LOCH GARTEN 2024 - May to end of season

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Thread for April 2024

All pictures and videos ©️RSPBLochGarten&WildlifeWindows

Please read Korky's comprehensive March 2024 intro

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Asha & Brodie

The partnership has matured this season, with Asha continuing her good female role (and she loves nest-building) and Brodie being more reliable, both fishing and incubating.

The pair have fought their way thru all kinds of nasty weather - snow, wind and rain - and intruders, including the dreaded KL5 Klive, have been a nuisance but not dangerous...

so far.

21 April @ 10:47

24 April @ 14:06

27 April @ 13:27


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EDIT

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Sadly, the month of May heralded irresistible aggression from BlueKL5 "Klive", who had ruined the end of last season for the 2 juvies.

Within the first 2 days Klive had driven Brodie from the area (tho Brodie did return a couple of times to dive-bomb Klive, to no effect) and destroyed the eggs.  He commenced to woo Asha clumsily, selfishly and inappropriately, as can be seen from the following pages.

  • Edited to correct that it was an unringed female who was the intruder.  Not a male.  And that it was the URF who landed on the nest at 15:48 and tried to wrestle the fish from KL5.

    Intruder!!

    15:23:07 unringed intruder arrives at the nest. 

    15:23:43 KL5 goes to land (with his fish) while the unringed O is still on the nest.  KL5 abandons the idea and flies off. 

    15:24:23 The unringed O takes off just as Asha lands on the nest.  Asha mantles and alarm calls. Does she have a tiny bit of fish in her talons?  Hard to tell.

    15:26:00 The unringed female lands on nest while Asha is there.
    15:26:10 Asha alarm calls, mantles and flaps her off:
    15:27:21 KL5 lands with a fish while Asha is there.  No handover. 
    15:28:17 KL5 hops to the nest cam with his fish. Can see other osprey flying in the distance.
    15:28:20 KL5 takes off (with the fish) to chase after the URF who is on top of the tower.
    15:28:51  KL5 lands back on the nest (with the fish) and both he and Asha are dive-bombed by the URF
    15:29 Asha and KL5 both fly off.
    15:31:06 KL5 back to nest (with the fish).  Alarm calls and mantles. 
    15:31:19 KL5 flies off with the fish
    15:36:15 KL5 back to nest, yet again, with the fish.  Can see another O flying in the distance on right of the screen
    15:36:31 KL5 flies off with the fish.  Looks like Asha tried to touch down on the nest at the same time but thought better of it.
    15:48:48 URF arrives on nest. KL5 flies in with his fish
    URF dives for the fish. There is a struggle and both go over the side of the nest.  KL5 keeps the fish and flies off.  URF gets caught in the side of the nest and finally frees herself to fly off.
    15:52:18 KL5 lands on the nest but doesn't have the fish anymore  Did he drop it or pass to Asha?? Alarm calls. 
    15:53:30 KL5 flies off.  Appears to be another O flying in the distance. 
    15:58:28 Asha lands on the nest.  Feaks her beak. 
    16:08:34 KL5 flies in for attempt at mating.  She declines.  She chirps at him.  All appears to be back to normal.
    16:12:43 KL5 flies off. 
  • Most likely a female, they have a black neck

    Richard B

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    Terrific coverage, CANUCK !!! Astonished Laughing

    I do hope I can do a video but am so darn unfit and it looks like a difficult one, going on so long and with micro-events.

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    scylla said:
    I do hope I can do a video

    Not nearly as dramatic as CANUCK's snappy version with commentary!  I couldn't show the alternative view of the bit where Asha got dragged off the nest by the Klive's fish because the PTZ wasn't focused on the nest - shame, it should have been an interesting angle.

    Asha waited on the nest until 22:07, presumably hoping for a decent meal... Unamused

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    First arrival was Asha to the cam perch:

    She didn't come down onto the nest until:

    Then she called and called, pottered and even nestcupped!

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    I couldn't see Klive anywhere until he flew in with a fish tail dangling skin (huh!) at 07:30, couldn't get any better shot from either cam. Asha flew off with it clutched with straw:

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    I b'ent doing any more (that's Cornish too).

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  • High time Asher rejected this ..............

    Thanks for photos Scylla

  • Great job Scylla.  Great video earlier too. 

  • May 31, 2024 - Day complete

    Fish: 5:49:08 (KL5), 15:25:01 (Asha)

    Mating:  7:49 F, 10:00 F.  All with KL5.  

    The (S)uccess or (F)ailure indication is purely my untrained observation.  

    0 S, 2 F

  • Thanks Richard. You are correct.  I edited my post detailing the events around the intruder to say that it was an unringed female.  And thanks to you to Scylla for saying it was a female in the video you did.

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    Canuck said:
    15:25:01 (Asha)

    Glad to have confirmation that it was Asha having a pre-meal poop:

    Klive was on-cam a lot more than Asha today - here was his final 5-minute visit at 22:02 in the evening: