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
Uh-oh - this has been sat sittin' here waiting for the Post button to be hit... while I was digressed by something or other...
SheilaFE said:15.23 Mistle returns and does the usual ploy of bashing him from the rear when he moved a stick, and an even larger stick at the back of the nest. No, that's not right, but I do think it was the stick she brought in a couple of hours ago, stick with large clump of lichen on the end. Worthy of a short vid!
It might be a bit slow for a video - it's so "different" watching live.
Later I thought that some inchoate egg-turning went on (don't criticise! I can't think of the apt word):
But supper was well worth waiting for - well done, Axel!
JaneV said:Has the name Mistle been officially adopted yet ?
I don't know about Axel, but I understood that Mistle was definitely going to be replaced - but we're being kept on tenterhooks.
15 May
Mistle seemed to want to take her substantial fish leftover with her on morning comfort break but had to leave it behind. This is an uneventful 3 minutes backed by Cuckoo and Chaffies:
I forgot to mention the Wood Pigeon "singing" (!) on the earlier video.
06:00 Mistle had a 6-minute feed from her leftover:
An hour later she needed a flyabout - but dared not leave the fish behind
It was quite a beautiful morning, thru a milky sun.
I loved the dilemma Mistle had - do I fly with the fish and eat it off the nest, or stay? Should I eat on the nest!
08.41 Axel returned and there was still flesh left on the fish. Mistle flew off with it while Axel incubated.
09.16 Mistle returned without the fish, but with another sticky stick, Y shaped.
Axel got up, and watched her. I was expecting him to fly off, but he didn't.
09.17 Mistle incubated, Axel stood on the rim, preening - domestic bliss one might say, but she began calling!
09.32 Mistle flew for a comfort break and returned with a short thick stick. Axel had incubated as soon as she left
09.33 Mistle returned, Axel got up and searches for discarded pieces of fish near the left rim, and moves twigs while Mistle settled on the eggs.
09.35 Axel flew
They were together on the nest for over twenty minutes! Surely the first time they have spend so long together? And earlier Mistle deliberately turned just one egg. I saw her move one yesterday afternoon, but I thought it was more for comfort than actually turning an egg. More instincts kicking in.
Mistle has been panting (gular fluttering) this morning. It is clearly warm in bonny Scotland today!
07.23
currently
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Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
10.35 Axel returned INTRUDER calling. Mistle was looking above her just before he landed.
10.38 Axel flies off. Mistle stands and watches
Intruder wasn't see or heard. Mistle resumed incubation.
Unknown said:Axel came back to claim the bit 'o fish
I've been sitting on this for hours. Perhaps it's packing up time!
Just a shortie:
scylla said:
CRinger wrote the following post at 14 May 2022 8:33 PM:
Awwww. she just teased him with the tail and took off with it!
She hadn't finished eating but was required at the nest because of an overhead flyer - Raven heard, but I can't say if that was the flyer or if it was protesting at a threat, maybe a Kite?
Buzzard methinks from the shape of the tail.
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.