I am starting to write my post Saturday evening. It is 1733 and the conservatory is filled with light. The days are much longer and that is truly welcome. Everyone feels good. The weather will, however, continue to get cooler until next weekend when they are predicting we will drop to -30 C.
Today, we put another area rug in the conservatory. There is a reason for these rugs – they are for Toby. He chases Hugo Yugo throughout the house or Hugo Yugo chases him. There is a real issue regarding the legs of these Cavaliers. Like Toby’s food, I am doing everything I can to protect his health and physical well being. This means there is one more rug to get for the library area. At the same time, these rugs must be secured so that Don doesn’t trip on them. Talk about a balancing act!
Hugo Yugo and Toby helped with the rug.
We need to send some good energy to Duke Farms. One of the three eggs broke Friday night. The other one appears to not be viable. There is, however, one little eaglet working hard to get out of the last egg!
The siblings at the Winter Park Florida Bald Eagle nest are doing fantastic.
Jazz is getting a private feeding. Things on this nest, the E3 at the Kisatchie National Forest have turned around just as everyone had hoped. Nola still has first rights, so to speak, but Jazz is eating well and there is plenty of food coming on the nest. The little one looks great.
So far the food deliveries on the E1 nest of Anna and Louis II have been low on Saturday.
There is a second egg for Jack and Jill at Achieva.
Decorah Mum protected her precious egg scovered in snow. There are two of them.
Owlvira and Hoots two of the four owlets that survived are doing fantastic.
Little Miami Conservancy now has three eggs.
There are now 10 Kakapo chicks. This is going to be a brilliant year! There was a daytime egg check a few minutes ago. Here it is on video: https://youtu.be/bkNQWALZ9mw?
Bella has laid the third egg for her and Scout. Wish them luck! Deb Stecyk has it on video: https://youtu.be/PCAOOIIyBVM?
Baby Hope wishes everyone a wonderul end to their weekend.
Missey hopes your weather is warmer than ours.
Brock had several meals and slept on my neighbour’s porch for about three hours. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
Thank you for a quick check in with some of our nests. We will be back again with you on Monday with more news about our wonderful feathered friends. Please take care. Enjoy the end of the weekend. Get outside if you can. It is revitalising!
Thank you to those who created videos, to the owners of the streaming cams who let us peek into the lives of our feathered friends, and to the authors of the FB posts who keep us informed of all the action! I am truly grateful.
We had another beautiful, albeit slightly cooler day, today. There is still beautiful white fluffy snow in the garden and the birds were so busy eating tonight it made us wonder if there was another storm coming. Nothing predicted.
Quick nest news:
A wonderful video link sent to me by ‘L’ about the Laysan Albatross, Wisdom, and her legacy. This is the video caption: “Earlier this year, we shared that N333, Wisdom’s son from 2011, had welcomed a chick of his own. Thanks to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service volunteer Dan Rapp, we now get an up-close look at this newest member of Wisdom’s remarkable family tree. N333 has an incredible story himself—he survived the 2011 tsunami as a chick and has since returned to Midway to raise the next generation. Seeing his journey come full circle is a powerful reminder of the resilience of these birds and the importance of protecting their home. 👉 Read more about N333’s journey here: https://friendsofmidway.org/wisdoms-l…
Stella and Irvin have their first egg at the US Steel nest in PA. Congratulations!
Andor and Cruz have their first egg at the Fraser Point nest in the Channel Islands, California.
Little Miami Conservancy now has two eggs as of Thursday.
Pip watch continues for egg 1 and 2 at Duke Farms. It is doubtful if the first egg is viable (IMHO).
Decorah should have its second egg today. I haven’t see anything to indicate that another egg has been laid yet (It is 1945 CDT).
At the Two Harbours nest, Chase has been supplying Cholyn with some nice fish. SK Hideaways has it on video: https://youtu.be/O7Spi_nane4?
Now you see it, now you don’t. The thick cord with the bobber is still in the KNF E1 nest of Anna and Louis II. The eaglets so far have not gotten tangled again. Let’s hope this good news continues.
