Tag Archives: threats to Osprey

Late, late Tuesday in Bird World

7 July 2026

Hello Everyone,

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.

Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/6P1aZzzdL7A N2 Louis leaves with Dorcha’s encouragement after delivering fish one 07.04.52https://youtu.be/AJVyNz3Qajk N2 Dorcha warns off two intruder Ospreys near the nest 08.45.09 https://youtu.be/0d8FH8p4HZI N2 Dorcha watches an RAF Atlas Airbus fly near the nest 10.26.05 (zoom)https://youtu.be/GE_Lyu858xY N2 Tiny fish two lasts just 2.5 mins 11.27.23https://youtu.be/DfD9sZdoniM N2 Both chicks join Dorcha in calling for fish three 16.21.24https://youtu.be/cxtvO4-3jCY N1 Aurora departs with fish one, Garry leaves too – nest is empty 17.04.44https://youtu.be/aJrabFkkhow N2 Louis does a ten second handover of number four, a flatfish 17.37.49 https://youtu.be/m-ZNudRviJI N2 Another trout for the family, number five 19.39.52https://youtu.be/-Dq2Xu65LoY N2 One chick steals the tail of fish six right out of the other’s beak! 20.53.30https://youtu.be/pf-AiRRwgHI N2 Yet another trout arrives, number seven 21.02.17https://youtu.be/mQ91FHWBcYs N2 Lean mean fishing machine Louis bring number eight 22.31.17


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

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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.

Iniko 1031 A Mortality Signal and a Community Holding Its BreathDownload

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.

“IslandCreekOspreyes.com

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.

Monday Nest Hopping – to keep my mind off Elsa

There were some lovely letters in my inbox today – articles and quesions – to keep me busy and to try and curtail me from checking on Tropical Storm Elsa every half hour. My friend Wicky – lover of books and hawks as long as they leave her songbirds alone – pointed my noise to an article in The New York Times by Margaret Renkl. Renkl is the author of Late Migrations, a fabulous book that I pick up often to simply read a single entry. Today in “Hawk. Lizard. Mole. Human”, Renkl speaks to the garden that she can see out her windows. She says, “How lucky I am to live in a home with windows. Against all odds – the encroachments of construction companies and lawn services and exterminators – those windows still open onto a world that stubbornly insists on remaining wild”.

Here is the link. I hope that you can open it. Renkl is a wonderful writer always leaving me appreciative of her love of our feathered friends and – others. Thank you, Wicky.

Like Renkl, I am grateful for my windows and astonished at what happens in a tiny bit of paradise inside the heat and concrete of a big and growing city. The birds have returned to the garden after the extreme heat. It is simply glorious seeing them splash around in the baths, having drinks, and sneaking off with some birdseed that looks like trail mix. The Blue Jays love the cashews and the berries and have gone through the large berry-insect-suet cylinder in a few days. There seem to be fewer insects every year. Is it the spraying of the caterpillars who eat the leaves off the trees? the greening of the lawns so that they look like they came out of a magazine, or the opposite where concrete is replacing grass? What are the birds to eat? Thankfully a growing number of people are willing to put the time and effort into helping them survive.

A lovely note came in from Finland, also, telling me about the ten Osprey nests. Thank you Tiny Toefan! I admit to not knowing enough about the Finnish nests but tonight while that storm is churning through the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida I am going to begin my education on these Ospreys. I want to learn more about them so I am just not an occasional observer. Tiny Toefan says that their Ospreys had a bit of a sad year. The attack of the Raven at the Satakunta Nest and the death of Alma spread quickly within the community of Osprey Lovers around the world. Our hearts broke for that dear family. Intruders, lack of food, and weather-related events have wrecked havoc with all the Ospreys this year.

Speaking of intruders, the UK nests are having issues with the returning two year old juveniles. They are all excited and flying about while the adults are trying to take care of their chicks that will soon be fledging. Today there were three intruders at the Glaslyn nest. All hatched at the Dyfi Nest. Z2 (Aeron, 2017) has chicks on the PC nest with 01 at Glaslyn. He quickly moved Hesgyn KA3 (2019) and Dinas KS6 (2018) along before they could do any lasting damage. Here is a video clip of all that action:

There were intruders at Foulshaw Moss Nest also. While watching Tiny Little get ready to stand up, in a quarter of a blink he was flat down like a pancake. For a moment I thought he had broken his leg – but, no – somewhere there were unwanted guests.

