Recap:-
LJ2 returned 31 March 2023
LM6 returned 4 April 2023
Egg No. 1 laid 20 April
Egg No. 2 laid 23 April
Egg No. 3 laid 26 April
First hatch date due around 27 May
Link to March/April 2023
LM6 ate a small part of the fish on the post then flew elsewhere with it.
3.00 LJ2 chips a contact call and LM6 lands with the tail end of the fish. LJ2 flies off the nest straight away.
LM6 walks the fish around the nest
And shakes it off.
She then settles back on the eggs.
16.55 LJ2 has not been back and the fish is still there. It’s got a bit dark here. Sounds like it’s raining.
19.08 Still the same view, a damp night. LJ2 hasn’t been back yet.
19.11 LM6 gets up for a wing stretch and shake before settling back on the eggs.
She then decides to have a wee peck at the fish.
Around 19.30 LM6 starts pecking at the fish again.
She then gets up and drags the fish over with her beak. She transfers the fish to her talons.
LM6 then tries to fly up with the fish but clips her wing on the camera area. She stays on the nest and lets the fish go in the nest cup. She moves away from it.
LM6 then flies off. She passes the nest 2 or 3 times before coming in to land.
LM6 then goes back down to the cup to brood her eggs, fish and all!
20.20 LM6 starts calling on LJ2. She gets up off the eggs and pulls at the fish skin.
She then takes the fish to the nest’s edge and flies off with it.
Shortly returning back to the nest with the fish. She starts to eat it.
20.34 LJ2 arrives with his own piece of fish.
They both eat their fish together!
21.41 LJ2 shakes off the wee tail end he has left, feaks his beak and flies off.
LM6 then has another bite of her fish, shakes it off behind her (it may have landed on the very edge or off the nest?) and settles down on her eggs for the night.
21.31 LJ2 returns to the nest. He shows interest in the corvids on the tree.
He walks past his fish tail he left earlier,
LJ2 feaks his beak, has a good look around and leaves LM6 on the nest
Night cam comes on at 21.54
Friday 12 May 2023
Good morning LM6 was a bit restless in the earlier part of the night. Up a couple of times for the stretch then a wee comfort breaks ar 02.50. She was more settled after that.
Day cam came on at 04.52. Soon after, she discovered the fish tail/skin
LJ2 had left behind last night.
She took it to the side of the nest making soft contact calls.
LJ2 flew on to cover and LM6 left to eat her early breakfast.
After returning to the nest, LM6 seemed quite sleepy this morning, here at 06.04.
07.11 the mist encroached the area as LJ2 arrived.
He tried hard to encourage LM6 to let him incubate, walking so close to her, he practically trod on her feathers.
She sat tight though, adjusted and dug in. He left after a few minutes.
When LJ2 next returned to the nest just before 09.00, the mist had rolled back to the shoreline.
LM6 whistled to him as he was moving a clump of grass. She got up off the eggs.
LJ2 gave the eggs a wee roll before sitting on them.
Sitting happy.
When LM6 returned at 09.28, LJ2 didn’t want to leave. LM6 had to adopt some of LJ2’s tactics to shift him!After much persuasion, LJ2 got up. LM6 moved straight to the eggs the second LJ2 was off them.
The birds continued to share incubation. LJ2 sporting a fine moustache here!