Lots of fish and nice big crops on both eaglets at the E3 nest of Alex and Andria at the KNF forest. This is lovely to see. Let us hope that fish delivery and good feedings by both parents continue.
Willow and Gus at Eagle Country had some trouble with their egg when it got caught on Willow’s leg. The egg is well past hatching but Willow continues to incubate. Androcat has the incident on video: https://youtu.be/VtVxoIDTyWM?
Fridays are cake day at our house. It is a way to end the week and get to spend some time with Ann. This was today’s offering from the Lilac Bakery – almost too beautiful to cut.
Everyone is well. We have had a good week. In fact, it has been a brilliant week. Knock on wood, this continues. I do not know if it is the warmer weather, my arthritis not bothering me so much, or Don’s new medications taking hold. The warm weather makes our walks so much nicer! I cannot tell you how much being outside lifts one’s soul. If you are feeling challenged for any reason, please spend some time outside. I promise it can be life-changing.
Toby wishes you a wonderful weekend!
Thank you so much for being with us this evening.
Thank you to ‘L’ for her link to the story about Wisdom’s son, to the authors of the FB posts, the owners of the streaming cams that let us look into the lives of the birds, to SK Hideaways, Androcat, and Friends of Midway Atoll for the videos I have included this evening.
It was a bit nippy on Sunday, but spring is definitely here. It was time to shake off the winter and get back to walking 4 or 5 times a week. Our first trip was around St Vital Park and then over to the duck pond. There were approximately 85 Canada Geese there along with 5 male Wood Ducks and 2 females, and a couple pair of Mallards along with 3 Ring-billed Gulls. There is still some ice on the pond. It was nice to see families with proper seed feeding them as we wait for the grass to turn green and grow.
You have no idea how happy I am that the walkways are free of ice. This winter has been long because of this. I so enjoyed all the walking that we have done in previous years. Oh, this is wonderful!
Moving on to our feathered friends…
Eggs are starting to land in those osprey nests! Eaglets are growing or fledging or halfway there.
Birds of Poole Harbour: CJ7 laid the season’s first egg for her and mate, Blue 022, on Sunday.
Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home: There are now three eggs in this osprey nest.
Glaslyn: Ospreys can count and they ‘know’. Aran arrived on Saturday and Elen laid her first egg on Sunday the 13th. It would have been KC1’s, Teifi’s. Aran tried to evict it and then when that did not work, he buried it. Aran might have trouble holding on to the nest he shared with Mrs G and then Elen when Mrs G did not return from migration. We wait to see how this works out.
So why did Aran (and other males at different nests at different times) try to eject and then bury the egg?
Male ospreys eject eggs from their nest if they suspect they didn’t fertilise the eggs. We quickly learn that ospreys can count! This behaviour is a strategy to ensure their offspring survive, as they may eject eggs from the nest that they don’t believe to be their own. Ospreys are generally monogamous and mate for life, but if a male suspects infidelity, he may eject eggs to remove potential competitors.
Ensuring their own genetic line: Male ospreys are motivated to ensure their offspring survive. They may eject eggs if they believe they are not their own, as they are essentially removing potential competitors.
Guardianship of the nest: Ospreys fiercely protect their nests and mates. If another male is suspected of mating with the female, the male may eject eggs to ensure his own paternity.
Courtship and Mating: Male ospreys engage in frequent courtship displays and mating behaviours, which can increase the likelihood of fertilisation by their partner. If they witness a female with another male, they may attempt to eject the eggs to ensure their genetic line is the only one present.
Territoriality:Male ospreys are territorial and will defend their nest and mate from other males. This can extend to ejecting eggs if they suspect other males have been involved in mating with the female.
In summary, the ejection of eggs is a behaviour driven by the male osprey’s instinct to protect his mate and ensure his genetic line continues. It’s a natural defence mechanism against potential rivals and a strategy to maintain the success of his breeding effort.
Oh, what a worry KNF-E3 O3 was to everyone. Steve looked. Cody helped. And on Sunday that fledgling flew up to the nest like a pro wanting fish. Mum and Dad did not disappoint. Isn’t this wonderful? We will count every one of these moments as gold.
