Keith and Ann closed last month with some lovely chat and osprey news. It is this kind of coverage that we must have if The Gabfest is to be able to continue.
The Gabfest does have a purpose - a reason for being. That purpose is to educate about wildlife in general and ospreys in particular. We do that by following the osprey we care about with pictures and narrative, and by entertaining ourselves with other topics of interest to us. If we are interested others probably will be also. They will thus be drawn to our site where they will get to know the osprey we love.
Pictures are not necessary to make an interesting post. I was hooked before I ever saw a cam simply by reading the entries on The Main Blog. They did not use pictures then. Through the years many Gabbers have added to our thread with simple observations and comments.. The posts of one Gabber in particular are greatly missed. SUGAR'S early morning observations of the Loch Garten nest were a joy to read.
It is to be hoped that we can have many reports, comments and observations this summer, both with and without pictures, as we enjoy the antics of our favorite osprey.
Evening, June. I have just reread the latest Dyfi blog and as I understand it, it seems that Dai Dot intruded near Monty's and Glesni's Dyfi nest, Monty took off and chased Dai Dot, both males then flew nearly directly over Blue 24 as she was incubating her eggs, after which she took off and flew after the two males (so Monty was not chasing Blue 24--only chasing Dai Dot). It was only after the three Ospreys flew away that the Dyfi crew launched the drone and they were finished before Blue 24 returned about an hour later. They were monitored by the proper authority during the short drone flight and I cannot imagine that Emyr, who has been passionate about Ospreys for many years, would ever countenance anything which could possibly harm his beloved Ospreys. So I doubt they will make a habit of launching drones or at least I hope so! I imagine that if they are able to remove one of the two nest platforms over the next winter that the problem of Blue 24 having to incubate eggs on her own would not happen again, especially if they could ensure that any new nest platforms are much farther away from the Dyfi nest and are not along the line of any of Monty's normal fishing expeditions (to remove the temptation to 'visit' Blue 24!).
Kind regards, Ann
Ann, you are so practical! You just won't let me romanticize, will you. Thank you for that, which is why we NEED you and Keith here on the Gabfest. I might lead Willow too far astray without you. :)
LOL, June--I thought it might be me, not you, who could be accused of leading people astray! Sorry, I do not mean to prevent you from romanticising--feel free to carry on! Not sure about the 'practical' description, but I do try to understand the birds. However, I still do feel emotional about them (unlike some we could name!) and I have my favourite Ospreys and I hope they will thrive, but I also know that they will do what they will do and that luck plays a huge part in whether or not they will survive and thrive or not.
starting new post for May