Tag Archives: Traverse City Bald Eagles

Tragedy and Hatches…quick look on Tuesday

2 June 2026

Hello Everyone,

We finally got a little bit of rain and were thankful, but in London, it was coming down by the bucketful.

But I am going to the leading news.

Snow’s nest – the Traverse City Bald Eagle nest in Michigan – gave way as Snow was being fed. The rescue team is on its way. Last two images.

A bald eagle feeding its chick in a nest made of twigs, with a clear blue water background.
A close-up view of a bald eagle's nest in a tree, overlooking a blue lake in Traverse City, Michigan. The scene is sunny with visible foliage and a shoreline.

The second tragedy is that Scout has died. That is the nest with Sunday where the eaglets were removed to be banded and Scout returned without regard to the conditions. He was denied food and beaten badly by Sunday.

Quite honestly. Someone will criticise me harshly but I am one for intervention. I say it loudly. If people can destroy public buildings, kill innocent people, drill on sacred lands, then someone can switch off a camera and put food on a nest. Make it a test case all the way to the Supreme Court. What is it going to hurt? It might help!!!!!!!! I am so angry for the disregard for the lives of the wildlife that we share this planet with – they don’t leave their trash for us to hurt our children. But we do! Any ideas, folks?

The good news is that there is a hatch at Glacier Gardens.

SK Hideaways has been away watching the flying in San Jose and those four little feisty male chicks of Monty and Hartley!

SK Hideaways Videos, week of 24 May 2026

FOBBVCAM Eagles ~ Big Bear Valley, CA ~ Jackie, Shadow, Sandy, and Luna
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

Jackie Tries to Brood Her Big Eaglets as Wind Rocks Nest🌪️ (2026 May 26)
As Big Bear blustery winds rocked the nest tree, Jackie protected her eaglets as she always does from any perceived threat. Sandy nipped at her while she tried to aerate Sandy’s spot, but soon settled. Happily, the winds eventually settled a bit as well.
Sandy and Luna are 52 days old.
Video: https://youtu.be/Ni1s0kUuII0

Fraser Point Eagles ~ Santa Cruz Island, CA ~ Cruz, Andor, Sasha, Zume, and Ryder
Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org | Fraser Point Eagles Cam Ops
Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY4V_AppZ6s
With 5 eagles on 1 nest with endless fish, space is getting tight! (2026 May 24)Eaglets Sasha, Zuma, and Ryder are all 8 weeks old (give or take a few days). When both parents are also on the nest, things get a little cozy. The video captures  beautiful golden sunset light on the Zen Nest as the last fish of the day was consumed and gold turned to dusk.
Video: https://youtu.be/9fGQ2246s18
San Jose City Hall Falcons ~ San Jose, CA ~ Hartley, Monty, Jet, Scout, Stewart, and Walton
Courtesy San Jose City Hall Peregrine Falcon Cam
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

Fledge Day 2 ✈️ Scout, then Jet Fledge ➕2 Rescues 🛟 2026 May 29
Reporting from the ground in San Jose, here’s a look at what the cameras caught during fledge day 2. Feeling incredibly grateful to be here live observing these stunning, graceful falcons. As such, reporting will be sparse and delayed for the next couple days.
Video:  https://youtu.be/kIcphBp29qU

Stewart’s Fledge ~ Walton’s Rescue ~ Busy Day for Hartley & Monty (2026 May 28)The 3 chicks remaining at the nest played in the rain in the wee hours. Then with little fanfare, Stewart inadvertently fledged from the same spot where Walton stumbled yesterday. This time, we saw Stewart fly beautifully, with Monty right behind making sure all was well. I hear that he has found a good place to roost. Later, Walton was found on the ground and escorted up to the City Hall rooftop, where he stayed until Hartley tempted him down to the Mayor’s balcony for a late lunch. He fluttered down and ended up getting two meals for his trouble. He has done some traveling since then, but we’ll leave that story for another day.
Video: https://youtu.be/hW4WVZR6AAU

The 4 Boys’ Last Morning Together as Fledge Fever Begins + Walton’s Fludge (2026 May 27)When peregrine falcons have fledge fever, we know the time of nest-level innocence is waning. So we captured the last moments of this time, culminating in Walton’s unintentional departure from the nest ledge aka his fludge. As of this post, Walton has been rescued from the ground, returned to the City Hall roof, and fluttered down to the Mayor’s balcony, where he’s been well fed. Video of his rescue to come.
Video: https://youtu.be/4a0U6yTjfAo

Scout Scales Nest Board, Explores Upper Ledge, Flys to Low Ledge 😮‍💨 (2026 May 26)In keeping with his name, Scout (blue) worked on his merit badges and being prepared. He scaled the nest board, dropped down behind it and returned, explored the upper ledge, and flew from the upper to lower ledge when Hartley arrived with dinner. He returned to perch on the nest board with Monty, who was not in the mood for father-son bonding, but Scout didn’t seem to mind, as he basked in his day’s big accomplishments.
Video: https://youtu.be/gJPOZNVVLf4

Chicks Play Shell Game ~ Who’s Who on the Ledge? (2026 May 24)All four chicks perched on the low east ledge at once for the first time. Keeping track of who was who as they shuffled themselves around was a shell game of epic proportions. 
Video: https://youtu.be/jZzoKaYdx1c

I have received a sad letter from our good friend and osprey monitor (writer, etc) VV from Maryland – nests are appearing to fail. There are at least 15 of them within eye shot. They note, “My husband tells me most of the fish our ospreys eat IS menhaden, I had thought the fish were mostly spot. I also just learned alewives and bunkers are the same fish as menhaden. They say never to old to learn …  Friends on boats tell me the trawlers are busy at the mouth of the bay. 

The fishing still seems plentiful enough, but this is the second day I haven’t seen the male on the one nest I was sure had hatched chicks. And a nest I can only judge when a bird stands, I finally caught sight yesterday of a female standing with a very depleted crop. Plus it is windy again today.

It has been very windy the entire “spring” – which has been unusually chilly. If egg laying happened the week in April I thought, then this is the week chicks should be hatching. I’ve seen a couple nests where there had been incubation but now abandoned,–including a well-established and traditionally productive nest directly across the creek at Jack’s (my husband) aunt’s house. Foliage has grown in around other nests and I’m hoping they’re still brooding viable eggs. But unless the male returns to save the day on Nest 5, the 5 nest platforms along my yard have only one active nest remaining. And they’re first-time parents.”

What is happening at Indian Creek has already happened at other sites. I am keeping a very close eye on Dewey Beach, with its one osplet and a nest right in the middle of this storm.

The male is landing but no fish so far this morning and Mum is busy fish calling. I wish she would go and try her luck.

Congratulations to Loch of the Lowes that had their first hatch at 0430 Tuesday, 2 June!

That’s it. I am going to watch for news of the rescue of Snow but I am not hopeful that beautiful eaglet survived. Few do from that height. I remember Scout and Bella’s babies from last year and the MN-DNR nest of Nancy. But send positive energy. I want to be wrong.

Take care.

Thank you to SK Hideaways and to all those who post images on FB and the owners of the cams so that we can watch the nests.

Tragedy at SF Golden Gate Audubon…late Saturday in Bird World

30 May 2026

Hello Everyone,

We hope that the start to the last weekend in May has been good to you. We are moving into June and the time is passing too quickly. All winter I complained about the cold and ice and the fact that we could not get out and walk as we used to due to the icy sidewalks and trails. Now it is so hot that we have heat warnings and due to Toby’s breed and Don’s medication, we can’t go out if it is too hot!!!!!!!! I hate complaining. On top of this, Don is loving the series Death in Paradise. It is filmed at Deshaines in Guadaloupe, where we stayed on our last big holiday. We recognise so many of the places! Gosh, that was fun, and the weather was beautiful. The hummingbirds would flit around our faces in the morning and evenings, and we spent so much time in the new Botanical Gardens while staying in a small cottage on the grounds of the Old Botanical Gardens. It was magical. I hope you can all go one day – just eat the fish the women cook on the beach. Fresh, grilled, and wrapped in newsprint! Delicious.

We were out early for a Toby walk and then to pick up our little Hyskap plants. Toby and Don waited 45 minutes in line with me – the programme is a success, and yet, most of my neighbours do not know about it. Our little plot of land is almost brimming with trees and shrubs for the birds and animals. We are pleased. We are on a mission to drink lots of homemade ‘sun’ tea (cold tea made with tea bags, not the powdered pre-sugared kind). The key is to keep everyone hydrated, including The Girls, Toby, and the animals outside. I hope you are paying attention, too!!!!!

It is the very last season for the streaming cam for Richmond and his new mate, Wendy. That in itself is a sad occurreance but this morning tragedy struck. The first egg DNH nor did the second. There was one little osplet. Wendy sadly could not figure out how to feed it in time to save that precious baby. She removed her dead chick and the last unviable egg to the edge of the nest this morning.

Richmond sees his baby for the first time – so joyful after losing his long term mate, Rosie, this year, and now, this little one perished.

Two ospreys are seen in their nest, handling a fish that is partly visible among sticks and twigs.

I wish Golden Gate Audubon would reconsider shutting off the camera. Perhaps a fundraiser? There aren’t to many ospreys! How many do we get to watch in California? And Richmond is still there after all these years – . I wonder if they might change their minds?

A close-up of an osprey in its nest, with surrounding twigs and some remnants of a previous nestling.

At the Usk Valley, the chick has had four fish delivered, including at least one nice Bream that I saw. Syfadden is an excellent isher. Syfadden and Cogwyn are doing excellent!

Two ospreys perched on their nest made of twigs and branches, with a green landscape and trees in the background under a clear blue sky.

Looks of activity at the San Jose City Hall. All four have flown and it is a busy time for Hartley, Monty, and BOGs chasing these four characters down. SK Hideaways has some video for us: https://youtu.be/kIcphBp29qU?

Gayle Gordon brings us sad news from the Blue Springs Bald Eagle nest. Did someone rescue this eaglet, I wonder.

Screenshot of a newspaper front page titled 'The Daily Chronicle' from June 18, 1946, reporting breaking news about a bald eagle incident at Blu Springs Missouri. The headline reads 'EXTRA! BREAKING NEWS! OWL STRIKE AT BLUE SPRINGS MISSOURI BALD EAGLE NEST KNOCKS EAGLET OFF NEST BRANCH.' The page includes illustrations of eagles and a nest, and various subheadings discussing eyewitness reports and city council discussions.

Augusta and Samson have two osplets at Border Ospreys! Rosie Shields brings us all the latest news.

EAGER BEAVER

Jeff Kerr brings us news at Tweed Valley.

Two ospreys in a nest made of sticks, with two eggs visible nearby. One osprey is eating a fish while the other watches.

It looks like there will only be one hatch at Ranworth this year.

A mother bird feeding her chick in a nest made of sticks, surrounded by greenery.

Just look at that baby – on top and right up front at Poole Harbour.

A close-up view of several baby birds, covered in gray down feathers, huddled together in a nest made of twigs and grass, with an adult bird partially visible in the background.
Aerial view of osprey chicks huddled together in a nest, surrounded by twigs and debris.

Idris, Telyn, and three little osplets at Dyfi. It is all under control.

An osprey perched on a nest made of twigs and sticks, interacting with chicks and feeding them, set against a backdrop of rolling hills and green vegetation.

Elen and Teifi are doing well with their three at Glaslyn.

A bird sitting in a nest made of twigs and branches, with two small chicks nearby, on a grassy background.

It’s hard to see but close by at the Pont Cresor nest, Aeron Z2 and Blue 014 also have three healthy little ones!

An osprey nest containing one osprey chick resting, with an adult osprey perched on a nearby branch, against a scenic backdrop of hills and fields during twilight.

The trio at Rutland Water’s Manton Bay nest of Blue 33 and Maya are moving out of the Reptile Phase and getting their beautiful juvenile feathers. Just look at them with their beaks wide open!

A parent bird feeding its chicks in a nest made of twigs, with several young birds visible and a calm water background.
An osprey is feeding its chicks in a nest made of twigs and branches by the water.

Now to check on two nests in the US – Dewey Beach because I am concerned about fish deliveries and the impact of when Omega starts trawling and Traverse Bay because of the nest slide.

Dewey Beach: Mum had a small PS. Four feedings for the baby today, according to wicked fish counter-identifier, Heidi. The little one is so cute.

An osprey stands over its two chicks in a nest made of twigs and branches, near a body of water with a blue structure and outdoor seating visible in the background.
A close-up view of an osprey standing on its nest made of sticks, with visible water and buildings in the background.
An osprey stands near its nest, which contains a fluffy chick, surrounded by sticks and branches, with a waterfront and buildings in the background.

I’d like to think that a miracle is holding up that Traverse City nest. Things are alright. Keep sending positive wishes for both of these nests.

A bald eagle and its chick perched in a nest overlooking a clear blue lake, with surrounding trees and a sunny sky.

Other quick news:

DH3 has branched.

Decorah Eagles: Eaglet DH3 Takes a Giant First Leap from the NestDownload

Heidi reports a pip for Tom and Audrey.

Close-up of an osprey's head near a nest with several eggs, one of which has a crack, indicating a chick may be hatching.

So far, so good at Steelscape.

A mother bird feeding her four chicks in a nest, with three eaglets visible in the foreground and one stretched out in the back, surrounded by natural foliage.

And look at Achieva!

