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!
May 13
Good morning. All looked well overnight. 372 took a very quick comfort break at 03.26. 03.26 Returning after approx half a minute.
03.27 LJ2 flew from the nest perch to the tower perch.
He preened for over an hour.
Left for 10 minutes then returned at 04.47.
05.01 His next departure was to arrive on the nest to relieve 372.
There have been many swapovers so far this morning. Here some captures of a few.
06.02 372 to the nest.
06.25 LJ2 took over. 06.38 372 returned but LJ2 wouldn’t move so she flew off after a couple of minutes.
372 got back on at 07.16.
08.36 LJ2 flew in with a stick and landed on 372’s back
He walked off and left it there
372 flew off
Changeover to 372 at 09.22
09.51 LJ2 flies in with a roll of bark.
09.58 372 with a mossy stick
09.59
10.11 LJ2 arrives at the tower perch with a bunch of stuff
Luckily the branch has fallen before he got to the nest.
10.42 372 is currently on the nest.
©️NWWT, WW, BOP
Still quiet here today. It is very windy though.
11.30 LJ2 with a piece of bark.
11.33 He takes over incubation. 372 flies to the nearby treetop.
11.48 372 glides in empty taloned for once
LJ2 gets up, 372 approaches the eggs straight away.
and rolls them before sitting.
12.27 372 still sitting. Sounds like raindrops starting to fall.
It looks like 372 has been on the nest all afternoon.
15.00
She changed position and turned the eggs a few times.
I had hoped LJ2 had been fishing and eating his catch but he was on the tower perch around 4pm with nothing.
LJ2 was on the tower perch for a wee bit around 19.20.The clock is unreadable a lot on the tower perch when the sky is pale.
I hadn’t seen a changeover yet on the nest until
19.38 when 372 starts calling for LJ2
A much drier LJ2 arrives to relieve 372, who’s done a sterling job.
372 leaves
19.39 LJ2 sits
20.18 372 returns to the nest. The weather is just miserable.
20.19
21.01 up to roll the eggs
21.59 and again.
22.18 and the rain isn’t stopping.
May 14
02.27 Good morning. The rain continued for most of the night. 372 had a few shuffles around but I didn’t see her do wing stretches or leave the nest.
04.58 In the morning, LJ2 briefly visited the tower perch before coming to the nest.
05.01He takes over
05.06 372 visited the tower perch to do some preening and and fish watching.
05.09
05.45
07.03 372 arrives at the nest with a clump of earth.07.04 LJ2 leaves
07.28 372 rolls the eggs, sounding one or two soft whistles
08.29 LJ2 returns
08.30 372 gets up to allow LJ2 on the eggs.
08.52 372 returns telling LJ2 his time is up. She’s clutching a small clump of grass/earth in each of her talons.
08.53 They swap over.
08.54 372 settled
09.41 she’s having a wee doze.
10.42 LJ2 drops in to take over incubation.
10.43 372 leaves
11.06 372 returns, holding a chunk of soft bedding.
11.07 She starts replacing materials around LJ2 to encourage him to get up.
11.08 LJ2 backs off the eggs and 372 immediately nudges in.
LJ2 arrives at the tower perch
11.09 372 covers the eggs.
12.06 LJ2 was at the tower perch for an hour.
12.12 372 starts quietly calling. She looks up as LJ2 flies down from the tower perch.
LJ2 sees to the eggs as 372 flies off.
12.34 372 arrives with a large clump of earthy grass
12.35 She carries it to place at the other side of the nest.
12.36 LJ2 leaves.
I wonder when one of them will go fishing? I didn’t see any brought to the nest yesterday during the bad weather.
13.39 LJ2 flies in with a large piece of bark.
It’s troublesome from the word go.
13.41 He tries to take it to the other side of the nest, can’t see where he’s going and walks all over 372’s back.
13.42 372 gets up and LJ2 is standing inside the bark now.
13.43 372 now tackles it
13.44 It blows into her left side, she stumbles
and lifts her wings, hovering above for a few seconds
before flying off. LJ2 places it again
13.45 and finally settles down on the eggs.
It’ll probably get blown off the nest now!
Well actually, as LJ2 couldn’t stop pecking at the bark, it moved and ended up blowing onto his head!
14.11 He’s nibbling away at the bark.The wind caught the right end of the bark, it lifted
and it flipped onto his head.
He struggled to get it off
14.12 He’s got a wee bit of his head poking out
in the end, he had to stand up to shake it off.
He then had to place it again. My heart was in my mouth watching those eggs, hoping he wouldn’t trod on any.
14.13 settled again.
14.34 LJ2 looked please to see 372 coming in and was off the eggs, waiting on her arrival.
14.35 372 moved the bark further away from the nest cup.
The wind caught it and thankfully it blew off.
She watched it go!
14.37 Then was able to resume incubation.
Wow, super pics, Glider! Thank goodness that bark has now been blown off!