Hello everyone,
Apologies for the long gap between blogs - we've been trying to keep you all updated via social media, especially in terms of any osprey sightings on or around the nest, but I know that many of you like to read the latest news on these pages. We'll try to be more regular in future.
In terms of the ospreys, the situation remains much the same. We've still seen no sign of Odin, missing since the 18th of May, and it's getting very unlikely that he'll make a reappearance after this long. EJ is still getting lots of attention from other males, who seem eager to check out the nest. The way to EJ's heart, very like mine, is definitely through the stomach (although I prefer chocolate chip cookies to raw trout) but so far, none of these new boys has taken the initiative and brought EJ a nice, big fish. Currently, her response to any male with the nerve to get too close to the nest is to chase them away with much wing flapping and alarm calling, as she did with a plucky young guy, FC5 (Fergus Cumberland 5...?). FC5 remains something of a mystery man and we are hoping to hear more about his origins soon. However, there is one particular unringed chap who she seems slightly more inclined to have around. Whenever he plucks up the courage to land on the nest, as he appeared to do this morning, EJ stands with her back to him, her wings held down to her front and a decidedly miserable look on her face! For me, watching this behaviour induced vivid flashbacks to the parties of my youth, where I would often receive similar signals from the girls I tried to talk to. My advice to this young osprey would be to persevere - she can't ignore you forever!
EJ gives the cold shoulder!
Fergus Cumberland 5, admiring his own toes...
Unfortunately, it's not only males that EJ is having trouble with. Over the past few days there have been a couple of females who have been hassling her on the nest. These birds, similarly to the males, are probably young, perhaps first time breeders, who don't have their own nest or mate yet. Once they realise that EJ is on her own and that there is no resident male to chase them away, they are keen to try their luck in ousting our girl, even dive-bombing the nest on occasion. A couple of these we have been fortunate enough to get a good view of, even glimpsing their leg rings. Blue HS8, known to her friends as Iris, is a three year-old originally from the Isle of Bute and she actually landed on the nest when EJ was away. We haven't seen much of her since, though, so maybe she didn't like the interior decoration! Blue CT6 is an interesting bird. Originally, due to a very white breast, we thought it was a male and hastened to name him Chris Tilbury (well, no one else called him that, but personally I happen to think Chris is a great name...). Opinion is now divided, however, as CT6 is displaying behaviour typical of an intruding female - possibly being the bird that dive-bombed EJ on the nest - and closer inspection shows that he/she is quite a thick-set bird, looking more like a generally larger female. We think CT6 is from Aberdeenshire originally but still await confirmation of the gender. Luckily, Chris is a unisex name...
CT6...male or female?
So, a tough few days for EJ and she'll have to keep defending her nest from the females as the summer continues. Loch Garten is prime real estate and without a partner to help her see off her rivals, she'll probably see a steady stream of wannabe webcam stars! If she can establish a bond with one of the attending males, this should strengthen her position, but they first need to show her that they are good hunters and will be able to sustain her and any potential offspring in the future. Get fishin' boys!
Away from the osprey nest, Spring continues apace. Gloria the goldeneye has now been incubating her clutch of fifteen eggs for over two weeks so she is over halfway. We've seen plenty of redstart activity around the centre and, indeed, in the osprey nest itself! It appears that a cheeky couple may have decided that the perfect place for raising their young is on the ground floor of Osprey Heights and the female has regularly been sighted collecting feathers and moss left by EJ and then darting back into the bowels of the nest. We've been hearing a lot of cuckoos in the area, lovely for us but not so great for some of our smaller birds, namely dunnocks, pipits and warblers. Cuckoos are what we call brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of these other species, with the chicks then raised by the unsuspecting parents! As the young cuckoos grow (normally much larger than their adoptive siblings) they start to demand more and more food, to the detriment of the resident chicks who often die of starvation or are kicked out of the nest. Nature is beautiful and amazing but can be pretty brutal at times (as we well know).
Red squirrels have been visiting our feeders with slightly more regularity recently, perhaps now that the infants are becoming a bit more independent. We've even noticed a couple of very young ones scampering about in the trees over the path. Be sure to keep a look out when you visit! Talking of youngsters, Sarah and I were interested to see this pretty little dove just outside the window at the centre last week:
A quick flick through the RSPB Handbook of British Birds (a brilliant book by the way...) revealed that in fact, the mystery bird was not an exotic, rare dove species, but a juvenile woodpigeon. Really pretty, but along with the 15 other woodpigeons we could see at the time, not quite as exciting as we hoped...
So that's the latest LG news for you. We'll keep you updated with the ongoing saga and with the latest sightings of ospreys around the nest. I hope you're all enjoying the Springtime, especially with the lovely weather we've had recently. As I finish writing, I am gazing out onto the surrounding pine forest. The atmosphere is perfectly still, the temperature comfotably mild and the air slightly humid with a hint of moisture. If I didn't know better, I'd say these were perfect conditions for the emergence of Scottish vampires...Oh, the joys. Don't know what I'm talking about? You'll find more info here, courtesy of Sarah White's blog last year. Enjoy.
See you soon,
Chris