It warmed up! Mike finished the railings and will begin the small deck extension shortly. Toby and I planted beans, tomatoes, red peppers, chives, various lettuces, and rosemary. We even managed to almost finish painting a wicker plant stand for one of the lovely chartreuse ferns. It was 17 C. Ann and Don went to the zoo, where to their delight, the peacocks were really putting on quite the show. It was what I call a ‘cracker’ of a day.
‘PB’ just sent a note about Achieva. Jill went out and caught a small fish for Big to eat alone. Then she went out again and came in with a big catfish for both her and Little. She is a brilliant dedicated Mum!
I love the fact that these two osprey are so bonded that they remain together despite having no eggs but protecting their territory and nest for next year! It’s called ‘hope’ and we all could use a good dose of it right now!
Sadly, Flora’s Harry has not been seen at the Alyth Substation osprey platform since Saturday. Flora had to go and find food, and when she left their eggs, the Corvids came and ate them. It is a blessing. There are no chicks to starve, and Flora can have a summer building up her strength. Harry was very special and is a huge loss.
Blue KL5 has not returned to the Loch Garten nest for many days. He is also presumed to be lost like Harry. It has been a rough year in the UK osprey world, much different than in previous years when couples were secure and chicks hatched and fledged in a normal calm manner.
Heidi reports on the saddness coming out of Mispillion Harbour osprey platform.
There is cuteness at the nest of Dylan and Seren – and what a bright spot these little osplets are that are hatching!
So cute – turn around you silly!!!!!!!! Manton Bay with Blue 33 and Maya.
Iris had a little visitor from one of the nests inside her nest!
Have you been wonderfing about the female at the Glen-Hayes nest?
We have a fledge/fludge at Johnson City ETSU.
Have you noticed that Monty and Hartley raise the most energetic chicks?!!!!!!!! Always getting into mischief. SK Hideaways gives us some of their latest antics in this video: https://youtu.be/GhKpFR5-4Ao?
Lady and Dad have been regularly coming to the nest tree in the Sydney Olympic Park.
Hatch watch for Richmond and Wendy.
Gracie Shepherd shows us the latest on the fires on Santa Rosa Island where there are eagle nests with babies!
What a cutie that hatched for Dylan and Seren yesterday with another nice pip in the second egg!
Prey becomes comfy pillows at Big Red and Arthur’s nest in New York.
Aerating the eggs at Pitkin County in Colorado.
Ann loves peacocks and this article just popped up in The Guardian!
It’s raining. The sky is grey and it is cooling off. Hoping for warm weather tomorrow! Take care everyone. We will see you again soon.
Thank you to everyone for their contributions – videos, informative posts and messages with images, authors of FB posts and the owners of the streaming cams that allow us these screen captures and a view into the life of these families.
‘PB’ just sent these great images of Iris leaving with a huge headless fish – the third or fourth NG2 has brought today!
It remains damp and cold on the Canadian Prairies. Poor Toby has to have his feet washed every time he comes inside from running about. We have a small pond in progress, and he is drawn to the mud there!!!!!!!!! Spaniels love water. I am thinking of getting him a kiddie pool for the summer. He might not like it because he can’t swim but we will see. There are enough neighbourhood children that would enjoy the pool if Toby rejects it!
Like so many of you, I have lived a long life, one that allowed me to enjoy a time when nature was not under threat every second. Of course, we did not know then what we do now about how our behaviour was impacting the environment. What would we have done differently had we known?
There are things that I miss. We had the most magnificent Magnolia tree in our back garden and several Mimosa trees in our front garden. At the very back was a wall of bamboo at one time, later replaced by my father’s rose garden. He learned how to grow roses from his grandmother and mother – she had a huge stroll garden lined with hundreds and hundreds of rose bushes. There were Cardinals and Bluebirds that lived in those trees. I also miss the duck pond at the University of Oklahoma. I cannot tell you how many hours I spent there, joined later by my children. Whether or not it was our garden or the ponds and parks near to where I lived, there were always some kind of birds. Some were in drawers with old yellowed cardboard labels in the Sutton collection at the University. They fascinated me! It is nice when everything seems to be falling apart to sit back and recall the magic of our childhoods and how the opportunities we had impacted our lives today.
Like all of you, I have been distressed by the level of Avian Flu spreading across North America. I do not want to add to this, which means disinfecting the bird feeders and tables every 2-3 days. My plan, when the last half-bag of birdseed is finished, is to put out peanuts and those solid seed cylinders to try to avoid contamination. The bird baths and bowls of water have to be cleaned and disinfected, too. The rule is 1 part bleach to 9 parts water.
How to Clean and Disinfect
Empty & Rinse: Dump out the old water and thoroughly rinse the basin.
Scrub First: If there is stubborn grime or algae, scrub the bowl with hot water and a stiff brush before applying bleach.
Disinfect: Pour in your 10% bleach solution. Let it sit in the basin for 10 to 15 minutes to fully kill any germs.
Rinse Thoroughly: Dump out the bleach and rinse the entire bird bath completely with clean water until there are no traces of a bleach odor.
Air Dry: Allow the bird bath to completely dry in the sun before refilling it with fresh water. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
Important Tips
Frequency: Disinfect the bath once a week to keep it safe for your backyard birds.
Alternative: If you prefer not to use harsh chemicals, you can achieve the same cleaning power by using a mixture of 1 part white vinegar to 9 parts water.
Daily Maintenance: Change the water every day or two to prevent mosquitoes and bacteria from building up between deeper cleans.
NOTE: Do not use the brush used to clean the bird bath and water sources for any other purpose. Put it somewhere safe where no one can get to it and use it. I have been known to put these brushes in the dishwasher when I am running a cycle without any dishes to clean the machine.
I was so happy to see that Irv is serving up fish at the US Steel nest – a nest that shares the same river as the Glen-Hayes nest.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Monday 18th May 2026
Another quiet day, a bit damp as rain fell in spells throughout the day, but otherwise peaceful with no alarms or intruders. Garry LV0 brought one fish for Aurora 536, taking his tally to sixty eight. Aurora stashed the remains of that fish on the nest and at the time of this report, near midnight, she is cuddled up beside it. Louis brought three fish for Dorcha and his tally is now level with Garry’s at sixty eight, with the Nest Two tally at seventy due to the two fish brought by Dorcha before his return. Louis loves spending time on incubation duty, and was moaned at by Dorcha for a good few minutes before reluctantly handing over when she returned after polishing off her second fish. Light rain is forecast all through tonight and tomorrow, with a low of 8°C and a high of 15°C.Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/b07a-dMixso N2 Louis brings a whole tiddler trout 10.02.10https://youtu.be/tQL5oriH2dQ N2 Dorcha’s second fish is a decent size 14.45.58https://youtu.be/aJ9dTcnY-nI N2 Dorcha chirrups at Louis but he won’t move 15.59.30https://youtu.be/2Vul7RV667I N1 Aurora calls and Garry brings fish 16.19.14https://youtu.be/GPQqVzFJ2bI N2 Louis happily exchanges fish for time on the eggs 18.36.52
I really respect Ruth, the author of Raptor Persecution UK. Gamekeepers can be rather threatening/frightening people. She is a very brave woman.
For those who love the James Herriot series set in the Yorkshire Dales, they are not all nice and cheerful just like some of the big estates in Scotland do the most horrific things to our raptors.
Donations are down to every wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre – including all of the dog and cat rescues. The Ventana Wildlife Society is having their major on line auction which might net you a tour of the Big Sur Condor area!
I want to add something. We praise those groups that are proactive and the Ventana Wildlife Society is no exception. 20 Condors died in Arizona from Avian Flu. The VWS set about getting permissions to vaccinate their condo. (Yes, a group of condors is called a condo!). The Ventana Wildlife Society, in partnership with the Oakland Zoo and Pinnacles National Park, vaccinated 98 wild condors (not those in zoos) from the Central California flock. 81 condors received at least the first dose, while 45 received the full two-dose series to protect against HPAI.
It was no easy feat with container cages needing to be built in a rather remote area! The determination of this small but dedicated group of individuals is admirable. It made me wonder why those who have access to chicks on streaming cams do not set about to not only band the birds but also to vaccinate them. A single dose vaccine has worked on mice and monkeys and would be ideal as it would be difficult to give the two-dose vaccine as eaglets and eyases are on the nest such a short time.
We are approaching fledge for Big at the Achieva Osprey platform in St Petersburg, Florida.
I love Big Red and Arthur. It is so exciting to see Big Red let Arthur fully participate in family life – he has certainly earned the right. Arthur is so devoted to Big Red and their babies – the pantry is rarely empty – unless it is on purpose near fledge. I am sad that they lost one of their babies but we don’t seem to need to worry about P3 who is small but mighty.
New Guy 2 has now brought Iris three fish (so far) today! I am so glad that the rushing river calmed itself in time. Cornell Bird Lab caught one of those deliveries on video: https://youtu.be/RkGQmYEkZro?
My goodness Iris is loud when she sees NG2 arriving with a fish!
I am so glad that fish did not break those precious eggs.
There are three osplets at Patuxent. Oh, my goodness. I worry about those nests.
The latest statement that I have found about the Glen-Hayes eaglets and whether or not the eaglet bodies will be retrieved:
“May 18, 2026 – GLEN HAZEL NEST STATUS
Status Update: Carol Holmgren, Executive Director, Tamarack Wildlife Center
Our hearts go out to all who love these eagles and are grieving. We have been blessed with 100% survivorship of eaglets from the Hays/Glen Hazel eagle nests over the past 14 years, while it is typical for 30% of eaglets to not survive until fledging age.
