DAILY UPDATE ~ Loch Garten nest ~ Thursday, 07 May 2015

(I am having enormous difficulty posting.)

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Foremost in our thoughts and hearts today is the status of Odin, who has been missing since before 08:00 on Tuesday morning.  He was last seen taking off from the nest in pursuit of one of two male intruders, either OC (Orange Chest) or BTO (Odin lookalike, for the BTO ring on his left leg).

This is our last look at him, seconds before he flew:

(I need some help with the IDs of the 3 intruders, please correct me and I'll edit accordingly.)

All the while that we desperately worry about unseen Odin, his partner EJ is suffering before our eyes - and yesterday TWO intruders became THREE!  We now have OC, BTO or OL (for Odin Lookalike), and Darvic (for the blue Darvic ring on his left leg - let's hope that the Centre can read it).  

EJ has not eaten since the large, headless fish provided by Odin early on Tuesday, which she ate in instalments thru the day.

Yesterday evening OC and Darvic both intruded on EJ, sometimes overlapping with each other, and OC landed briefly on EJ's back (thank you, BIRDIE).

We hope and pray that Odin is nursing himself back to fitness and will be back today to tell these intruders where to go (Hell, for instance).  But even if he returns in full health, what a difficult time is in store for him.

Besides the personal investment we have in our Gorgeous, Magnificent Odin, the implications for the nest and its osprey family don't bear thinking about - and we are only too conscious of the effect all this is having on the personnel at the Loch Garten Visitor Centre... not forgetting the prosperity of the 2015 season?

Finally - if only we could fathom why, suddenly this season, these male ospreys - three of them, no less - have chosen to invade Loch Garten!

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Please forgive the possibly de trop frames, I find it so therapeutic to concentrate on and agonise over doing them ;-)