ALYTH OSPREYS MARCH/APRIL/MAY 2024

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

18/04/23 at 09.04 (I think!)

21/04/23 sometime in the morning.

All photos and videos copyright SSEN Transmission Alyth and Wildlife Windows

Harry (left) and Flora HK0 at the beginning of season 2023.

  • May 2

    The camera has been down nearly all day.

    Here are some early morning snaps.

    04.19 Harry arrives early to relieve Flora.

    04.50 Harry with the morning skies.


    04.51 Flora joins Harry.



    04.56 As Harry gets up to roll the eggs, all 3 are visible.

    05.52 Changeover, Flora to the eggs as Harry flies off.


    06.54 Flora in the mist


    08.40 The mist has burnt off and reveals a lovely bright morning. Harry yawns.


    The cam went down at 08.42 and has not returned yet. (20.11)

    ©️NWWT, WW, BOP

  • May 3 

    18.48 Cam still down. We have the green screen. Slight frown

  • The cam has been on for a few bursts today, but off most of the time.

    09.04 This was Flora preening this morning.


    This is the current view of a wet Flora with the circle of doom on its way round. Frozen at 16.49.

  • Do hope it's better weather soon and the cam comes back

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr

  • Yes, both have been so unreliable Wendy! 

  • May 6

    Camera very intermittent today. Some snaps from in between down times.
    02.01 Flora under a downpour during the night.

    05.11 Still wet


    06.26 An hour later, a dry Harry

    09.43 Flora on the nest calling for fish, Harry busy preening on the post.


    Cam currently frozen at 11.25. Flora on the nest.


    ©️SSEN Alyth

  • Cam has still been unreliable but it did show a fish delivery at 17.13. It was a small but whole one.


    Flora takes the fish in her beak


    but transfers to her talons to fly off with it.


    However, she landed on the nest cam at 17.28, vocalising to Harry. She flew to the nest a few seconds later with empty talons.


    17.29 Harry flew off with a spray of water coming from his wings as he flapped upwards.


    Flora quickly covered the eggs to keep them dry and cosy.

    ©️SSEN ALYTH

  • May 7

    The camera has been a bit better today with more nest coverage.

    09.00 A view of all 3 eggs as Flora got up to roll them.



    11.31. Later in the morning, an intruder visited the nest whilst Flora was on the eggs.


    It was not made welcome. Flora lunged at it. 



    It flew up then back down onto the nest again.


    Flora lunged again and the bird left the nest


    The Osprey flew round past the nest

    11.32 and returned for another try

    but misjudged it’s landing,  skimming off the edge. 

    Going by Flora’s reactions, it flew again over the nest but was soon on its way. 

    ©️SSEN Alyth

  • Whatever is wrong with the live stream is taking forever to get fixed. Down for practically all day today. Some coverage early morning.

    06.42 Flora’s asking for fish.


    06.57 Harry is on his way. Flora calls continuously without hardly taking a breath!


    He arrives empty taloned. She momentarily stops calling as she checks his talons.


    And she starts again!


    09.27 Flora gets up to roll the eggs, giving us a view of them. 


    10.06 Still fish calling


    ©️SSEN Alyth

    The cam was down for half an hour from 09.30 then for all day from 10.07.

    It’s still currently off.

  • May 12
    The cam seems to have been on today.

    This was a late fish Flora got at 21.28


    whole, freshly caught


    Flora flew off with it clasped in her beak.

    21.40 Unfortunately, she flew back 12 minutes later clutching a clump of grass. She’d lost her fish.


    ©️NWWT, WW, BOP