is about 3 minutes long. At 1:54 L4 decides to pull a chippie. I thought he might be going to self-feed. At 2:22 he makes for the front. I am calling it the L4 scramble. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for joining me today. Take care everyone. See you soon!

European Starling. 15 May 2022

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures today: DHEC, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Latvian Fund for Nature, MN-DNR, SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Dyfi Ospreys, ND-LEEF, and the LRWT.

Friday Morning in Bird World

13 May 2022

Good Morning Everyone! I hope that your Friday is a very good one.

Have you seen this old film titled Osprey?

In the Q & A discussion at Cal Falcons, one big difference between Grinnell and Alden that has been noticed is that Alden hunts at night. He also seems to be hunting in exotic places bringing in various prey items. Last evening the kids and Annie had a bed time snack at 22:00.

Alden on the left and Annie, who has just taken prey item, on the right. Look at those two smiling eyases! How grand. Both ate extremely well, the little one falling into a food coma first.

All are wide awake first thing in the morning and ready for fish at the Manton Bay Osprey nest at Rutland. Blue 33 (11) has been flying in with more and more fish during the day. The three are doing very well with the flapping perch incident well behind them! A great way to start a Friday.

At 11:50 Blue 33 took a turn feeding his chicks as Maya looked on.

More food around 14:00. Maya is pretty much feeding the chicks every two hours. The trio will grow fast!

The streaming cam to the nest of the Lesser Spotted Eagles, Anna and Andris in the Spruce Tree in a forest area at Lemgate, Latvia is back on line. The couple are incubating one egg which is set to hatch in June.

Both eaglets are still on the nest at Dale Hollow. They are 75 days old today if you count hatch day (28 Feb). Gorgeous birds who are now filling in almost the entire nest. They are definitely within fledge range which is normally 10-12 weeks for Bald Eagles.

The eaglet at the Duke Farms Bald Eagle nest is four days older than the pair at Dale Hollow.

Middle Little was on the platform at the Captiva Osprey nest this morning early calling for dad, Andy, to bring in a fish. All four of the family can be seen flying around the area and since Middle Little and Little MiniO are the only fledglings, Lori has been able to take images from her kayak and is certain it is them screaming for the parents to bring fish. Lori is returning to Canada today. If you have enjoyed watching the Ospreys and all her help finding them to reassure us all are alright, why not go to the chat today and just give her a little thank you. It has been a great year at the Captiva Osprey platform – a first in a long time to have osplets fledge! Thanks, Lori.

At 07:25:29, Dad delivered a fish to the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest. Middle started cheeping right away and managed to get into position quickly, on the opposite side of Mum, to get some nice fish. That is a great way to start the day at this nest. It is 22 degrees C, winds were at 6 kmh at the time of the delivery with the pressure rising. The weather forecast is for a thunderstorm later today.

Nice to see that fish this morning before the weather turns bad.

Big did not seem threatening but Middle still got around the back of Mum and over to the opposite side calling loudly for food. Good for you, Middle.

Mum did give Big the first couple of bites before Middle got up front but then she fed both. I hope Middle is getting his confidence back!

Oh, this camera can be annoying. That is Middle with its wings spread. Growing. Getting to the point that Big really cannot do too much damage other than throwing Middle off the nest — which I hope is not going to happen. The thunderstorm is forecast to begin around 16:00 nest time.

Nancy and E1 – Harriet – were rearranging straw on the nest this morning. There continues to be a sub-adult around the nest. Both Nancy and E1 continue to do as well as expected as a nest with a single parent. Look at Harriet help her Mum!

Cholyn fed TH1 at 05:33 from the fish that was left overnight.

Just look at that beautiful golden glow over the nest shining on the face of our beautiful Mum. It won’t be long til Dr Sharpe climbs up the cliff to band the eaglet. I will see if I can find out when that is going to be for everyone. If you know already, let me know!

They have fledged but both Jasper and Rocket are still hanging around the nest tree getting food from Samson and Gabby. Gabby normally migrates north when it gets hot while Samson stays in the Jacksonville area. Last year he kept feeding Legacy for some time. It is so nice to see the birds on the nest. Look close. One of the eaglets is on a branch almost at the left bottom corner.

The two eaglets on the Decorah North nest of Mr North and Mrs DNF are well and doing just fine. Bad weather has been going through the area with a Derecho or Inland Hurricane with winds of 100 mph going through South Dakota and area yesterday. Fingers crossed for all that were in its wake.

Big Red and her gang of four eyases are doing just fine this morning, too. The chicks are relaxing after having breakfast and Big Red has been on the nest doing some allopreening.

