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:
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14.10 Mistle stands up briefly and increases her volume at him. She must have been a heck of a chick, a female to be reckoned with. Axel stands and preens, unperturbed.
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That was odd. I need to go back to get the timing.
16.41.48 Axel is incubating. Mistle returns, and picks up another of her y-shaped sticks. She takes it to the front rim, brushing Axels side in the process. She suddenly looked up and Axel contact called as she moved more sticks near the rim.
She then moved her stick to the back of the nest. Axel saw something off the nest that startled him. He got up quickly, catching her off balance, she flew off the nest and down to catch herself. That started Axel and he tried to cling to the back of the nest, but it fell away and he too flew.
It's all too quick for me to get any sensible snips, I'm afraid.
Axel returned to the perch and dropped down to the nest 16.44 and incubated, Mistle came in and he settled even more. She picked up a long stick and a bundle of dried mud and grass and eventually he rose while she nattered at him. The dried grass almost formed a hedge, but it broke up. Axle stood to one side as she faffed with sticks and the tuft of grass. She then incubated. Axel stood on one leg, having a shut eye.
16.47. All is well with the world! She calls, he ignores.
SheilaFE said:
Axel saw something off the nest that startled him. He got up quickly, catching her off balance, she flew off the nest and down to catch herself. That started Axel and he tried to cling to the back of the nest, but it fell away and he too flew.
Hmmmm would like to see AND HEAR a video if that with calls, if any if its possible for someone to make one, They are talking about something spooking both Axel and Mistle off the nest on live chat. Sadly I was on a work conference call at the time.
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.
CRinger I have looked at that piece so often when I was trying to write a sensible monologue about it at the time, but I saw no sign of any intruder. Mistle was 'talking' to Axel or herself or to the stick she was moving around. When Axel got up when he looked concerned, and put Mistle off balance, she sensibly left the scene, almost dropping over the side. Axel was probably surprised by her moving suddenly and lost his balance, grabbing the side of the nest to stop himself, but took some loose sticks with him. I really have no idea what spooked him. 15.45.46 a small bird landed on the perch!! Brave birdie
CRinger said:Hmmmm would like to see AND HEAR a video
Eventually !!! There's more than you require here (and more to be done but I've got real life to attend to) but I'm sure you'll be riveted by every feather
When Mistle scattered off the nest she fell apart in the air due to the "fault" that creates separated feathers - not that she was there long enough to see much - so here's a couple of shots of Axel's contortions: