As I write this blog, EJ has just delivered a fish to the nest...and Mallachie and Garten are having a squabble over who is going to get it No wonder they haven't started their migration, when good sized fish are still being delivered on a daily basis! That fish is the first of the day, but it is a big one! EJ had been eating her fill for fifty minutes, and there was still at least fifteen inches of it left! There were four fish yesterday, at least one of which we believe was delivered by Odin, as the bird literally dropped off the fish and flew away immediately, very characteristic of Odin, who probably doesn't want to get caught between his daughters when they are arguing over the fish!
On Friday there were three fish delivered to the nest. With this ready supply of fish, Mallachie in particular has rarely been away from the nest area, and it will be interesting to see if she has ventured any further than the shores of Loch Garten! She did have a rather strange intruder to contend with on Friday, when a raven was heckling her, and it wasn't until EJ returned in the late morning that it was well and truly chased off!
The wind has really picked up here at Loch Garten this afternoon, you can probably see the effect it is having on the birds, and it is even moving some of the smaller sticks in the nest. I doubt that any osprey would want to start their migration in wind like this, so we may well be able to watch the birds in the centre and on the webcam for a few more days yet!
As well as the osprey, we are still being entertained and amused by the antics of the red squirrels, birds, bank voles and wood mice at the feeders, and this week they have also been joined by a rabbit, who has been a bit of a talking point! We also have lots of fungi popping up in the woods and by the path to the centre, so even when the birds are off stretching their wings there is still plenty to see!
We await the next fish...and the next migration....