8 May 2026
Hello Everyone,
First up – Happy Birthday to David Attenborough who is 100 today. What an incredible individual.
Second, remember that Saturday is Migratory Bird Day. Please take part in one of the counts, including the Cornell Bird Labs count. Check out their website.
It was 15 C with a gentle, albeit sometimes coolish breeze in Winnipeg today. The sky was blue with a few of those big cottonball clouds. Ring-billed Gulls were heard overhead flying between the two rivers in our City. In the garden, a host of White-crowned Sparrows were foraging and bathing. We have three bird baths up now, with notes to clean them every other day if not daily. Half a dozen Starlings were here along with the single Robin that visited the other day, a few Dark-eyed Juncos, flocks of sparrows, the Blue Jays and Crows. I am not good at identifying individual species of sparrows, so we just say ‘House Sparrows’!
Toby had his walk with us, and Ann arrived determined to make Don very tired with a solid two-and-a-half-hour walk at the zoo today. It worked!
One of the most troubling local news items is that the City and the Parks Department are culling goose eggs. There are ‘too many’ geese! I have criticised New Zealand for doing this, and now it is here, right at my favourite park. Didn’t someone tell them that Avian Flu took the lives of no fewer than 100,000 Canada Geese last fall in Manitoba’s north? We actually don’t know the full number of geese and other waterfowl that died, as many lakes in the north are quite remote. I was seething. I am not quite sure what the priority is for our City. New houses are going up on agricultural land. They are close together, identical, built quickly with few, if any, trees. The City is closing local wading pools in areas where the children need a free summer pastime. Crime rates are up, property theft is rampant, and drugs and weapons are always in the news. Winnipeg used to be relatively ‘sleepy’. Population growth, poverty, a lack of parenting for many reasons, including economic ones, where both parents have to work 2 or 3 jobs just to barely pay the bills, are contributors. I want to emphasise that I am referring to the ‘City’ government. In general, I am pretty happy with our provincial government. But enough…I do not have a television, and any news that I watch comes from YouTube live events. Watching birds and just sitting with my eyes closed, even for ten minutes, on the deck, listening to birdsong, is so nice. The violence that does make the news is hard to take and yet, I am reminded every day of the goodness of people.
The Lily Society is naming a Day Lily after our neighbour who died in a house fire. He was, as I understand it, one of the founding members and experimented with hybridising lilies. He had a lovely garden full of them. Today, they were removed and will become part of a memorial garden. Very thoughtful. Kindness also comes in the form of my neighbours working on my deck to make it safer and, of course, Jane feeding Brock and loving him. I am so grateful for this single block of individuals who could brighten anyone’s day.
Before we shift to Bird World news, I wanted to send a photo of our little herb and salad garden. It is doing very well. In a couple of weeks, we will be planting outside, but we will keep this one going constantly. From left to right, there is basil, dill, and then two different types of lettuce. I had to exchange the short dowels for the longer 45 cm ones yesterday. The dill is intense and very delicious.
I have had so much information backed up that I want to share with you. So there are a lot of files today – I hope that there is something of value for you.
Please mark Saturday in your calendars. It is World Migratory Bird Day.
So what is World Migratory Bird Day?
AI answers: World Migratory Bird Day 2026 focuses on the theme “Every Bird Counts – Your Observations Matter!”, highlighting community science and citizen observations for bird conservation. The main peak days are Saturday, May 9, 2026 (Northern Hemisphere) and Saturday, October 10, 2026 (Southern Hemisphere), featuring global events and bird counting efforts like on eBird.
Key Aspects of 2026 Campaign:
- Theme: The theme highlights the importance of individual contributions through citizen science to track and protect migratory birds.
- Key Dates: May 9 and October 10, 2026, align with peak bird migration periods.
- Activities: Participation includes monitoring, bird counting, and educational events.
- Featured Events: A special 2026 event will take place on May 9th at Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada, including the “Wings of Survival” talk.
- Global Participation: Coordinated by groups like Environment for the Americas, the campaign encourages recording sightings on eBird.
World Migratory Bird Day +6
World Migratory Bird Day is a global effort to raise awareness about the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats.
If you live in or near NYC, here are some events on Saturday but do check out your local birding groups.
This Saturday is World Migratory Bird Day, a global migration celebration. Each spring and fall, birds travel anywhere from a few hundred miles to tens of thousands! You can see these amazing journeys on display right now as birds stop in our parks and green spaces to rest and refuel.
Join our FREE outings throughout the boroughs to spot stunning spring migrants:
- Manhattan: Drop-in Ecology Session at Jefferson Market Garden
- Staten Island: Spring Birding at Conference House Park
- The Bronx: Birding at Soundview Park with The Bronx is Blooming
- Brooklyn: Spanish-English Birding at Sunset Park
- Queens: Exploring the QueensWay
It isn’t just the birds that need our help. Geemeff sent me the following to share with all of you.
This poor 46 year old Orangutan is alone in a concrete enclosure and has been that way most of her life. Opal has been offered a more suitable home but her owners have refused. It’s a truly dreadful situation for a sentient being, and completely unnecessary.
https://www.goodthingsguy.com/opal-is-trending-again-but-this-time-theres-hope
Thank you
With all that was happening on Thursday, there are so many other nests that simply didn’t get checked.
SK Hideaways captured the most incredible images of Monty and Hartley’s foursome! Take a peek. You will not be sorry. https://youtu.be/reg9uBNq8Dg?
We are so missing Annie and her families.
So not only check out Monty and Hartley’s amazing family but also the Wakefield Falcons in the UK. https://youtu.be/G9En47Jdiy4?
One of our independent environmental zines has staff that love birds. ‘Birds Just Wanna Have Fun’.
What should you do if you find a baby bird?
If you live near Hawk Mountain in PA, they have a fun day for meeting their raptors. Here is the information:
Memorial Day Raptors Up Close!
Mon, May 25 Programs at 10 AM & 2 PM
FREE
Hawk Mountain’s signature live raptor program, Raptors Up Close! offers the chance to see live hawks and owls, and to learn what puts these winged predators at the top of nature’s food chain. This program guarantees that you will see a live raptor during your visit and is appropriate for visitors of all ages.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 8th May 2026Another calm day on both nests today, with fish delivered, eaten, and in one case lost! Garry LV0 delivered two fish to Aurora 536 but unhappily she dropped the biggest one and sensibly ate most of the small second one on the nest before departing, leaving Garry to incubate their single egg. His tally now stands at fifty one fish. Louis delivered three fish to Dorcha, taking the nest total to forty seven and his own tally to forty five. Due to some stick
manoeuvring, the three eggs on Nest Two are now visible but given the birds’ quest to make the perfect nest, future adjustments might well block the view again. Today’s bonus item is in honour of
Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday: a documentary about Ospreys narrated by him and featuring Roy Dennis.Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/FE_fGP965Uo N2 Louis doesn’t notice a tiny visitor after Dorcha left with fish one 08.01.09https://youtu.be/Ogyo5DjA4sM N2 A second fish arrives for Dorcha 16.14.44
https://youtu.be/D59CzIY-hZU N1 Oh no! Aurora drops her fish then begs for more 16.24.25
https://youtu.be/M2I-QvKHSxE N1 Garry brings a second fish and Aurora holds on to it 18.32.31https://youtu.be/oNfoYP5BO1M N2 The three eggs are clearly visible as Dorcha gets fish three 20.59.01
Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/fv2-S7IAT7g N1 Aila employs a tried and tested Louis-removal technique 2020
https://youtu.be/RydYvBR0m5I N1 Aila invents a new Louis-removal technique 2020
https://youtu.be/Ys65Fgfu9sM N1 Unusual visitor – a Twite (Linaria flavirostris) visits 2021
https://youtu.be/oMCTfmauWKA N2 First Owl-strike on Dorcha 2022
https://youtu.be/meJb_ovW0V8 N2 Second Owl-strike on Dorcha 2022
https://youtu.be/ea0yqDp1ups N2 Third Owl-strike on Dorcha 2022
https://youtu.be/uecjKN_3VQI N2 Late night fish supper arrives for Dorcha 2023
https://youtu.be/WD9vJ3lVeMk N1 Garry LV0 & Aida pay a flying visit 2024
https://youtu.be/ZrKyT_jo5DI N2 Dorcha headbutts Louis to get him off the eggs 2024 (slo-mo repeat with zoom)https://youtu.be/Rq6jzQKsGi0 N2 Louis settles down to egg duty after delivering the first fish 2025 (zoom)https://youtu.be/tS6l2Py6V74 N1 Yet again Garry makes Aurora wait to get the fish 2025
Come and join the friendly community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s fun, free and everyone’s welcome:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam
There is some concern at the Dale Hollow Nest that the adults have not returned to feed the three eaglets since the AEF removed the fishing line yesterday. I have not been able to watch that nest closely today to see whether any deliveries have been made. Maybe you know?
But for now a big thank you to the AEF who took over the Dale Hollow Nest after the two fiasco years of 2022 and 2023.
At the nest of Big Red and Arthur, there are two hatches that have survived a very soggy nest with damp. Big Red loves to give them ‘big’ bites. The first chick died trying to hatch, and I fear that this might well be the case with the last. We have to wait and see. There are, however, two fine little bobbleheads at present and a nest full of every kind of soggy prey.
If you missed it, we do have two eggs at Iris’s nest!
Last, but never least, SK Hideaways gives us a smile from the nest of Jackie, Shadow, Sandy, and Luna: https://youtu.be/U-hHp0IQR4o?
Good night, everyone! Take care of yourselves. Remember the bird count on Saturday, but most importantly, go outside, look, listen, and smell the spring air. See you soon.
My guardian angel waiting for me to finish this so we can have a game of fetch before bed.
Thank you to all the contributors tonight – Geemeff, SK Hideaways, those who post on FB, the authors of all the amazing articles, and the owners of the streaming cams that allow us into the lives of our beloved birds.