All quiet on the Osprey front. Mistle started gently food soliciting, then quiet, then stood up to reveal.........
,, what appeared to be a half eaten rainbow trout! No doubt Scylla will be able to get a much sharper image than me. All this happened about 5:45. It was as stiff as a board. When was that delivered?
Afrer faffing around getting images 1 of them has come back to the nest and is incubating - can't tell which.
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.
Many thanks Sheila!
Thank goodness forum is back to normal speed!
Odin?? Wishful thinking there... but know who you mean!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Oh my goodness. What a Freudian slip! Thank you Wendy!! I will correct it.
I have been going back and over 2009 when he arrived and the seven fish delivery, and I just have his name in my mind. I have the two blogs Richard Thaxton wrote, but I think the community blogs may have disappeared around that time - was there a massive upheaval in the IT at that time. I think the fishes business was in May, but can't find anything. We MUST have written about it in some way?
Edit: I knew what I was talking about, but it isn't clear. It was when Odin got tangled up in discarded fishing line and disappeared for a while. Richard Thaxton, the head man at the time before all things changed and the remit widened, contacted Roy Dennis to seek his views. Richard paid a visit to Tesco in Aviemore and came back with a Tesco bag of fresh trout, from the fish counter. Someone, I can't remember who, climbed the ladder and emptied the contents of the bag on to the nest, and the chicks and EJ survived well before Odin finally returned, having discarded the fishing line.
Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
7 fish in 2010
7 fish in 2011
can't find a 2009 entry but will keep looking
The day so far
Tuesday 21 June 2022 – Longest Day solstice.
03.07 Mistle returns from a comfort break, as reported by Scylla
05.00 #1 Fish as reported by Scylla
05.18 Axel nipped in and nicked the fish, as reported by Scylla
05.50 He brought it back with maybe three inches missing. as reported by Scylla
Mistle started another feed right away. She squealed throughout
08.43 A lovely stretch of the wings by Mistle. She finds the left over fish and tucks in. #1 osplet showed interest, then the other struggles up.
08.46 A large poop from one osplets. Mistle had been taking the lion's share, with the occasional piece handed over. She was very gentle.
08.49 Mistle left the fish and crept down to brood the osplets (when do I call them chicks!)
08.58 Axel lands, eyeing the fish and starts to eat on the nest while Mistle calls
09.14 Mistle can resist no longer and gets up, to grab the tail fin which she eats.
She continues eating while Axel attacks a sticky stick which looks quite large – along the right rim – or at least it moves a number of other sticks too.
09.16 Axel leaves.
09.17 Mistle leaves.
09.18 Mistle returns with a stick which she abandons and broods the chicks.
09.43 Mistle half stands up and looking around earnestly, has she seen something?
09.44 Axel appears, wings wide and flaps down. Mistle stretches and asks for another fish
09.46 Axel departs. Mistle stops calling and broods.
Stands up and preens, and calls intermittently.
10.12 Mistle departs, chicks remains lying down.
10.13 and back again with a chirrup to the chicks, and a preening session.
Now the chicks are older, and the weather is more calm, clearly she feels she doesn't have to brood all the time now, and can have some 'me' time!
10.17 Mistle checks for left over or dropped pieces of fish.
10.22 Mistle calls, so presumably can see Axel somewhere, but it's not obvious.
10.23 She leaves the nest and returns with a large stick
10.33 Mistle calls loudly and leaves the nest again
10.25 Mistle returns with another large stick which she puts on the right rim.
10.42 Axel returns, Mistle calls loudly.
10.52 Axel leaves
Lots more preening and calling – is this becoming automatic. She had her beak well down in the feathers and without looking around she started to call!
11.31 Louder calls and Axel returned with a large stick, which I initially thought was a really huge brown trout! Just a stick, so Mistle called and called. He just dumps the stick on the slop of the nest, not the rim.