Kudos to the Glen Hazel moderator team for promptly noticing signs of illness in the chicks and notifying Tamarack Wildlife Center’s Executive Director and Licensed Rehabilitator Carol Holmgren on Friday morning, May 15. Carol immediately reached out to Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) colleagues, to loop them in that day, and has been in conversation since then. A few updates:
It is FWS policy to let nature take its course at eagle’s nests and only approve intervention when there is a threat to the eagles that has a clear human cause such as fishing line entanglement or swallowing a fish hook. In this instance, the eaglets were ill, but not with a clear human cause where FWS and PGC would approve intervention. Much as that is difficult for us to witness, it is part of the natural history that eagles live with daily.
The eaglets likely passed from Avian Influenza. Their symptoms and the progression of the illness is consistent with Avian Influenza, and they could have contracted it from ingesting goslings and geese that had been brought to the nest as food. We cannot know for certain without testing, but this is the most likely cause based on the evidence.
The adults may also have been exposed to the virus. They typically have a stronger immune system than the young birds, and may be able to fight off the virus. Time will tell. We will be monitoring them. There is no treatment that can be given while they are free-flying. If one is on the ground due to illness, it may be able to be treated by a rehabilitator.
Our hope is that their immune systems are strong and they can remain healthy.
Our highest concerns at this point are 1. supporting the health of the remaining adult eagles and 2. caring for the moderators and community who love these eagles.
Now that the two eaglets have passed, PGC has had extensive discussions about the risks vs benefits of accessing the nest to retrieve the now two deceased eaglets. They have decided not to pursue retrieval, in part to not stress the adult eagles through human presence at the nest.
There is no practical benefit to confirming that the eaglets succumbed to Avian Influenza, beyond the human desire to know. The disease is known to be endemic in Pennsylvania now and there are no management actions that would be taken with that information.
Due to the regulations and Acts protecting eagles and their nests, any access to the nest would also require both PGC and FWS support.
PGC will be continuing to monitor the situation. If an eaglet should fall to the ground, they may pursue retrieval and testing since stress on the adult birds would be less, and FWS approval would not be needed.
Below is the full statement shared by our colleagues in PGC today. We appreciate the thoughtfulness with which they have considered this situation, and their continued collaboration.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) appreciates the concerns of the public regarding the eagles in the Glen Hazel Eagle Nest Cam, located in Allegheny County.
Wildlife watching opportunities, especially ones that can occur from anywhere thanks to wildlife cameras and digital technology, are a popular way for the public to learn and love wildlife.
Unfortunately, nature can be hard to watch at times. When situations occur on live wildlife webcams, including this eagle’s nest, human intervention is not always recommended or possible.
PGC evaluated the situation carefully and considered many factors including human safety and exposure to potential pathogens. Additionally, human intervention could further stress the adult eagles. Any actions must also comply with federal regulations related to the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. At this time, we have chosen to not intervene. If a safer opportunity presents itself in the future, we may pursue disease testing to hopefully determine what caused the death of these eaglets.”
I ‘love’ Blue 33 and Maya and I am so glad that the three little bobbleheads are doing so well. Those blue eyes and that light soft taupe down with their lovely back stripe and that black eye-liner. They are so precious….all babies are so cute but I do love the tiny little osplets before they hit the reptile stage!
The Girls got their favourite crunchy treats while Toby needed a new Little Lamb. These little squeaky toys were his first and to this day, some 15 months later, they remain favourites. This one is getting ready to celebrate Canada Day on 1 July.
Thank you so much for being with us. We wish you peace and calm.
Thank you to Geemeff for her extensive report on all things Loch Arkaig, to ‘PB’ for her great images and notes, to all those who posted information and videos on FB or YouTube keeping us informed of the latest happenings at the nests, and to the owners of the streaming cams, we are so very grateful to be able to share the lives of these amazing Avian families.
It is Thursday evening, and Toby and I are having our ‘quiet’ time. Thursday was a busy day working in the garden. We are so excited about planting the flowers and veggies this weekend! Our neighbour has finished the longest railing for the deck, and we will be looking for over-the-rail planters for shade flowers. The colour will be ‘red’ this year!
Unless something dramatic happens, I will take at least a day off to plant and enjoy being outside instead of checking the screens. I urge you to do the same!
Not wanting to start any rumours, but where are the fish for our Iris? There is some concern about the whereabouts of New Guy2 at Hellgate Canyon. Is he around? Is he bringing fish? A piece of a fish was brought in by a male, but was it NG2? All I will say is that if these males are going to fail Iris, then do it before the eggs hatch. Crap. I desperately want to be wrong about this – just like I thought P3 was sick. It isn’t, thank goodness. Maybe just sleepy and in a food coma????
