Link to July 2019 thread
The 2 chicks were ringed on 4 July and assessed as female. They were given ring numbers JJ0 and JJ2, and later named by popular vote as Mallie and Rannoch. Both weighed 1.49kg on ringing but will weigh a lot more now after a further month's-worth of protein-packed-piscine-parenting. The WT subsequently said they thought Mallie may be male. S/he fledged on 20 July and Rannoch on 27 July.
Link to webcam, courtesy of The Woodland Trust
Yum yum
(c) WT Loch Arkaig
SHEILA posted a blow-by-blow @ 16:22
Well that was so funny (ha ha), apart from the fact that when I tried to open RUF/RF it just wouldn't work for me again. So I scrolled back to the fish delivery commented on by Ian and just watched, rather than snipping. 16.40 (time given by Ian) Louis landed with what looked like a brown trout. He looked around for Rannoch who took a couple of minutes to come screaming in, still holding his earlier darker fish. Louis of course flew off straight away leaving Rannoch mantling over her own fish, calling and looking at the new possible brown trout delivery. The look on her face was so so funny +2 mins Rannoch looked quizzically at the new fish and called to no-ne. + 1 min Brown trout flapped suddenly and Rannoch leapt to the rear of the nest with her fish and called. +1 min She stood at the back of the nest looking aroun and at the new fish, moving her head from side to side trying to work out what had happened and what it was that flapped at her! +2 min Brown trout flapped again. Rannoch called, directing it at the fish. It flapped again! Rannoch looked very discombobulated about it all! +2 min it flapped again ++1 min Poor fish gave a gasp and moved a tiny amount. Rannoch was brave enough to come towards it, still holding her dark fish in her talon. +1 min It flapped again, touching Rannoch's talon. She called and put her empty talon on the new brown trout, releasing the original dark fish in the process. It took another few minutes for her to try to eat the new fish at the head, calling all the time. She finally flew off with the new brown trout a few minutes later, leaving her darker fish alone on the nest. The whole episode was only about 17 minutes, but I had to laugh, although I felt for the poor brown trout!
Here is an expurgated (that has to mean the opposite of the word with "un" in front of it) version:
That was the end of the night as far as ospreys were concerned.
It's now raining and there have been some fairy flyers but not mad mobs of them.
IMAGICAT
This sudden splat made me jump! I wonder if a fellow nightowl was on the campost and dislodged a puddle? It's been rain-rain-rain:
FISH !!! !!! !!! Headless.
Arrived in watery glare.
Soggy. 'I should have gone yesterday'