I have read many of the posts. Not so much debates as individual expressions of opinions. That is not just good, but even necessary at this emotional time, which to me is just devastating. Actually, this is exactly the outcome I expected when I first heard the news that Odin was missing. How right you were, Keith, when you said this returning osprey could be the death of Loch Garten nest as we know it.
That's just it, Keith. Man is so involved in the life of these osprey. Where would they be/ what would they do - if man did not build platforms for their nests? This LG disaster was brought about, it seems, because a young male did not want to go out & build his own nest.
I feel like a traitor for thinking what I am thinking, and moreso for saying it out loud. However, it has occurred to me that maybe it would be best for the prosperity of the Loch Garten nest if its occupation should pass on to a younger couple.
One egg failed last year, the entire brood failed in 2015. No chick of this couple has been known to return and I never will, but would love to know WHY. Some would blame the sat packs. Maybe so, but others have returned bearing these contraptions.
Anyway, maybe it's time and best for a complete turnover.
You may have read a comment on the blog page regarding the fact that we have approximately 260 nesting pairs of ospreys in Scotland. The survival rate is poor and that every osprey is precious and every loss is significant to the population in Scotland. It is also fact that numbers have not increased over recent years.
So why do we INTERVENE and even worse why does SNH allow the removal of 24 young ospreys from their nests in one season and ship them overseas to Spain and Switzerland.
I can accept what happened at LG as it was another osprey that has caused the mayhem and that is what they do as young ospreys - obviously got to the age whereby - I want that nest.
However I can never accept the removal of ospreys from nests in Scotland by man to ship overseas. I have a feeling that with this being the last year of shipping to Urdaibi another is in the pipeline.
I have been researching this project and have written several letters to authorities over the past few days to examine accounts to see if any organisation or individual is benefiting from this trade.
Most of the discussions have been about supplying fish or not. I see this as an impossible task for the period of time it would be necessary. There is a third alternative: Remove the chicks from the nest and hand feed them. Jess says they are not a zoo, so move the chicks to a zoo that is good at caring for baby animals in an emergency. "My" own Cincinnati ZOO! I would have been overjoyed to learn of the arrival here of "my" baby ospreys. However, this too is pretty much of a pipe dream. Feeding during transportation would be extremely difficult, maybe impossible. Other conditions in such an attempt are discussed on DU.
Unknown said: I feel like a traitor for thinking what I am thinking, and moreso for saying it out loud. However, it has occurred to me that maybe it would be best for the prosperity of the Loch Garten nest if its occupation should pass on to a younger couple. One egg failed last year, the entire brood failed in 2015. No chick of this couple has been known to return and I never will, but would love to know WHY. Some would blame the sat packs. Maybe so, but others have returned bearing these contraptions. Anyway, maybe it's time and best for a complete turnover.
I think our posts are written at the same time and crossed in the posting. So are not in argument one to the other. Just personal thouhts & feelings.
In 2011 at Rutland Water a male osprey with 3 eggs went missing presumably killed whilst out fishing.
The authorities immediately decided to remove the eggs and incubate them by hand. Only one egg hatched and it was then placed in another nest along with the three chicks already in that nest as in fostering out.
One of the four chicks died but it was speculated at the time the fostered out chick did survive.
A fish delivery short time to see if Odin would return or not and a similar fostering could possibly have worked - there are plenty of nests known to LG and well monitored close by.
Interesting!
If they could have placed the hatched chick in a two-chick nest, maybe all 3 would have survived.