Oh, my goodness. How many people were cheering this little one on to fledge? Little Dewey defied the odds, and it was the female that made this happen – just like Jill did at Achieva. Without Mum fishing, the outcome would not have been as exciting as we are feeling today.
I have to admit that I worried every day if fish would come in and be plentiful enough for Little Dewey to make it to the end. Last year, at 50 days the chick died. But not Little Dewey. Strong and determined she took off at 0955. She was 56 days old.
I really want to see this little one return to the nest. But, for now, relief and congratulations.
Take a good look.
Thank you for an amazing year Mum and Little Dewey. Without the female delivering fish, this would have been a very different outcome.
Thank you to the owners of the streaming cam for letting us witness this miracle amongst so many tragedies. Thank you ‘PB’ for alerting me. Heidi will be posting a video. Check out Joy of Ospreys FB.
We are inside in the cool of the house. Curtains are closed, and the AC is on low. The water for the birds outside, as well as for the other animals that drink from the feeders, like squirrels and cats, is being changed regularly because it gets very hot. The temperature is 34°C right now, but with the humidex, it feels much hotter. I ache for them – and for anyone who has no cold water or a cool place to be today. The temperatures will drop but still remain around 30 C for the week.
One of the new European Starling fledglings let me get within 60 cm (2 ft) of them at one of the bird baths. The last clutch had three fledglings. They are so beautiful.
We also had a new visitor to the feeder in the recycling area overnight. It is rather cute.
Ping Shen writes: “From Seattle, all 3 Osplets continue to grow (fast) and look to be well fed. When I visited today they were all sleeping fairly peacefully and ten minutes later dad showed up with a fresh salmon. They all still had visible food in their crops when they started eating, so it seems they have been well supplied with fish. Interestingly there is far less bullying compared to last year when the 2nd largest often picked on the youngest – I have seen zero thus far this year. Keeping fingers crossed!”
One of the reasons that I hope to construct a map of osprey nests that fledged their entire clutch is to show where our fish hawks are thriving. Clearly, here in Seattle, there’s plenty of fish for a family of five. This is certainly not the case in the NE, from Long Island to Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Delaware, Rhode Island, New Jersey and even up to Maine. Storms and lack of fish due to industrial/commercial overfishing appear to be the primary cause of the collapse of the osprey population in the NE. I am joyful that this is not happening in Seattle.
SK Hideaways Videos, Week of 5 July 2026 As there are fewer North American eaglets and falcons in nests, we begin to transition our focus to the Southern Hemisphere. As such, we’ve created the first two videos of the season from the Sydney White-Bellied Sea Eagle nest of Lady and Dad (last week being the first). Having said that, we’re keeping our eye on Sandy and Luna at Big Bear, Channel Islands eagle happenings, and fleeting sightings of the four young tiercels in San Jose. Hope you enjoy!
Wings Wide, Sandy & Luna Wave Off Intruder ~ Secure Perimeter (maybe)(2026 Jul 9) While enjoying their beautiful habitat from the Lookout Snag, Sandy and Luna were approached by an uninvited visitor. They both spread their wings and quickly waved them off, then tracked them for some time before doing the rounds of the territory. Whether they were conducting surveillance to ensure the intruder was gone, we’ll never know. But once they circled round and returned to the Lookout Snag, the area seemed clear. Ground reports noted sighting a sub-adult bald eagle near the lake, so chances are good that it had ventured into Sandy and Luna’s air space. Sandy and Luna got an A+ in territory defense for their success. Video: https://youtu.be/voxNZ7CTeDM
When Sandy & Luna Break Curfew,Shadow Knows How to Get Them Home(2026 Jul 6) As sunset approached, Sandy and Luna were still out exploring. Perhaps Shadow enjoys having them on the nest tree overnight as much as we do, as he brought a small but well-appreciated fish to the nest just after 8:00 p.m. Sandy and Luna were there in a flash, sharing a little, playing tug-o-feesh a little. Shadow declared his work done for the day and departed as the eaglets settled on their night roosts. Video: https://youtu.be/6sKl7bQ_JNc
Sandy & Luna Roost Overnight in Mom & Dad’s Tree with Jackie (2026 Jul 7) Ever since Sandy and Luna started sleeping on their own in the nest, they have watched Jackie and Shadow across the way perched in their roost tree overnight. Tonight they decided to try it for themselves. And as a bonus, Jackie joined them. Video: https://youtu.be/ZN22SJlgGms
Fraser Point Eagles ~ Santa Cruz Island, CA ~ Cruz, Andor, Sasha, Zuma & Ryder Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org | Fraser Point Eagles Cam Ops Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY4V_AppZ6s
Squees & Lightning Fast Fly-Bys of Sasha, Zuma & Ryder (2026 Jul 8) Of Cruz and Andor’s 2026 three eaglets, only Sasha has visited the nest since fledging. Zuma fledged on June 20th and Ryder fell when the nest partially collapsed on June 22nd ~ neither have returned to the nest. Fans ease their empty-nest woes by listening to the nearby squees and catching fleeting glimpses of mostly unknown juveniles as they land out of camera view or fly by. After all, the eaglets have a lot of island to explore. ( 2026 Jul 8)Video: https://youtu.be/IeQYmmnGWzA
San Jose City Hall Falcons ~ San Jose, CA ~ Hartley, Monty ~ chicks: Jet, Scout, Stewart, and Walton (hatched 21 April 2026) Courtesy San Jose City Hall Peregrine Falcon Cam | Predatory Bird Research Group Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBSxPjy5sow Ledge Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pp9TisLmLU Roof Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQLhmV6bP6o Walton and Scout Visit Over 3 Days ~ Every Glimpse a Gift (2026 Jul 8-10) Visits from Hartley and Monty’s four fabulous 2026 boys are becoming rare. Jet and Stewart have been elusive for quite awhile, but we were fortunate to see visits from both Walton and Scout recently. Here are excerpts from those visits. Video: https://youtu.be/ji8IM9CR59U
Sydney White-Bellied Sea Eagles ~ Lady & Dad Courtesy Sea-EagleCAM@BirdLife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park (https://www.sea-eaglecam.org/video.html) Nest cam also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw4pdgy3-U0 Lady & Dad Welcome Egg #2! Celebrate with Honk Fest Duet (2026 Jul 7) Lady laid her second egg in the wee hours. Labor seemed quick and easy (easy for us to say). Dad arrived near dawn, and he and Lady performed their honking duet to celebrate. Congrats, Lady and Dad! Video: https://youtu.be/U7bi8_Y4aQc
Do not forget to put in your name suggestions for Louis and Dorcha’s chicks! The deadline is noon UK time.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch ArkaigSaturday 11th July 2026
As far as we could tell, given the Nest One cam downtime, Aurora spent last night off the nest and she and Garry weren’t around much today. However they both turned up after 9pm tonight, Garry with a fish he wouldn’t give her, and at the time of filing this report, half past midnight, Aurora’s still on the nest settled on the egg. That single fish takes the Nest One tally to one hundred and sixty, while over on Nest Two, Louis brought four fish for the family, taking that tally to two hundred and sixty eight. It was slightly ironic that he only brought four fish today, day one of Week 13, as Steve Quinn had just posted the Week 12 stats which show Louis broke many records. Hyvor doesn’t allow links to comments, so enter Nest 2 fish summary to week 12 (where does one start!) into the search bar (click on the little magnifying glass on the right above the featured comment) and have a read of the impressive week Louis put in. And the impressive work that Steve puts in collating and analysing the fish stats every week! The chicks are maturing daily – 8P6 warned off a Hooded Crow today, leaving Dorcha standing staring at her with a forgotten beakful of fish for a few moments – and both chicks are standing to exercise their wings now, so we might start to see helicoptering fairly soon. The weather forecast for Inver Mallie states 0% chance of rain, with light cloud and light winds, an overnight low of 14°C and a high of 23°C tomorrow, however it’s been raining gently on both nests for the past hour. Still plenty of time to get your naming suggestions in before noon on Monday, remember to use hashtag #2026NAME.
Geemeff has sent two other items. The ‘Osprey Song’ is something that I often play at home. Don really likes it along with some other ‘tunes’ from when he was a young man. If you have not joined in, do so. It is a real lift to one’s spirits.
and a fabulous song – but beware, it’s a real earworm… The Osprey Song,as performed by the Juniors at Hurst Lodge School. Sadly, I cannot post the link for some reason so please go to YouTube and search for The Osprey Song!
I was very excited to see that Kathryn Kier and Penny Albright (a Canadian and a lovely individual who kept us informed about the osprey on Sanibel Island during the winter) are collaborating on a children’s book about Aran’s first year at Glaslyn. While intended for a 8-11 year old audience, I hope that an ‘oldie but goodie’ like all of us might enjoy it, too!
What a wonderful fundraiser! I love the image of Aran and Mrs G above.
Still four at Blackbush and little 4 had a crop. Decidedly likes to stay away from the bigger siblings.
Early fish for the only surviving bob at the Osoyoos nest in BC.
At least one fish for the only surviving chick at Cowlitz PUD.
These nests are suffering. The fish are small in comparison to those coming in at the UK nests where there could be 5-7 fish a day!
Idris preparing a fish for his trio and for Telyn.
Teifi has been bringing in so much fish there is one on the nest almost unnoticed by the trio and Mum, Elen.
Mealtime at Poole – four big healthy chicks—indeed, four females!
Two beauties in the Usk Valley!
Flora had not been seen at the Alyth SS nest for ever so long but she made an appearance a few days ago. How grand.
Beautiful day at Llyn Brenig.
Want to see a big fish? Look at this one that Blue 33 brought in to one of the fledglings at Rutland. Now – remember what I said – you need tonnes of those tiny fish in the US or some nice big ones like this to have healthy osplets. The system in the NE is broken and the storms are harming the other nests. There are exceptions – just look at Seattle!
Thank you for being with us today. We are bored from being in the house. We have moved all the furniture in the living room and returned my grandmother’s heavy pedestal table in there where we will begin to have our supper in the fall. I would love to put a huge bouquet of flowers right in the centre – so welcoming – but ‘The Girls’ like to eat them. The only place I can have flowers is on the sink/gas stove top side of the kitchen!!!!
Take care of yourself. I will see you soon. I cannot promise a post in the next couple of day – lots going on but I might manage a short one.
Thank you to Ping Shen for their observations and images of the Seattle trio, to SK Hideaways for their videos and to Geemeff for their daily summary and videos, to all who posted information and images on FB, and to the owners of the streaming cams – forever grateful to be able to watch these amazing bird families.
The end for the second hatch at Cowlitz PUD came Friday afternoon. The poor thing had suffered from lack of food all its life. I have to admit that this is not a nest that I enjoy watching – never have. I even phoned the Cowlitz PUD and spoke to them about fish availability one year. I was told there were a lot of eagles in the area. We learned this later when an eagle took three healthy chicks off the nest, one after another. The company put up an ingenious mechanism made out of fish grates to keep the eagles away from the nest. I do not know why those that have osprey nests with known GHO or Eagle strikes do not get in touch for the plans. According to the receptionist, they are easy – just weld fish grates to the sides of the nest opposite at an angle. Ospreys can come and go but eagles and owls cannot get the correct angle to fly in, grab the chick, and get out! Look at the nest and how these grills are attached on the live feed.
The only surviving chick at Loch of the Lowes was ringed and deemed to be a male.
Two chicks died at the Clinton, CT osprey nest, leaving one. Storms in the CT area contributed to additional deaths due to a lack of fish deliveries. These two died of starvation.
In the vast arguments over Menhaden, some have said that Bald Eagles take all the fish that the osprey need. Some people didn’t have a count on what fish and how many were being delivered. Heidi has been meticulous in the fish counts for the nests she is monitoring (and others!). She has learned to identify species so fast my head spins. What a great asset she is to all of us.
Loch Arkaig has put out Louis’s breaking record fish count and compared it to other years. An Osprey taking 36-44 fish per week for a family of four will not break The Bay! Do not let the arguments confuse you. The problem is industrial overfishing! The second problem is weather.
This fish count comes from Mary Cheadle and the Friends of Loch Arkaig FB group:
Following on from the information I shared yesterday re the fish counts, Steve reported today on the Woodland Trust chat that Louis smashed his week 12 record
Here Steve gives a more comprehensive season update.
Thanks Steve
Nest 2 fish summary to week 12 (where does one start!)
Firstly a huge thank you to all the fish counting team and our ever faithful forum contributors, you miss nothing, citizen science at its absolute best
Nature never ceases to amaze, just a few months ago this old osprey of ours had us all convinced he had been taken by the osprey gods, now in this week 12 he has rewritten the records for weekly fish deliveries, not to mention raising yet another 2 healthy young that will hopefully fledge.
Friday (10/7/26) brought week 12 to a close since the first fish was delivered by Louis.
Louis delivered a record 44 fish to the nest taking his total to 262 (excl 2 from Dorcha).
This gives a 2026 YTD weekly average of 22 fish (c28 post hatch)
Previous week 12 totals (average to 2025 is 30 fish):
2020 – 36
2022 – 34
2023 – 26
2024 – 30
2025 – 25
2026 – 44
As we go into week 13 the average is 28 fish.
Previous YTD week 12 totals (average to 2025 is 238 fish):
2020 (2 male, 1 female) – 256
2022 (2 female) – 261
2023 (1 male) – 218
2024 (1 male) – 231
2025 (2 male) – 226
2026 (2 female) – 262
The range of daily deliveries was 4 to 8 fish per day
The most popular delivery hour is:
5 to 5.59 am – 25 Fish
Louis has had such a successful week I am not going to dwell on this seasons records, but that of all time records:
Most deliveries in a week solo – 44 Fish, Louis previous best was 39 fish in week 13 of 2020! The highest ever joint weekly total was 41 (6 by Aila) fish in week 18 of 2020. He surpasses that total also, solo.
Fastest time between same day fish deliveries (2026 season), 9 mins 21 secs on 10/7/26 between fish 2 and 3, on the same day he brought 4 fish in 44 minutes, not a stat I measure, but worthy of a mention.
As this season is looking good for 2 fledglings, it allows us to compare to 2022 and 2025 when there was also 2 fledglings.
From this data we are seeing accurate data showing the difference between males and females, we know most female raptors are are around 20% larger than males, so they need more food to get to fledging (as an average).
2022 (2 female) – 261
2025 (2 male) – 226
2026 (2 female) – 262
Quite an extraordinary week, last weeks report stated week 12 was as on average the highest yielding week across our 5 previous fish counting seasons, but this I did not expect.
Remarkable consistency that the week 12 totals for 2022 and 2026 are now just 1 fish apart, these 2 years having 2 females, it will be interesting to see how these totals compare come season end.
We know fish weight is more important than quantity, but I believe the weight roughly balances out over the season.
Just amazing to watch this master of the skies and water continue to provide for his family.
Well done Louis
Jill was at the Achieva nest looking for any sign of her babies! She and Jack continue to bring in fish once in a while, but no one is showing up. Congratulations on a great year, Jill. Wishing Big and Little long lives and big crops.
At the Ferguson Museum Mum is bringing in the fish and today the only remaining osplet had a nice meal.
There are three, seemingly healthy osplets – fully feathered – at the Blackwater Osprey platform in Maryland. These are a few relevant dates.
June 20, 2026: The 3 chicks are still visible in the nest, so glad to report all 3 are doing well.
June 1, 2026: We see three little chick heads bobbing in the nest cup. You can see a video clip on our YouTube channel.
