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If this is Odin taunting EJ with fish did we not witness similar behaviour in 2011 when lotl eggs failed and Lady continued to incubate and Laird 7Y would bring and take, bring and take fish to tempt her off the nest and back to "normality" by his way of it
That makes sense, Lmac - apart from anything else she is resisting mating while she imagines she still has an egg to incubate.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Oldshoremore said: A question, please, for Osprey experts re EJ's behaviour on the LG nest. After the eggs were broken and she had some fish, she gradually started to spend more time away from the nest, and when on it, stood on the edge in the usual position. Now she has reverted to incubating the phantom egg more or less full time. I wondered if it was possible that because of the many recent intrusions, including a female, she is trying to demonstrate ownership of the nest - has this behaviour been observed elsewhere? Or is it that she is still hormonally unstable, and generally distressed by the situation? (I put this query on the old thread earlier this morning, and have now copied and pasted it here.)
A question, please, for Osprey experts re EJ's behaviour on the LG nest.
After the eggs were broken and she had some fish, she gradually started to spend more time away from the nest, and when on it, stood on the edge in the usual position.
Now she has reverted to incubating the phantom egg more or less full time.
I wondered if it was possible that because of the many recent intrusions, including a female, she is trying to demonstrate ownership of the nest - has this behaviour been observed elsewhere?
Or is it that she is still hormonally unstable, and generally distressed by the situation?
(I put this query on the old thread earlier this morning, and have now copied and pasted it here.)
I'm quoting the whole post but only responding to the boldened bit :)
On top of Paul Wildlifewriter's scientific explanation of parental behaviour, I thought it was noteworthy that EJ had been spending long spells off the nest and it was Odin's return which 'provoked' her to draw an eggshell* from the rim and incubate it more-or-less full time.
*I haven't seen it lately, it may have been a casualty yesterday or it may be there and I just can't make it out.
IMAGICAT
Thank you Tiger - very interesting article (although a bit too technical for this non-scientist!).
It looks to me as if EJ has gone through 2 "emergency life-history changes" in quick succession: firstly she was reverting to non-nesting behaviour, but now she is back in the parental mode, and not fishing for herself, so something must have triggered that - Odin? Another male? Fascinating.
scylla said:it was Odin's return which 'provoked' her to draw an eggshell* from the rim and incubate it more-or-less full time
Do Ospreys keep the same markings all their life?
pam j said: Do Ospreys keep the same markings all their life?
Brilliant question, by the way!
Hi Clare they identify Lady from her eye markings mainly but I have read other sightings where feather markings have been used so like you I assume they keep distinctive markings. I think the feather markings and stripes on tigers etc are a bit like our finger prints
Underwing patterns are very important.
John Wright at Rutland is well known for his identification of birds from their head and underwing patterns. I'd say he is the master of the technique!
Birdies LG DU update.