We waited with great enthusiasm for the return of our ospreys this year in the hope that they would nest and that we would have some great views from our camera of the next generation being born.
Nature being what it is, things didn’t turn out quite as we had planned and although the Male arrived in late March and his young female a little later and they did start nest building. They even started an attempt to mate but really the female was too young for this to be successful as she will only become sexually mature towards the summer of this year.
Osprey - Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)
Perhaps this is why they were not quite so enthusiastic to stay at the nest site as we might have expected and why they moved off the site during the Easter weekend. Sadly we know that people were walking quite close to the site, not with bad intent but simply because they didn't know any better or that there was a nest there. The birds decided that this wasn't the place for them at the moment and off they went.
They have been seen in the area still flying together which probably means that they are simply still at the bonding stage and that they will not even attempt breeding before next year when we hope that they will return to our nest site and that we will have some stunning video available next year.
Ospreys can be seen fishing on the bay and up the River Cree and at Threave castle
In the mean time there have been some great little birds around the reserve with loads of skylark, Rock pipits and wheatears nesting there alongside some of the more obvious shelduck, mallard, lapwing and other waders.
We may not have the big easy to see celebrity show of the ospreys but it is fantastic to be able to enter the reserve to a chorus of skylarks singing angelically above you.
We have also had some lovely mammals around the reserve too with otters, hares and foxes all in evidence this week.
Yes I agree 3 years old would be the most common age to "start" breeding however this female will only be 3 years old a little later this season. It is possible for the birds to start breeding earlier or later depending upon the individuals - they do not breed by the clock or by their birthdays and hopefully this pair having been bonding will breed successfully next year. There is of course the possibility that they have chosen another site and have been successful this year. It is sad that they have not set themselves up at the camera site but that is nature for you - it is unpredictable.
Too young to be successful? This female is nearly three years old which according top "Life of Ospreys" by Roy Dennis page 107 point out that three years old is the most common age for ospreys to start breeding.
Indeed in 2003, 06 (01) raised a family as a two year old and this happening is not unique.
Tiger Signature