May 27, 2026: The female has been feeding at least one chick in the nest.
April 17, 2026: The female is sitting down in the nest and appears to be incubating at least one egg. We hope to see hatching around the week of May 20.
The heat that we are having is going to hit all of the osprey nests in the region of the Prairies of Canada and the upper Mid-West of the US (I hope I said that correctly). I am thinking of the family at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum where likely they will have 45 C with the humidex as well.
There was an early fish and wingers and a beautiful apple bough that Mum brought to the nest.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 10th July 2026
Both fish and name suggestions flooded in today – Louis brought seven fish for his family, delivering the first four in under forty five minutes! The Nest Two total now stands at two hundred and sixty four. Since George WTS opened the Name Game yesterday, dozens if not hundreds of names have been proposed and there’s still plenty of time for more suggestions before it closes at noon on Monday. Submit your suggestions via Woodland Trust social media Facebook and Bluesky, or here in the comments section, and remember to use the hashtag #2026NAME if you want your names to be included for the judging panel’s review. The chicks are looking very strong, vocalising loudly, rearranging the nest furnishings, and exercising their suddenly big full-size wings – we will be on fledge-watch soon. Garry LV0 brought one fish to Aurora 536, taking the on-cam nest tally to one hundred and fifty.nine which figure holds little meaning as many fish will have been delivered during the daily cam downtime, and the pair are spending more and more time away from the nest. In fact, neither of the pair returned to the nest after Garry delivered that fish around 6pm, and at the time of filing this report, half past midnight, the nest is still empty and it appears Aurora might be spending her first night away from the nest since laying her single, and unviable, egg on 30th April. The weather was settled and dry, the forecasted drizzle and light rain didn’t materialise, and tonight’s forecast for Inver Mallie is light rain, light winds and a low of 15°C overnight, changing to light rain showers with sunny spells and a high of 21°C tomorrow.
Osoyoos: Both parents at nest. Chick has crop and looks alert.
Cowlitz PUD: So hungry they are eating some of the body of the chick that just died. Electra is going to have to go fishing.
Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho: No rewind but the three osplets look great.
There have been some good feedings. This screen capture provided by Carol.
If you missed it, ringing at Seilli Island and a big celebration. First chicks hatched on this platform in ten years!
RINGING 9 July Seili: male, red KJA, Wing 329mm, Weight 1,500g Nauvo: female, yellow R5S, Wing 326mm, Weight 1,690g Utu: female, red KHX, Wing 283 mm, Weight 1,660g
Hildur arrived on 14 April and Stefu (TFS) on 15 April Eggs were laid on 25 April, 28 April and 1 May Chicks hatched 1 June, 3 June and 5 June
Beautiful feathered golden eaglet at Estonia 2. Parents have brought in prey, and it is set-feeding, but it needed some help when they came in with a Raccoon Dog. A raccoon dog (or tanuki) is not a raccoon; it is a wild canid native to East Asia, most closely related to true foxes. Named for its mask-like facial markings, it is an opportunistic omnivore and is the only dog-like animal known to hibernate
Loki and Caitir have been seen at the White-tail eagle nest in the Outer Hebrides restoring their bond after the loss of their second hatch, Loki.
Blackbush: Little 4 is still alive and up at the beak for what will be a very good feeding. As each day passes I become more hopeful that this little one will survive if we can keep the fish coming.
Dewey Beach: There is sure a lot of wing flapping going on.
Do Ospreys in Nova Scotia eat Menhaden? Yes, they do. They also find some trout in the small lakes. Did Ethel and Oscar not breed this year at Russell Lake? Was it because Ethel was very late? Or is there another reason? Osprey deaths in Connecticut (where there have been storm- and weather-related deaths due to adults being unable to fish) are prompting questions in other areas where there appears to be no impact from industrial fishing in the Bay in the US. Those chasing the big ships out of Reedsville will say they are taking all of the menhaden, including the small babies that could fuel the future (and then they get dumped, dead) and moving up along the coast. The Menhaden in Maine are said to be going out to deep water. Thoughts?
It is raining in Estonia. Will this provide the much needed little frogs and fish that this Black Stork nest requires? Is there a fish basket for them as well from Urmas?
From Looduskalendar: This beautiful black stork nest is located in Jõgeva County in Estonia. It is a neighbouring nest to the former Jan & Janika Black Stork nest. The nest was found in 2024 by Renno Nellis and he installed a trail camera.
Feeding by the male today:
Later the male brings food:
The ps from the storklets are small indicating much more food and hydration is needed.
It seems that wildlife is suffering everywhere, whether it is from storms that cause the rivers to rush and flood, becoming muddy so they cannot be fished, or drought, or human-caused overfishing by industry. Habitat loss – toxic spills…they have seen it all this year!
It appears that the egg on the nest of Bety and Bukacek at Mlade Buky is not going to hatch.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: What might be simple fun for humans can be deadly for birds and other wildlife. Let’s clean up after ourselves and please put away sports equipment.
Death trap: what to do about the everyday items catching and killing Australian wildlife
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care if you are in an area of special heat concern, like we are. Keep hydrated and stay inside. Close the blinds to conserve energy. Do not be a hero! But please provide water sources for the animals outside and food if you can. Thank you.
Thank you to everyone who I have quoted in my blog today – to Geeemeff for their daily summary for Loch Arkaig, to all who posted on FB, to the owners of the streaming cams, to Lookduskalender and their great team who keep up with the Eastern European wildlife.
It is hot, but it is beautiful. We ate our breakfast in the conservatory instead of outside because the Starling family was having a good old bath. Now, according to Cornell, I should not have European Starlings in my garden this time of year. As a result, I made sure to take at least one image to post as proof! This year, we had two clutches. One family raised their young in the lilacs; they fledged (all six of them) and spent time in the garden before dispersing. Two days ago we thought we heard the ‘sound’ of Starling babies but couldn’t see them for the foliage. They came out today – there are three more. You have no idea how delighted I am to have had nine European Starlings fledge from my lilac bushes. Yes, I know that some people do not like them. They see them as invasive, but, according to Into the Red, they are globally threatened. So I am feeling good about providing them with a safe home to breed their young, a place to eat, and shelter and bathing. Into the Red says, “What monsters must we be, that we have reduced it to sit on the Red List.” (118)
I know individuals who dislike sparrows, Starlings, and any bird that is not ‘cute’. They refuse to feed or provide water for them. I wonder how they would feel if the birds were in charge and looked at them?
So it was a record year, promoted by plenty of food during the winter and spring, lots of water, and shelter – the three things that are required. Six baby Blue Jays as well with the one family. It is not clear to me how many baby crows there are, but there are at least three. They have trouble figuring out how to land on the lilac branches, often falling through the leaves till they decide something hard is safer. One had decided to hop and hop over the hot asphalt roof! Silly little one. Parents have them learn by doing! Dozens and dozens of sparrows!!!!!!
Despite the heat warning, Ann has taken Don to the park in the hope of finding some cool shade for them to have a walk. They won’t be gone long. Toby and I have made a Swedish sponge cake with whipped cream icing and fresh strawberries for their return.
Oh my God! An old man has climbed up to an Osprey nest just to take photos of the chicks!!
Don’t worry, I’m only joking!
The “old man” is Professor Pertti Saurola, one of the world’s leading ornithologists in the field of Tawny and Ural owls, but he seems to like Ospreys, too. He is now 87 years old, but he still insists on ringing Ospreys himself — even high up in the air.
This is the Janakkala nest. The male since 2025 is Aake, while the female is new and is called Ulpu. Together, they have raised three beautiful young Ospreys, which have already started practising their wings and will hopefully take their first flights very soon.
Aake likes to bring large bream to the nest — a very common fish species in Europe — which is probably why the chicks look so healthy and well-fed.