The second egg has hatched for Maya and Blue 33 at Rutland’s Manton Bay nest! Congratulations.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 14th May 2026The forecasted rain held off, just the occasional shower, and nest life went on uneventfully today, no intruders or alarms. Louis delivered two fish to Dorcha, taking the Nest Two tally to sixty one, and Garry LV0 brought one fish taking the Nest One tally to sixty three. Aurora 536 made that one fish last a very long time, and it travelled a fair bit too. There was much discussion around eggs, chick hierarchy, fostering and survival rates. WTS George reposted his comment
around expectations and the challenges of nest cam watching, link in the bonus section. Tonight’s forecast is partly cloudy and light winds with a low of 3°C, continuing tomorrow with light cloud, gentle breezes and a high of 12°C.
You don’t see it very often, but Arthur got to feed his babies. Arthur would love to care more for his children, but Big Red can be very bossy in that regard! He’s rather good at this! https://youtu.be/KEBghI2Yml0?
Fish continue to come to Achieva. Jack is doing well! Keep it going.
Thank you so much for being with us for this quick check-in. It is very windy outside, and we are in a ‘yellow’ warning – it is a huge dust storm! The temperatures are still warm – 23 C.
Take care of yourself. Go outside for a walk. Listen for the soothing sound of a bird singing.
Thank you to Geemeff for their always outstanding Loch Arkaig summary, to SK Hideaways for the great videos, to all those who post on FB with recent news and videos, and to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to witness the lives of our favourite raptor families.
The sky is a gorgeous blue with a few little tiny cottonball clouds floating about. It was grey and cold earlier and to end the day with beautiful sunshine is a real blessing.
We have the first hatch at Rutland Manton’s Bay:
I am also happy to say that thanks to Kathryn we continue to know the goings on of one of my favourite Welsh ospreys, Aran, and his new mate.
Cornell Bird Lab is doing a great job of producing short videos of Big Red and her chicks.
We are a few days away from fledge at the Venice Golf and Country Club osprey platform. Chicks hatched on 20, 21, and 23 March.
I don’t know what has gotten into Jack at Achieva but he is being much more helpful to Jill in bringing in fish as of late.
It has been almost like a tag team, with Jill bringing in a fish and Jack coming in a few minutes later with another. It sure helps. Jill can feed herself, and Little and Big can work on the self-feeding she is getting so good at.
It rained at Achieva and it looks like Jack came in with a late fish. Maybe Diane will not need to go fishing tonight.
I have waited to send this so that I could include Geemeff’s summary from Loch Arkaig and here it is:
Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 12th May 2026Today was mostly peaceful on both nests, barring an intruder alert near Nest One, and an intruder Osprey actually landing on Nest Two. While Louis and Dorcha were most unhappy and furiously chased the intruder away, the watchers were pleased to solve a mystery as this intruder had visited twice before but his Darvic ring could not be read. Today however he positioned himself just long enough to see that he is Blue 2B6, hatched 2023 in Kielder, and not Blue 286 hatched 2019 in Cumbria. There’s still a slight mystery about this bird as it was initially thought to be female, but now tending towards the possibility of being male. Whichever is correct, we wish Blue 2B6 success at finding a nest and a mate but preferably away from the two Arkaig nests as hatching day comes closer. Louis brought one fish for Dorcha taking the Nest Two tally to fifty seven, and Garry LV0 brought two fish for Aurora 536 taking the Nest One tally to sixty.
Thank you for being with us today. It is time to take Toby for a last walk before bed. Tomorrow he has his first annual check up. Wish us luck! Take care all. We will see you soon.
Nitey-nite from Toby wearing his new halter. He loves orange!
I will try and get some good images of The Girls this weekend for you. I feel like I have neglected them.
Thank you to Geemeff, Heidi, and PB for their notes and news, to the owners of the streaming cams, the authors of the FB posts – we are so ever grateful for the time and dedication you take in providing us with news and views of our favourite raptor families.
We wake up, and over our morning cuppa, we count the animals at the feeders. There are always four grey squirrels, one red squirrel, two Blue Jays, and two Crows. The number of Starlings, Sparrows, Juncos, and others varies during the day. But, for two days, there have only been three grey squirrels. Thankfully, the elderly Dyson, the matriarch of all the grey squirrels, is one of those. But where is the other one?
On our walk with Toby, we passed by the house that had burned down at the corner some time ago. There on the boulevard was the grey squirrel. It had no visible signs of being hit by a car, and there were no wires for it to fall from its position. A friend of Don’s was here for lunch, and we determined with some minor science that it had probably been poisoned. Its body was brought back to the garden where it had played in the lilacs and filled its belly for several years with peanuts. I buried it between two trees. Will find a beautiful stone to sit on top – incense lifted its spirit into the wind.
My concern now turns to who is using rodenticide and why. Yes, there are mice. Most of us feed the birds, and where there is seed, there are mice. I have been told that using only Black Oil Seed and peanuts will not attract the mice as the grains do. The Crows and the Hawks catch mice; we don’t have to do anything. Owls, of course, are another great way to rid an area of rats and mice. But with rodenticide use, nothing is safe. What if the Crows had eaten the carcass? Or a pet dog? Toby? One of the feral cats? Brock? It makes my mind go crazy thinking about poisoning our world.
