Good afternoon from Loch Garten,
Hope everyone is well on this fine (if a bit midgey) Thursday. I thought you might like a quick update on the recent goings-on at the LG osprey nest, so here goes! EJ has been maintaining a steady presence on and around the nest. Often we arrive for work and she is perched not far from the nest eating a nice big fish and we have had regular reports from people who have been lucky enough to watch her catching her breakfast near Aviemore. In the past few weeks she has seemingly begun to accept, or at least tolerate, the presence of a couple of males in her territory. Some people have suggested she has been making use of a dating agency but at this stage these are nothing more than unconfirmed rumours...
This afternoon the centre reached fever pitch (sort of) when an unringed male landed on the nest alongside EJ and then had the audacity to attempt to mate with her! We could hardly believe it but it was clear for all to see. The lovestruck pair then decided to spend some time together on the "love perch" - for the uninitiated among you, this is a low branch behind the nest, partly covered by pine branches, offering a nice bit of privacy from our camera! The tolerance EJ is showing for this male is a good sign that we might be witnessing the start of a beautiful relationship but it is unfortunately too late for another brood this year. The cheeky male appears to be a youngish and therefore inexperienced bird (perhaps why he tried to mate with EJ at this late stage!) but this does mean he is in top condition and could potentially become a regular mate for our favourite girl. Watch this space!
EJ with her mystery man!