People in the chat are already discussing whether one of the chicks should be named “Pertti” in honour of the professor. Let’s see whether he will climb up to the nest again next year, at the age of 88, to ring the young ospreys…
I adore this ma – Professor Pertti. I have watched him ring these ospreys for years. Let’s hope that these three thrive!
Please watch this video “Save Menhaden – Save the Bay” by Robert Kellam about the osprey crisis and Menhaden: https://youtu.be/SVLjuIp20PA?s
I want to thank Pam Breci and everyone else who telephoned PSEG about the fishing line choking one or more of the ospreys on the PSEG Oyster Park platform.
You may not think your calls and writing help, but they do. My City was destined to have voted to ditch the 1.2 million-tree budget for our City. Were they in denial as to the type of heat and how well trees help reduce heat in urban environments? A writing-and-phoning campaign ensued, and the mayor overturned the decision. You can make a difference.
In Memorial for Iniko – a most special bird in all the world. Orange 1031.
Iniko hatched in a Big Sur redwood nest on April 25, 2020, the daughter of two of the most storied condors in our program: Redwood Queen (190), matriarch of the central California flock, and Kingpin (167), the flock’s dominant male. She immediately captivated the hearts of viewers. Watching the endearing chick with her parents on our live Condor Nest Cam provided joy and hope for so many during the isolation and challenges we all faced that year.
Iniko’s name means “born during troubled times”, after all that she went through. At 4 months old, the Dolan Fire swept through Big Sur on the night of August 21, 2020, taking the life of her father and nine other free-flying condors. The flames surrounded Iniko’s cavernous nest, but she miraculously survived. As her mother rose to the task of being a single parent, a new challenge emerged. An unmated male condor, Ninja (729), entered the nest, possibly seeing an opportunity to claim a vacant territory left open by the passing of Kingpin. Redwood Queen rushed in to defend her chick, and Iniko was force-fledged, falling to the ground during the scuffle. Redwood Queen chased off the intruder, but Iniko’s prospects seemed dim huddled on the ground with only one parent. Our concern grew as time passed and the chick remained vulnerable and showed a limp. Our biologists came to the rescue and hiked her carefully out of the canyon and transported her to Los Angeles Zoo for treatment. She luckily recovered, was re-released back to the wild with two other condors in 2021, and thrived in the years following.
This year, at 6 years old, Iniko reached breeding age and found a mate in 9 year old male Tyrion (840). The two had a nest in a remote canyon in Big Sur and we were excited to watch her journey in this new stage of life. Sadly, the nest failed. Then we recently got the mortality signal from her transmitter. Losing Iniko is especially painful, so soon after the passing of her sister, Kodama (646). Her early life story—surviving fire, injury, and rescue, is a reminder of what California condors are capable of overcoming and the passion and determination of the people who work tirelessly to save them.
Iniko was a wonderful ambassador for her species and we are grateful for what she has meant to us. Thank you all for caring so deeply about her. Iniko’s legacy will live on in all of our hearts.
She survived so much to die of lead poisoning. Unbelievable the damage we have done as humans to our planet and thus to the wildlife that try and survive.
Tiny at Blackbush has a huge crop today – thanks, PB.
Two chicks dead at the Clinton Osprey nest in CT.
At Kielder Forest nest 2, chick three has died. Two larger siblings were ringed today. Chick 1 is 1K4 and weighed 1270 grams. He is Keenly. Chick 2 was 1K5 and weighed 1370 grams. Both are believed to be male.
Her chicks are ringed. Fru Rauer is now helping dad feed the hungry mob as they fatten up for migration. https://youtu.be/MSf8Vx7Nmy8?
Fireworks cause death. Please work to eliminate them from celebrations.
I am going to sign off today and wish you a lovely end of the week. Take care. I will be back – at least on Monday. We are due to have extreme heat for the next few days. Will make all the efforts to keep the garden animals and my family cool and hydrated during this time. Hoping that the wildlife in the field will be alright.
Thank you to everyone for your posts on FB and images, for the comments you posted to me, and to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to watch these magnificent creatures.
We hope that each of you had a good Thursday and that the end of the week will be kind
Please make sure that you suggest names for Dorcha and Louis’s two daughters! See below. The deadline is noon Monday – Loch Arkaig time.
First, I wanted to tell you who had been visiting the feeder for the homeless cats. It is a fantastic camera that has been running for more than two days and still has 97% of its power left. The image is fantastic, and it will take video clips if movement is detected. In this instance, we set it to ‘pets’. The first visit was Mr Crow who loves to dump the cat kibble out of the stainless steel bowl. Then Mr and Mrs Blue Jay along with all the other Jays. A red Squirrel and some grey squirrels, an orange cat named Samson, a tabby cat named Kiwi (no Brock), and, hold on, a skunk. I will keep the camera running except when I know it is going to rain which might happen tonight.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 9th July 2026
It’s a girl! Two of them, to be precise – Louis & Dorcha have produced two female chicks this year, continuing their tradition of same-sex clutches. The exception being 2023 which had a solo male chick – would the egg lost overboard also have hatched out male? We’ll never know. However, in not very good news, ringer Lewis Pate found the nest to be festooned with fishing twine, and one of the chicks entangled. He was able to remove it all, thank goodness, otherwise the chick probably would not have been able to fledge. George WTS has opened the name game – suggestions must be in by noon on Monday, don’t forget to use hashtag #2026NAME otherwise your suggestion might not be included. A panel will short list the suggestions and make their decision on Monday evening, which George will announce on Tuesday. In regular business, Garry LV0 brought two fish for Aurora, taking the Nest One tally to one hundred and fifty eight, and Louis brought five fish for Dorcha and the chicks, taking the Nest Two tally to two hundred and fifty seven. No disturbances today, the chicks were settled, the weather was settled but is due to change to overnight drizzle and a low of 15°C, and thundery showers, sunny intervals and a high of 23°C tomorrow.
For those of you intending to donate again to Save Moon Camp, please do so before the end of the month. SaveMoonCamp.org
Little Dewey is not so little and she is standing on the rails looking out at the world beyond. Good fish count today – thanks Pam and Heidi: Dewey fish count 7/9…8 Total…Mom 6 Menhaden, Dad 2 (1 bluefish, 1 Menhaden)
Osprey are dying all over the US and in Canada. What is the precise reason for those that are not part of the industrial trawling of Omega Protein? Is it heat stress on the fish? Those that depend on trout as their primary food are having trouble in Long Island Sound and other adjacent areas where the temperature in the water where the trout live exceeded 65 F. We saw this a couple of years ago in Montana.
Still, Menhaden are a huge issue in the NE or rather, the lack of them.
For those of you who might have missed it, I encourage you to read Viki Volk’s diary over her two decades of watching ospreys from her front porch on St. George’s Island, Indian Creek, Maryland. The ospreys thrived, and now, there is one little one struggling to survive. This is a tragedy unfolding before Viki’s eyes and all those who are watching the ospreys closely in this region. That diary is here: IslandCreekOspreys.com. It is free. You will learn something from an individual who loved/s our fish hawks.
I found entry 2020-3 interesting. There is a mention of supplementary fishing in that entry.
Something that is troubling me is that we are now finding more fishing equipment in the nests of the UK Ospreys – something unheard of in years past. This happened on the nest of Louis and Dorcha when the ringer found one of the chicks tangled in line. We know that Telyn swallowed a line and lure – and I am certain there was mention of at least one other nest with issues. What is going on? why now?
I wish that the female at Blackbush would feed the big siblings slower and then when she feeds Tiny she is focused and feeds fast. She drives me crazy.
The little one at Cowlitz PUD is moving about but I still have serious concerns about its survival. Let me be wrong!
I continue to have concerns about the only surviving chick at Osoyoos also. One day at a time.
Things look good for the pair at Coeur d’Alene Idaho.
If you have travelled to Spain and Portugal recently you will, no doubt, have seen the multitude of storks that live there. Where do they eat? The dump. In fact, Bald Eagles in my City frequent the dump for food because road kill and small mammals are ot plentiful. They used to be but expanding housing developments and rodenticides to kill mice and rats have caused their food sources to dwindle. Now, we endanger their lives with all our junk food loaded with chemicals in those landfills!
Thank you so much for being with us. It has been a bit of a long day, but a very productive one. I have been decluttering, and there is an energy in setting a simple goal, such as a single drawer, and seeing it only holding what is essential. Like a rental property on holiday! We wound up cleaning three drawers and taking a good look at the basement, which is going to get cleared. Tomorrow it will be Toby’s clothes. He has certainly grown from that little puppy that arrived 15 months ago. Someone is going to love those cute sweaters – hopefully some of them will go to Ann’s sweet little Australian Shepherd, Lucy.
Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to Geemeff for her daily summary and videos, SK Hideaways for their videos of Luna and Sandy, to PB for keeping me informed, to those who posted information and images on FB, to Kelly Sorenson and his team for their dedication to the California Condors, and to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to witness these amazing creatures. Thank you to the Guardian for their continuing reporting on wildlife and the environment.
I don’t want to bore you to death, but it is hot. We continue under a special advisory for temperatures in the 30s, climbing to the mid 30s C, with a humidex reading of 45 C.
The heat is changing all of our lives. That, along with intense and multiple storms and heavy rains, is causing catastrophic events around the world. For me, my focus is on the wildlife who are particularly suffering – no shade, not much fish (for many reasons when it is a heat related event), and no one willing to step up and help. Dave Hancock put up shades for the Bald Eagles in British Columbia. Will we need to do this for the ospreys that live in vulnerable areas? or will there be any ospreys to shade. Viki reports from Indian Creek, Maryland. She writes, “The worst news, it’s possible only one of the two chicks in Lily’s nest got fed yesterday. There were at least two fish deliveries, but the third Lily was squeeing for it as LB prepped it in his perch tree — and that fish was tiny. I’m not even sure if it was big enough for LB to share. I do not see a happy outcome for Island Creek. Year number 3 of no fledglings.” If you have not checked out her blog documenting years of observing the ospreys on Indian Creek – when they were plentiful – please do. It’s free and you can learn a lot about osprey behaviour. Here is the place to go: IslandCreekOspreyes.com
It is time to name the chicks at Loch Arkaig nest 2, home to Louis and Dorcha. The deadline is Monday, and the selection will be made Monday night, so put your thinking caps on. There are two. To give name suggestions, you must either go to the forum or any Woodland Trust social media platform and use this #2026NAME. Then put in two names, one for each chick.
You will note that George indicates both chicks are female. I was going to leave this to Geemeff to surprise everyone, but it seems everyone knows!!!!!!
Dorcha feeding the two chicks:
After waiting patiently in the line, little four did get some fish around noon at the Blackbush nest in Prince Edward Island. It was not a lot – a few bites and the skin at the end before Mum cleaned her beak. I am not clear if the little one had food earlier.
At 1259 Little Four is hoping for a private feeding. It certainly got a few bites before it was joined by another bigger sib who, in the end, frightened the little one to the rail (the little chick is very nervous).
The little one at Osoyoos has a leaf-lined nest and had some fish at 0614.
I believe we are losing at least one of the two osplets on the nest at Cowlitz or both. This nest desperately needs a huge influx of fish.
Clark PUD is doing well.
Two chicks at Port of Ridgefield are doing well.
The only hatch of Keke and Kam at Sandpoint looks alright. Small fish coming in – like all nests, they could use lots more fish to build up fat and strength. Little one is growing fast.
Trio at Santiam doing well.
Dixie Rother posted good news about the Glacier Gardens eaglets.
Pam Breci catches the fledge at Salt Point, Lansing, NY. Yeah.
Celebrations at Seilli Island, Finland. The famous Seili Island (Seilli) Osprey nest in Finland’s Archipelago Sea features adult ospreys Hildur and Stefu. In a highly celebrated milestone for 2026, the pair successfully welcomed three chicks that hatched on June 1, 3, and 5—a major event as three chicks had not successfully hatched on this specific nest in ten years.
Clark was out early. What an amazing family.
Iris keeps baby cool.
Charlie has been bringing in big trout for Mum and baby C22 at Charlo Montana.
McEuen Park osplets look alright but it also looks hot. I wish every cam had a temperature gauge.
The nest of Telyn and Idris at Dyfi is sure getting full!!!!
CJ7 and Blue 022 have a fuller nest at Poole Harbour Carey’s Secret Garden osprey nest! Four female chicks doing fantastic.
Elen and Teifi have three gorgeous ospreys at Glaslyn.
Two at Usk Valley doing well.
Llyn Brenig chicks behaving themselves at their Welsh nest. Fish came on. No great interest by chicks so off the adult went.
Toby and Hugo Yugo wish you a great day.
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. Stay cool. Please remember the animals and leave out water. It is life saving.
Thank you to all of the individuals who posted information on FB and images, to Viki Volks for her observations at Island Creek, to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to observe these families, thank you, thank you.
I thought it was a beautiful day, weather-wise, in Winnipeg. It was a little hot, but it is going to get worse. We are expecting 45 C with the humidex in the coming days. There are warnings of thunderstorms and the heat. I feel so bad for the animals outside. I did check today, and it is 6 degrees cooler in the tree tunnel in the back garden. The front part of the back garden was nearly as cool. As a result, I have contacted my back neighbour, and he is going to dig up the area behind the conservatory, and I intend to plant it with trees so that, with the exception of a small area for garden tools and recycling bins, etc., it will all be forest. I may even dig up the bottom part of the deck! Why am I doing this? First, to help the wildlife and animals that come into our garden. Second, to help keep our house cooler in the coming years and to defy our bloody City government, which has decided to cut the tree planting programme in favour of cement!!!!!!!!!! Don’t even get me started. There is an election coming up. I hope that we get some people who care about the quality of life for every living soul, not just developers.
I am grateful, and we will be OK. My house has triple-pane windows throughout. With the exception of the conservatory, they have special glass that keeps the warmth in during the winter and cools in the summer. I also have one extraordinary AC unit. When the extension was built, it was already known that temperatures would rise in the summer and could be much colder in the winter, so that was all taken into account. I do need to redo the insulation in the attic, and hopefully, after my son removes anything valuable from there in a week, that can be done.
So, please take care of yourself as this heat spreads everywhere. Remember that water is important for life, and a bowl of water set out could save a life.
The chicks of Louis and Dorcha were ringed Wednesday evening. Geemeff has all the details that are known in their daily summary:
Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 8th July 2026
The weather was settled and both males provided well for their mates – Garry LV0 brought two fish for Aurora 536, taking the Nest One tally to one hundred and fifty six, and although both of them left the nest unattended for long periods, at the time of filing this report, half past midnight, Aurora is still in residence sitting on the egg. Louis brought seven fish for Dorcha and the chicks, taking the Nest Two tally to two hundred and fifty two. The family had a bit of a disturbed day with an intruder Osprey nearby and various aircraft passing near the nest, and then the major disturbance in the evening which is also the main story of the day – a visit from the ringers! Lewis Pate, the intrepid raptor expert who climbs 70 foot tall trees only to be nipped by sharp little beaks, attended today to ring the two chicks. This time he did it on the ground, climbing up to put them safely in bags, bringing them down and carrying out the ringing then climbing back up again to return the chicks to the nest. The actual process involves not just putting a Darvic ring on the left leg and a BTO ring on the right leg, but also taking various measurements, noting weights and making a gender assessment. That information will be given later but today we know their Darvic IDs, and the golden chick is now 8P6, and the dark chick is 8P7. The chicks were still pancaked when the nest cam cam back on after the ringers had left, but Dorcha was perched nearby and Louis brought the last two of today’s seven fish, and actually fed one of the chicks himself, and the whole family seems pretty much back to normal by the end of the day. The overnight forecast is for light clouds, light winds and a low of 14°C, continuing tomorrow with a high of 20°C.
