LOCH GARTEN - July 2022

15.58 Fish, enthusiastically welcomed. Looked to have its head on...hard to tell...

Looks like a minor fish fight, and mum is leaving them to it. 1C2 looks to be feeding himself...

No I'm not Scylla. I'm avoiding the heat, but have been doing the ironing, Got friends coming to stay. Haven't seen then since before Covid,
I did see Asha on the perch and also thought she'd been for a dip, with wings hanging down while she checked her breast feathers.

17.01 1C2 Wingersizing while hopping. Can't get used to the oldest being 1C2 and the next 1C1!

Sunday 24 July 2022    - the earlier hours

05.45      Asha on the perch preening, kids asleep

06.36      She takes a comfort break,  and flies around back to the nest where she moves a few sticks.

06.39      off again.  Chick, possibly female 1C1, starts flapping energetically, before Asha returns

Scylla covered  08.16 to 08.36  and mentioned the insect

08.38      Asha called more in hope than expectation

08.41      She left, with a call

08.51      She returned with a clump of something!

08.55      More calls, chicks look up – they are getting so big now sometimes it is difficult to decide which is the adult!

09.04      A few more calls in no particular direction, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right. 

09.17      Asha flies off, with another short call.

09.47      She returned, calling again, her tail fanned and her rings spread out. 

Sadly I haven't seen any fish delivery this morning, either Scylla.

10.19      Asha calling loudly, looking to the right of the nest. The chicks join in in encouragement.  She must be able to see Axel.

10.26      She must have wanted more room.  She lifted off from thee sight side, and landed on the left of the nest and stopped calling.

10.37      More calling, and she took off, to the right.

10.41      She returned.

10.57      A chick wingercised, taking up too much room, and Asha flew to the campost.

11.06      Asha returned, checking around her.  'where is he?'

12.43      Oooh!  1C2 (I think) spread his wings and flapped and was in danger of catching the wind beneath his wings!  Asha took off, and landed on the cam post again. 

12.44      Asha dropped sedately from the campost, showing them how it was done.  Just spreading her wings.

12.47      She landed on the dead tree.

13.13      She returned to the nest

13.29      She flew again and landed on the dead tree

13.32      She took off and had a flyabout

13.34      She returned with a twiggy twig

Thank goodness CC has seen a delivery. 

15.58 Fish, enthusiastically welcomed.

I don't have the time to follow this thru, but Chat suggests one of the chicks got the fish from Asha, and she let them get on with it, although there was a bit of conflict between them.  Another sign they are growing up! 

I don't know whether I've said this before, but I wonder whether this lovely weather Scotland is experiencing is having an impact on the fish.  Are they going lower to cool down, making it more difficult for Axel to deliver.  AND it is quite windy today.

Part of the weather forecast tomorrow at LG, let us hope the direction is correct for the heavy rain at 9am, to hit the lens!!

We may be able to see our lovely birds again then!!

I can't help thinking of you as Queen of the Countryside, SHEILA - I hope you have a lovely reunion with your friends

Unknown said:

Can't get used to the oldest being 1C2 and the next 1C1!

Me neither!

After a spell on the dead tree, Asha returned and suddenly went into protection mode - she was like this for half an hour at least, then both chicks got up.  I'm plucking up courage to write to Fergus about moving the perch next season - it spoils so many portraits, sticking up out of our dear birds' heads.  This snap is necessarily narrow to cut off a misty blob.

Another stick!

For Axel rather than clarification of the fish - CRINGER will like the underwing view if he pops in:

I'm not up to date but it's mealtime here.

FISH !!! !!! !!!

Quite long but not a lot of girth:

This was one of the chicks wingercising in the wind earlier - a bit alarming when it looked a bit close to the front "fence", such as it is:

Thank you Scylla. I am sure many others are lucky enough to live in the countryside, Scylla. I enjoy the dust from the combine, the deer eating my flowers and veggies, and the badgers digging divots in the lawn, LOL. but i have no intention of moving yet!
Super captures, Scylla
Thank you Catlady for the forecast. Fingers crossed!

20.47 Axel landed a fish. He flew straight away, and Asha began feeding the chicks.