LOCH GARTEN - MARCH / APRIL 2022

Evening all, Sunday always a busy day for me, only catching up now. Sad to read about the lack of fish and Axel not being around for the best part of the afternoon, he must step up the fish deliveries, we do not want another George situation, especially if eggs are imminent, they are both new mum and dad, with hopefully babies! It is all bit worrying and frustrating. He got off to such a good start, nest building and filling, waiting for a lady to turn up, plenty of mating, new or not, he know what to do there! Hope all will end well here and just now is a blip.

My best guess would be about 10". Not bad! Certainly better than yesterday and should keep the hunger pangs away overnight!

scylla said:

am just telling you how awful it makes me feel, how childish, I know.

Dearest scylla. I am absolutely with you on how awful Axel not delivering as we'd hope makes me feel. It's not childish at all. We all care about these birds, and as we all know, nature can be cruel. I have lost count of the times when I've said 'that's it, I'm not watching anymore/next year' (whatever). (Various events, including Odin/EJ tragedies, George.....Caelan fading, Lady at Lowes getting ill etc). But we carry on, at our peril, because we love ospreys and we want them to succeed, even though we know it doesn't always turn out that way. I think this nest, especially, has a particular hard core of supporters (I'm not going to say old..), because of its history, and after a few years disappointment, we all want it to succeed, not just for the ospreys, but for the Loch Garten team, and all its supporters, both past and present. So, you don't need to apologise for how you feel as many of us feel the same xx

Unknown said:

scylla said:

am just telling you how awful it makes me feel, how childish, I know.

Dearest scylla. I am absolutely with you on how awful Axel not delivering as we'd hope makes me feel. It's not childish at all. We all care about these birds, and as we all know, nature can be cruel. I have lost count of the times when I've said 'that's it, I'm not watching anymore/next year' (whatever). (Various events, including Odin/EJ tragedies, George.....Caelan fading, Lady at Lowes getting ill etc). But we carry on, at our peril, because we love ospreys and we want them to succeed, even though we know it doesn't always turn out that way. I think this nest, especially, has a particular hard core of supporters (I'm not going to say old..), because of its history, and after a few years disappointment, we all want it to succeed, not just for the ospreys, but for the Loch Garten team, and all its supporters, both past and present. So, you don't need to apologise for how you feel as many of us feel the same xx

Truly magnificent words Korky.. Summed up exactly how I feel.

Unknown said:

But we carry on, at our peril, because we love ospreys and we want them to succeed, even though we know it doesn't always turn out that way.

I think one of the reasons I continue to watch is that the ospreys remind us of the realities of all life, including our own. And they soldier on, unapologetically, doing the best way they know how.

EJ was a master at food soliciting while eating a fish - between mouthfuls!

I came here with a fish snap but too late, there was CC's announcement on the previous page:

Unknown said:

FISH!!! Sigh. Not a bad size, but not stellar in number. @19.13.02

.

And others followed on this page, and then came all your comforting words and dear KORKY's essay - thank you, all  

At least tonight's offering wasn't a minnow.

Minnow?  Did I hear the word minnow? 

I don't watch during the evening as a rule, but I am over the moon to know Axel did eventually bring in a fish. But all that waiting won't endear him to Mistle. Given the first egg could arrive soon, Axel will have a new responsibility he wasn't expecting. It will be interesting to see what happens. They were both on the nest together earlier. She is now alone, looking quite content.