LOCH GARTEN - MARCH / APRIL 2022

We need to have a look at her face on, with her head down a bit, to see the row of brown dots on the head/crown, that CRringer spoke about. My what activity today, surely something positive has to come out of this?

The only words that come to mind Catlady are 'bated breath'!

I had forgotten (how could I?) that the nest cam failed last year, and all shots were from camtree on the nest.  I am assuming/presuming the captions on my snips are accurate, and in the main it was Mistle who hung around the nest towards the middle/end of April last year.  I have several captures of the same female, we called Mistle.. 

I can find few females in 2021 with a BTO, just the European clip, and example here

19 April 2021, posted on FB by Fergus (VC)

which belonged to this osprey, 16 April 2021

25 April, we thought that Mistle turned up.  Karen noted the head marking

27 April 2021 - Axel and Mistle

26 April 2021 another head shot

26 April 2021

27 April 2021  Axel & Mistle

28 April 2021  Mistle

Today 19.07 - the unringed female.  Mistle, as per the head shots above?

I'm not totally confident to say yay or nay to the recent unringed visitor, but I would hazard a guess and say yes!

*************

I have had a chance now to catch up with the footage.

18.32 Mistle (assuming is is she!) landed and saw BTO off the nest.  I am pretty sure I could hear sky dancing.  Axel didn't land until about 19.30.

18.35 BTO landed

18.56/7 Unring came down and rushed at BTO who fled.

19.09 Unring flew off

19.29 AX6/Axel  landed followed by unring - she saw him off in a most undignified manner, poor boy.  Was it because he landed without a fish?

19.30 Unring returned

19.32 She hand another go at AX6/Axel when he landed, and he flew off.  He didn't return!

19.44 Unring was calling - no sign of AX6

19.48 Unring flew off

20.20 Axel landed on the perch and flew to the nest.  Unring landed on the nest, calling

20.36  A successful mating, Axel & Unring!!  but no fish.  Axel flew off

20.56 She gave up and went to roost.

What will tomorrow bring!  Is it Mistle?  Will BTO return (I doubt it).  Will poor Axel return with a fish to woo Mistle!

© RSPB - Loch Garten & WildlifeWindows

I thought it significant, SHEILA, that Axel managed a successful mating with the Unringed Female.

.

Episode Two of the saga of the 16th - during this time the video posted earlier of "shadow mating" took place, not included here. This goes up to pre-arrival of female intruder.

Episode Three - with a surprise intruder and a fleeting unknown one (RICHARD!)  This has just about all the activity from the unringed female's entrance to end and it's nearly 15 minutes long.

I cannot even attempt to do anything with the sound, the multi high/low peaks have set a maximum, I'd have to reduce them individually to be able to get at the rest.  I think.

EDIT - I'm posting this in here cos I don't want to BOPS my hard work.

THE CAM HAS GONE INTO BUFFER MODE @ 03:45.  Oh no!  Who do we notify?

Thanks Sheila for digging out the snaps of Mistle from last year. Like you, I'd like to think they're one and the same bird! And yes, scylla, the 'successful' mating was of note. 'I met my old lover on the nest last night' (after Simon and Garfunkel).

Sky dancing at dawn. I see the rough consensus is that Mistle is the likely female.

5:19 1 of the females to the nest. Too dark to i.d.

 Is it Mistle? 

SheilaFE poses the question.

I think the outcome of all her brilliant hard work is that the answer is probably YES! I agree with her. Head ,markings to me are virtually identical.

The 5:19 arrival was the unringed female (Mistle?) - still there food soliciting & keeps scanning the skies.

6:11 a fishless Axel arrives. Thankfully she does not attack - instead a successful mating!