Tag Archives: protect wildlife

Second osplet dies at Western Maryland Shore Old Town Home…late Saturday in Bird World

23 May 2026

Hello Everyone,

I continue to fight a horrific beginning of spring cold! Thank you for all the various remedies – I am trying them! Lots of honey, lemon, and ginger! Don and Toby have embraced the day since it is raining outside as just another ‘pajama day’. That has been grand.

There continues to be sadness at Western Maryland Shore Old Town Home. The second hatch died six days ago of starvation, and today, the first hatch, a tiny little thing that was not only starving but could not get sufficiently under Mum to keep warm, died of hypothermia in the rain. For whatever reason, Mum decided to incubate the unviable egg instead of her brooding her chick. Perhaps it is a blessing. That sounds horrible, I know. But I cannot stand to see these wee things starve, get a little fish, starve some more, eventually dying a few days before fledge – emaciated.

An adult bird is sitting on a nest with twigs and leaves, caring for a small chick. The chick is fuzzy and appears to be peeking out from under the adult bird.

This image is from Heidi and ‘PB’ – the little osplet had 17 bites of food at that meal, its last.

Big Red took care of her three chicks brilliantly in what has been a soaking wet day on the Cornell Campus. Fed and warm.

A red-tailed hawk tending to its two fluffy chicks in a nest made of twigs, with a background of greenery and a metal structure.
A red-tailed hawk feeding its chicks in a nest made of twigs and branches, with a view of a blurry background.
A close-up view of a red-tailed hawk resting in its nest, surrounded by twigs and branches, with a blurred urban background.

In the UK, there was almost a tragedy when Seren accidentally kicked one of her three chicks out of the egg cup. This is an amazing osplet – I cannot wait to see what they do in their lifetime if they manage this. Geemeff has it on video: https://youtu.be/ByCRVMITshM?

Scout on the Falconshire Bald Eagle nest is alive. There was much concern over this eaglet’s welfare. Let’s hope lots of prey come so that Scout might thrive.

Bald eagle chicks in their nest surrounded by green foliage, with one chick standing and the other lying down.

Speaking of prey. Let’s think about this. Agricultural practices have changed around the world. The fields and woods are not full of rodents and gophers because humans don’t like them around. The Raptors would thrive. The rivers are full of toxins like phosphates, are warming, and have fewer and fewer fish. So when someone says it is just ‘nature’, think again. Maybe it is something linked to humans, but less obvious than a fishing line.

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 23rd May 2026

Another uneventful day with spells of rain, fish deliveries, and incubation duty changeovers. Louis delivered three fish for Dorcha taking the Nest Two tally to eighty two, and Garry LV0 delivered two fish for Aurora 536, although the second one was really just the tail-end of his dinner. 

Garry’s tally now stands at seventy eight. More rain is forecast for tonight and tomorrow, along with what’s referred to as a gentle breeze. However, one of last night’s ‘gentle breezes’ completely upended Dorcha, so here’s wishing her an uneventful night on the exposed nest. Temperature spread is a low of 11°C tonight and a high of 16°C tomorrow.

Today’s videos: https://youtu.be/PUaIXtmTRpQ N2 Dorcha’s breakfast is later than usual 10.28.08https://youtu.be/nnSc4j1Ka2s N1 Aurora has a quick nibble of her first fish before departing with it 14.46.13https://youtu.be/FvjE6Ml9ZDg N2 Dorcha’s second fish arrives facing backwards 19.40.43https://youtu.be/VgT8zFbcdns N1 Aurora’s second fish is just the tail end of a trout! 20.07.40https://youtu.be/8NcP6PwM2_Q N2 Second supper for Dorcha when Louis brings a third fish 21.40.11

Bonus read – where’s Woodland Trust’s gold medal winning garden going when the Chelsea Flower Show ends?

https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/garden/designs/a71373413/what-happens-to-chelsea-flower-show-gardens-2026

Blast from the past, this day in various years: 

https://youtu.be/ldFLPmmt2lw  N2 Interesting phenomenon: a Jay imitates a Tawny Owl and buzzes Louis & Dorcha 2025

There are two little bobbleheads for CJ7 and Blue 022 – and there are a lot of fish on that nest!

A nest containing three hungry hawk chicks with open beaks, eagerly awaiting food, as an adult hawk feeds them in a natural setting.

There is a wee baby for Idris and Telyn at the Dyfi nest in Wales along with a pip in the second egg.

Close-up view of an osprey sitting on eggs in a nest, surrounded by twigs and natural materials, captured in black and white.
An osprey tends to its eggs in a nest at night, with visible feathers and nearby twigs.

Good news story of the day: The eagle nest collapsed. One eaglet went into care. Everyone wondered if the adults would feed the other but then a human-made nest went up and yes, the eagles are caring for their chick!!!!!!!! Humans can do good things. This is wonderful. Thank you!

A bald eagle stands next to its eaglet on a wooden platform in a nest, surrounded by green foliage.

Everything you wanted to know (or not) about Iris’s eggs.