Big Red is so beautiful.

This has been a great way to start a Friday morning. All of the nests appear to be doing well. In Canada we traditionally plant the annual flowers on the May long weekend which is connected with Queen Victoria’s birthday. That is next weekend. Everyone will be at the greenhouses stocking up on flowers and vegetables and mixed in there will be me today. Take care everyone. Thank you so much for joining me today!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Latvian Fund for Nature, LRWT, Cal Falcons, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Duke Farms, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, MN-DNR, Explore.org, NEFlorida-AEF, and Cornell Bird Lab RTH.

Friday Morning in Bird World

29 April 2022

Good Morning everyone. The sun is trying to shine in southern Manitoba and the sky is light blue grey. Everyone is preparing for the onslaught of more rain headed our way — will it really be 50mm? That is close to 2 inches.

Mother Goose waiting for the all clear to leap from the Decorah nest. 28 April 2022

First up. I have received a number of letters about the 5th gosling of Mother Goose at the Decorah, Iowa nest. As many of you know, three goslings were with Mother and Father Goose after they jumped out of the nest and two were not. Boots on the ground found 4 and got it with Mum and Dad. Volunteers of the Raptor Resource Project and Mother and Father Goose continued to look and call for the 5th. Sadly, it was found dead. According to the following official release, it was not the youngest that died.

This is the statement released by the Raptor Research Project on their FB page:

“The goslings jumped today! We’ll have video tomorrow, but for now, we know that: Four of five goslings survived and were last seen swimming happily in Trout Creek, foraging along the bank, and following their parents up and down the small pool below the nest. One of the four went the wrong way after jumping! We managed to reunite it with its family after some mad scrambling through the brush, a low crawl across the river bank, and a little rock jumping. This gosling seemed determined to stay with new Papa. David Kester: it took two tries to get it back where it belonged! One gosling died. We initially thought it might have been the last to jump, since it was younger and smaller than its siblings and took a while to follow them out of the nest. But the gosling we reunited with its family was smaller than the one we found dead. We suspect (but don’t know for sure), that the reunited gosling was the last gosling, and the gosling that died was gosling number two. One, three, and four joined their parents quickly, but we don’t think we saw two after it jumped.”

The ‘sad’ part of all of this is that Mother Goose is still looking for her 5th gosling. She was at the nest this morning.

The Cape Wildlife Centre taught us much last season about Canada Geese – if we did not already know. When Arnold had his digit bitten off by a snapping turtle in their pond, Amelia looked and looked for him. She waited on the porch knowing he was inside the clinic (their pond is on the grounds of the clinic). The staff helped them to be together, for her to watch Arnold’s recovery, for them to share meals, and then finally to be outside. The take away from that is that Canada Geese are intelligent and sentinel. Was the dead gosling shown to the parents? And in asking that question I am not criticizing what was done yesterday at Mother Goose’s nest. Just asking a question. If not, perhaps in the future this should be done and also, when one goose is taken into care, that the other one go along, too! They really are bonded!!!!!!

L4 at the Cornell Red0-tail Hawk nest did survive what felt like a 72 hour pip and hatch. It completed its hatch at 23:08 on the 28th of April. Here is the video of Big Red and Arthur and their four Ls! Congratulations Big Red and Arthur!!!!!! This is going to be fun. Big Red will be in her glory – 4. It is, as far as is known, a first for her.

L4 will be substantially smaller than L1 which is a week older. But, see all that prey on the nest. There is plenty of food and there is no reason not to believe that L4 will not thrive. The beaking only occurs in falcons and hawks because 1) their eyes have to become clear and focused and 2) every black beak with pink inside is potentially food. Normally subsides after a week. As far as my understanding goes, siblicide is extremely rare in hawks and falcons unlike eagles and ospreys.

Yes, Arthur, there really are four of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just look at the prey pantry in this nest. Arthur is so excited it will be filled to the brim with all sorts of critters. No one will go hungry. In the image below, Big Red is checking each beak to make sure none of the Ls want any more squirrel before she quits feeding. She is a pro at taking care of chicks and Big Red loves being a Mum.

There are a couple of Bald Eagle nests that I continue to check. One of those is the National Arboretum nest in Washington, DC. Mr President and Lotus have a gorgeous eaglet who is just losing the last of the dandelions on the top of its head. However, this eaglet has been fed duck and I worry a little when waterfowl are consumed because of H5N1.

The remaining two Osplets at the UFlorida-Gainesville nest on the light stand are doing fine.

Both of the eaglets at the MN-DNR nest are doing fine this morning also. They have had some waterfowl so I continually check on them like the NADC-AEF nest.

The two eaglets on the Dale Hollow nest continue to thrive also. They are gorgeous birds and today they are (counting hatch day) 61 days old. Soon!

I know that almost everyone is a fan of Harriet and M15 at Fort Myers. It appears that E19 might have left the territory yesterday. Lady Hawk made a video of those final interactions and moments.

There is good news. Janika returned safely to her nest with Jan yesterday at 16:15. There had been a fight with an intruder and Mum is now home safely after some worry. Jan and Janika have 6 eggs in their nest in Jogeva County, Estonia. They were laid on April 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, and 25. The last time I checked on this nest – shame on me – we were waiting for Janika to return from migration! Hopefully no more intruders!

If you watch this nest – and storks are absolutely lovely with all their rituals – you must be prepared for the parents to ‘sort’ the chicks. A clutch of six is surely too many to feed – but we will find out.

The celebration is still going on in Poole Harbour. Ospreys CJ7 and Blue 022 are making history. CJ7 laid her third egg at 08:57 on the 29th of April. Will she stop at three? Oh, I hope so. Remember, these are the first osprey eggs laid for 200 years and then – the first fledges in 200 years. I can hear the ‘happiness’ for all those involved in the Osprey restoration/relocation project to Poole.

It was the tail movement that gave it all away. CJ7 should begin hard incubation now.

Want to watch history being made? Here is the link to the streaming cam at Poole Harbour.

In Latvia, at the nest of Anna and Andris in a Spruce tree in the Zemgale region, Andris brought a very small snack to his mate. So far, the Lesser Spotted Eagles have only one egg which was laid on the 26th of April. Perhaps it will hold at one!

Karl II and Kaia now have three eggs in their Black Stork nest. That nest is in Karula National Park in the very south of Estonia. Kaia is Karl’s new mate as of 2020. Their first clutch was not successful. In 2021, they fledged three! This year, Karl II returned from migration on 8 April with Kaia arriving on the 12th. I am very fond of this nest and this couple! Third season.

There is Karl II with his band and his tracker. You can follow him all the way back to the Sudan and Chad when he migrates in the fall.

Here is the link to Karl II and Kaia’s streaming cam in Estonia:

As we wait anxiously for the Peregrine Falcon nests to begin hatching – and I am really anxious for Annie and Alden – there are four eyases in the scrape in Utrecht. Each is doing very well.

Here is a video of the snack feeding a few hours ago:

Here is the link to the falcon cam in Utrecht with those four gorgeous little ones.

Here is a link to a peregrine falcon scrape cam in Belgium where there are also four little falcons.

This nest in Belgium also has a great entrance cam!

For those of us wanting an international ban on sticky glue traps, England has now banned their use. Excellent news. Here is the announcement that came yesterday, “The Glue Traps (Offences) Act, introduced by Jane Stevenson MP, bans the use of inhumane glue traps which are a widely available method of rodent control but can cause immense suffering. Animals can remain alive for 24 hours or more, eventually dying of stress, exhaustion, dehydration or self-inflicted injuries”.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10759059/Inhumane-glue-traps-mice-rats-set-BANNED-England.html

With the exception of the one gosling not surviving the jump at Decorah, everything seems to be fine in Bird World on Friday morning the 29th of April. Thank you so much for joining me. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cam and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: The Latvian Fund for Nature, The Eagle Club of Estonia, Cornell Bird Lab and RTH, Explore.org, NADC-AEF, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Oudenaarde Falcon Cam, Raptor Research Project, DHEC, MN-DNR, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, and LFC Utrecht.

Late Thursday and early Friday in Bird World

14-15 April 2022

Everyone is anxiously awaiting the end of the storm system that is staying over Manitoba. Hopefully it will be on its way eastward late on Friday. There is so much snow. It has been a privilege to feed so many visiting Dark-eyed Juncos over the past two days as well as the regular garden birds, squirrels, and rabbit. My live is so enriched by their presence that it is hard to imagine not having them visit daily.

Things are really busy in Bird World. The UK and European raptors are busy laying eggs, eagles are preparing to fledge or just hatching, US Ospreys are arriving and laying eggs and some nests are just coming back on line.

I know that many of you love the Glacier Gardens Bald Eagles. That nest is now back on line with eggs being laid when? the end of April? or beginning of May? For whatever reason, that camera will not allow me to post it here so do go to YouTube and search for Glacier Gardens! Isn’t it gorgeous. There are so many Bald Eagles in Alaska – they love the salmon and the cooler temperatures. Indeed, the 67 or 68 Bald Eagles taken into care during the heat of last summer in British Columbia flew north to Alaska, not south. This will be a growing trend as the raptors adapt to climate change.

