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!
12.47 372 returned with the small piece of fish that was left.
LJ2 flew off
372 ate a few more pieces of fish
12.48 she then released it and walked away from it to the nest cup.
12.49 after a quick roll of the eggs, she settled down with her tail covering the fish.13.39 she is currently snoozing on and off. The fish tail is now to her left.
©️NWWT, WW, BOP
13.49 LJ2 soon spied the fish tail after 372 moved away from it.
He collected it and quickly flew off still holding it in his beak.
14.25 After eating, LJ2 flew to the tower perch and cleaned his beak.
14.30 He then flew to the nest to relieve 372.
14.31
15.50 372 flew in from over the water to the nest.
LJ2 left
372 snuggles in
15.53 another egg shuffle.
17.53 LJ2 arrives with a small stick
17.53 372 left
17.54 LJ2 covered the eggs.18.23 LJ2 relaxing
18.24 He gets up to roll the eggs.
and settles down again.
The nest became a hive of activity over the next couple of hours.
18.34 372 arrived with a clump of soft nesting material
She started shifting sticks to encourage LJ2 to leave
18.35 After he left, 372 continued to nest tidy.
18.36
She sits on the eggs
18.42 a few minutes later she is up again sorting the nest cup and eggs.
18.44 she started fish calling
19.03 LJ2 arrived without a fish and landed on 372’s back
He walked right over her
372 left
19.42 She was back just over half an hour later with a clump of grass.
Shifting sticks again to encourage LJ2 to leave, which he did.
20.05 Under half an hour later LJ2 was back, riding in on a stick
20.06 He started shifting sticks to encourage 372 to leave!
20.07 Off she goes
Sorting an annoying stick
20.43 372 lands on the nest cam. LJ2 looks up then she flies down to the nest.
20.44 LJ2 flies off and 372 gets settled in.
20.53 372 is still calling for fish
21.20 still asking
22.07 Night cam comes on. She gets up to move the eggs.
22.25 Up again
22.26
22.45 Current scene.
May 31
Good morning. 372 is still on the nest since last night. She has called for LJ2 who was briefly seen chasing a crow at 06.25.
There has been much egg rolling.
00.52
01.5403.52 372 got up to exercise her wings, taking off and landing again.
04.33 Misty morning
05.26 372 left for a comfort breakCropped eggs
05.27 back again
06.21 calling for LJ2
06.24 up to roll the eggs. She did a couple of rotations around them before settling down again.
06.25
06.26
372 watches LJ2 chasing a crow
07.34 egg rolling
07.51 resting
07.53 372 is calling for LJ2 again
He flies up from the nest perch
They swap over
07.54 LJ2
08.24 Half an hour later 372 arrives with a clump of nesting
08.25 LJ2 leaves
372 makes her way to the nest cup.
On checking the PTZ cam, it started changing position to focus on the nest at 08.06
Zooming in
Have they seen something, or is this in preparation for a hatching?
This was when 372 arrived at 08.24
However, the eggs are obscured. You can just see the top of one.
08.39 372
Glider said:Have they seen something, or is this in preparation for a hatching?
Morning Glider,
Let's hope so, on both accounts!
Blow up of the eggs ...
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Thanks for the cropped eggs image. Can’t see anything yet Wendy. How strange that it looked like there was movement from within an egg a couple of days ago in Scylla’s video!
This was posted by Brenig FB over an hour ago.
08.39 LJ2 arrived at the nest with a couple of sticks.
08.40 After laying the sticks on 372’s back, she got up and they changed over.
09.31 LJ2 was on the eggs for a long period.
10.29
11.14
12.02 As he moved to get up, the strong wind caught his tail
He fought hard not to get somersaulted into the eggs and off the nest.
He lost his grip with his talons and they both ended in the air.
A few seconds later he managed to get them back onto solid ground.
And manoeuvre himself into an upright position.
Phew!
He was able to resume incubation after this. 12.04