Name Jackie and Shadow’s chicks…Late, late Thursday in Bird World

16 April 2026

Good Evening,

Want to help name Jackie and Shadow’s eaglets? Here is the link. Below is a note about the process.

A pair of baby bald eagle chicks in a nest, with one chick being fed by an adult eagle; to the right, a smiling woman with long gray hair is shown, likely in a natural setting.

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 15th April 2026


Another quiet day, just the three Ospreys – Dorcha, Garry LV0 and Aurora 536 – around, and no nest swapping today. Cam One didn’t come online until nearly 1pm and through the swoops as the cam recalibrated Garry was seen with a fish which travelled on and off the nest a few times before Aurora took it from him and departed with it. They had several mating attempts one of which definitely looked successful. Dorcha was the only visitor to her nest, coming twice, keeping a quiet vigil, head turning, checking the area whether for intruders or her missing mate Louis we can’t say. Over in Bunarkaig things are settled too, LizB gave this report: Two ospreys at the nest when I passed earlier this afternoon. One arrived with a fish while I was watching, which the female took to a neighbouring tree to eat. The male spent time tidying the nest. All looked nice and peaceful.

Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/vGAt51eYQdY N2 Dorcha keeps a lonely vigil 09.04.14https://youtu.be/bP5DOJQFkhw N1 Garry’s seen with a fish as the cam comes online 12.58.23  https://youtu.be/XF5nxnqqZP8 N1 Aurora does nest prep like a reluctant teenager 13.32.54https://youtu.be/xILuXzfJnsg N1 Is Garry bringing a new fish or an old one? 14.02.35  

https://youtu.be/UHwsdMnhE40 N1 Successful mating for Garry and Aurora 17.42.09https://youtu.be/a403Hb90Ww0 N2 Dorcha returns and waits as the day draws to a close 18.35.59Bonus read – George quoted in an article about protestors trying to save ancient woodland:https://www.pressreader.com/uk/barrhead-news-saxb/20260415/281852945143245
Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/51sv0sFASJA N1 Aila & Louis: love in the dark 2020
https://youtu.be/Ne6U24RQtfk N1 Louis is harassed by persistent Hoodies 2021
https://youtu.be/LbhbAx0KBh4 N2 Stickly situation: Louis and a log 2022
https://youtu.be/7w0I3iYZssc N2 Synchronised landings 2023 (slo-mo repeat)https://youtu.be/glFpcNXi9Oo N2 Dorcha and the egg star on BBC Breakfast 2024
https://youtu.be/cuIKVzgrQMY N1: Garry LV0 does some nest scraping and watches for a potential mate 2024
https://youtu.be/GVX93Gmg5KI George WTS’s interview on BBC Radio Scotland Today 2024https://youtu.be/A_RZD0tcTvQ  N2  Louis arrives with a lively flapping trout 2025https://youtu.be/Ca_z21qf71I N1 Garry LV0 leaves in a hurry, an aerial fight ensues 2025https://youtu.be/6I2Eivd3aaM N2 Dorcha seizes fish number two as soon as it arrives 2025 https://youtu.be/6I2Eivd3aaM N1 is this a female Buzzard scouting for a nest? 2025

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

The osprey platform in Ranworth, Norfolk has its first egg.

Elen commands the nest at Glaslyn with mate, Teifi. Eggs next week?

An osprey perched on a branch near its nest overlooking a lush green field at dusk.

Fru and Herr Rauer have made the news in Norway. http://youtube.com/post/Ugkx-SD2WBXBbBJa05v7HZRPbBuwVAfRAlWv?

Dylan and Seren at the Lyn Clywedog 1 nest:

A large bird of prey standing on a nest, with an egg visible, set against a dark, mountainous landscape.

Songbird killing continues in Lebanon. Not nice.

A person holding several captured songbirds in their hands.

Pam Breci reports that the geese have taken over the Niagara Bee Osprey nest.

Osprey on south nest at Coeur de’ Alene, Idaho.

An osprey stands on a large nest made of sticks, situated on a platform above a park. In the background, there are playground equipment and trees beginning to bloom in a city area.

Geemeff sends us a good news story:

https://www.aol.com/articles/rhode-island-energy-moves-osprey-233149136.html

Hot in St Petersburg. Mum, Jill, shades the babies. Both had breakfast. But will the little one have anything else? Does Mum need to go and fish again? Does she know where Diane caught her catfish?

A bird perched on a nest made of twigs, with a scenic view of trees and houses in the background.
A hawk standing in its nest made of twigs, surrounded by trees, with a view of a suburban street in the background.

The Moorings Park osplets have been named. The oldest is Winken and the second is Blinken. (I guess Baby that was lost is Nod).

A nest of ospreys with two chicks and one adult bird in a natural setting near the water, captured during a live stream.

Geemeff informs me that JJ4 has been at Loch Arkaig and has brought in nesting materials. Now…if he wants to win Dorcha’s heart, he’d best get on with a fish!

An osprey standing on a nest made of twigs and branches, overlooking a scenic landscape with mountains and a river in the background.

