So a new year is upon us and what will it bring? Every year we think it cannot be as interesting or exciting or the year just gone but it usually is.
The first priority will be to see EJ and Odin back. I will be opening the guessing game two months from today as usual. You should know the format by now.
I have watched the Loch Garten nest for about 12 years now. I have yet to see a Loch Garten chick definitely return to Speyside. Will 2015 change that? All our hopes rest with Breagha. In a mere 16 weeks or so he should be heading north. The day when the tracker tells us that "he is off" will be an exciting one indeed.
Another burning question is whether Lady will return? Well that is a question which divides osprey fans. I guess it is best to wait and see, either way it will be highly emotional.
Last year Dyfi treated us to the most amazing spectacle to two female ospreys fighting over the same nest. Will it be repeated this year? A lot of fans are hoping it won't but there is a really good chance that it will if the Henry/Orange VS saga of yesteryear is any guide.
In early September last year Monty had dispatched the two bairns and normally one would expect him to migrate almost immediately but he stayed around for a few days, just loafing mainly, but certainly thrilling the watching fans before he began his climb into the sky and heading south.
Of course a new book "Ospreys in Wales the first ten years" by Emyr Evans has just been published. A truly wonderful book it is.
The Glaslyn birds are usually back very early and get down to reproduction faster than any other osprey pair. One hopes they have another season just like the last ten. Mind you 11 (98) will be 16 years old and with 3 (97) one of only two of the remaining ospreys translocated to Rutland in the period 1996 to 2001.
In recent years 3 (97) has always been the first British osprey to be reported as having returned to a nest following the winter break. Since he usually arrives around mid March the fans will be scanning the skies for him. Last year his son 5R failed to return and that was definitely one of the saddest events of 2014.
Of course there will be great interest in seeing 33 (11) return to establish a new dynasty in Manton Bay.
Two years ago we had one of the most amazing weeks in osprey history. White YA caused great interest when misidentified in the spring edition of RSPB magazine (it was actually the Loch Garten Nethy from 2008) and then turned up for real at Blagdon Lake where he proceeded to get himself caught in nets three times. Still he did wonders to publicise both Welsh and Kielder ospreys. Amazingly another Welsh osprey, yellow 37, came back from the "dead" at the same time.
Kielder had an amazing year in 2014 and they tracked three of their juvenile ospreys. The blogs on the tracking written by Joanna Dailey with input from Paul Wildlifewriter have brought analysis of tracking to a new level.
The Hellgate Canyon nest in Montana had another successful year with a very large fan base. There are lots of really good US osprey cams now available to those osprey addicts that need late night fixes. So much has changed since Betty and Dennis as the only streaming osprey cam back in 2003.
There have been many very fascinating migrations by Finnish ospreys. The most remarkable was surely Tero who kept us guessing as to where he was going to winter. Well the answer seems to be Keyna which is yet another new destination.
Well that is a brief summary of 2014 as I saw it. No doubt 2015 will bring a lot of pleasure as well as many tears. It is certainly great to wake up on the first day on a new year and feel excitement surge through ones veins. Let us hope it is always true.
Tiger Signature
Hi TBOL :)
Yes there has to be many mixed feelings as regards Lady. Of course any one of the birds could fail to return, regardless of age, as we well know.
ChloeB & Tiger's Osprey Data
Well some of the famous birds will fail to return. It is just a question of how many.
Last year was a good year for the returnees with the exception of 5R. I do not think that too many expected that given how powerful he seemed in 2013.
Still feel sadness when I think of him as he was one very special osprey.
Hazel b said: Thanks for a great intro to the new year TIGER! Looking forward to the new season and a probable visit to Loch of the Lowes in May after seeing Bryan Ferry in Edinburgh. Happy New Osprey Year everyone :-) xxx
Thanks for a great intro to the new year TIGER! Looking forward to the new season and a probable visit to Loch of the Lowes in May after seeing Bryan Ferry in Edinburgh.
Happy New Osprey Year everyone :-) xxx
Ah great to see you again TBOL. Do you think that Lay will be back when you visit Loch of The Lowes?
[/quote]It would be nice to see her but I'll just be happy to see my first ever osprey in the feather! :-)
Tiger, Thanks for the comprehensive summary of 2014 and the introduction to 2015. I look forward with trepidation to March and April--was dismayed by 5R's failure to return last year and Rutland did not seem the same without him. I know we need to expect disappointment (as well as delight!) but it was still a wrench--fingers crossed for all the others.
Kind regards, Ann
Hi, folks. Please forgive me if this topic has already been covered on this forum.
Isn't there a large osprey population in Cape Verde (Cabo Verde)?
On 23 November, after 20 years of quiet, Pico de Fogo erupted on Fogo Island, Cape Verde.
Since then, the erupting volcano has buried two towns and forced thousands of people to evacuate. The airport was closed, and the Monte Velho Forest Reserve is (was?) threatened by lava.
It's my understanding that after a brief period of quiet in mid-December, the eruptions and lava flow are now continuing and strengthening.
This is a tragic humanitarian crisis, but I thought I would post the information here because of the presence of the wintering ospreys and -- possibly -- osprey teams or tourists in the area.Info:NASA Observatory , BBC , BBC Early Report , Volcano Discovery
Unknown said: Hi, folks. Please forgive me if this topic has already been covered on this forum. Isn't there a large osprey population in Cape Verde (Cabo Verde)?
Yes as far as I know there are some ospreys on Cape Verde. Stan the Roy Dennis tracked osprey ended up there in 2012
Thanks for the rest of the information.
Unknown said: Tiger, Thanks for the comprehensive summary of 2014 and the introduction to 2015. I look forward with trepidation to March and April--was dismayed by 5R's failure to return last year and Rutland did not seem the same without him. I know we need to expect disappointment (as well as delight!) but it was still a wrench--fingers crossed for all the others.
It is always with mixed emotions that we approach each new season. It always provides highs and Lows.
Thanks for the Pico do Fogo eruption info Diane. Something I did not know about. Will read forthwith.
The one thing that is going to be different this year is that we are going to have the book Ospreys in Wales this is a comprehensive new reference to ospreys in Wales. It is a truly wonderful book. It is both a great story and full of great statistics on the Welsh Ospreys in particular but ospreys in general
All very clear and correct data.
We really need a similar book for Scottish Ospreys.
TIGER - I fully endorse your comments on Ospreys in Wales - it is a true wonder a great tribute to Ospreys in Wales and its author.
I suppose we have some Scottish Ospreys books - Phillip Brown's The Scottish Ospreys comes to mind even though outdated is interesting reading. Then there is Lady of the Loch by Helen Armitage although only a history of a particular bird. Roy had a book Ospreys prior to his Life of Ospreys primarily about Ospreys in Scotland
I think it would be a much more difficult effort to build a book similar to Emyr's based on Scottish Ospreys given a 5 nest history/10 year versus 250 nest history/almost 60 years although the thought of it would be great. And the spread from Thurso to Dumfries and The Cowal Peninsula to Fife. Unfortunately they are not as broadly watched per population wise as fully as the Rutland Birds and Welsh birds.
Roy keeps a good record of rings and nests but the actual ringers keep more comprehensive records of the particular nests and birds they ring within their area and then put returns to Roy and BTO.
So who could write a similar book to Emyr - I do not know as both Emyr had first hand knowledge at both Glaslyn and Dyfi as well as adding the other nests and similarly Tim at Rutland.
I do think the RSPB - History of Loch Garten in a comprehensive account is well overdue though.
Tiger - maybe this is a Herculean Project assigned for you - :).