On the 15th of March the 360 cam went live and an Osprey landed on the nest. It didn't take too long for a pair to begin bonding:
Male: BlueAX6 "Axel" - Ringed at a nest in Glen Affric on 1st July 2016, he was the only survivor of 3 eggs.
Female: Unringed "Mistle" - a very beautiful specimen, according to our long view.
(Unofficial names - LG will decide on names if deemed appropriate.)
This inexperienced couple is bonding well - Axel has been a good provider, they're both enthusiastic nestbuilders, the only element that requires more work is the mating technique.
EDIT 01 JUNE - Axel & Mistle deserted the nest in May, apparently spooked by intruders. As there has been very little activity since then, this thread will continue to the end of the 2021 season, unless dictated otherwise by ospreys.
Photo ©RSPB LochGarten
Cam info kindly provided by Peter @ Carnyx.tv:
There is an identical camera and microphone on this nest as the HD camera at Llyn Clywedog (Osprey). However the nest was struck by lightning. This took out the camera, the camera power supply and the WiFi link back to the centre. We managed to replace the power supply and Wifi but it was too late in the season to climb to the nest.
IMAGICAT
The emerald phase (no-one seen up to 05:00):
Mistle should have been on duty on the campost from before 4 o'clock
Birdies LG DU update.
Just to assure you all I haven't fallen off my perch
(c) RSPB Loch Garten
A bit late today... tomorrow... I'm only just getting over the buffery hatching night
Some nest views:
And look who turned up in the afternoon?!
Unknown said:Just to assure you all I haven't fallen off my perch
Wuz you there, KORKY?
scylla said:Wuz you there, KORKY?
I wuz indeed. Great to see the new centre. Sadly no osps there while I was visiting.
I hope you are having a wonderful time, Korky, and good to hear from the eyes on the spot, Thomas, even if it is a non-sighting!
Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
ThomasES said:Good morning everyone. Sadly no sightings of AX6, or any ospreys this morning down at the centre. AX6 is playing games with us!
He was definitely in defence mode yesterday so I reckon he's never far away
What a shame you didn't coincide with him, KORKY!
An interesting tweet: "Just visited RSPB Loch Garten - no ospreys on the nest this year - is this because of the noise and commotion from canoes being allowed to use the loch? RSPB now more interested in recreation than conservation?" LG did respond 'Hi Cal, ospreys do not use Loch Garten to fish. We do not have control over who uses the loch recreationally, but we want people to be responsible if they use the loch." This must be a new activity, but I am surprised they have no control over activities close to a potential nest, or one that has been used for nearly 70 years. I seem to recall that EJ had been known to bathe there. Is it a possible cause of Mistle in particular not settling. A sudden outburst of laughter or shriek may have caused her to leave the nest in a hurry a few days ago?
SheilaFE said:An interesting tweet:
Very interesting, SHEILA - is the Loch within shouting/laughing distance?