Luckily, our lovely company kept my mind off of rodenticide and I needed to check the ospreys while Don was busy with his friend.
I had a look, and, surprise, surprise, there is the first UK pip at Maya and Blue 33’s nest at Rutland’s Manton Bay!
It is such a deep nest. We need an overhead cam!!!!!!!!!
All is well with the trio at Big Red and Arthur’s Red-tail Hawk nest on the Cornell Campus. Yes, P3 is being fed!!!!!!!!!!!! No one is left out. We are too conditioned by the osprey and eagle nests!!!!!!!! Hawks and Falcons are notorious for making sure everyone is fed. There is no shortage of prey.
The first failed osprey nest in Maryland was in Severna Park. Was it before those failing in Virginia? It is not clear. I am receiving notes today that several other nests where Omega Protein fishes a mile off the coast of Nassawadox Creek are seeing the adults abandon their eggs. Nassawadox Creek is a tidal waterway in Northampton County, Virginia, on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. There will be more, and we must prepare ourselves. If you have not figured it out, the decline in osprey numbers is worse than the DDT crisis of the 1970s. Someone needs to do something about this!
Sad news coming out of Scotland over the use of an illegal trap.
There is really great news coming out of Glaslyn. Aran and Elen’s two year old chick has touched down for all to see! What a wonderful migration and so happy that one of their babies has been seen in Wales.
This is a reason to ring every osplet on every osprey nest – which is attempted in the UK but not in North America.
Everything is going well at Achieva Osprey Platform.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Monday 11th May 2026
Another routine day, it started and ended with a little rain, and in between were lots of fish deliveries – both males brought three fish each, although one of Louis’ was so tiny, it needed a close up to see it was actually a whole fish and not just a scrap, and Garry LV0 also brought a tiny fish – his was still flapping. The Nest Two tally rises to fifty six, and Garry’s rises to fifty eight. It’s great to see both males supplying a steady stream of fish as hatching day starts getting nearer when it will be paramount. As the day ends, Dorcha and Aurora 536 are tucked up sitting on eggs on their respective nests, protecting them from the sporadic light rain which is set to continue through the night and most of tomorrow, with an overnight low of 6°c and a high of 13°c tomorrow afternoon.
There is so much going on. Iris’s new mate kept her company at the nest. This lad really does like to incubate, but I wish he would fish a bit more!
I love Iris and New Guy 2 watching their trains!
Thank you so much for being with me this evening. Take care! See you soon.
The two besties – Toby and Hugo Yugo – wish you a great week.
Thank you to Geemeff for all things Loch Arkaig, to ‘PB’ and Heidi for counting and identifying fish, to everyone who posts on FB with images and news updates, to Raptor Persecution for always reporting what is truly going on without any prejudice, and to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to watch these amazing families.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 2nd May 2026
In the early hours of this morning, Dorcha produced egg number three, most probably her final egg as she’s not one of those rare Ospreys who produce four eggs. Nest Two was calm today, no intruders and two fish deliveries, although Louis did take his time with the second, bringing it more than fourteen hours after the first. Louis’ tally rises to thirty five, and the nest total to thirty seven. Over on Nest One, Aurora 536 spent most of the day on the nest, although she did spend a block of more than three hours off the nest, leaving the egg unattended. She might have been perched nearby, it was in the early hours so we don’t know. Garry LV0 brought two fish, taking his tally to forty three, and he’ll need to keep up a steady supply as Aurora’s second egg is due tomorrow. At the time of filing this report (23.30), Louis is still on Nest Two incubating the eggs, looking unlikely to move any time soon although Dorcha is standing right behind him.
‘PB’ continues to admire the fortitude of Jill, the female at the Achieva Osprey Platform, in St Petersburg, Florida. I don’t blame them. Jill is stepping up on the number of catfish she is bringing to the nest. As the two chicks get older, they require more food. She has to eat. Jack is not contributing nearly enough. We think of healthy osprey chicks. I look at nests like the Dyfi nest of Idris, Blue 33 at Manton Bay, Dylan at Lyn Clywedog, Louis at Loch Arkaig, or Blue 022 at Poole Harbour. Let’s think 7-8 fish a day. Nice big fish – not little twiddlers. Of course, there are others, White YW – I could go on and on. So the gold standard would be those 7-8 big fish, like Mullets, to make healthy fat osplets to fledge. I fear that like many of the eagle nests we have seen where the eaglets looked healthy but when taken into care were noted to be infested and ‘thin’ (Eagle Country a couple of years ago). So bravo to Jill. I wish we could drop some nice fish for her.