Did the adults teach them to do this? or is this 65 million year old instinct at work?

My friend, “R” also wrote today to tell me of another bird in the wrong place. It begs to ask how many instances of birds being where they shouldn’t are there? There is a Stellar’s Eagle in New Brunswick, Canada that should be in Russia and there were definitely birds out of location in Toronto earlier in the season.

The bird in England is a beautiful Black-browned Albatross. It should not be in the Northern Hemisphere! Imagine what a sight it was for those in Britain. I will follow up later on this story with more information. Thank you, “R”.

Here is the article. If it won’t open, try to copy and paste the URL in your browser. What in the world is this bird doing in England!?

https://www.thisisthecoast.co.uk/news/local-news/rare-albatross-sighting-on-yorkshire-coast/?fbclid=IwAR2lu8erfI5wv_J-I0gGdUvcJ2YM35wipWkXornJDTVtlAdiUgMs372NWRQ

In a swing through the Osprey nests, Tiny Tot is not on the Achieva Osprey Nest. She came in during the night and then left. The fireworks for the 4th must have been really disturbing to all the Osprey in that area. I am going to hope that Tiny Tot is down by the water catching fish to hold her until Elsa passes. She might also be looking for a place to hunker down til the storm passes. Again, because she is a fish eater and not an insect or nectar eater, Tiny Tot should be alright. It is the wind and flying debris if it gets bad. Well, it is worrisome. We can all image a hundred scenarios. I continue to run Laura Culley’s advice in my head – “worrying is nothing more than establishing an outcome in your mind before it happens. Don’t do it!” Need to put that mantra on repeat. Culley would tell me that these birds are much smarter than we are.

Electra has a huge fish that she is eating on the Cowlitz PUD Nest. It is good to see her eating well. She needs to regain her strength. On the other hand, it also makes me very sad. It would have been grand if that size of a fish came on that nest when the little tykes were alive. It might have made all the difference.

Give a shout out to the linemen of Fortis Alberta and to the streaming cam watchers who notified them that Legacy was tangled in monofilament line. They got there in time and saved her life. Legacy was so wound up in the line that she could not even lift her head to eat – and this was during the heat wave. She needed that hydration! The linemen responded to the call quickly. They removed the fishing line as well as the two dead chicks from the nest. Today, just look at her. Legacy is chowing down on a nice fish on the Fortis Red Deer Nest. There are still dark clouds but the rain has stopped and the nest seems to be drying out. That said the forecast is calling for rain tomorrow. The temperatures are in the 17 degree C range, a far cry from the extreme 40s C.

The two chicks on the Fortis Exshaw Nest at Canmore, Alberta seem to be doing alright, also. They are both being fed by mom. The skies are the same as those at Red Deer but they are calling for a thunderstorm tonight and rain tomorrow at the nest. Oh, stay dry little ones!

There seems to be a constant stream of intruders on the Hellgate Osprey Nest of Iris. It is prime real estate right next to the river and the fishing continues, despite the heat and low water, to be good for Iris. Louis has come and helped ward off the Dunrovin juveniles looking for a nest but sometimes, Iris has had to fend for herself The indignity of it all!

There are not enough good trees for the Ospreys and the placement of platforms has to be carefully evaluated because of all the territorial issues. It is confusing. On the one hand old timers tell me that Ospreys do not have territories but if you watch, Louis certainly claims this nest and the one at the baseball park as his even if he fishes in the same river as the other Ospreys. As more male chicks survive and return, careful planning will need to be undertaken for nests – if the water in the rivers and the fish stay sufficient to support a growing population of these fish eagles.

The predictions for Elsa are becoming more worrisome. Each change in the model sees it bearing down more heavily along that Southwest coast of Florida including Fort Myers up to St Petersburg. Please send any warm wishes you have that the system pulls more to the West as it heads towards Florida after Cuba.

Thank you for joining me today. Stay safe wherever you are and thank you to everyone who writes to me. I do try and get to answer your letters as quickly as I can and please know that I appreciate them. I learn something new every day from you! And thank you to all of you for simply loving the birds and doing what you can to make their lives better.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I grab my screen shots: Fortis Exshaw, Fortis Alberta, and the Cumbria Wildlife Trust and the Foulshaw Moss Osprey Cam.