AX6 Axel and his lovely unringed partner Mistle are bonding well, and Mistle has been threatening to lay an egg - we await developments.
It seems that Mistle has been on the perch & nest all night:
IMAGICAT
Valerie
That's interesting, Valerie. Rose? Where did that come from, Chat? Why Rose? For now we will stick to Axel (Scandinavian theme playing on his ring number) and Mistle (her flecked chest, must like a Mistle Thrush). Names suggested and accepted last year when they stayed for about a month. I have no doubt an official name will be used in time! LOL!!
Excellent to see we have had #1 FISH today at 04.29 - thank you Scylla for capturing that.
There were some lovely sunrise rays shining on to the nest despite Mistle looking "more and more bedraggled" in the rain.
CRinger said there was an intruder this morning.
06.19 Axel returned to the nest to defend against an intruder, flying overhead
Mistle seemed to get confused, and thought at one point that Axel was the intruder and flapped at him
It came to nowt
There was a lot of toing and froing. Axel landed on the perch at 06.34, Mistle demanded fish and Axel preened!
06.41 Mistle flew off. Axel remained on the perch preening for another minute of so, then dropped down to incubate, under the sun's rays
07.11 Mistle flew to the dead tree on the left. Axel called, but she stayed there until 07.23 when she flew off, but didn't return to the nest until 08.02.
She used her usual ploy of nesting material near Axel's head. Axel left. Mistle incubated
08.21 Axel returned with a sticky stick. Mistle rose and flew off.
08.54 Axel saw something, and flew off. Someone landed on the cam with a clonk and a shudder.
08.55 Mistle returned, looking up to what I assume was Axel on the cam
09.01 Mistle makes a short chirrup, looked up to the cam. It wobbled
09.02 An osprey is seen flying down and away to the right over the bog towards the larches - not yet green trees - or perhaps they are dead!
09.03 Mistle continued to crane her neck and look up, behind her. Another intrruder? She didn't call, so it was probably Axel.
09.05 Did I hear sky dancing??
09.49 Axel returned with a stick. They had an exchange and in a 'glitch' in the cam Mistle was gone. Axel watched her go before incubating.
09.58 Mistle returned with a stick. She moved dried bedding around, getting close to Axel, piling it up near his chest. She changed direction and staggered over Axel's tail. He got up and flew away. Mistle incubated.
10.47 The 'hedgehog' (the clump of mud with dead coarse grass in it) was moved again. First one side and then back
10.49 there was a lot of moving of dried matter before she incubated.
10.53 Mistle watched something flying, unseen to us.
10.54 Axel landed on thee perch. She calls for fish. Axel preened
10.55 Mistle's calls came to a crescendo and she got up and flew. Axel dropped to the nest and incubated
11.00 Mistle returned with a stick that had a licheny lump on the top of it. Clumsily she moved nesting material, sticks, etc at the back of the nesting bothering Axel, who got up. He joined in the housework, trying to move the large sticks on the front rim that are all somewhat precariously balanced together.
11.01 Axel flew
11.03 Mistle got up and moved dry material from the cup further up towards the rim, and settled again
11.51 Loose material was being blown off the right rim towards Mistle. She replaced it or moved it to her side. Still windy, but dry.
12.20 Axel returned with a more bulky stick. Mistle called impatiently. Her calls got louder until she got up and flew off, almost in a paddy. Axel incubated.
12.25 Mistle returned with a stick. Axel departed.
13.16 Mistle appeared to be alarmed. I wondered whether they might have been thunder around, but it could have been the wind on the mic. Rain was in the air.
14.38 the bug, which I took don't think looked like a spider, walked across thee screen, and stopped on the bottom left, before disappearing.
15.15 The wind keeps getting up and abating. Mistle is incubating.
Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
15.20 Intruder
Axel had brought in a clump, and Mistle was complaining. Then they both checked out the intruder, after which Axel went to take off, got his talon caught in the nest, and Mistle flapped him off.
Imagicat || Tiger's links || 2022 LG Obs
SheilaFE said:Why Rose?
Axl Rose is the name of a rock musician. So when considering AX6, the default second name following Axl, for those familiar, is Rose. However, the anagram is inappropriate.
SheilaFE said:
.
Devastated that you failed to mention Axel's 3 inch stick @8.24! He was really proud of that!
... Just joking! What a brilliant and very full summary!
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.
Unknown said:
SheilaFE said: Why Rose?
I certainly don't want to look at 2 Ospreys and be reminded of the anagram. And some people don't like Mistle? Gee whizzz!
Unknown said:However, the anagram is inappropriate
This is how tired I am - one unpleasant 4-letter word stood out but I couldn't use up the leftover letters so I phoned my friend and asked him to solve it - and wished I hadn't
I've done no work here since this morning, in fact have done little work anywhere lately, so it's packing up time this very second... after "thank you all for reports and snaps and happy watching"
Blimey!! I had to do a Google. NO!!! Just accept Axel and Mistle, which has been used for a year now! Well, by a total minority, but caring bunch of us, LOL.
Since CC's last update Axel has been and gone
15.59 the weird critter came down the screen again, but didn't stop. I wonder what on earth it is.
16.00 Mistle has two pieces of nesting material under her beak that she really does want to break up. Hedgehog Mark II, which I think is a clump of mud and dried thick grass, and the scythe shaped stick with the grey dried licheny stuff on one end.
16.51 Mistle starts calling. Fish in the offing!
16.51.57 Mistle gets up and Axel appears over the back of the nest
She flies off with it, Axel incubates.
16.58 I could hear Mistle calling in the distance
16.59 Axel starts to call, Mistle returns with a huge (ruddy coloured) stick and no fish. Either she called because she dropped it or it was so small it just slithered down her throat.
17.00 Mistle moved the clump, Axel intruder called. Axel backed out of the cup. Mistle headed to the eggs, all the while they were keeping an eye on something in the sky. Mistle called and flapped Axel off. Was she telling him to go after the intruder? Mistle incubates.
17.27 The light was lovely, and Mistle dozed in the sunshine
17.53 is sounds as tho a blackbird is chipping. Mistle looks confused!
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