This is a story that emerged last summer. I had intended to write it up at some point. I finally got it done in early December 2014. Now I am publishing it here.
Tiger Signature
Green 7B is one of those ospreys who kept popping up in various ways over the last 15 years. Now Green 7B died back in 2005 so many of us thought that was that. However there was an amazing epitaph last summer when we discovered that history needed to be rewritten.
Green 7B first entered the public domain when she turned up at Loch Garten in 2002. Ollie had failed to return in 2002 and five males were fighting for the territory. The female Olive disappeared for a month and when she came back there was a new female on site viz Green 7B. There was an amazing six hour battle before Olive prevailed. Later Loch Garten announced that Green 7B was actually Ollie's granddaughter.
Of course in 2003 Green 7B turned up at the nest occupied by White EJ and Orange VS and evicted EJ. This was to be a significant act in that it led to EJ eventually finding her way to Loch Garten and becoming the new new female in residence there.
The next time we hear of Green 7B is during the translocation to Rutland in 2005. A pair of young ospreys had been orphaned because of the death of their mother and their father (Orange VS) was unable to cope. Now of course this female was Green 7B.
So the story rested until this summer. Someone got in touch with me and said "Green 7B was hatched at Loch of The Lowes" in 2000. To say I was incredulous is an understatement. Of course the immediate question was how could this be so given that both Loch Garten and Roy Dennis say that Green 7B is Ollie's granddaughter.
There is a clue on page 33 of "Life of Ospreys" as Roy Dennis keeps describing old Eric as Green 8. Now I always thought that a typo as we know that old Eric was Green B. Now in retrospect it was not a typo. For a time Eric was thought to be Green 8 but better technology made him Green B.
Loch of the Lowes has since confirmed that Green 7B was hatched at Loch of the Lowes.
So some mysteries remain. Why did this fact never get mentioned? We still got to find who Green 8 really was.
Great Tiger. Thank you for publishing I forgot all about our last summer detective work. This summer we can investigate green 8. Lovely summary thank you.
The lovely part is that one of Lady's chicks visited LG.
Unknown said: Great Tiger. Thank you for publishing I forgot all about our last summer detective work. This summer we can investigate green 8. Lovely summary thank you.
Ah it was a great pleasure Lmac. Excellent detective work. Truly one of the great stories.
Unknown said: The lovely part is that one of Lady's chicks visited LG.
Yes she visited Loch Garten as a two year old and took on old Olive who had been female in residence since 1994. The previous female having died because of getting entangled in fishing line in 1993 and left Ollie to bring up the two chicks alone.
Nice summary of an intriguing story Tiger. As always, more questions than answers to these things.
ChloeB & Tiger's Osprey Data
Very interesting Tiger and for me all the more because Lady is involved. Sadly it sounds like she did not have a very productive or long life.
Tempo said: Very interesting Tiger and for me all the more because Lady is involved. Sadly it sounds like she did not have a very productive or long life.
Well that is the very surprising thing. Why did no one ever mention that Green 7B was a daughter of Lady?
ChloeB said: Nice summary of an intriguing story Tiger. As always, more questions than answers to these things.
Indeed. Next question is who got green 8 from here
.... and all from a tiny sentence found in the forward hide at LG and some very helpful people there and at Lowes. Amazing. I wonder how many other examples have only come to light since new telescopic zoom lenses.