It is no secret that I am simply gutted about the death of P3 at Cornell. Thank you, Pam Breci, for taking the time to cheer me up! And you did that with a great screen capture of Tiny at Blackbush with a huge crop and then you put a big smile on my face.
“This will make you laugh…19.59.12 Tiny feeling fat and brave went after another sib but then ran and hid under moms tail.”
I laughed. This is one little stinker that wants to live despite all the abuse it has taken and the food that it has been denied. This chick reminds me of Tiny Tumbles at Achieva in 2020 – or was it 2021? A survivor.
A beautiful story about a disaster, hope, and determination from the Lonely Camp:
“Condor 316 laid her egg in a cave on the edge of an Arizona cliff in April 2023, one of her last acts before avian influenza killed her. Her mate, Condor 680, was sick too. He stayed on the egg. For three weeks he incubated it alone, refusing to leave the cave to eat or drink. A California condor egg takes 57 days to hatch. A single parent cannot maintain the temperature alone for that long. The egg and the father were both going to die in that cave.
On April 17, biologists from The Peregrine Fund who had been monitoring 680’s movements waited outside the cave until the male made a rare departure to briefly stretch his wings. They scrambled inside, wrapped the egg in towels, packed it into a small field cooler with hand warmers, and drove 300 miles south to Phoenix. Jessica Schlarbaum, a Peregrine Fund spokesperson, said 680 had been so focused on incubating that he was not leaving to find food and water for himself, risking his own life.
At Liberty Wildlife in Mesa, Arizona, veterinary technician Jan Miller candled the egg, holding it to a bright light to see if anything was alive inside. The clinic had spent the previous month caring for flu-infected condors. More than half had died, including 316. Miller had little hope. She was looking for blood vessels or movement. She saw both. The mood in the room shifted instantly. Oh my god, it is actually viable.
The egg surface tested negative for the virus. The chick inside was poorly positioned and required an assisted hatch. Veterinarian Stephanie Lamb carefully cut away sections of shell. On May 1, 2023, the chick emerged. Liberty Wildlife staff spent two anxious days waiting for the HPAI test results. The chick was negative. They learned she was female. In a species where males outnumber females, her sex made her survival even more significant. They named her Milagra, Spanish for miracle. Her official number was 1221. The Peregrine Fund normally identifies condors only by number, to avoid humanizing a wild species. They made an exception.
Within a week, Liberty Wildlife veterinarian Stephanie Lamb flew the chick to The Peregrine Fund’s breeding facility in Boise, Idaho. Milagra needed to be raised by condors, not people. Her foster father was waiting. His name was Cuyama, officially Condor 27. He had hatched in the wild in California in 1983. When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made the decision to capture every remaining California condor on earth to save the species, there were 22 left.
Cuyama was one of them. He had spent four decades in the breeding program, siring and raising captive-bred chicks that would be released into the wild. Now, at more than 40 years old, he was raising one more.
Milagra spent over a year in Boise, first with her foster parents, then in a socialization pen with other young condors and two older mentor birds. She learned to eat, preen, interact, and establish her place in a condor social hierarchy, all from birds, never from humans.
On September 28, 2024, The Peregrine Fund opened the door of a flight pen on a red cliff at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, 50 miles from the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. Six hundred people watched from the basin below. Milagra was inside with three other captive-reared condors. The first bird left after 20 minutes. The second after 40. Milagra sat in the pen for an hour and 20 minutes. Then she walked out. She did not soar. She stepped onto the ledge and looked around.
She found a carcass that the field crew had laid out below the cliff and began eating. An older condor landed beside her. He was male, large, and his smooth pink head showed his age. They fed side by side. For a moment they turned and faced each other on the rocky ledge. The older bird was Condor 680. He was Milagra’s biological father. Tim Hauck, director of The Peregrine Fund’s condor program, said it was unlikely the birds recognized their family connection. For the humans watching, it did not matter whether they did.
Condor 680 survived. Removing the egg from the cave saved his life. He left the nest, recovered, and has remained healthy. Condor 316 had raised two chicks before Milagra. Neither survived to adulthood. Milagra is her last descendant.
Source: The Peregrine Fund / Audubon Magazine / Smithsonian Magazine / Associated Press / Salt Lake Tribune.”
A big shout out to Debbie Campbell of Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal. Debbie is going to set up a Zoom link for me and my readers to watch and interact with the director of The Last Osprey in August. I will keep you posted on how to sign up!
Ringing took place at the Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Foulshaw Moss Osprey platforms:
Thank you for being with us today. Tomorrow I will tell you who has been eating at our feral cat feeder!
Thank you to Pam Breci and Tiny for the smiles, Geemeff for the summary and videos, SK Hideaways for keeping us informed about all things going on with those California eagles, and to all those who posted information and images on FB – I am so grateful to you and the owners of the streaming cams.
It is with the most profound sadness and anger that I write to tell you that Big Red and Arthur’s cute third hatch, P3, has died.
P3 died from a window strike on the Cornell University campus home to the Cornell Bird Lab.
The little Red-tailed Hawk was adored, and many of us have lobbied over the years to have all the windows on the Cornell campus fitted with window-strike prevention. One year, a woman donated funds ($20,000) to have one building fitted. The article below talks about initiatives, but it came too late for P3.
More Bird World news tomorrow. Chicks being ringed at Loch Arkaig as I write this.
Thank you to ‘PB’ for alerting me, to Suzanne Arnold Horning for heading up the FB group and chasing after the hawklets after fledge and informing us of all things Big Red and Arthur, and to Cornell for their streaming cam. Please, please fix all the windows!
There is always good news although sometimes we have to look hard for it. Today I want to begin with a note that our beloved osprey, Ervie, from the Port Lincoln Osprey barge, has a girlfriend and has been seen carrying sticks to a nest. It made my heart beat lighter.
Today’s blog is not full of hope and happiness. There are a lot of deaths in the US, and as I continue to remind everyone, we must celebrate those nests that manage to fledge even a single chick. I am wondering how many will fledge their entire clutch? When fledge begins, please send me names, as I want to create a map of those nests. I continue to need your help with the memorial wall. Have a look, please, and let me know who I am missing. (Not limited to ospreys!)
I want to begin with a tragedy unfolding at the PSEG Oyster Bay osprey platform. What begin as a hopeful season is ending up with tragedy after tragedy due to human debris. The youngest chick cannot eat because it has a blue rope stuck in its beak and throat. There is also a fishing line (hook unknown if present) wrapping itself in the centre of the nest at last check. No one is going to check this nest. Some of you might recall that there were issues at the PSEG Patchogue nest several years ago and the electric company did nothing. This is human caused – please call or write and ask for help!
Their e-mail is: CustomerServiceLI@pseg.com
At the Achieva Osprey platform, Jack had been MIA. He showed up today with a Spadefish for Little. Nice. This is good.
Bart Molenaar reports: “Empty nest at Manton Bay. Both 8R7 at 8:24 and his sister 8R6 at 10:46 fledged this morning.”
Llyn Brenig chicks were ringed.
Beautiul babies at this nest. So nice and healthy – those Welsh chicks are just darlings. The chicks of Aeron Z2 and Blue 014 at The Friends of Osprey platform at Pont Cresor, Glaslyn, were ringed. Here is the video: https://youtu.be/TbX6mM1t8XU?