Others are abandoning their eggs. Severna Park in Maryland is one of the first on streaming cam. I want you to prepare yourself. There has not been an influx of fish falling into the waters. Better the eggs do not hatch than wee babes or fully feathered near-to-fledge chicks starve on camera. I warn you to brace yourself for what could be the most tragic year yet. I want to be wrong. If it is, It is sad and entirely unnecessary.
The Chesapeake Bay ecosystem is in a very dire situation. In its case, there are no Menhaden for the ospreys, the Striped Bass, the Tarrapins or others that fed on them to eat. I cannot comment on the neighbouring states, but we do know from images taken that Omega has been industrial fishing along the shores (within legal limits, but sometimes seen to use helicopters to push the fish out) of other states. Virginia is the problem. Want to change this? People have to care. So you have to elect people who really care about all living things, the balance of life on the planet, and are action, not all talk.
Look at how much Little has grown since it has had fish!
Take care all. See you soon.
Thank you to Geemeff, to ‘PB’, to you the readers who care dearly about all the wildlife and to the owners of the streaming cams that let us witness the lives of these beautiful creatures.
It is 6 C and what a wonderful sunny day it has been.
There is great news coming out of Glaslyn. Our dear Aran, once the mate of Mrs G and then Elen, ousted from his nest at Glaslyn in 2025 by Teifi, is now with a new mate and there are eggs!
From the Glaslyn Osprey Group FB:
Big Red and Arthur will have a lovely little chick soon.
Look at the front egg!!!!!!!
There is now some concern for Winken at Moorings Park who was seen with a fishing line hanging from its beak.
Fish continue to be delivered by Jill at the Achieva nest with a fish arriving from Jack around 11:18 this morning.
Ping Shen reports on the Seattle couple, Harry and Sally: “Making up for lost time – Harry has been busy delivering both fish and nesting material, and also spent some time today excavating the “bowl” of the nest (you can see things flying out behind his talon, almost like a dog), sitting in it, etc. Hopefully Sally is pleased, despite his late arrival! Great to see them both back…no eggs yet, but perhaps soon…”
Viki writes with good news from Maryland: “I discovered a 22nd nest on the island, and it had 2 osprey – looked a very bare platform so perhaps they’re new. And another of my original 21 has 2 osprey now (maybe with eggs) so that’s 15 of 21 with a pair
And as for LB (the M4 young father who is fiddling around with Ethel on the side), Lily, F4, has figured it out. What LB wants to do is brood those eggs – if he brings a fish, she lets him incubate; if he shows up on N4 antsy, she lets him incubate. She no longer takes her fish to N3, which is on the way to Ethel’s N2, but takes it the other direction to N4’s traditional perch in the North Copse of pine trees. Lily also let LB mate with her-once after I’d seen him copulating with Ethel. (I think she must have a nest full of eggs given how long ago she started seriously incubating and the continued flurry of mating afterwards. Do you think the new father is satisfying himself with brooding? Possibly similar urges ?????”
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 30th April 2026
What a glorious day – Aurora 536 produced her first egg, which clearly took a lot of effort but gave us our first egg on Nest One since Aila had her lockdown trio there in 2020. Six years is a long time to wait and hope for chicks on the original Loch Arkaig camera nest but today that wish is coming true. Garry LV0 was surprised and did a comical double take when he first saw the egg – shortly before it was laid, he came steaming in for a mating attempt and was roundly told off by Aurora, who pecked him and winged him away, and although he offered fish later, she wasn’t interested – had a bit of a hard day! Garry brought her four fish in total, taking his tally to thirty nine, and over on Nest Two, all was calm with Louis bringing one fish for Dorcha, taking the nest tally to thirty three. Today’s videos:
That’s it for me today. Don will be returning with Ann for some dessert after a full afternoon at the nature centre. Thank you for being with us. Take care everyone. Keep an eye on Big Red and Arthur’s nest – we will have some of the cutest babies filling that nest at Cornell shortly.
Thank you to Ping Shen, Geemeff, PB, and Viki for keeping me up to date on their nests. I am terribly grateful to them and those who post on FB and who own the streaming cams that allow us into the lives of these magnificent birds.
They have four little eyases, pink beaks, pink toes…white fluff. They are readying to be able to see (it usually takes 4-5 days). Monty and Hartley’s little falcon babies are so cute. Each one is doing so well.
Audubon Florida has published their annual report. These summaries are very interesting and you can learn a lot! Take, for example, how hurricanes benefit some shorebirds: “When multiple hurricanes and storms in 2024 rearranged habitats across the Gulf Coast, the resulting expanses of bare sand created ideal conditions for beach-nesting birds, especially Wilson’s Plovers. Combined with a lack of major storms in 2025, our team saw encouraging results for many coastal bird species all around the Sunshine State, thanks in large part to the dedication of our incredible shorebird steward staff and volunteers.”
Check it out. We can all learn something and what is happening in one region might give some insight into what is occuring in others.
Ospreys have returned to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum platform.
