Osprey Chat Thread for August 2018

That is very interesting and thought provoking HILARY Thank you

I tried to post a link to FB about an osprey that is at The New Arc wildlife rescue in Aberdeenshire, but I can't.

An osprey was found near there and had fishing line wrapped around it's neck and the hook was in it's throat.  It has been operated on and isn't doing so well.

Latest update is that it is showing signs of viral encephalitis, so the rescue has been temporarily shut, until testing has taken place.

For the story go to The New Arc on FB.

Bit of a worry for them :)

https://www.facebook.com/thenewarc.org/posts/1884708868230796?__xts__[0]=68.ARCppPWHf5DWL9COB6tZrjGlFn3lzoncxWnVC-fRSiaRd95xDmN9VgcUB453LHhARPMJebJ7_kjlBKfnx9jtGqLNUNYUCP9l4oy6RsYFCvqBb92fGqi6KtKVpOAPADYkT24P_oQ&__tn__=-R

Well good news, The New Arc birds including Ollie the osprey have been given the all clear.  

Just hope now Ollie can fully recover, fingers crossed for him.

Good news, thanks, Starling.  Yes, fingers crossed for his recovery.

I posted the following on the Daily Update y'day, and most politely, Scylla suggested it might be more appropriate if it were posted here, for a wider audience.  I hope the post links will carry over, but will correct once I have posted if they don't. 

Thus, I wrote:

I know we have all been confused/muddled over Blue NF2(16) and Blue FN2(??), but the plot thickens a bit!

Blue NF2 landed on the nest on 22 June 2018 at 10.57, and Valerie reported it.  Alison was in the VC at the time and confirmed it was Blue NF2. 

On 19 August LG VC reported on their FB page, that 'he' was ringed at Errogie, Inverness-shire on 12 July 2016, so a returning two year old.  So we now have Blue NF2(16) m.

However!  On 22 August, Gary Jones (Wildlife Photography) who has taken some stunning shots of osprey at Gwash River, near Rutland Water, posted two photos of Blue NF2(16) on his FB page (public), one of NF2 as a chick at ringing and one he had taken at Rothiemurchus Fishery on 4 August 2018.  He refers to NF2 as a female, and expanded the details which LG gave. 

"With the help of Tim Mackrill, he put me in touch with Brian (Etheridge), who sent me this photo taken just after she had been rung.  NF2 was ringed on 12 July 2016 at a nest near Errogie, Inverness-shire, a single chick in the nest, she was also BTO ringed 1489532."

I have no idea who is correct, so I messaged Gary Jones and he gave permission for me to use the quote from the ringer, Brian Etheridge:

"NF2 was ringed on 12 July 2016 at a nest near Errogie, Inverness-shire, a single chick in the nest, she was also BTO ringed 1489532. Your report is the third confirmed sighting this summer, she was seen at the Loch Garten nest on 22 June and again more recently on 12 August. "

Meanwhile Blue FN2(??) is the male who was reported in a tweet to be fishing at Rothiemurchus, on 5 July 2018.

Valerie (on her FB Group Loch Garten and Other Ospreys - a closed group, but well worth joining) had seen the comments about whether NF2 is a he or a she, or a s/he, and had posted the response she got from Brian Etheridge when she too asked about NF2.  This differs from that which he gave to Gary Jones.  This is what Valerie said:

Just to clarify details of Blue NF2 this is what Brian Etheridge said to me about whether s/he and I know Gary put this photo on the wall but as Brian sent to me as well it worth putting on file  -

NF2 was close to fledging when ringed and weighed 1400g which suggest a male (see image below), but I agree that the recent images of the bird point to it being female.
However, I am not familiar with moult strategy of young Ospreys, particularly the length of time it takes for a young bird in juvenile plumage to acquire full adult plumage.
NF2 is only two years old so maybe it is premature to sex the bird purely on plumage. 

Let us hope NF2 returns to Garten next year so we can sort it out!

So basically Blue NF2(16) m/f  will have to let us know when she/he returns and finds a mate!  I really hope this isn't the last we hear of her/him.

I will let Birdie know, but I believe she too has been muddled by NF2 and FN2 on her amazing webpage recording and highlighting the action at LG.

This is great news.  Fingers crossed.

I managed to get an old copy of The Return of the Osprey by Philp Brown and George Waterston from ebay. Ihave only read about a dozen pages but I must say that I am enjoying reading the detail of those very early days and imagining the excitement of when ospreys were found and then that huge sinking feeling when it was thought they had disappeared and the sadness and disappontment when nests failed I hadn't realised that they had been spotted in flight in the period between the 2 world wars  

SHIELA FE - Regarding FN2 sighted fishing at Rothiemurchus. I may also be getting muddled who landed where but did a FN3 intrude at LG nest also. For some reason I have FN3 as a 2015 bird from Aboyne.