So this is the month you have been waiting on, the month when EJ and Odin should return to Loch Garten and set off a new breeding cycle. This will be the seventh year of them as a couple. Before the month is out we will know a lot more than we know now.
Right now we do know that the ospreys are moving north but it is a question of when will be the first osprey back on its nest in Britain. In recent years that honour has fallen to 3 (97) the great rutland patriarch. Start checking the skies from the 15 March onwards.
There will be much anxiety as to whether Lady arrives. She is not expected until the end of March.
The Glaslyn pair are usually very early too and they usually get down to breeding right away. They hold the record of the earliest ever osprey egg known to be laid in Britain.
Then there is Monty and Glesni. I know they are not due in March but Blue 24 is. Will Blue 24 be around for another season of harassment? We await the answer to that one with interest.
Then there are all those nests in the Lake District now. Will Bassenthwaite get a tracked osprey home. White 14 looks as if he might be heading north already.
Then of course there is Kielder. The one thing we can be sure of is that we get plenty of news from Kielder and the two Welsh males there.
So it is all beginning and no rest now until September.
Tiger Signature
The webcam is usually up by around the 20th. They did have some problems in 2013 but the cam was finally up and running the day before EJ arrived. Phew!
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Many thanks Keith. I am away from home at present and cannot open your links, however I have been following this with interest and have lodged my objections. From what I have read the developers started work on the site well before the council decided it needed an environmental impact assessment, and that it required full planning application. I dont think they realised the full potential of this either, particularly the scheduled birds and animals to be found in this lovely rural location. Perhaps the ospreys arrival will put an end to it all anyway. It will be illegal to disturb them!
Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
SheilaFE said:I dont think they realised the full potential of this either, particularly the scheduled birds and animals to be found in this lovely rural location. Perhaps the ospreys arrival will put an end to it all anyway. It will be illegal to disturb them!
Keith - thanks for the update. I cannot access your links just now, hopefully later. This is very concerning and considering the ospreys are on their way back, I just hope this nest is not disturbed.
Speaking of disturbance has brought to mind two incidences last year - one at LoTL and the other at Wigtown. Thankfully no harm done at LoTL but not so at Wigtown as I believe that EP and his mate abandoned the nest after being disturbed by walkers. It is very sad and so annoying hearing of this. Hopefully there are no repetitions this year.
Update from Roy on Beatrice. She is now at her French stop over.
No move as yet from the others, all still at their wintering grounds.
Strathallan Castle and T in the Park - I had a run over to Strathallan Castle yesterday as it is only 10 miles from the house.
There was no signs of a new nest or either the old nest being demolished so not sure what they are doing.
The nesting pair will soon be home and then under Schedule 1 it will be an offence to disturb these birds.
There is another 28 days of consulatation which will expire the end of March before a decission is made regarding T in the Park.
I also heard that Noel Gallagher was bringing his Flying Birds to T in the Park - well was excited until I found out they were his band (Enough to frighten the ospreys away).
I feel sure I met one of the Gallaghers in the street yesterday. Couldn't be 100% sure but it was likely to be Liam.
TIGER - You should have confronted him and asked him why his brother wants to disturb the ospreys :).
New nest at Alcoa
See live cam
See on FB that the Osp pair at Alcoa are bringing sticks to new very odd, nest! Couple of pics of them in nest show that it's not quite as small as it looks but ... will it suffice?
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr