It was wonderful to see both Maya and Blue 33(11) return much earlier this year. Maya arrived back on the 21 March and 33(11) on 27 March .
Since arriving back Maya and 33 have reestablished their partnership and are busy preparing their nest to hold these precious eggs which we so eagerly await.
Maya laid her eggs after 9 days last year so we could see eggs anytime from 6 April.
While reading the April Blog of 2014, 33 arrived with a large clump of grass in his talons. Maya looked at his feet, I've a feeling she is a little peckish and wants a fish! 33 stumbled about ... he can be quite clumsy! Maya flew off leaving 33 who is fiddling with a large stick.
The egg !!!!!!
© Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust – Rutland Osprey Project
33 did settle down to incubate and Maya has just arrived with some long willowy sticks. 33 rises, he's buried the egg!
Then a mating before 33 flies off
Unknown said: Raptors are different VC in that they incubate as eggs arrive. They do not wait for whole clutch. It is normal for raptors that often later eggs are back - up incase mishaps with earlier ones. You see this in the feeding of the chicks and the sibling rivalry - adult raptors never/very rarely intervene. Survival of the fittest in the raptor world. This way if food is scarce the dominant earliest hatched chick will have the best chance of survival thus continuing the breeding line.
Raptors are different VC in that they incubate as eggs arrive. They do not wait for whole clutch. It is normal for raptors that often later eggs are back - up incase mishaps with earlier ones. You see this in the feeding of the chicks and the sibling rivalry - adult raptors never/very rarely intervene. Survival of the fittest in the raptor world.
This way if food is scarce the dominant earliest hatched chick will have the best chance of survival thus continuing the breeding line.
Yes, they do start incubating as soon as the first egg is laid for the reasons you give; but would the viability be any different to the egg of a blue Tit if incubation was partially delayed as happened last night? I'm not sure if the process would have devolved sufficiently in raptors to make it infertile at this very early stage. I think the improvements to webcams & those watching throughout the day & night are giving us insights in the things that do happen but we've never really had a view on them before. I think it was Keith I read who said that a few years ago he believed that Ospreys were highly faithful but now we know that they're far more opportunistic!! I suspect they are many other areas where we only know the "average behaviour" but don't appreciate the many variations!!!
I think we are learning all the time. Today's lesson will be to understand why Maya and 33 seems to have discarded the egg or buried it. They must have felt something was not viable with it.
The egg may be buried but Maya still in incubation mode
Unknown said: I think we are learning all the time. Today's lesson will be to understand why Maya and 33 seems to have discarded the egg or buried it. They must have felt something was not viable with it.
I don't think either has discarded the egg .. they are still incubating. When I wrote 33 has buried it, I meant it was all covered up which was down to 33 stumbling around fiddling with that stick. I didn't mean that he scraped or deliberately covered it. I hope my choice of word hasn't caused confusion!
As for why Maya left it .... I just don't know.
Maya rises and we see the egg
then ... I saw take a clump of straw in her beak and pull it over the egg. Just like pulling the covers up over someone :-)
Now Maya is fiddling with the sticks and no sign of the egg. Maya fiddles a bit more with the grass/moss and then wiggles herself onto the egg. Perhaps it is just quite deep and soft as 33 has delivered some more nesting material this morning.
Perhaps the egg has been partly buried to give it warmth without the parent needing to constantly incubate it.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
All clear now thank you Karen. I just took from the snaps and their behaviour that they are a little less than enthusiastic about this egg. We wait and watch I suppose
Lmac, sorry I caused confusion :-) I could hardly believe the way 33 was stumbling/trampling about on the nest.
Yes, all we can do is wait to see how this egg fares. They certainly keep us on our toes :-)