Little Miami Conservancy: These two are doing well but cannot yet thermoregulate their temperature.
Foulshaw Moss: White YW and Blue 35 have their second egg on Sunday. at 1308.
Fort St. Vrain: Less drama today at the nest. Both eaglets fine.
Fat little bottom. Cute.
NCTC: The trio of Scott and Bella are doing extraordinarily well. Little angels.
Port Tobacco: All is well.
Johnson City ETSU: I blinked and that little fluffy chick now has juvenile feathers!
Bluff City ETSU: And just look at these two!
Duke Farms: Then there is this trio. All doing well.
US Steel: Only Bob is doing well. Getting his pin feathers.
Sauces: Betty Lou. Look at those feathers coming in!
Fraser Point: Two adorable babies being well cared for by Andor and Cruz.
Big Bear Valley: Is it possible they will be too full to fly? We would love to keep them on the nest.
Geemeff’s Daily Summary for Loch Arkaig. Just look at the number of fish that Louis has brought in. Now he started out, as Geemeff reminded me, like this last year. But bad weather and an illness and/or injury turned the tide on the nest and the two osplets were translocated. One survived. One did not.
Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 13th April 2025
Another calm day without intruders, Affric 152 or Prince dropping in. And sadly, no unattached female visitors for Garry LV0 despite his bringing a fish and making Nest One very cosy with sticks and bedding. Garry’s fish tally rises by a whopping 50% up to a total of three since he arrived on 9th April, fingers crossed that this will be the season he finds a mate. Louis on the other hand is providing so well for Dorcha that she initially refused the second of his two fish deliveries today, and his tally now stands at twentynine since they returned on 2nd April. At the time of filing this report (23.45) Nest Two is empty – will Dorcha return and spend the night as she did last night, will she lay the first egg tomorrow? We must wait and see. The weather forecast is light rain and light winds overnight and into tomorrow, not the best weather for eggs but Dorcha will cope.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.31.19 (05.28.03); Nest Two 21.29.45 (05.32.34)
“Over the last 5 days, things appeared to have settled into a fairly relaxed routine for LM24 (The Dark Intruder) and his new mate the Unringed Female. The pair have been spending more time on and around the nest, often appearing at first light, indicating they are likely to be roosting nearby. Mating has been regular, though the male is still sometimes getting himself back to front, but he has also busied himself with bringing material into the nest, skydancing and bringing in fish to his mate – everything you would expect a breeding male to do.
Throughout the week there had been little in the way of intruders, with only a fleeting incursion on the 9th April, which the Unringed Female easily defended against. Not content with LM24’s offerings, she brought in a huge trout yesterday, which unusually she caught on the Loch where it is usually more common to see pike and perch.
This morning it was only LM24 who appeared on the nest at dawn, and it remained quiet for much of the day, with no sign of the Unringed Female. Ospreys can be a little bit like buses, with not much happening and then everything happening all at once! True to form it all kicked off mid-afternoon with the arrival of yet another new intruding bird (another unringed female) who was very ‘hangry’!
This female wasted no time in demanding food from LM24, who although initially reluctant, passed his half eaten pike to her, before trying to attempt to mate. The female, with very striking markings (a large triangle on the back of her head, dark chest and a white gap between her eyes) was not keen to reciprocate, but quickly began rearranging the furniture. This female behaved in a way that was very confident and suggested that she may be a little older and more experienced than both LM24 and his Unringed Female partner.
The ‘hangry’ female (who devoured her fish) very vocally began demanding more food from the male, who was keeping a close and perhaps rather confused eye on the things from the top of the camera. After several more failed mating attempts, he finally managed to encourage the female to lift her tail and mate successfully, before……enter stage left; LM24’s mate, the Unringed Female landed on the nest, flapping her wings and mantling, clearly unhappy with proceedings!! She was closely followed by LM24, who briefly touched down before being chased off by the ‘hangry’ intruder!
All three osprey then took to the skies in a spectacular display of flying, diving and shouting, before the Unringed Female returned to the nest. Her respite was short lived however, with the other female returning to launch another furious attack! Once again the birds took off in a flurry of talons and wings, before order finally seemed to be restored 5 minutes later with both LM24 and his mate the Unringed Female settling back onto the nest together.
Things appear to have settled down and order for now seems to have been restored, but for how long?
Follow the webcam for all the action, or come and visit the centre, open 10:30am – 5pm each day”
Hellgate Canyon: Gorgeous Iris. Still waiting for Finnegan. He was there on the 14th last year. Fingers crossed he arrives today!!!!!!! Oh, tears will flow around the world. Please let this miracle happen again…
Salem Electric: Lots of work to do on this nest. I sure wish that humans in the US would follow some of the UK’s practices where the nest is refurbished each year while the ospreys are on migration!
Clark PUD: Both ospreys are on the nest. Lovely.
Port of Ridgefield: Both home.
Seaside: Bruce has been supplying Naha with some really nice fish since their return. Sunday was no exception with a Redtail Surf Perch and two trout.
Niagara Bee Ospreys: No eggs but a Canada Goose is visiting the nest.
Farmer Derek’s Owl Nest: Bonnie and Clive have one owlet this year, Starr. She is a beauty.
Russell Lake, Nova Scotia: Oscar arrived so early. It seems that he was so happy to have Ethel return that he has been out looking for any kind of gift to brighten her day! OK, Oscar. You can stop now. Those eggs and chicks don’t want to get mixed up with human litter!
Coeur de’Alene, Idaho: No ospreys in sight. Canada Goose nesting on the north platform.
In 2024, with four osplets on the nest and everyone hoping for them, the male disappeared during a heat dome. Mum tried but it is difficult to raise four even if both parents are fishing. Three of the chicks died of siblicide/starvation. One fledged.
Update from Fort St Vrain:
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, and articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post: ‘Geemeff’, Birds of Poole Harbour, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home, RAKPhotographic, Kistachie National Forest, Little Miami Conservancy, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Fort St Vrain, NCTC, Port Tobacco, Johnson City ETSU, Bluff City ETSU, Pix Cams, Duke Farms, IWS/Explore, FOBBV, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, The Scottish Wildlife Trust, Montana Osprey Project/Cornell Bird Lab, Salem Electric, Clark PUD, Port of Ridgefield, Seaside Ospreys, Niagara Bee Ospreys, Farmer Derek, Ospreys of Nova Scotia, City of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, The Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Loch of the Lowes Visitor’s Centre, Fort St Vrain/Excel Energy
It was a sad day in the garden on Saturday morning.
Everyone always talks about a Spark Bird. There can be several of these significant birds throughout our lives. As a child in Oklahoma, it was the Blue Jays and Cardinals that my dad fed out of his hand. As a teenager, it was the Red-tail Hawks. Then, decades later, there was the most magical moment. It changed my life. It was a winter morning in the garden when my eyes connected with those of a female Sharp-shinned Hawk within half a metre of me. Since that day, hawks have been visiting the garden in search of a “Sparrow Blue Plate Special”. Now, to have an Immature Cooper’s hawk die in my garden is simply heartbreaking. The carcass is going for testing for HPAI, as there were no obvious signs of trauma. However, I suspect the hawk flew into the garage belonging to the house next door or somehow broke its neck, colliding with the thicker branches trying to catch a songbird.
The happy ending to this, if there could be one, is that the hawk’s body is going to our local museum as part of their specimen collection. If you find a bird whose carcass is in good condition, check with your local natural history museum or wildlife centre to see if they would be interested in having it as part of their specimen collection.
It was 14 degrees C Saturday afternoon at the nature centre. The Canada Geese had moved from the main lake to the smaller ponds and fields to forage. There were hundreds of Dark-eyed Juncos, several dozen Chickadees, Woodpeckers, and House Sparrows enjoying the warmth as a huge hawk flew overhead.
Meadow is at the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey and is getting the first-class care this rehabilitation centre is known for!
Meadow being weighed.
An ambassador celebration at Audubon!
