Osprey Chat - May/June 2019

Since the first hatchings are on the horizon I now publish my  hatching guide

Thanks for starting the May Chat thread, Tiger, and your hatching guide.

I have just seen this rather startling BBC report which suggests the water levels at Loch Vaa have dropped, losing millions of gallons of water since September last year.  Needless to say there are differing views on the cause, but whatever the reason it has clearly dropped.  I am pretty sure that folk have photographed osprey fishing in this loch.  I hope neighbouring lochs are not suffering as well.

Tiger has also visited Loch Vaa in the hope of spotting the odd osprey!

Sheila, thanks for posting the BBC report. It's very alarming. Now I'm curious about the water levels at other lochs.

SheilaFE said:

Thanks for starting the May Chat thread, Tiger, and your hatching guide.

I have just seen this rather startling BBC report which suggests the water levels at Loch Vaa have dropped, losing millions of gallons of water since September last year.  Needless to say there are differing views on the cause, but whatever the reason it has clearly dropped.  I am pretty sure that folk have photographed osprey fishing in this loch.  I hope neighbouring lochs are not suffering as well.

Tiger has also visited Loch Vaa in the hope of spotting the odd osprey!

Oh thanks for the memory. Looking for ospreys fishing at Loch Vaa happened twice but without success.   There are two ways into Loch Vaa, The long way and the short way. Make sure you find the short way. 

So we reach May with no ospreys in residence.

In  Loch Garten terms what is the significance of   5th May?

5 May 1995 OVS was re-trapped at Rothiemurchus as a five year old?

Tiger said: ~   In  Loch Garten terms what is the significance of 5th May?

Is it EJ's first chick?   

If so then I think that would be 2004 with Henry and the unforgettable intruding female/dive bombing. 

If not, please tell :-D

I was thinking of May 5 1990 when a pair of ospreys turned up and evicted the sitting couple. I do not suppose they were very popular. The male was later named Ollie and became a Loch Garten legend. The female got caught in fishing line in 1993 and flew away never to be seen again. Ollie took up the challenge of raising the chicks by himself and he succeeded.

Ah, the year would have helped LOL but how very interesting TIGER.