Ospreys have also returned to a very sad nest at Collins Marsh in Wisconsin. It is on top of the roof of an old fire watch tower that was hauled in to the nature centre. This nest has always needed attention and I feel for these two because it looks as if there are no rails at all and the whole is sloping downwards. My wish would be that every owner of a streaming cam connected to an osprey platform make an effort during the off season to clean and refurbish – and strengthen the nests and the platforms.
I just want to call it ‘evil’. I am still trying to wrap my head around the mind of an individual who would shoot a mute female swan incubating eggs and then stomp on her eggs, leaving her life-long partner to mourn. Now, the poaching of Bald Eagles in Michigan. These inconceivable acts of abuse and violence against animals happen in every country. No region is immune. Some blocks away from where I live, but close enough for discomfort, a seemingly normal couple tortured and killed cats on the dark web for money. They were looking for a child to be next when they were caught. The cruelty by the individuals against the swan, the eagles, and the raptors in places like Scotland tells me that if a person would hurt an animal, what in the world would they do to a human? They have no heart.
There is great news coming from the Snow Lane Osprey Platform in Newfoundland, Canada – Beaumont has just returned. Let’s hope his new mate arrives safely!
We have egg number 3 at Lyn Brenig in Wales.
The female at Loch Garten returned today after a week’s absence and laid her first egg.
Things going very well with Andor and Cruz’s triplets after the return of Ryder who fell out of the nest by the IWS.
Beautiful eggs of Teifi and Elen.
‘PB’ sent me a note that USS 11 was returned to the nest along with some nice fish gifts! Congratulations. Well done.
Thank you so much for being with us today for this quick report. We hope that you are well and enjoying the beginning of your week! Take care. We will be back in a couple of days – unless Big Red and Arthur have hatches and we will be back sooner.
Thank you so much to ‘PB’ for her alert, to the owners of the streaming cams for allowing us to view the lives of our bird friends, to Jeff Kear at UK Ospreys FB for keeping me on my toes, and to all who post information and images on FB to keep us up to date on what is happening.
Did you see it? Ryder fell out of the Fraser Point nest of Cruz and Andor. Many worried. Most ‘believed’ IWS would, because of their wonderful history, get the permissions and rescue. Others wrenched their hands.
UPDATE FROM IWS:
“We’re attempting to rescue Ryder. Erin expects to arrive at the nest around noon, and will see if she can find the eaglet. If she does, and it’s healthy, she’ll attempt to climb the tree and return Ryder to the nest. If Ryder is injured, she’s prepared to take him/her to a wildlife care facility.”
True to form, Ryder was rescued. There are lots of videos.
What a dramatic event. We are so blessed to have the dedicated staff at the IWS – and if you are ever looking for a worthy institution to donate, IWS is certainly one that uses your money wisely!!!!!!!!!
I am keeping an eye on Big Red and Arthur and their four eggs on the Fernow Light Stand, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
Have a listen. Have you ever heard a Nightingale? Rewilding is bringing them back. News from Knepp Farm:
There appeared to be no early fish at Achieva. Jill left after 1000. She flew in around 1022 with a fish to feed the hot and hungry kids. Yeah for Mum. She waited as long as she could.
Feed us! Catfish are bony, especially the heads, and it takes Jill a while to get into the meat for the babies. They were anxious for fish but not fighting.
Both adults on nest later looking for intruders.
Jill waiting for more fish: 1635. It is a bad fish day. My heart aches.
Hope that the babies have more fish. The nest has been relatively calm. Little did bonk Big once but paid for it – still, a brve move on the part of the baby.
The third egg at Pont Cresor for Aeron Z2 and Blue 014.
Ashley Wilson catches Winnie and Swoop looking from the perch over the new snow.
We have the first egg at Loch of the Lowes. Wish this new couple the very best!
Oh, it was the most magnificent day. I feel like I won the lottery. When we put on the addition, more than a decade ago, the individual pouring the crawl space had to cut back the deck. I have ignored it…But I can’t any longer, as I fear Don will fall. I phoned a carpenter to get a quote for extending that piece and another area. He came this morning. My neighbour has a friend visiting til he moves into his own space. He is working on The Little House on the Prairie Project, and they wondered what was ‘happening’ when I opened the gate so they could take some red lounge chairs I didn’t need. As it turns out, that friend is a carpenter, and together they are going to fix everything for me gratis. My neighbour even has the wood and deck screws. I am feeling very teary and blessed. How nice.
We hope that you have a wonderful weekend….Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care.
Thank you to the IWS for always being there, to SK Hideaways and Geemeff for their videos, to the UK Osprey FB group for all their information and to everyone else who posts news on FB as I cannot keep up all the time, and to the owners of the streaming cams – I am forever grateful. We would never know the challenges that these raptor families face.
Geemeff was the first to spot the handsome visitor to Loch Arkaig’s nest 2! Here is the video: https://youtu.be/gUBZwBc-KU4?
We wait.
