Continued from March/April 2024
LINK to Opening Page with background and history of this nest and relevant links
This season so far
31 March Blue LJ2 returns
1 April Blue 372 briefly visits, 6 April Blue 372 returns and stays
Sadly, Blue LM6 has not returned
Eggs laid
#1 April 23 - 17.40, #2 April 26 - 19.28, #3 April 29 - 15.46
All captures and videos ©️NWWT, Welsh Water, Brenig Osprey Project
April saw Blue LJ2 (18) pair with a new female, Blue 372 (21), with his first mate, Blue LM6 (18) sadly not returning this year. They raised 2 chicks in 2022 and 2023 and had formed a good partnership.
As a 3 year old, this is Blue 372’s first year of breeding. She was translocated to Poole Harbour in 2021 from a Scottish nest. She returned in 2023 and teamed up with Blue 416. They actually intruded at Llyn Brenig then and found themselves a nest elsewhere on private land in Wales. However, this year, Blue 372 chose the Llyn Brenig nest and LJ2 as her mate. Blue 416 did intrude here and try to take Blue 372 back. She stuck to her choice though and Blue LJ2 courted her and they became a couple. A lot of new experiences for Blue 372 this year but she is handling everything well and still doing her own thing ie catching fish if need be!
11.38 LJ2 flies in to take over incubation.He picks at some grasses before settling down.
12.25 372 returns carrying some straw. She’s been bringing a lot of soft bedding recently.
LJ2 leaves
13.00 372 currently on the eggs.
©️NWWT, WW, BOP
A quiet day here. A few more nest changes with 372 currently sitting on the eggs.
14.10 LJ2 arrives to take over from 372.
He quickly settles down.
14.43 372 arrives with more soft nesting of grasses and earth.
She sorts things out before settling down.
14.44
15.53 egg rolling
15.49 LJ2 flies in from over the water.
He lands here. 372 is quiet so there mustn’t be any fish.
15.49 A few seconds after, LJ2 leaves the tree and flies up to the tower perch. (top right of the photo)
He starts fixing his feathers straight away.
16.08 but then, whilst in the middle of preening, something caught his eye and he immediately lunged downwards off the perch.
View from the nest shows a duck that was swimming by suddenly started squawking and took off at speed near to the nest.
A closer view of the duck as it becomes airborne.
This is what caught LJ2’s attention and he is seen flying down from the tower perch and under the nest to chase the duck.
372 calmly watches proceedings and stays sat on her eggs. LJ2 didn’t return to the tower perch.
16.46 Later, LJ2 glides in to land on the top branch of the tree along from the nest.
16.47 LJ2 flew down from the tree to the nest.
When 372 stood up off the eggs, the wind caught her rear end and she beak dived into the nest.16.48 LJ2 Incubating
He didn’t get long. 372 returned around 15 minutes later with another clump of soft bedding materials.
17.02 LJ2 flew off and 372 got to work sorting the nest space.
17.43 372 settled down.
17.50 Seven minutes later, LJ2 returned with a piece of bark.
He tapped 372’s back with it and she got up.
17.51 LJ2 now incubating.
18.12 372 flew past the nest to the left of LJ2, chasing a Corvid.
She then flew to the tower perch (top right) and the Corvid, the tree along from the nest.
372
After the Corvid changed its position and flew to the top of the tree, it got LJ2’s attention.
18.13 He backed off the nest and flew up to chase the Corvid away, returning a minute later.
It looked like 372 was following LJ2’s chase.
18.44 LJ2 had around half an hour of incubation when 372 returned.
18.45 She got on with sorting the furnishings again.
18.58 372 relaxing.
19.24 LJ2 flew to the nest looking skyward, like he’d seen a possible intruder? He made a couple of contact chirps as he landed.
372 looked in the same direction as LJ2 but nothing more happened.
19.26 LJ2 flew off under 2 minutes later and went to the tower perch.
20.02 LJ2 came to the nest. They swapped over.
20.31 They swapped back again half an hour later with 372 flying up from the nest perch and landing on LJ2’s tail
20.32 LJ2 made a half hearted attempt at getting up but then snuggled in again.
372 fussed around LJ2 picking things up and moving them, vocalising at LJ2
20.34 He eventually got up and 372 made her way to the eggs.
LJ2 flew to one of the posts where they sometimes feed.
20.35 372 got settled down on the eggs.
There have been no more changes.21.47 372 currently.
I’ve not seen any fish brought to the nest today. LJ2 ate the leftover piece from last night early this morning. Brenig FB posted a wee video of a fishing attempt by LJ2 at 13.17. (It was similar to yesterday’s video but a wee bit further away.) So he has tried! Hopefully he’ll have more success tomorrow.
May 7
Good morning. 372 seemed to have a peaceful night. LJ2 came to take over nest duties around his usual time.
05.04
05.16
05.07 372 visited the tower perch
05.35
There have been several changeovers on the nest.06.07
08.08 LJ2 brings in nesting materials
08.35 “It’s my turn again dear!”
09.30
11.26 372 was calling to LJ2 from the cam post.
She flew down and they swapped over. 11.37 372 is currently on the nest.
11.39 372’s eyes closed on and off as she rested on the nest.
12.26 She watches LJ2 fly towards the nest.
and politely asks for lunch. They changeover.
13.19 Just under an hour later, 372 flies up to the cam post.
LJ2 has a conversation (mostly with himself!) He gets up off the eggs.
13.20 372 flies down to the nest.
13.21 and gets comfortable for her incubation stint.
14.50 372 is still here.
372 continued to sit in the nest, getting up every so often to turn the eggs, changing position.
She started calling but not in a demanding way, just a few chirps now and then.
16.28 Then just after, she stood up and flew off, high over the nest cam pole.
11 seconds later, one of the birds flew past to the right of the nest. I can’t make out who it is. I suspect 372.
20 seconds after that, LJ2 landed on the empty nest with a headless fish.
372 flew past him and landed on the cam pole but only for a few seconds
16.29 LJ2 walked the fish further down the nest, waiting then started picking at it again.
16.30 with 372 not returning, he decided to leave with the fish.
372 arrived just after and quietly sat back on the eggs.
16.51 LJ2 returned and 372 was more receptive to wanting the fish this time.
16.52 she takes it in her beak
Off she goes clutching the fish in her talons.
16.54 LJ2 takes over incubation.
17.32 372 returns with a piece of bark.
LJ2 leaves straight away.
17.33 372 sorted a few pieces in the nest cup then her head went down first to get her body into position.
A couple of nice events coming up at Llyn Brenig, posted on FB.