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.
Good morning. That should be Flora’s clutch complete now.
05.53 She got an early morning breakfast delivered.
What a good sized headless fish Harry brought in.
Flora takes it in her beak and departs.
05.54 Harry settles on the eggs.
©️SSEN Alyth
Brilliant .
24 April
20.11 Flora’s evening fish delivery.
She takes it in her beak
and is gone in 7 seconds.
Harry gets ready for brooding the eggs.
You can see more plastic has been brought to the nest. I suspect it’s been Flora!
26 April
The live stream has been intermittent today again.
11.32 Flora caught in the act bringing in more plastic sheeting.
17.01 A heavy looking headless fish for Flora. I think Harry needed his ear defenders as he arrived to Flora’s piercing calls!
The live stream continues to be unreliable. It was off for spells yesterday and a lot of hours today.
27 April - Yesterday, Flora was rolling the eggs, you can just about make out all 3!
28 April - Today Harry brought a small fish to the nest at 17.27
Flora went to take it
but Harry flew up again, taking the fish away.
Flora was left looking to see if there was anything left on the nest.
She quietly went back to brooding her eggs.
Harry returned, Flora called to him but when he landed, his talons were empty.
Hopefully he’ll catch another.
29 April
16.35 Flora sees Harry coming and is calling. She looks soaked through.
16.36 Here he comes with a good sized headless fish for Flora
It must have been heavy for Harry to catch whole.
There’s a lot of meat on there.
Flora takes off with it in her beak but looks like she’s transferring it to her talons.
16.37 Harry looks so dry!18.23 Over two hours later, Harry must’ve seen Flora returning and he takes off.
44 seconds later, Flora arrives with the small remainder of the fish.
19.20 Harry comes back for the fish tail. He pulls it out of the nesting material.
and leaves with it in his beak.
30 April
The live stream has been down all day.
Live stream back up at 20.08
Flora looks sleepy.
I’m keeping this thread going for May as well as it’s only 9 pages long.
May 112.31 Nice sized trout for Flora at lunchtime today.
13.21 Flora has had a good feed and returns with the tail end.
13.22 She drops it on the nest, Harry flies off and Flora resumes incubation.