It is believed that this is the same osprey that intruded on Dorcha when she was on nest 2 on the 9th of April. At the time, Geemeff could only see a ‘J’.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 12th April 2026
Amidst the disappointment of the continuing absence of Louis, Loch Arkaig’s resident male since 2017, a shining event occurred with the arrival of the very handsome male JJ4. He’s a local lad, fledged in 2020 from the non-cam nest on private land at the western end of the loch, and he looked right at home perched on Nest Two. After a bit of fiddling with the troublesome stick (which wasn’t a bother at all until Dorcha decided to move it a few days ago), he left his mark on the nest with a well-aimed squirt before flying off towards the loch. Unfortunately, Dorcha missed him as she didn’t put in an appearance at all today, we can only speculate on her motives and hope to see her tomorrow. As a six year old and Dorcha a minimum of 9 years old, JJ4 would be a good match for her should the position become vacant. But that is getting ahead of ourselves. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 and Aurora had a typical day with fish arriving and departing the nest, sticks being brought and furnishings being rearranged, and the odd mating attempt, untroubled by any intruders.
If our birds did have enough challenges, there are the cats – Cats are the number one killer of bird species. Now they are after the oyster catchers. ‘PB’ sent this to me – we both have cats and we want to pass on the message to please keep your cats indoors.
I want to say, up front, a huge thank you to Geemeff, Mary Cheadle, and Jeff Kerr for keeping us informe on what is happening at the UK osprey nests an managing so much data so that it is not lost!
Maya is currently incubating three eggs with mate, Blue 33 at Rutland’s Manton Bay platform.
No eggs yet for CJ7 and Blue 022 at Poole Harbour. Will they raise four again?
In the US, Richmond and Wendy have their first egg at the Golden Gate Audubon nest on the WWII whirley crane on Sunday the 12th.
Heidi reports that we have the first egg at Dewey Beach – the site of much saddness last year.
Pitkin County Trails improved its camera this year and we have ospreys incubating egg/s.
The eagles seem to be doing well. There are fledglings and there are babies. The Dale Hollow nest has three getting their feathers.
There are three for Andor and Cruz at Fraser Point.
FOBBV put out a video of the rain at Big Bear and those precious little eaglets with their full crops of Jackie and Shadow. https://youtu.be/IQjt6zysT30?
Closing with Iris’s familiar pose on her perch overlooking one of the finest osprey nests that I know of – she works hard to tidy it up for departure and returns to something lovely that she continues to fix. (She did not sleep on her perch overnight).
For your reading – the interesting story of a man who put the sound of birds on vinyl – from The Guardian:
It is a heavily overcast day in Winnipeg. 0 degrees at the moment. It should not get warmer than 4 C today with the strange promise of 18-20 C on Wednesday! Mr Crow has just been to the feeder, and Mr Blue Jay is making his way through the lilacs to grab a peanut or two. The European Starlings are arriving as the chickadees leave. I can see the white of the tails of the Dark-eyed Juncos flitting about quietly from the ground to the branches. The promise of rain today is not bothering the birds. They seem especially interested in the seed that Toby and I have been stirring up, or should I say the shells of the seed from the winter. Much will be spread to create compost and new soil towards the back of the garden. Toby and I have now been working on this for three days. At some point, the plan is to get some topsoil and a large container of wildflower seeds and plant them. Whether it will be too shady once the lilac leaf is unknown, but we are going to try it.
What are we reading during Story Time? Rebecca Solnit’s Hope in the Dark. I sometimes need to be reminded that if we think locally, we can get ‘things’ done and not give up hope when the world seems to be falling apart. I have often said to you that if each one of us took care of the animals in our own gardens, or the ones that come to our gardens like Brock, the world would be immensely improved. Solnit talks about being local – you might be part of the movement that only eats seasonally within a 100-mile radius of your home. Imagine how much fuel that would save if we all ate the harvests of the time instead of wanting to have strawberries in Winnipeg in February? We do have really delicious ones in June and July! We try to practice this, and it was refreshing to read that in doing so, it is a bit of a resistance to huge corporations. I did grow up in the 60s and 70s and was part of the back-to-the-land movement. I only wish I had the energy to do that again! The book is good. If you are feeling powerless, pick up a copy from your library or order online. Have a good read – I think it will do wonders for bringing hope back into your heart.
Oh, three crows! The baby from last year is home to help with this year’s brood.
I was wrong. There were at least 8 crows in the garden, with one being attacked. Was it out of its territory and hungry? I wonder.
Thank you for being with us today. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to Geemeff for the news from the Woodland Trust and all the wonderful links, to the UK Osprey Info FB group for always keeping us up to date and to those others who post on FB. Thanks, Heidi, for watching the nests that are not easy. I am grateful to The Guardian for their continuing coverage of the interesting stories about wildlife and the environment, and to all the owners of the streaming cams – without you, we would not be so involved in the lives of these magnificent creatures.