11.34 Another large poop in our direction LOL
11.36 Axel departs. Mistle watches and becomes quiet
11.38 Axel returns with a small clod of something, and turns his attention to the large stick.
11.40 Axel departs
12.28 Mistle takes a flyabout. One of the chicks (#1?) was preening!
12.29 Mistle returns with a small twig in her talon
12.37 #2 Fish Axel returns with a large flapping brown trout. Both chicks are up and eager.
Mistle feeds them, turn and turn about.
She fed the chicks until they stopped begging, then herself, and back to the chicks
13.06 Axel returns to check out the fish! He leant forward to help himself, Mistle bonked him on the head – no you don't! Chicks still begging intermittently.
13.14 She tried to give them some more, but they turn away. She stepped back and fed herself, leaving the chicks in a pile together.
13.17 The fish finished, Mistle checks for dropped pieces. Axel stands majestically.
13.30 Bookends on the nest. Peaceful.
13.38 Axel had a natter and flew off, landing on Odin's lower perch to the left of the old cam tower.
13.48 Mistle had remained on the side of the nest. Preening occasionally. When she stopped she often looked down at the chicks just to check.
14.02 It started to rain, and Axel returned.
Lovely scene with Axel on the rim, Mistle below him, calling, Axel looking down at the chicks.
14.04 Despite the light shower, Mistle didn't brood the chicks. Axel wasn't tempted to do it!
14.10 Both preening.
14.19 Axel flew off, after 17 minutes on the nest.
14.27 Another light shower. This time Mistle slowly moved down towards the chicks and then backed off, even though it was still raining.
14.29 Mistle makes another attempt to brood, leans over them to move a stick. One of the chicks is up. Mistle moved, and left, another large stick on the rim, and another stick up to the rim. Chicks are squirming under her which is probably why she isn't going down on them! It is still raining.
14.34 High of 17 degrees C at Boat of Garten, and 50% chance of rain over the next three hours. It will be warmer on Wednesday and Thursday.
14.37 Mistle broods the chicks, as the shower persists.
14.54 It's brighter, and Mistle lifts herself up on her 'elbows'. She is gular fluttering
15.00 Sun is out and the chicks are active. #1 was getting aggressive. Had a go at EJ and had a horribly brief attack on #2 – I think I have them the right way round.
15.06 Mistle flew off. Chicks calmed down.
15.08 Mistle returned with the obligatory lichen covered stick.
15.10 Mistle moved the stick to the rim. It doesn't look safe! Warm sun, and Mistle has the instinct to be a mumbrella, standing between the sun and the chicks.
15.16 Mumbrella didn't last long! She wandered around, and then back to shading them
Mistle has been on the nest, quietly preening.
I need a break now
RSPB - Loch Garten & WildlifeWindows
You deserve the EJ medal for that summary, Sheila! Wheew. However...
SheilaFE said:15.00 Sun is out and the chicks are active. #1 was getting aggressive. Had a got at EJ
...at EJ! You have your mind on the legendary pair today! Not that it bothers me at all. Certainly much about Mistle that echoes EJ's majesty.
Imagicat || Tiger's links || 2022 LG Obs
Unknown said:Some kind of threat was near. Mistle uttered a warning call.
I missed this CC, thank you.
SheilaFE said:I need a break now
I should think so! What an informative marathon, thank you so much, SHEILA
If you needed proof that I read it:
SheilaFE said:Had a got at EJ and had a horribly brief attack on #2
I spent a long time this morning going thru EJ 2018 picture folder, I wanted to find one of her on a branch with fish just after arriving from Africa - you know, they used to focus on that branch and a Jay used to pop onto it before EJ arrived. Anyway, I failed, but that's the earliest year I have access to. I did find some fishing pics that I'd forgotten about and set one to replace (((Aran))) on my desktop, it was a surprise when I unpacked just now:
Look what I found - on the 21st of June 2018 CC framed one of Moffer's snaps
It was the first time I'd seen a frame like that, I remember brimming over with envy
Mistle mid-preen:
IMAGICAT
While posting the above I cut "I often have to stop myself typing Odin for Axel" so's to move it - but forgot to paste, so it's not there.
EDIT - Super, RUSTY - so glad you got to see her