Hello everyone.
Phew, what a scorcher! The incredible weather continues here at Loch Garten with clear blue skies and a warm sun making the waters of the loch sparkle and the colours of the forest appear more vibrant than ever.
Loch Garten in the sun
EJ, still furiously incubating her eggs, must be wondering what is going on. Not long ago she was almost buried in snow and now she's sat in temperatures that must remind her of Africa (well, maybe it's not quite that hot, but it feels like it to me!). Often, EJ can be seen with her mouth open, panting like a dog. This is done for exactly the same reason as a dog would do it - to allow maximum heat loss. It does mean, however, that she loses a lot of moisture too and so a couple of times she has disappeared from the nest only to reappear a few minutes later with her underparts dripping with water. This is something ospreys do to not only refresh themselves, but also to ensure that the eggs don't overheat on the nest! Very clever!
Hot stuff: EJ on the nest
Having seen EJ endure the snowy conditions last week and then the sun over the past few days, it makes you wonder why ospreys choose to build or occupy nests that are so open and exposed to the weather! Well, the suggestion is that the adult birds like to have clear views of the skies above and around the nest, to make sure they spot any potential intruders or predators. Not many birds would mess with EJ (just ask Odin when he hasn't brought her a fish in a while...) but, if she ever needs to leave the nest for a bit of exercise or to "go potty" (sorry for the scientific jargon) it's important that there's nothing around such as a crow or a raven that would see the eggs as a delicious snack. Also, when the young ospreys begin to practice flying, around the age of 7 or 8 weeks, they build up their strength through a process known as "helicoptering". This involves hovering in the air over the nest for a few seconds at a time and would be impossible if there were any overhanging branches to block their way.
Thinking about the osprey nest got me wondering about the nesting habits of the other birds we find around the centre. It's amazing how varied and clever the different methods are. Previous blogs have mentioned goldeneyes, who make nests in tree holes (or handily placed nest boxes). Our resident female, Gloria, appears to have finished laying now and has begun covering the eggs with her own downy feathers. Female goldeneyes get no help from the male when it comes to parenting and this self-made duvet allows her to head out to the loch and feed herself, safe in the knowledge that her clutch will stay toasty.
Another bird we have noticed exhibiting nesting behaviour are a pair of redstarts. These small, robin-like migrants naturally make nests in small cavities in dead trees, similar to those of crested tits. Unfortunately, because so many forests have been carefully managed over the years, there is a distinct dearth of standing deadwood available and so, like goldeneyes, redstarts will happily use nestboxes (albeit ones with much smaller entrance holes). In fact, we have already seen the female (Rhonda?) entering the box with moss and lichen to line her imminent nest. She has also been seen (courtesy of another handily placed camera) digging an egg cup in the middle of the nesting material. Does this mean she's getting ready to lay? We'll keep you posted!
Redstart des res?
As I made my way up the to the centre this morning I spotted a robin (Rosemary? This naming thing is getting a bit silly now...) flit across the path in front of me. I stopped for a look as she perched on a branch and saw that she had a small clump of grass or some similar material (robins will often use animal hair to line their nest!) clamped firmly in her beak. Robins are notorious for nesting in a variety of strange places including sheds, kettles, boots, hanging baskets, coat pockets, under car bonnets, in farm machinery and even on boats in daily use! Usually, however, their nests are located in hollows on or near to the ground in well concealed holes. The female robin usually builds the nest and does all of the incubation, however, unlike poor old Gloria the goldeneye, both the male and female robin will be around to look after and feed the chicks when they hatch.
If you've visited the centre recently you'll almost have certainly noticed that there have been one or two (try hundreds!) of siskin alongside our regular chaffinches. Siskins are small finches and the males have bright yellow feathers with a black head. They really are beautiful little birds, not to mention total bullies when it comes to the window feeder! Siskins build nests high up in the Scots pines. The nest is a small and tidy cup, built from twigs covered with lichen, and lined with feathers, hair and fine roots. The female alone will incubate the eggs (which are smooth and glossy, pale blue with lilac and pink spots) but both parents feed the young.
A siskin in flight (not intentional, they just don't stay still for long enough)
Around the loch edge I've also recently been seeing a number of common sandpipers. These migratory waders arrive during April, creating shallow hollows on the ground into which they lay their eggs. These are nearly always located near freshwater which can make them very susceptible to predators and disturbance. Amazingly though, at the first sign of trouble, any young chicks can cling to their mothers feathers and be flown away to safety!
Well, there we go. A few fascinating nuggets of information for you to digest while you bask in the sun. Unless, of course, it's not sunny where you are. In which case, it must be really annoying to hear about how lovely it is here, sorry about that. (It is very lovely though...perfect time for a visit!)
Cheers,
Chris