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! :-)
Sorry, Alan, I think you posted while I was checking my spellings!!
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
HeatherB : Some people have had similar problems to yours using Windows 7. I use Vista on my laptop and XP on my desktop and have no problem with either.
I'm getting the pictures of the nest just fine - but, looking at it in the dark I have a question. I don't remember from previous years the nest being this bright at night (as though it's being lit, presumably by infra red). Does anybody agree or am I losing the plot?
Hello ! I will try again tomorrow. I am on Vista and have been since at least two years when I got this new computer. A real mystery, but I have to say, I am not all that computer literate! I will get son in law to check my machine when he is next here. Thanks, people, for your help!! I must get it fixed SOON for obvious reasons!
Sandy - I thought exactly the same thing when I went to it to check that the link worked when I posted it for HeatherB. I remember being able to pick out very fuzzy shapes in partial darkness last year, and absolutely nothing on the darkest nights. I think that one of their refinements this year must be an IR camera - but why haven't they told us? Perhaps it is there as a nice surprise for us all!!
Sandy : I agree with you re the lighting of the nest. I also think the daytime light seems extra bright and a bit washed out. There may be some adjustments needed later.
Hi everyone.It appears we may be getting our usual west central Scotland summer this year. Today's weather was heavy showers, with the sun despatately fighting to shine through grey skies. Must thank everyone who's posted UK osprey sightings. It seems like only yesterday we we're comparing levels of snowfall and talking about having to break bird bath ice.Very busy on these pages since I last logged on so many thanks to all for the excellent posts, pictures, and fantastic links. Can't think where to start in terms of replies. So here's a couple of chaffinch pictures.
Here's Mr Chaffinch inspecting a Rowan.
Here's Mr and Mrs Chaffinch, arriving for breakfast.
A happy new week, belated happy Sunday and happy Monday to everyone.
Paul.
Warning! This post contains atrocious spelling, and terrible grammar. Approach with extreme edginess.
OG and Alan: Thanks for confirmation. Will cancel doctor's appointment. ;-))
Hi all: Yes, LG night cam is very bright indeed. Quite dazzling in fact. Whales were playing hard to get today. I started my shift an hour late because of fog at the beach, then we had a series of "stealth" whales - which suddenly show up right in front of us or just at the point where they start disappearing up the coast. These particular whales also had long "down" times in between blows, which made it even more difficult to anticipate their next "show" time. Anyway, just seven counted today. Last year wind and chop caused time outs; this year it's fog. Calves expected in another week or thereabouts.
Tiger: I SAW IT!! Wonderful. Thanks. I went outside with the map of the sky to hold over my head; thank heaven they had the moon marked on it since no stars were yet out and there was the ISS, brightly lit and moving fairly quickly across the sky. I was lucky in a way, since the fog started rolling in this evening. I managed to get the binocs up and focused for a matter of seconds and then - there it was, gone behind the clouds. Amazing. Thanks again. I'll have to check for the next viewing opportunity. Had no idea it was so easy to see.
The Noisy Miner eats nectar, fruit, insects, grain, occasionally small reptiles & amphibians. It is somewhat opportunistic. [Yeah, it steals bread scraps!] It has adjusted to urban areas far better than most other birds. [Well, I’m not sure what the starlings have to say about that!] They are about 20-25 cm long [8-10"]. They are fairly aggressive. One website says "If noisy miners come across a garden full of flowering grevilleas then chances are they will claim it as their own, driving away all other birds. So you plant a garden hoping to attract birds, and end up with a garden with Noisy Miners chirping all day." Oh dear! Himself last year planted a grevillea garden, partly to reduce water usage, partly to attract birds. At least one is visiting us regularly, usually late afternoon. Some nice pics on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noisy_Miner including one from Adelaide.