Oh, goodness. Little Bit at the UFlorida Gainesville Osprey nest is doing so well. What a little cutie pie. He is still tiny compared to Big but Mom is doing really well.

Look at him stretch those neck muscles to reach his fish. Yes, that is him at the back. Big has already eaten, is full, and is walking away to the left front. Excellent!

The Patuxent River Park has started the streaming cams to their osprey nests. This is cam 2. Now isn’t she gorgeous?

This is the nest where the foster chick went overboard last season and where a staff member took her canoe out and retrieved the chick and got it back on the nest – after hours! So many were grateful for that act of kindness.

Thank you ‘L’ for alerting me to this camera being back on line.

Here is the link to cam 2:

And this is the link to cam 1:

I decided to go and check on Jasper and Rocket at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest of Samson and Gabby at Jacksonville. And look where I first found them! It will not be long for their first flights.

The AEF did a short visit of Rocket joining Jasper.

Besties.

At the SWFlorida Eagle nest of Harriet and M15, E20 is turning into a great prey stealer. Lady Hawk made a video of M15 with prey by the pond when E20 snatched it and took it to the nest to eat. Bravo!

I am going to bed with a smile on my face. Look at that crop of Little Middle at the Dale Hollow nest!

Spirit continues to grow and be well loved and cared for by Jackie and Shadow at the Big Bear nest. Gorgeous.

For all of those waiting, the chat will open for Big Red and Arthur’s streaming cam on Monday. Normally the chats vary the times between M-W-F and T-Th-S. Great moderators with years of experience are there to educate you about the hawks, their history, and what to expect. I hear Laura Culley, the falconer, will be with us again this year. Fantastic.

Here is the link to access the camera:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/red-tailed-hawks/

You will see the page below. Click on the red chat symbol! It is easy. Just don’t go to YouTube expecting a chat!!!!!!!!

As some of you may know, the female at the Duke Farms nest left on the 11th when the eaglet was banded. She has yet to return to the nest. While we all want her to be safe and return soon, it is reassuring that the eaglet is of the age that it can be left alone and would naturally have been at times. The male is bringing in food and feeding and caring for his eaglet and this is all good.

UPDATE: Biologists have spotted the female this morning and she is fine.

Harry, Nancy and the two eaglets at the MN-DNR nest seem to be just fine – for now. North Dakota got really dumped on with the snow. The storm is moving east. I hope it stays away from this nest in Minnesota!

The Black Storks at the Sigulda County nest in Latvia are busy. They are doing a lot of restoration work on their nest for this breeding season.

Here is the link to the camera of Grafs (m) and Grafiene (f):

Here is Grafiene feeding the storklets in July 2021. The parents go fishing and regurgitate the small fish onto the nest for the babies.

The nest seems to get so small as the storklets grow.

It was a hot summer with food becoming scarce. Many individuals helped the storks and the storklets by setting up a pond with a decoy to try and lure the fledglings to they could get food. I was very grateful for the efforts made at some of the Black Stork nests last year including the delivery of fish to keep Jan and Janika’s storklets alive. Droughts, rising summer temperatures, the erosion of wetland habitat all impact our beautiful feathered friends.

The Poole Harbour Osprey couple made the BBC news.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-61109786

Have you voted for the name for Annie’s ‘New Guy’? You have until noon PST 17 April. New name announced on Monday the 18th!!!!!!!! Yahooooooo.

https://news.berkeley.edu/2022/04/13/nine-names-one-falcon-vote-to-give-uc-berkeleys-new-guy-a-new-name/?fbclid=IwAR1y1UU5qtPvCT2w5kCi-51qPYWOaog27Lo7uVTpWuBQ5brVbKlGQDmLgcE

I know that some of you love Dyson. I don’t normally post other wildlife but I found this streaming cam with a grey squirrel box, a mother and 3 wee ones. You might enjoy watching it!

https://pixcams.com/gray-squirrel-nest/?fbclid=IwAR3wT558zbJ7Ms7qhTjdHkFKal_h7mMN8uG-iiLzL4nbbOCkpNV_js-5XbU

We still have light snow falling and the Juncos are still in the garden in full force. The great thing about this morning – the sun is out!

Thank you so much for joining me. Take care everyone. See you soon!!!!!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Cornell RTH, DHEC, UFlorida Ospreys, Looduskalender, Latvian Fund for Nature, Duke Farms, Friends of Big Bear Valley, MN-DNR Eagles, NEFlorida and the AEFR, Patuxent River Park, and Glacier Gardens.