Two little eaglets being fed at the ND-LEEF nest. Looks like the new Mum has been named Gigi.
There has been some concern for the One eaglet in the nest at Tremplealeau, Wisconsin. The male disappeared and the female is alone.
UPDATE: Dad has returned to the Trempealeau Nest and two fish have come in already – Saturday! Yeah.
The situation at Moorings Park improves for Tuffie bite by bite.
Tuffie had some of the leftover fish early and it appeared that he might have had some other bites. It was when I returned from my walk at the nature centre, that Tuffie had a nice feeding. After Ruffy ate, Tuffie was fed and then both of them ate together.
‘H’ gives us a more detailed day’s report for our little one at Moorings Park. “Tuffy ate at least 54 bites at the first meal of the day; 1109 headless fish, Tuffy was attacked by Ruffie, Tuffy moved away to the rail and never went back to eat. Harry removed the leftover fish;1156 Harry returns with what appeared to be the leftover fish. Tuffy is beaked several times and was not able to eat;1455 Harry in with whole tilapia, Tuffy is beaked and intimidated several times while Ruffie is fed. At 1526 Ruffie moves away, and Tuffy is finally able to eat. At 1533 Ruffie returned to the table, Tuffy was intimidated and turned away. Ruffie ate until 1538, then Tuffy moved up and the two ate side by side until 1540, when Tuffy was beaked again. Ruffie finished the fish. Tuffy ate at least 66 bites at this meal.”
With my bad math, that would seem to be at least 120 bites of fish for Tuffie today – more than the two previous days counts.
Oh, the size difference between these two! So glad that third egg didn’t hatch.
Last instalment from ‘H’ – what a good day for Tuffie all things considered. “1710 large headless fish – Tuffy got 3 quick bites, was intimidated and turned away, later got 3 more bites and was beaked. Ruffie ate until 1722 then moved away. Tuffy had a short private feeding until 1726, then was beaked by Ruffie. Ruffie ate some more, then Tuffy got a few more bites starting at 1730. Ruffie quit the feeding again at 1736. Tuffy voluntarily moved away from Mom from 1738 t o 1740. Tuffy ate a few more bites at 1740, and then Tuffy went and laid down at 1742. Total bites for Tuffy at this meal = at least 77 bites.Total bites to Tuffy for the day so far = 197”.
The crop is almost as big as Tuffie!!!!!!! Get the tissue box.
The little bottom sticking out from under Sally belongs to Tuffie who, all in all, had a reasonable day. Each day is getting better in terms of food intake for Tuffie.
Over the past seven years, turning points come on nests like this one. Whether or not it is the change from the Reptilian Phase into the period when juvenile plumage is coming, or if the weather shifts and the fishing gets better, or if the female ‘decides’ that the little one is going to live and begins to feed it, we should be watching and waiting to see what it is on this nest.
Many of you will have shed tears of joy for little Tuffie today. He is hanging in there and all that good energy from the Tuffie Fan Club must be helping!
The second egg was laid at the Patchogue Osprey platform on Long Island Saturday morning around 0858.
In the UK, Storm Kathleen is hitting areas hard. Dorcha was just blown off the perch at Loch Arkaig.
The storm is not blowing so hard at Loch of the Lowes, yet.
The winds were howling at Alyth, where Harry and Flora have their nest.
Storm Kathleen is kicking up waves at Rutland as Maya and Blue try to protect their eggs.
Idris holding on to a huge fish while the gale blows at Dyfi.
Telyn is soaked.
What a great screen capture of Idris and Telyn.
Extremely gusty at Glaslyn.
Same gusts at Llyn Brenig where there was a fish delivery. You might recall Blue 372. She was over at Glaslyn with Aran and flitting from nest to nest. She is trying to find a mate…well, this is her! And this is what is happening in the image below: “LJ2 has been joined on the nest by Blue 372 this afternoon.Blue 372 is a 3 year old Scottish female translocated to Poole Harbour in 2021, she has been seen on a number of Welsh nests over the past week or so and is now braving the winds up at Llyn Brenig. LM6 our regular female has not yet returned from migration.”
