LOCH GARTEN - July 2022

Update from where Scylla left off.

04.58     #1 Fish  Axel departs straight away.

05.05      Feed is over, chicks turned away

05.06      MISTLE takes a comfort break

05.07      She returns with a sticky stick, placed on the far side.

05.11      MISTLE tucks the chicks under her.

06.13      MISTLE gets up and calls, loudly.  Fish?  Chicks get up, stretch, and lie down again

06.14      MISTLE stops calling loudly.

06.15       Just the intermittent call now.

06.31       MISTLE calls and takes off.  It is windy, but not as bad as we have had.  Low grey clouds

06.31       MISTLE returns, land on the perch and then glides over the nest and away – or was that AXEL?  I can't see rings, and judging by the size, it was MISTLE.

06.33       MISTLE returns with a brief chirrup, and no stick..  Chicks don't even look up.

06.36       She struggles to tuck them in under her!

06.49       She starts to fish solicit, in hope, not in expectation.

07.15        #2 FISH  a whole large fish

07.17       AXEL departs

07.40       One chick continues to accept food, possibly #1, but it's difficult to ID them in the murk and of course they will have changed since the screen was pooped upon!

07.42       Tuther one is taking the occasional offering.

07.45       MISTLE feeds herself. And something gets caught.  She must be down to the tail end, but not the fin, yet. 

07.48       It's a tough old fish, with much pulling and tugging going on, and stretching of the skin!

08.06       One chick is up to accept and offering.  How can there be anything left!!

08.10        MISTLE continues to eat, and offering the chicks a morsel or two.

08.12        A pause in feeding

08.14         Resumed.

08.32         She has offered the chicks more, but there are no takers.

08.41         LOL  I thought a beast was appearing over the side of the nest, but it was MISTLE , standing on one leg and continuing to eat, stretched her wing very slowly.  Gasp!!  All is well.

08.44         She still has skin and tail fin in her talons, has a break to look around, but even if AXEL did appear there would be barely any left over for him.  Was she waiting to see if AXL would return?

09.16         MISTLE resumed eating the remains of the fish.  One chick had a poop over the edge of he nest.

09.48        After another break, MISTLE feeds one chick, I must admit I have no idea who.  The other in lying flat, head hidden in the murk.

09.55        The one which was taking the food is #2.  It got up, and #1 rose, and had an argie bargie with #2 submitting and #1 sitting up for another feed.

09.56        #2 tentatively gets up, turned round for a poop and lay down behind #1 who continues to take food.

10.03        MISTLE stopped feeding and stepped back – I didn’t see the tail fin go down her gullet, but it must have done.  She leaves for a comfort flight, the chicks lie down.

10.10         She returned and picked up the remains!!  Pulling and tugging again. 

10.18         She dropped an unappetising piece of skin and resumed with the remains!

10.22         A long piece of apparently appetising skin is downed.  Ugh!  And another

10.23         Another two long pieces which she struggled to down

10.26        And another long strip.  Where's it all coming from!!

10.29        That's it.  All gone.  She flosses, and checks for dropped pieces.

10.33        She comes to our side of the nest and tried to cover them, but they were too fidgety.

10.34        Success, sort of!

10.43        AXEL arrives to check for left overs.  MISTLE calls or communicates.  AXEL departs.  I think there must be rain in the air, although it's not actually raining as far as I can tell

11.18        MISTLE takes a comfort flight, the egg lying between the chicks (awww).

11.20        She returned with a sticky stick which she placed inside he rim, turning and sweeping her tail over the chicks

11.21         AXEL landed, and after Mistle's greeting, he flew off within the minute.  She calls followed him!

11.23         MISTLE flew off again.

11.30         MISTLE returned, with a chirrup and a clump of some thing.

12.03         She has been calling recently, looking towards the dead trees.

12.20         At last the sun has come out, but I suspect only briefly

12.42         The wind is blowing the nest a bit, MISTLE has been quiet.  Chicks are lying down.

 

Up to date!

A post from Fergus about the osprey names.

community.rspb.org.uk/.../an-apology-from-me

Thank you 25mac,

SheilaFE said:

07.15        #2 FISH  a whole large fish

Wind demo:

#3 FISH !!! !!! !!!

She was looking up 'n around for 2-3 minutes before starting the feed:

Mistle fetched a quite reasonable stick (and a bit later something smaller and unrecognisable):

#4 FISH !!! !!! !!!

There was a feed right after, so we know this was a fish

Unless Axel flies in with his feet above the horizon, the fish won't show up :(((

Thank you Scylla. I had the next update done, but as usual life got in the way. It was most odd when MISTLE received an afternoon fish. The chicks were lined up. I was sure AXEL had brought one in, AXEL left but it took MISTLE ages to start to feed from it So much so I began to doubt he had come on with one, or had flown off with it! She watched him go and the skies. Was there an intruder which was quietly being escorted away, I wonder! It was quite odd.

The cam has been 'pooped' on again and is blurred a lot more than before.

©RSPB LochGarten/WildlifeWindows

This taken from chat:

9:29 PM RSPB Video

​'Needless to say, we're talking to Wildlife Windows about what we can do to ensure this doesn't happen again next year! It'll get cleaned when we ring the chicks - planned next week.'

Mistle brought something:

The story behind this sorry sight  

A chick-poop seemed to miraculously almost completely clear the screen and we had a lovely view of the family and rainbow... but then the whitewash slowly and inexorably spread all over the lens:

The fish was reported on YT Chat as 20:27, but I'd already been checking rollback and found it at 20:40 and it was 20:40 on my download too.  So I dunno.

RSPB Video said that ringing will take place next week, so the lens will be cleaned - and they're going to consult with WildlifeWindows to see if this can be avoided next year.

I've asked if there are plans to activate the PTZ, but that was 40 minutes ago and there have been no posts since.

I've edited in some missed-out bits after you Liked, 25MAC :)))

What a bummer! It was almost clear, showing the beautiful evening sunshine. It looked stunning. We need more rain!! Where is it when you really want it! 
It couldn't have been worse timing, happening as the rainbow developed, and AXEL brought in that huge fish. The colours on the chicks' necks was just beautiful in that light.
I also think there was a small fish at 20.27, but it was so small it was gone by 20.36, and she was flossing. Another magnificent day for AXEL.