A Facebook post from Montana Osprey Cams discussing Iris the osprey's egg-laying patterns, including average eggs per season and variability in laying intervals.
Bar graph showing the interval between each egg laid from 2011 to 2026, with different colors representing intervals between pairs of eggs.

Look for the NG2 name choices to be posted on the 26th of May.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care everyone. Stay safe and I hope, beyond hope, you do not get this summer cold or flu whatever it is.

Thank you to Geemeff for her report on all things Loch Arkaig, to Heidi and ‘PB’ for drawing my attention to what has happened at WMSOTH, and to all those who created videos or posted on FB; we are grateful. Thank you to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to watch our lovely families.

Life on the Osprey Nest – Season Update
Life on the Osprey Nest – Season Update
Life on the Osprey Nest – Season Update

This is shocking…

21 May 2026

Hello Everyone,

I want to post the following separately. Please read it and understand the shocking implications. I may be wrong, but I believe the individual bringing the lawsuit is the owner of the nests formerly known as Superbeaks. (I will correct this if I am wrong.

This is a not being reported much that’s happening in Florida. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I haven’t.

A high-profile lawsuit in Florida involving a “tech entrepreneur” has sparked national alarm because its legal argument could dismantle a massive portion of the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The lawsuit centers on Michael Colosi, a 32-year-old tech founder who recently relocated from New Jersey to Punta Gorda, Florida. 

The Conflict: A Tech Entrepreneur vs. A Tiny Bird

In 2024, Colosi purchased a five-acre plot of land in Charlotte County to build a home. However, the property sits directly within the designated habitat of the Florida scrub jay. The scrub jay is a threatened species, and the only bird found uniquely (endemic) to the state of Florida.

Under local conservation plans designed to comply with the ESA, anyone building on this habitat must pay a mitigation fee—amounting to roughly $118,000 to $140,000 in Colosi’s case—which is used to buy and protect alternative lands for the birds. Rather than paying the fee, Colosi sued Charlotte County and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Loophole Threatening the Entire ESA 

Colosi is being represented pro bono by the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), a conservative property-rights group. The PLF is using a highly controversial legal argument that extends far beyond a single house.

The Argument: They claim that the federal government does not have the constitutional authority under the Commerce Clause to protect species that exist entirely within the borders of a single state. They argue federal law, by definition, must regulate interstate matters.

The “Too Endangered” Paradox: Critics note that this argument creates a bizarre legal paradox: if a species becomes so endangered that its entire population is reduced to just one state, it would lose all federal protections.

If the federal courts rule in Colosi’s favor, the precedent would not just affect the Florida scrub jay. It could instantly strip federal ESA protections from more than 1,200 species across the United States that are endemic to a single state—including iconic animals like the Florida panther, the California condor, and hundreds of localized Hawaiian plants and animals.

Because the stakes are so high, a coalition of environmental organizations—including the Center for Biological Diversity and the Earthjustice legal team—have formally intervened in the lawsuit to defend the Endangered Species Act against the challenge.

The lawsuit (Colosi v. Charlotte County, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, et al.) is actively moving forward in the federal court system after the government’s attempt to dismiss it was rejected.

The Government’s Dismissal Fails: Both Charlotte County and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) filed motions to dismiss, claiming that tech entrepreneur Michael Colosi lacked standing and that his injury wasn’t concrete. The federal court denied the motions to dismiss, ruling that Colosi faces clear “concrete, particularized harms” by being forced to choose between a six-figure fee or an extensive federal permitting process.

The Case Moves to Merits: Because the court refused to throw out the lawsuit, the defendants were required to formally respond. The case is now moving toward the summary judgment and evidentiary phases. 

Environmental Intervenors: A coalition of environmental groups, legally represented by Earthjustice, successfully intervened. They are now official parties to the case to actively defend the Endangered Species Act (ESA) from being dismantled. 

Ultimate Trajectory: Legal experts from both sides expect this case to eventually be appealed to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and potentially rise to the U.S. Supreme Court, given the Pacific Legal Foundation’s broader goal of redefining federal Commerce Clause power.

Major Single-State Species at Risk

The Pacific Legal Foundation’s core argument is that the federal government cannot use the Commerce Clause to protect species that live entirely within one state’s borders. If Colosi wins, federal ESA protections could instantly be stripped from roughly 75% of all listed species that are endemic to a single state

Some of the most prominent single-state species that would lose federal protection include:

Region Species at RiskCurrent Status
FloridaFlorida PantherEndangered
Florida Scrub Jay (the bird in the lawsuit)Threatened
Florida Grasshopper SparrowEndangered
CaliforniaCalifornia CondorEndangered
Island Fox (Channel Islands)Threatened / Recovered
Delta SmeltEndangered
HawaiiHawaiian Monk SealEndangered
Nene (Hawaiian Goose)Threatened
Hundreds of localized Hawaiian plants & forest birdsVarious
Other StatesGolden-Cheeked Warbler (Texas)Endangered
Grizzly Bear (Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem population)*Threatened
Red Cockaded Woodpecker (Isolated state-specific clusters)~M

Thank you, MP, for sending this to me. I did not know and I find this and other changes to parks and migratory bird laws astonishingly archaic. We should be supporting nature not killing it.

