Will EJ return this week? What if another female tries to claim the nest? Will super-Odin return to fish another year? Or will EJ take another mate (she'd better not!!) Will YOU be the lucky blogger to catch the first glimpse of an osprey at LG? Tune in to the Loch Garten LIVE webcam for the first installment of Loch Garten Ospreys - 2010!!
Seriously, lots of interesting chat on the last page or two of the previous week's chatter. Catch up now because you won't have time once the ospreys are back in town! :-)
Hi everyone.Okay I know this is the middle of the night in this part of the world but I done a (personally) very daft think this (yesterday) afternoon. Don't worry it's not that daft. I mean nothing's broken and as far as I can hear there are no blaring sirens or screeching tyres etc. in the vicinity. So to cut a long post short. Well less long that it might've possible been; I had a bit of a headache. So after going outside to top up the bird feeders, I made the decision to go for a nap. This was somewhere between 1.30 and 2pm. Set my radio alarm to go off at just after 4pm, at a pretty high volume, and since it's nearly always set to a station that plays classic rock tracks, including such soothing and relaxing artists as Iron Maiden, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, to name but a few; you'd think that might just ever so gently wake me up. Nae chance! Ended up sleeping for about four hours, so now I'm giving a fairly good representation of an owl. Well apart from the bits about screeching or hooting, great night vision, well honed hunting skills, and being able to fly.Tiger: Thanks for the notice about the arrival of the osprey at LOTL. Fantastic news. Thanks for the pics of Marge. What wonderful pictures on the Pale Male site. Thanks for the link.Alan: Thanks for the New Forest Goshawk cam link. Gorgeous shot of Marge. What a brilliant bird.george g: Glad SIL birthday lunch went well. Can't wait for six months of osprey watching. :-)Annette: Glad you like long hair on men. One of the most hilarious things is when some bloke taps me on the shoulder and says something along the lines of: "excuse me hen." to then be faced with me. Don't have nightmares lads. :-) Hope you see lots of whales tomorrow. I use the Fireshot add on for taking screen shots. Haven't tried it for editing yet but it's going to come in handy in the coming months.TerryM: These days my niger seed seems to be a big favourite of collared doves, and occasionally the house sparrows go for a change of diet. Goldfinches do seem to prefer sunflower hearts but I've not seen any goldfinches for a number of months though. Perhaps they're just waiting for me to swap the niger seed for sunflower hearts.Sue C: Thanks for the news about the peregrine egg at Chichester. Brilliant news.Caerann: You most probably were Scots in a past life if in addition to liking of long hair and kilts, you can understand the concept of conducting an entire phone conversation where only the following three words are used, no matter how long the call lasts for: "aye", "naw", and "right". Only the tone of each of these three words should change to indicate what emotions the speaker is feeling. The first and third of these words can be joined together to create the phenomenon of a double positive giving a negative, hence: "Aye right." Have to confess I've never had the chance to wear a kilt. An Osprey Tartan might be a great idea. :-)Everyone: Hope you have a fantastic Wednesday.All the best. :-)Paul.
Warning! This post contains atrocious spelling, and terrible grammar. Approach with extreme edginess.
Hi Diane: Just finished downloading all the podcasts I've missed this last week or two (for the gym, etc., and walks in general). Your Scrabble letters would give me pause too and have me locking the doors! :-) Who needs coincidences like that on a foggy night!
Off to bed, take care all.
Good grief Paul. You ARE up late or is it early? Of course, this will come in handy once EJ is back and we start counting how many fishes Odin (an assumption on my part here) brings each day, especially once the chicks hatch. He typically starts very early in the morning when most UK folks are still snoozing and we US folks are still up watching rubbish telly, doing the ironing, or playing Scrabble with one eye on the nest,
Really am going to crash now!
Annette Oh fantastic news. You can form your very own ISS sighting club. The link you need is Heavens Above. See http://www.heavens-above.com/?lat=32.715&lng=-117.156&loc=San+Diego&alt=26&tz=PST I have set it for southern California.
See the pass of 5th April http://www.heavens-above.com/PassDetails.asp?lat=32.715&lng=-117.156&loc=San+Diego&alt=26&tz=PST&satid=25544&date=40273.5454838079
Diane Indeed you did say that Marge would be back and that was a bold prediction given that Marge is no spring osprey (22 years old at least).
Thanks for your and everyone else's kind words regarding my cyber friend.
Tiger Signature
Lindybird, OG et al: Thanks for the info that I'm not alone in having problems! Have to say I also lost several posts but they weren't important. Thanks to all who posted truckercam links. Horrible wet morning here, and I have a dog obedience class - supposed to be outdoors! On a day like this I'm sorry I didn't take up tatting (whatever that is).
If EJ is on the same schedule as last year, TOMORROW'S THE DAY! It's brilliant to here of all the returning birds.
Hello again everyone. Sue C - thanks for the link to the Loch Garten Osprey group chat (from the diary page) - I'm glad it wasn't just me that couldn't find the link from the main pages. I've been checking on Rothes and Roy's birds over the winter and now can't wait to see what happens at our LG nest this year. Is it too much to hope that EJ and Odin will pair up again? All appendages are firmly crossed.
Just popped in and so excited to see 2 ospreys at Loch of the Lowes. This is it now/ Happy happy happy Can't wait for Lgs to appear.
Everything in life is speaking in spite of its apparent silence.
Received this message from Katie Fuller in Sandy:
<< We haven't done anything to the ospreys group! It's still where it's always been: http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/groups/lochgartenospreys/default.aspx
You can also access it through the groups page: http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/groups/ >>
She’s right about the first one, and I think several of us have traced back to this now after getting in via our own page, and saved in Favourites. But she’s still wrong about the second one – LG Ospreys is still not on the list of Groups – so my original question still rests: how will new supporters find us?
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Tish Great news. Now is it Eric? He reappeared at 9am on March 29 last year.
The historical record for LOch of The Lowes is given on page 33 of "Life of Ospreys" by Roy Dennis.
That will be a worry if the fault isnt put right, OG.
Morning All. Grey day here & more rain forecast, but I think the garden needs it. Have had to water lots of the bulbs in pots as they look so stunted. Wrapping presents in secret for my OH today; his birthday is Monday so will probably stay in, & cook his favourite kind of steak (with 'oven chips' as they're less fattening, & we are both on diet now after our hols.) and watch a film on TV.
Liked the description of all our excitement re the birds returning, from Heron77 : "kids on Christmas morning!!" Very good, Paul! made me laugh!!