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
Some people think Ospreys are a matter of life and death. I don't like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.
Mistle has been nagging while Axel is busy fiddling with sticks in the nest. She jumps down from the cam post and he mantles at the side of the nest for a moment. Then takes.off, circles back and...it looked like a good mating.
Imagicat || Tiger's links || 2022 LG Obs
He's back faffing with the sticks. No mantling and I do not hear her voice.
Over the years, I have come to view the mantling as male possessive behavior.
CRinger said:I think Korky was producing an image to confirm my comment about her picking up a stick and moving it to the other side of the nest after he had spent 10 minutes placing it carefully.
Well I love a dual purpose comment. I meant it to refer to the look she's giving him in his totally inappropriate mating position
Is it just me, or does she look to be settled down in a laying position
© Carynx Wild / RSPB Loch Garten
Richard B