Thank you to OpenVerse for the image of the Scrub Jay.

Links to send comments about proposed changes to Migratory Bird Act….please read!

14 May 2025

I was alerted by one of our long time readers that there is a potential issue trying to get the link to work to send a comment about the proposed changes. That note reads:

“Thanks for your extra bulletin today urging comment on the proposed change in the Endangered Species Act.   I have now submitted a comment.  However, the link in your bulletin that followed the words ” You can read all about the proposed change and comment here:” did not work for me.  It took me to a Federal Register page that told me “Page not found”.  I wonder if this is related to the various problems that seem to arise from Word Press?  Perhaps the link works for others, but it did not for me.  I tried many times with the same result.

What helped me was that you included the link to the Friends of Big Bear Valley facebook page, and I saw that FoBBV also had included the same text urging folks to comment on the ESA (although I had to click “See more” after the words ” Important Announcement And Request For Public Assistance…” to see the full text).  Once I saw the full text on the FoBBV facebook page, I was able to click on what appeared to be the same words and link that I had clicked in your email, and it did get me to the correct Federal Register comment page to submit a comment on the ESA.  Which I did submit.”

The reader also notes that the ‘Comment’ at the bottom might be confusing as it is part of my blog.

Each and every one of us regrets the difficulties in trying to submit our concerns but please bear with it and get yourself through as suggested above so that the further degradation to wildlife is stopped in its tracks.

Take the time and do this for Jackie and Shadow, for Liberty and Guardian, for Gabby and Beau, for Pa and Missy Berry – for all the animals and raptors.

The birds belong to the world. They migrate, some like the Arctic Terns, for over 10,000 km. The eagles come to Canada to breed, the Geese fly over the US and come to breed in Canada. These changes are – well, quite frankly, a disgrace.

A society must be judged by the way that it treats those who cannot stand up and speak for themselves. Jackie and Shadow and all the others deserve a ‘wild’ environment that is free from building zones, has clean water, and is safe from hunting to raise their young.

Please speak up!

Please Help Protect our Raptors!

14 May 2025

Good Morning,

I wanted to send this out separate. Please read this. And please write – no matter where you live. Migrating birds travel tens of thousands of miles in some instances and cover many continents. We need them and their habitat to be as protected as we can – and we all know that weather has caused decline along with loss due to human growth.

Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam

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Important Announcement And Request For Public Assistance

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a plan to fundamentally alter the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to be interpreted differently than it has since its creation.

Currently, the ESA disallows harm of an endangered species (without mitigation to make up for the loss.) It defines “harm” as “take,” which currently means an act which actually kills or injures the wildlife. It is currently interpreted to include significant habitat modification or degradation where it actually kills or injures wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, including breeding, feeding or sheltering.

Specifically, they would like to delete the definition of “harm” in the act. Removing this definition of “harm” means that they would NO LONGER CONDUCT ANY IMPACT STUDIES, as is currently required by The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA now REQUIRES federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of any proposed action prior to making decisions.

Removing the definition of “harm” which includes “habitat modification” from the ESA would NULLIFY THE ACT and everything it has done to save Bald Eagles and every other species it has protected, since it was signed into law in 1973. The cascading effects of this change would absolutely impact Jackie and Shadow, the rare plants in our valley, and all of the precious and beautiful nature that surrounds us in our country.

The public is allowed to submit comments to the agency. Comments are due by May 19th at 11:59 pm. We are asking each of you who is willing, to please submit comments using the link below. Many of us will be adding our voices against this detrimental and shortsighted decision. Keeping the ESA intact is of utmost importance, not only for Jackie and Shadow, but for all wildlife. This proposed change could prove to be one of the most harmful things we have done to nature in the last fifty years.

As we ask you to please comment, we want to caution that it is important to keep your comments polite, respectful, factual, and concise for them to have an impact. Please keep in mind that comments will be public. You can provide a statement anonymously but they do not guarantee that it stays that way. If nothing else, we urge you to read the public comments that have been submitted so far to understand what the change may do. And if you will, please pass this information along so that others can take action.

To make your voice best heard by the agencies and to maximize the impact of your comments, we recommend

1. State clearly that you are writing in opposition to the proposal.

2. Point out that the proposal essentially nullifies the ESA passed by the U.S. Congress in 1973. The proposal is counter to the purpose of the ESA to protect imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend.

3. State the fact that we cannot protect the species without protecting their habitats. Without the habitats, wildlife would go extinct.

4. If possible, add any other facts or observations that you personally see or have experienced regarding the impact the proposed changes would have on endangered species.

You can read all about the proposed change and comment here:

https://www.federalregister.gov/…/rescinding-the…

Previously submitted comments are available here:

https://www.regulations.gov/…/FWS-HQ-ES-2025…/comment

P.S. Thank you very much for your assistance and participation. We hope that many of us leave our comments on the government website and make our voices heard.

At the same time, we ask you to please refrain from political comments and arguments under this post. Let’s keep our focus on the wildlife and our role in ensuring their future on this planet.