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 7th July 2026
Like yesterday, today wasn’t nearly as wet as expected and the forecast shows light rain overnight with a low of 14°C, improving tomorrow to mainly dry with some drizzle, gentle breezes and a high of 19°C. Garry LV0 brought one fish for Aurora 536 taking the Nest One tally to one hundred and fifty four, but the nest cam was down for its longest period to date, well over nine hours, allowing the possibility of several unseen deliveries. The pair are spending long periods off the nest but Aurora is still staying overnight, begging the question: for how much longer? Sad news came from Bunarkaig via Chaddie and LizB that only one chick seems to have survived, and fish deliveries are not as regular as required. Fingers crossed for the remaining chick of Affric 152 & Prince. No such problems for Louis & Dorcha, ignoring the big RAF transporter which flew unusually close to the nest, Louis delivered eight fish, taking the Nest Two tally to two hundred and forty five and sending the chicks to bed with bulging crops. The chicks are maturing rapidly, they join Dorcha in fish-calling and are developing little sneaky ways which will aid their survival as juveniles – one stole a fish tail right out of the beak of the other, then later made a call at feeding time which caused the other chick to pancake, leaving the sneaky chick to an exclusive feed. Forum members are still buzzing about the happy news of the return of 2024 translocated chick 1JW to his place of fledging in Spain, and the media have taken an interest too, link to a news article in the bonus section.
The third hatch at Cape Cod Mashpee Osprey Nest has died today. COD is thought to be a lack of food but heat could have been a mitigating factor.
Things were looking better for the little fourth hatch at Blackbush Osprey platform in Prince Edward Island. In the comments: “Blackbush .. 3 x good-sized fish and mum remained at the nest most of the day and sheltered her chick at times… 7:25, 10:44, 17:13” ‘PB’ supplied a screen capture of ‘Tiny’ getting fed.
This screen capture shows the immense size difference between Tiny and its three feathered big sibs.
Concerns for the Wetlands Osprey platform:
No worries for Little Dewey. This Mum is incredible.
Members of the Ventana Wildlife Society will try and find Iniko on Wednesday. The mortality signal went off on 18 June 2026. Let’s please hope this is a glitch.
Viki Volk is our monitor on Indian Creek, Maryland. She has given me permission to include her full name and location. She has been monitoring the ospreys living in front of her house for over twenty years. This is our correspondence today. Viki was originally a reporter, and she has written a diary of her experiences with the ospreys. I urge you to check it out and enjoy a real-life experience through the years – a place where there were ospreys breeding successfully and seen everywhere, to today – where there is a single nest that could be struggling.
What a delight your notes always are, despite the news. We also lost the only chick remaining on the nest next door – although out front Lily and LB are keeping their two alive.
The one next door bothers me. The food was not as plentiful as it should have been and the slast chick alive appeared to have failed to thrive. There was a bully in that nest, but the surviving chick looks like you’d expect the bully’s victim to look like. There was food on the nest the evening before the chick died. An adult was eating but for some reason not feeding the chick. The chick did not present itself for feeding, although moved toward the adult. The adult made no effort to feed the chick. This is a more difficult nest for me to see into than the one straight out front. But it seemed more complicated than lack of fish. The chick rallied the next day, but didn’t survive the next night. It has been very hot week, adding to its problems. The temperatures have been in the 90s. That’s 32 to you, right?
My story – Island Creek Ospreys – 2020 – What I Knew Then, What I Know Now – 2026 – currently stops a day short of that death. But I will be adding at least through the 2026 season.
I would be thrilled if you mentioned it!! Please use it freely. I believe what I write about ospreys is correct and would be very glad if you do read it and let me know of any errors or misunderstandings I might have.
In 2019 ospreys were so prolific in the Chesapeake I had to assure the Maryland Range I could distinguish, and it WAS an eagle in my yard. The osprey population was so large in Maryland that the state no longer rescued osprey.
Today food looked short out front. “
There is a documentary, The Last Osprey, that will be show in August in Colonial Beach, Va. Just recently an adult osprey has been found deceased there.
Thank you so much for being with me tonight. This is just a quick glimpse at some of the nests. I had a brilliant day with my son and daughter in law as we set up my outside camera to discover that it is the Crows and the Blue Jays that are eating the cat kibble left out for Brock! Let’s hope that Brock will arrive tonight. I have not seen him sliding under the gate in a week.
Take care everyone! See you soon.
Thank you to absolutely everyone who posted information and images on FB, to Geemeff, thank you for your summary and videos, and to the owners of the streaming cams we are always grateful even if the news is grim that we are able to see the good, the bad, and the horrific.
There are a couple of items that need to be sent out to you that were not in the earlier post. One of those is SK Hideaway’s videos for the week of the 28th of June. This is a remarkable list of videos covering many nests on several continents, please check all of them out for the latest information on these bird families:
SK Hideaways Videos, week of 28 June 2026
FOBBVCAM Eagles, Big Bear Valley, CA ~ Jackie, Shadow ~ eaglets Sandy and Luna (13 weeks old) Courtesy FOBBVCAM | Friends of Big Bear Valley Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE Wide View Cam (Cam 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41eq4VzCYc4 Live Recap & Observations: https://bit.ly/3Md8TSz Sandy & Luna’s Reaction to Fireworks(2026 Jul 4) While Sandy and Luna noticed the fireworks, they did not move from their roosts. It was a relief and a joy to see these strong, fearless eaglets hold their ground. Video: https://youtu.be/BtLJDMQ16sU Sandy & Luna Put on Dazzling Flight Displays! A Busy Day Exploring(2026 Jul 3) What a difference a day or two make. After spending the night together in the nest tree, Sandy and Luna got an early start exploring the habitat. Their flight skills grow stronger every day, along with their confidence. They stayed close together for much of the day ~ perching on a variety of trees. When they both departed the Sunny Hideout, they gave viewers a dazzling airshow that fans won’t soon forget. Video: https://youtu.be/PJYYeCH6kQM
Sandy & Luna Reunite at Nest ~ Get 2-Fish Reward ~ (2026 Jul 2) Four days after Sandy fell from the nest tree and three days after Luna fledged, the eaglets reunited on the nest. But before they did, they met on adjacent perches in their habitat ~ Luna on the Cactus Snag and Sandy making a great flight to the top of Sunny Hideout.
They returned to the nest within seconds of each other and it wasn’t long before Shadow delivered the first fish of the day, followed shortly by fishes two and three (#3 not shown here). Fans got their wish of Sandy and Luna reuniting at the nest. We have a suspicion it may have been Shadow’s wish, too. Video: https://youtu.be/AMnXeJ1UCQw
Ace Flyer Luna Makes the Rounds ~ Sandy Makes an Appearance (2026 Jul 1) It was a glorious day seeing the entire family throughout their beautiful habitat. Luna had a busy morning perching not only on all of Jackie and Shadow’s favorite perches, but also his very own, currently nameless, pine tree perch. He ended his camera time on the Lookout Snag and headed in the direction where cam ops later found the elusive Sandy. This reminded me of a time last year when the whole family – Jackie, Shadow, Sunny, and Gizmo – met up on the Lookout Snag, so I included a photo of that special morning in this video.
