LLYN BRENIG - May 2023

07.48 they changed over again with LJ2 settling on the eggs.

08.14 LM6 arrived back after less than half an hour away.

LJ2 wasn’t ready for finishing his incubation and sat tight.

LM6 walked all around him in close proximity 

She tried to gently nudge him and pull at bedding. He adjusted his position on the eggs 3 times and sat back down.

After a few minutes, LM6 gave up

and flew off leaving LJ2 in his happy place!

I didn’t think LM6 would stay away for too long! At 08.30 she returned.

She moved over quickly.

LJ2 got the message this time and started to move. LM6 practically shoulder barged her way in

making sure LJ2 kept moving upwards

and away. A very quick changeover this time. 

09.45 Clever LJ2. He returns with a headless fish.

And off LM6 goes with her breakfast.

LJ2 gets a bit of quiet time sitting on the eggs.

10.12 and LM6 is back at the nest so she either ate the fish very quickly or dropped it or part of it.

She has a longer daytime stint on the eggs this time. She opens her beak for a wee while, must be quite hot there.

There are lots of wee black flies crawling everywhere. LM6 shakes her head a few times and at 11.49, she stands up and stares down at her eggs for a few seconds.

She walks away from the eggs and has a wing and leg stretch.

LJ2 flies down and then LM6 leaves.

He pecks at the mosses beside the eggs and gives the eggs a wee nudge then settles down on them. 

The OTZ cam operator zoomed into the cut down trees area and found a greylag goose on the ground. Perhaps the one who showed a lot of interest in this nest before the ospreys returned!

The operator then found LJ2 sitting on a thin branch.

Around 15.50, the OTZ cam moved again and this time found 2 gulls sitting on a mound.

and then LM6 on a short tree stump.

The birds have continued to share incubation duties. At 15.56 LM6 returns to the nest with a clump of moss.

She’s only there a minute or 2 when she sees something above.

Both birds start intruder calling whilst tracking a large bird.

It’s seen gliding over the water and then back to the trees in a loop.

Its colouring isn’t like an Osprey’s

At this point I see the tail shape and know it’s a red kite. (Magnified)

It flies around for a few minutes with our birds still in a state of high alert on the nest

Watching its every move.

The birds are more calm as it drifts further into the distance and it’s soon gone. LM6 nudges in to get LJ2 off the eggs.

And she shuffles down on them. LJ2 looks over to where the kite last was and leaves in that direction.

16.30 As LM6 sits on the nest she starts looking upwards again and gives a warning call.

It doesn’t come to anything. 

18.35 LJ2 returns to the nest with a nice headless fish.

LM6 is fish calling but stays seated. LJ2 has one more morsel of fish whilst he’s waiting.

It takes LM6 a wee while to get up and LJ2 patiently waits.

As LM6 tries to take the fish with her talons, they become interlocked with LJ2’s.

After a bit of a struggle, they free each other and LM6 has the fish.

Off she goes towards the trees to eat her fish.

And LJ2 goes onto the eggs.

Just after 19.00 LM6 can be seen flying onto the top of the tree in front.

She is there briefly, leaves and returns to it. A minute or 2 later she leaves again and flies past the nest.

LM6 flies on to land on the nest from the camera side.

She makes soft contact calls and LJ2 rises up off the eggs and flies away.

LJ2 (circled) doesn’t go far and lands in the area arrowed.