Alyth is located in Perth and Kinross on the east coast of Scotland. The Osprey nest is at the Alyth SSEN Transmission sub station and is the tallest of all the nests on camera in the UK.
Background information:-
The Ospreys have nested at the site for many years since around 1990.
They were nesting on a nearby electricity tower, but due to a planned expansion of the site a decision was taken to resite the old nest to a specially constructed 25-metre nesting tower and two nearby 8.5 metre resting perches, which were erected in 2014. Advice was sought from Roy Dennis.Since that first breeding season in 2014, a total of 17 osprey chicks have been observed to have fledged from the new site.
Due to the height of the tower, no ringing can take place.
The resident ospreys are called Harry and Flora (blue HK0), named by a local school in Alyth. All pupils were also given their own osprey soft toy as a thank you from the teams for getting involved and for showing such enthusiasm about the ospreys.
In 2023 Flora HK0 arrived on 30th March and Harry on 4th April. Together, they successfully raised three chicks to fledging.
Flora was last seen on 10th August and Harry 7th September. (The camera stream was offline from 13- 23 August)
Thank you Richard for initial information which I’ve edited to include last year’s figures.
Links
August 2023 to February 2024
Live stream - SSEN Transmission as provided by Wildlife Windows
RETURN DATES 2024
Flora (Blue HK0) 28 March 19.19
Harry 29 March 14.40
EGGS LAID
15/04/24 at 11.01 ———————-Hatched 21 or 22/05/24
18/04/23 at 09.04 (I think!) ————--Hatched 23/05/24
21/04/23 sometime in the morning. ————Hatched 26/05/24
SADLY, ONE CHICK DIED ON THE NEST ON 30/05/24
LIVE STREAM WAS DOWN FOR OVER TWO WEEKS FROM MAY 31. WHEN IT RETURNED, IT WAS EVIDENT THAT THERE WAS ONLY ONE CHICK REMAINING ON THE NEST.
The CHICK FLEDGED on 26/07/24
MIGRATION
Flora and the juvenile left at some point before the end of August when the live stream was down. (12-22 August)
However, I suspect it may have been the 21st August that the last one (or both) left as Harry was seen on the nest on the 22nd with a fish.
Harry was around for a few days after, seen on the 26th August and probably it was him on the 30th as well, which would have been his last sighting.
All photos and videos copyright SSEN Transmission Alyth and Wildlife Windows
Harry (left) and Flora HK0 at the beginning of season 2023.
July 2024 - (from left) Flora, chick, Harry.
July 2024 - The chick and Flora.
May 24
05.59 A good feed for the 2 bobs
06.00
10.49 Flora on the nest when the cam went down for the rest of the day.
©️SSEN Alyth
May 26
Chick #3 hatched sometime early this morning.
Flora left the nest a few times to chase the neighbouring crows.
04.40 a half shell and 3 bobbleheads is revealed.
04.45 A better view here. The three little heads all bunched together with Flora looking over them.
The cam is down for long spells every day which makes it very difficult to follow events.
The regular watchers think it’s a problem that is at the nest end so can’t be fixed this season until the birds have migrated,
Wonderful news but not good about cam issues!
There were a couple of feeds caught on camera this morning.
Harry brought in a small whole fish at 05.37.
05.39 The front chick initially got all of the feed
05.41 Flora made sure that the other two were fed as well.
05.42
05.43
06.54 Another feed
08.48 Harry watches the little ones whilst Flora nips away for a couple of minutes.
08.49 Flora returns
09.18 Flora telling Harry they need another fish.
The cam went down for the day after this. It’s still off.
12.18 Harry brought in a large, fresh rainbow trout for Flora and the bobs at lunchtime.
12.34
12.35 After Flora released the fish, Harry took it away again.
13.23 Harry returned with the fish.
Another feed for the bobs.
13.36 with the feed finished, Harry left with the fish .
This fish will feed the whole family a few times.
I've just read this sad news on the chat at Foulshaw Moss
'One of the three chicks on the Alyth Substation nest has died. Apparently mum accidentally trod on a chick in the early hours of this morning, it must have been the one that has since died.'
Aw that’s so sad Sandra. Flora is such an experienced mum but accidents can happen.
Looking at the Alyth chat, the watchers have tried to piece it altogether but having the cam keeping on going down makes it very difficult.
It was witnessed at 01.42, Flora trod on a bob heavily as she left for a comfort break.
At 04.20 - 04.29 there appeared to be a chick struggling to breathe.
At 07.03 one bob didn’t appear to be moving
07.06 the bob was rolled onto its back and was motionless..
It is thought to be #3. I’m not going to scroll back to see upsetting scenes and will just leave it at that.
Fly high little one
Thank you for finding out the info, Glider.
Glider said:It is thought to be #3. I’m not going to scroll back to see upsetting scenes and will just leave it at that
I couldn't agree more... RIP dear little chick
Such a same RIP wee one