A close-up view of an osprey nest with four young osprey chicks resting among twigs and branches. One chick is standing, while others are sitting in the nest, surrounded by greenery.

There is a crisis in California. Seabirds are starving to death.

A post from the Native Animal Rescue of Santa Cruz County about the rising crisis affecting seabirds in California, highlighting the plight of Brown Pelicans, Cormorants, and Common Murres suffering from starvation and entanglement in fishing lines.
Two pelicans standing side by side, looking weak and malnourished, with text emphasizing their starvation and the plight of seabirds along the coast.

If you see a sick bird and there is someone fishing with a net, get help and scoop them up. Do not cut the line they are attached to. This could kill them. Get them to the nearest wildlife rehabilitation centre!

This reminds me – each of you should be doing some due diligence. In your phone, have the numbers of the local wildlife rescue in your area. Do not be afraid to call them! Do not call the USFWS, call the rescues!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you don’t know the number of the nearest rescue of the streaming cams that you are watching and there is no chat or a moderator, find out what the nearest rescue is and put it in your phone. If you notice something untoward, call and report!

Ever heard of the Dartford Warbler? It has made a comeback. Have a happy read.

A small bird with a gray head and reddish-brown body perched on green foliage, surrounded by budding flowers.

“Dartford Warbler” by tsbl2000 is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

Dartford warbler stages a comeback 60 years after almost vanishing https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/29/dartford-warbler-stages-a-comeback-60-years-after-almost-vanishing?CMP=share_btn_url

The BBC covers the comeback – a 44% increase in numbers!

Record numbers of Dartford warblers recorded at RSPB ArneDownload

Two gorgeous White-tail eaglets on the nest for Milda and Zorro. I note from the chat there is an issue with getting fish to the nest at the weekend – it is the same in many parts of the US and Canada. Humans take over the rivers and the lakes and the raptors cannot feed their families. I really do love some of the regions in the UK that ban human activity during breeding season!

Condensation on the camera lens?

A close-up view of a nesting site for the sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), featuring a nest made of twigs and branches, with greenery and trees in the background.

Incubation continues at many Finnish osprey nests, including 2 and 5. The very first Finnish chick hatched in nest 1 on May 26.

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 30th May 2026

After many calm days, there were two intrusions by strange Ospreys, or possibly the same Osprey in two locations. An unringed male actually landed on Nest Two when Louis was on incubation duty, and was chased off quickly. The chase continued in the air, and meantime Dorcha tag-teamed back onto the nest to protect the eggs. Over on Nest One the intruder didn’t actually land but came close enough, with Garry chasing, to put Aurora on high alert. The eggs are due to start hatching in a couple of days and the two males performed their protective roles perfectly as did the two females. Garry LV0 delivered one fish for Aurora 536 raising the Nest One tally to eighty nine, and Louis also delivered one fish to Dorcha, raising the Nest Two tally to ninety five. It rained lightly on and off, a damp and misty day today, and tonight’s overnight forecast is light rain showers and light winds with a low of 12°C, changing tomorrow to thundery showers with a gentle breeze and a high of 15°C. 

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/FYSl40JJb6s N2 Breakfast for Dorcha 09.10.13

https://youtu.be/TUJEoaQCn3E N2 Louis chases an unringed intruder Osprey off the nest 13.43.22

https://youtu.be/CxaPX74de4g N1 This time, an intruder Osprey is around Aurora’s nest 14.12.27

https://youtu.be/SUYunderRIo N1 As the mist rolls in, Garry brings a fish 19.17.24

Bonus volunteering opportunity – become a citizen scientist for Woodland Trust: 

https://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/careers/?p=8356
https://naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.uk/

Come and join the friendly community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam

Last but not least – Big Red and a nest full of hawklets and chippies. The babies are not only getting their gorgeous juvenile feathers but they are also working those wings.

A nest of red-tailed hawk chicks resting in a nest made of twigs, atop a building with a view of trees and a street in the background.
View of three red-tailed hawk chicks in a nest made of twigs and leaves, with urban scenery in the background.
A red-tailed hawk perched on a nest with three chicks, surrounded by branches, on a high structure overlooking a city street.

Thank you for being with us today. Take care. Stay hydrated. Send good wishes to all the nests and please, if you can, leave water out for wildlife. It could save a life. See you soon!

Thank you so much to everyone who has posted information on FB today, to Jeff Kear and UK Osprey Info, to PB for keeping me informed, and to the owners of the streaming cams and the authors of newsletters and articles. Thank you to Geemeff and SK Hideaways for their videos and daily reports.