Sandy claimed a nameless pine tree of her own and snuggled in throughout the afternoon. Turns out this pine tree is very near Jackie and Shadow’s roost tree, so she’ll have four eagle eyes on her overnight. I’m guessing Luna is nearby. Video: https://youtu.be/ruisDc0Pm74 Luna Returns to Nest! The Lure of Fish!(2026 Jun 30) Luna spent the night atop the Simba Tree ~ his first destination and first night away from the nest. He exercised his wings a lot throughout the morning, but when Shadow circle around with his favorite food, Luna put those exercises to work and flew straight home, squeeing all the way. He devoured his fish in about a minute and sent Shadow out for more. But Luna couldn’t wait for the next Dad Dash delivery, so took off again about an hour later, flying like an ace. We have a feeling we’ll see him again soon. Video: https://youtu.be/J56GjZBpKoU Sandy Found! Food Delivered to Simba Tree and Headless Tree Rock (2026 Jun 29) Cam ops found Sandy snuggled in the Headless Tree this afternoon as Luna continued adjusting to his new digs atop the Simba Tree. Shadow brought fish to the nest, presumably to lure the eaglets to fly, but that wasn’t to be, so he took it to the Simba Tree. Luna’s not quite ready to make his way down, so Shadow nibbled on the fish himself. Awhile later, Sandy popped out from the bushes onto a nearby rock where a parent soon brought her a snack. All is going very well here. Video: https://youtu.be/xlEMNAS4DFU
Luna Fledges in Grand Style ~ Meets Shadow on Simba Tree (2026 Jun 29, 9:24:43) Luna gave it some thought and then launched from the high front porch perch. It was a beautiful sight to see. Well done, Luna! Video: https://youtu.be/lNSDqf2Av-s
Sandy Fell From Nest🍂 FOBBV May Have Located Her🎉 Phew! 😮💨 After a glorious morning of new milestones by Luna reaching higher heights on the Y branch and Sandy venturing further out on a front porch limb, the day dimmed. In attempting to return to the nest from the front porch by jumping over Sandy, Luna accidentally knocked Sandy off her perch.
Sandy was lodged in branches at two points below the nest tree for awhile, but soon released and righted herself. She was soaring or flapping as she released ~ a very good sign. Then FOBBV reported that she had been seen flying on their security camera. Hopefully we’ll see her on the webcam soon. (2026 Jun 28) Video:https://youtu.be/_I12FV2ZfX8
Scout and Walton Remainin the Territory ~ Still Ousting Parents in Fleeting Moments(2026 Jul 1) In the waning moments of our time with Hartley and Monty’s 2026 brood, each sighting and each antic is a joy to see. Here, I also captured how Hartley and Monty slowly resume their lives as empty-nesters. They are bonding frequently, but still getting interrupted by chicks. This time Scout had the job of ousting them from the nest area, while Walton was more interested in snacking on the sunshade below. Video: https://youtu.be/CVtrzagmHl4
Morning Mayhemwith Jet, Scout & Walton We continue to see Jet, Scout, and Walton regularly, while Stewart is exploring further afield. The three brothers roost together overnight on the louvers and then are often seen together in the morning hours. They still oust parents from the nest area whenever the opportunity presents itself and this morning was no exception. Monty continues to fall for the ploy. So grateful to be able to watch them during this formative time in their growth. (2026 Jun 28) Video: https://youtu.be/V-ihIWce5MA
Lady Lays Egg #1!🥚 Welcome SE 37 To Be!🎊 Breeding season has begun for Lady and Dad with the arrival of egg #1. Here’s to seeing SE37 in 5 or 6 weeks. Congrats Lady and Dad! Video: https://youtu.be/7eusfpBt7ZY
After 23 Years Together, Cholyn & Chase Still Have Much to Discuss(2026 Jul 4) In a 2-day compilation, I captured a number of conversations and interactions between Cholyn and Chase. Their relationship is fascinating and heartwarming. This video is an exercise in stopping to smell the roses, appreciating a marvelous partnership, and gratitude for the opportunity to enjoy the life of this spectacular couple. Video: https://youtu.be/1kBjJ-C-8FI
I have been absolutely concerned about number 4, the tiny osplet, at Blackbush Osprey platform in Prince Edward Island. Please remember that it is difficult under the most beneficial conditions to raise four chicks to fledge. Maya and Blue 33 have had several clutches of four but only two clutches of four fledged. We are waiting for Blue 022 and CJ7s latest four to fledge and if they do, it will beat Maya and Blue’s record and another one – fledging four chicks in consecutive years. What makes the UK nests different? First, Blue 33 has fish right below his nest. Rutland is stocked for fishers as well as the wildlife. At Poole Harbour, CJ7 is not afraid to go out fishing for her kids.
I have not seen the female fish at Blackbush. I want you to send me a note and correct me if this is wrong. I check daily, many times, but that does not mean I see everything. Little four had some fish early Monday and bless its heart, had a crop from a later fish – a note from ‘PB’ raised my hopes again for this one. It has lived another day. If it survives, this chick will be able to survive almost anything.
‘PB’ also reports that the female at Santiam is going to fish for her family. What a year this has been in the US – it is the first year that I recall so many females just getting up and getting on with the entire job of caring for their chicks. They have a choice, and I believe, as I have said several times, they are so intelligent to consider the options. They can do nothing, and if the males bring in insufficient fish, one or more of their chicks will die. Second, they can leave their babies and go fishing so they have food to live (Mum, too). This choice means they cannot guard them, so they could be preyed upon. Of course, as Laura Culley would say, if they don’t bring the fish in, the babies will die regardless, so best be hopeful and try fishing. Jill led the pack at the Achieva Osprey nest, and she is still coming to the nest with fish for Big and Little. Those babies have no idea how fortunate they are to have her for their mother. What I hope is that they learned from observing their mother and that, too, will bring in fish for their osplets. What I don’t understand is that when there is just enough fish coming in, why don’t the females go out and fish, too? Like at Blackbush?
Here is Geemeff’s summary for today:
Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Monday 6th July 2026
The weather was wet and windy in spells, fish were delivered and eaten, but the only story of the day was the news of the return of 1JW to the Pego-Oliva marsh in Valencia. 1JW is the 2024 chick who was placed on a translocation programme in Spain, following horrendous weather conditions and Louis unable to provide fish, who went on to fledge and migrate. It is wonderful to see photos of him as a confident two year old back in the area where he fledged, which he now calls home. Link to the press release in the bonus section. Garry brought three fish for Aurora, taking the Nest One tally to one hundred and fifty three, and Louis brought four fish for Dorcha and the chicks, taking the Nest Two tally to two hundred and thirty seven. In other news, a chick appeared to lick raindrops off Dorcha’s plumage, and Garry & Aurora are leaving their nest and unviable egg unattended for much longer periods. Today wasn’t nearly as wet as expected but the forecast remains showing continuous rain through tomorrow evening, with an overnight low of 14°C and a high of 17°C tomorrow.
At the Osoyoos platform, Mum went for a break or to go fishing and Dad flew in with a fish. He left the whole fish on the nest. Mum returned with a fish, fed the only surviving baby, and then picked up Dad’s fish and began feeding it to. Mum and Baby will go to bed full tonight. Feeling thankful.
Little Clark could not have more devoted parents. Clark is ‘determined, focused, responsible, and very protective’ of his family. Iris has, from the very first bite she fed this chick, taken the best care making sure it is fed well and never in the hot sun. Delighted. The juvenile feathers coming in are so beautiful. They have a rich peach tone to them!
Still two lovelies on the Coeur d’Alene nest in Idaho.
I did not see any Red-tailed fledglings at the nest of Big Red and Arthur today. Big Red prefers that they are fed off the natal nest, and she likes to teach them how to hunt for squirrels and different techniques so they can eventually provide for themselves.
Oh, it is time for Toby and me to set up the camera that Cris gave me to track the visitors to the garden. I am hoping to see Brock at the feeding station. He has been seen, but not on our street. Has he found better food? He was about five city blocks away when spotted this afternoon. I am not technically inclined, so wish me luck. This camera appears to be made for people like me.
I hope the beginning of the week has been kind to you. I am already missing my son and daughter-in-law, and they haven’t even left yet. Tomorrow they will go to the daughter-in-law’s family cottage for a week. Ann will return. Tolu will come back, and life will seem normal. Meanwhile, I will be looking forward to Cris’s return in a week.
See you soon!
Thank you to SK Hideaways and Geemeff for their videos and summaries. I am so terribly grateful. Thank you to ‘PB’ for keeping me informed when I miss something,and to the camera owners; I am so grateful. Without you, we would not know about these families and their challenges.
feeling happy in 