She is determined. Will this be her nest?
‘H’ reports that the Mum at Carthage laid the season’s first egg. Saturday the 6th of April at 10:17:10.
Confirmed pip at US Steel’s nest of Claire and Irwin – and now it is a hatch. looks like another crushed egg hatch. Little one alive and squiggling this time!
Darling Big Red never seems to age except for her feet and legs. She and Arthur continue their dedicated teamwork to hatch those four little hawklets.
Iris might have wished she had waited a few days to return to Montana.
Do not get upset if you check on the little owlet at Wolf Bay. They are both fine. There is a prey item currently on the nest, Saturday evening, that is white.
JBS20 is getting those wings strong. Adult in to fed but JBS20 is good at self-feeding!
Was it a quail lunch at the Redding Eagle nest? or a Guinea Fowl? Both eaglets are doing very well.
E23 gets a fish delivery from Mum. It must have been delicious. The fledgling ate all of it.
A family portrait at the West End nest of Akecheta and Thunder.
Little heads pop up for dinner at the Fraser Point nest of Cruz and Andor.
All is well at Denton Homes.
Happy eaglets at Decorah North.
Diana Persinger recorded a video for FB of a very messy meal for these two at Decorah North.
Everything is good at Little Miami.
Little fluff balls at the ND-LEEF nest.
Worried about Angel? She was on the nest with Tom on Friday.
There are no worries about Leaper and Jersey. They had crops most of Saturday and were about to burst late in the day and Dad had a fish in his talons and Mum had one, too!
The fortune of a nest can shift from good to bad to good. Let us hope this is what is happening at Moorings Park.
Hatch watch has begun for the Fort St Vrain Eagles in Colorado.
There is some thought that the ‘original’ Dad at Pittsburgh-Hayes has returned to the nest after being gone for a very long time. (I would have to check my Memorial Page). Is it possible he was in care, rehabilitated, and released and came home?
This was posted by WingsOfWhimsy with the photos below. They sure look alike.
“WingsOfWhimsy 20 hours agoA little bit of interesting news to share. I will say right up front that I have VERY little personal knowledge to go on here, so I will direct you to either the live cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l95k-… or the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/36054… for additional info. There is a theory that the original “Dad” from the Pittsburgh Hays nest has returned. Dad has been away for quite some time, and HM2 has bonded with Mom, although their egg failed to hatch this season. (I believe mom was first seen with HM2 in September.) Recently a visitor has been on the scene, and I have to admit… even I see the similarities! Could it be that Dad has returned? This is certainly exciting, but also a bit concerning. If this is Dad, both he & HM2 likely consider Mom and the nest to be theirs. These comparison photos were shared by a FB Group user: Lynda Philips, comparing Dad and the recent visitor. This is all I know right now, but I will update as best as I can. The folks in the group or on chat are surely more familiar than I am, though. Please consider checking in with them for more details!”
Yesterday I included a video by DaniConnorWild to show you the penguins in Antarctica. Today, here is a sobering article on the unprecedented heat rise on that continent and the fears that it has for the penguins and for humans. The author says with the rise to 38.5 C, “These events have raised fears that the Antarctic, once thought to be too cold to experience the early impacts of global warming, is now succumbing dramatically and rapidly to the swelling levels of greenhouse gases that humans continue to pump into the atmosphere.”
Thank you so much to the following who sent me comments, news, their pictures, screen captures, videos, articles, and those who operate the streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘Geemeff, H, J’, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Stephen Basly, Tremplealeau, Moorings Park, PSEG, The Guardian, Geemeff, The Scottish Wildlife Trust (LOTL), Alyth SS, LRWT, Dyfi Osprey Project, Marissa Winkle, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Llyn Brenig, DTC, PIX Cams, Cornell RTH Cam, Montana Osprey Project, Wolf Bay, JB Sands Wetlands, FORE, IWS/Explore, Denton Homes, Raptor Resource Project, Diana Persinger, Little Miami Conservancy, Window to Wildlife, Duke Farms, and Sassa Bird.