Today was a long day with many individuals coming and going. The only thing that works when you are caring for someone with dementia is to keep the routine. Ours blew up in shards today. We did get our hair cut, and Miyoung is amazing. She is so good and careful with Donald. Doors were fixed, a digital door opener was installed, and now the third person is here, wiring the doorbell and the alarm. I still have to get the gate in front built so that it can lock. Don will be living in a fortress! But he can wander in the garden as much as he wants!!!!!!!!! All of this has made me mentally tired and I am going to take some time off and get outside once everything is finished! I will be back with you on Monday. Have a great weekend.

Thank you to Geemeff for the happy story and for the Woodland Trust news, to all those who post on FB with such great information, the owners of the streaming cams, and to you, my readers for being there for wildlife. Thank you to CABS for all they do!

Waiting for Blue 33 and Maya…Sunday in Bird World

22 March 2026

Good Morning Everyone,

We hope this finds each of you well and that you got outside, enjoyed the fresh air, and heard some birdsong! The Bald Eagles are gathering in areas north of me in Manitoba. It is another reminder that spring is just around the corner!

Last year Ping Shen shared his incredible photographs of a Seattle osprey family, Harry and Sally. The couple had three osplets. Sadly, one died, but two flourished. It was a real treat. Thank you, Ping! We are looking forward to Harry and Sally’s 2026 breeding season and all your images and stories.

Ping’s article is inspirational for me, and I think that it will touch each of you. We have all sought refuge in the lives of the raptors for various reasons. We need to cherish our wildlife, recognising how much our ‘souls’ are sustained by nature and how much we have in common.

“With noise and sooty exhaust constant backdrops, with a nest built on top of a 1.5 million-gallon storage tank for sewage runoff, these osprey — Harry and Sally, as I came to call them — engaged and persisted in the fraught, delicate dance of raising young. Engaged in my own delicate dance of raising my own young, I found some of the parallels quite humorous — more than once I would return home after watching the young birds demand food, maws agape, and see my own 4-year-old daughter open her mouth in silent command upon seeing me eat something interesting. Beyond humor lay the fortifying recognition of just how much we — human and bird — shared as parents. That parenting is perhaps the most hopeful act of all, that amid and against calamity and tall odds we dance, nurturing and sending forth a little bit of ourselves into an unknown future. A care package of love and hope tucked under a wing is all we leave them.”

‘LE’ sends us news that the first eaglet was born at the Fort Worth Zoo in 117 years! And no, it is not a Bald Eagle but an African Fish eagle! Here is the information:

I am so glad that the NZ DOC and the Kakapo Recovery are keeping us up to date on the 2026 breeding season. These remarkable flightgless green parrots breed only once every four years and 2026 is their year!

Mrs O is at the Tweed Valley nest waiting for a mate. Last year began in a remarkable way and ended in tragedy when two females share the same nest. Once the osplets hatched, the females could not sort out who would provide fish, if they would share duties or what – the male was simply not fit for purpose – and the cute little osplets starved to death.

What a very sad situation.

We are waiting for the first egg for Big Red and Arthur. Poor thing. She now lives in a construction zone.

Heidi writes that the second chick has hatched at the Venice Beach and Golf course osprey platform.

Both ospreys are at the Newport Bay Osprey platform. Here is the link to their camera: https://www.youtube.com/live/yIA5FVKQCIk?

Owls bothered Beau and Gabby’s Kia and Eve Friday night with Eve getting hit.

The triplets at Moorings Park osprey platform are well fed – with beautiful fat little bottoms.

Waiting for White YW and Blue 35. They have raised some incredible chicks at Foulshaw Moss in Cumbria.

The cameras are getting better and better. Thanks, Jeff!

Elen is still waiting at Glaslyn.

A great video of Kai and Eve at the nest of Gabby and Beau in Palm Court, Florida – before the kids depart. It has been a wonderful season for this family! Beau proved all the naysayers wrong and is a good strong mate for Gabby just like she knew. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/CeUxQWwidwY?

There is still time for Maya or Blue 33 to arrive today at Rutland. Birds are arriving.

I would also like to draw your attention to the manner in which the side rails of this nest have been secured. To my knowledge, much of the osprey platforms in the UK are checked, secured, and refurbished before the arrival of the ospreys in the UK. I love what they do at Glaslyn. Why couldn’t someone care this much about the ospreys in the US – such as the nest at Achieva in St Petersburg? How would the owners of that streaming cam like ‘their kids’ to slide through a hole and die? Oh, don’t get me started.

Gentle snow is coming down this morning. The Starlings are waiting for me to put out their kibble while a lone Blue Jay was glad to have the peanuts to itself. Mr Crow is not patiently waiting to get Toby’s leftover meat.

Take care everyone. Check out the wonder that is nature around you, just like Ping Shen you might discover a bird family that you can watch from egg to fledge! I will see you again soon.

Thank you to Ping Shen for sharing their wonderful article with us, to ‘LE’ for letting me know about that African Eagle, to the owners of the streaming cams we are always grateful to be able to watch the lives of our favourite bird families, to SK Hideaways I am always indebted to you for your fantastic videos, and to Jeff Kerr and UK Osprey – thanks. And to all the others who post on FB and take images – bless you!