Hi bloggers, here's a follow up from Chris's blog last week and a final word from myself. Just like EJ, I will be migrating south early this year, but it won't be to Western Africa for me. I have recently had a job offer from the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, and will be moving there before the end of the season. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for ospreys on their migration as I settle in to my new home!
As Chris wrote last week, osprey action has been starting to wind down and instead we have been treated to great views of crested tits, red squirrels, sparrowhawks and juvenile buzzards, as well as our ever present and ever entertaining chaffinches, siskins, woodpeckers, greenfinches, bank voles and wood pigeons!
A visit from a sparrowhawk by Chris Tilbury.
EJ still hasn’t been seen at the centre since Friday 14 July, so this is her earliest recorded migration since she arrived here at Loch Garten 14 years ago. We are hoping that she will return to the Loch Garten nest at the beginning of next year's season taking the nest as her own for another year. However, there is every possibility that CT6 and her unringed male will turn up to the eyrie too, as they have definitely been acting as if the nest belongs to them in EJ's absence. CT6 was ringed as a chick in Aberdeenshire back in 2014, so she is younger and less experienced than EJ...but she is certainly a fierce and determined individual, so it will be interesting to see what drama unfolds at the site next year!
"So what about CT6?" I hear you ask , "when is the last time you have seen her?" I hear you scream. Well the last time CT6 was spotted was Saturday 12 August. She was seen flying over the nest after her unringed male partner, ‘twiggy’, landed on the nest with a fish. We haven’t been completely osprey-less since last Saturday however. From Sunday to Wednesday, an osprey was spotted flying over the nest in the very early hours of the morning by our volunteers. Our amazingly dedicated bloggers have also recorded sky dancing calls nearby the nest over the last few days. We haven’t been able to identify any of these ospreys as our mornings are getting darker and darker, making it harder for us to make out any rings.
The lovely EJ by Chris Tilbury.
So what happens now then? Well, as it’s coming to the end of the season, if they haven’t already left, most females would be thinking about migrating. When the female leaves the male stops feeding the juveniles and it’s now up to them when they make the decision to leave the nest and complete their first ever migration! They then say their goodbyes to one another, and leave a few days apart. The male will stay around for a bit, and once he is happy that he has done his job, he will then leave the nest and we are left waiting for mid March/April for these amazing birds to arrive from a much needed winter break in the sun. Luckily, our season doesn't usually end when our male leaves. Within a couple of weeks of Odin leaving, we can often see new juveniles turning up at nest for a quick stop. Although they might be sniffing out new nests for the future, it’s more likely that they have come from further up, from North Scotland, or that they are continental birds from Norway. So keep your eyes peeled guys, we still have just over two weeks left until the centre closes, so hopefully it’ll be an action packed fortnight of drama.
A crested tit at the feeder by Julie Querie.
Thanks for everything, Blair.