LOCH GARTEN - MARCH / APRIL 2022

I had wondered that too Richard

Sorry but this is as good as I could get, but the tiny ring is showing the seam, and there's too much motion. Does look definitely like a male, right?

Tried sharpening first and third. Inconclusive. H?2 maybe? LEFT leg...

You did good CC! On plumage yes, I think male. And I agree probably H.

Have you seen  http://ukospreys.uk/darvic-blue3chr.htm ?

If it was a male an an H it could be:

HA9 Sex Male (when ringed) Bonar Bridge, Sutherland on  9/7/19 OR

HK2 Unknown sex (when ringed) Loch Awe, Argyll on 7/7/2014 OR

HL1 Unknown sex (when ringed) Loch Awe, Argyll on 7/7/2014 or

HL8  Unkown sex (when ringed) in 2016 OR

HR2 Unkown sex (when ringed) Loch Ard, Aberfoyle 27/6/14 OR

HR7 Male Lake of Menteith, Aberfoyle 30/6/14 OR

HV5 Male Black Isle 2014 OR

HX8 Male Balblair, Sutherland 16/7/15

If you are right about the 2 then it was HK2.

FYI Just saw this on chat:
8:35 AM Sue W​
KK2 is a Scottish Male bird from the Black Isle Estate just north of Inverness - if the intruder was KK2 the ring is on the left leg as per the one earlier this morning.

CRinger, do you know of any places where the ring is on the left, or if it is a mistake?

I heard at 1 time that they were ringing either the Rutland or was it Welsh chicks with the colour ring on a different leg to Scottish birds, but I think that then 'died a death.' In short I don't know!

BUT, thinking about it in behavioural terms, most of the birds on the list above are 7 or 8 years old. I would have expected a bird of that age to be breeding and have its own nest by now. I suppose its possible the blue ringed inrtuder has a nest close to the LG nest - I know there certainly was one no more than 3 km away when I was up there - but you wouldn't expect him to divebomb his neighbour. To me if the bird did not have a territory / nest of his own the intrusion makes more sense - so on behaviour I would 'plump' for the youngest on the list HA9 - although he is a good 100 km from his natal area if it was him!

From the Loch of Lowes blog of 25 June 2021

'In Scottish ospreys, the ‘Darvic’ colour ring is placed around the left leg, with the smaller metal BTO ring placed on the right leg. Ospreys from nests in England and Wales wear their colour rings on their right leg and metal BTO ring on their left, helping to identify the country of origin within Great Britain.'

scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/.../

Thank you so much Hilary! I knew I had read it somewhere!

Thank you, HILARY :)))

I'm doing an intruder video (which won't be any more informative that what CC has shown you, I fear) and getting a coffee.