LOCH GARTEN JUNE 2023

Unknown said:

Freebird66 said:

Hi all do we know if a female will fish if the food situation becomes critical?

I have a vague memory that EJ once fished for herself when she was sitting on eggs and the male failed to return/deliver (maybe George? Or Odin when he went missing?). I have no memory of a nest when the female went fishing when there were small chicks on the nest vulnerable to predation but I'm happy to bow to anyone with a better memory

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In 2008 EJ left the chicks - they were probably about two weeks old.  That was the first year I started following Loch Garten.

EJ's partner was Orange VS who failed to provide and EJ went fishing - something never heard of.   The chicks were Nethy, Deshar and of course the Wee Yin who sadly didn't make it.

We know the last year EJ and Odin when he went missing, EJ sat tight on the chicks.

Very difficult situation and hard to watch.  

Karen W said:

In 2008 EJ left the chicks - they were probably about two weeks old. 

Thanks Karen. I thought someone would remember! And of course, those chicks did survive EJ's absence. I wonder when they are no longer vulnerable to predation? The Lochter chicks were predated by a buzzard 12 years ago but I can't remember how old they were. Our two are 3.5 and 4 weeks old. Asha has been away for about 25 minutes now. Perhaps she'll be back soon with a fish.

EDIT 14.44 she's back with a clump....

SheilaFE said:

14.19 Asha left the perch

Back with just a small stick, after all that time

EDIT

No!  I don't think she brought anything at all, but she picked at bits of nest material after landing.

EDIT 2

As SHEILA has pointed out, she had a small clump !!!

Unknown said:

I wonder when they are no longer vulnerable to predation?

I've seen a Goshawk kill 3 almost-fledged chicks pancaked on a nest - eastern Europe.

And a young Goshawk killed the fledged female on the Poole Harbour nest last year.

14.19.31  Asha flew off again

14.44 Asha returned with a small clump of nesting material.

Waiting patiently.

15.39

Last year, 2022. At the time IC1 and IC2 were older than our two, and had fledged. We had our suspicions that Axel might have been feeding IC2 away from the nest, but that is not confirmed, so I don't think time without food is accurate, or scientific, however, in my notes:
15 August 06.35 Last fish for 1C2 from Axel, a small whole one.
18 August begins the fourth day without a fish being brought to the nest for IC2.
09.10-09.11 IC2 last seen on the nest.

On 16 August IC2 spotted a large bird flying left to right above the skyline, and he quietly flew over to possibly meet it. He didn't call. He flew out in front of the line of flight of the other bird - could that have been Axel? Was Axel feeding him elsewhere? We will never know, but if he wasn't IC2 was four days without food.

Brings back memories of 2017 and EJ we know the center won't intervein

I don’t know if I can watch much longer .. It’s heartbreaking to watch .. remember when Odin didn’t return.. was at LG when he brought in his last fish