.
Thread for April 2024
All pictures and videos ©️RSPBLochGarten&WildlifeWindows
Please read Korky's comprehensive March 2024 intro
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
EDIT
********
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.
IMAGICAT
I'm still working on yesterday afternoon - very slowly indeed - and must now take a meal break, real life is such a nuisance!.
Here is a snap from lunchtime today, showing that "it" is still going on - the attempting matings that I have checked on have been rejected.
It's KLive with a Blue Trout. He is unwilling to get go, so there is a tussle. Well done, Asha. She gets the fish, flaps and AK5 flies off, followed by Asha with the fish. KLive returns and potters
Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
You posted after I'd refreshed, SHEILA. Sorry about your tech probs, you know I empathise!
SheilaFE said: I noticed when Brodie brought in the 07.35 fish, Asha took it away in her beak, like days of old!. It was a sad sight as Brodie looked totally bewildered, but after picking up a few small twigs he settled to incubate.
This should be included in a video I've posted here, I'm too hungry to look for it now.
EDIT - Here's this morning's video with Brodie - https://youtu.be/I0cSaLhdBnk
And here's this lunchtime's horrid snap, which got BOPS'd, showing that Klive persists:
It's taken long enough to refresh this page, and get your lovely pic, so I won't attempt to post my snips!! However.
15.49 KLive lands with a large blue trout. There is a tussle over the fish. He either can't or won't let go. Asha finally gets it and flaps to take off and he flies when she flaps. Both fly off. Pick possibly later!
15.50 KLive returns and potters.
15.51 He spots an empty eggshell. PIcks it up, and drops it. Again, and moves towards the rim. More pecking at it. Geese can be heards passing through, but out of sight.
15.52 More moving of twigs, randomly, going round in circules. Nest cups. Keeps looking at the egg shell.
15.53 Back to the left rim, turns an d picks up the egg shel dropping it on the right side. It rolled down. He picked it up and broke some more off. He stood in the cup, and nest cupped.
15.56 Round and round he goes, picking up a pit here, and a piece there. I'm dizzy just watching him!
15.57 A pause and he moves to the back right, away from the abandoned egg she
15.59 And back to the middle, round and round again.
16.10 KLive lifted off the nest
16.00 Pic possibly later! PTZ found him hovering over Asha in the tree behind the nest, where she was eating the fish. She wasn't happy. He flew off.
I also got a lovely close-up of Asha earlier. I'll try...
That took over four minutes to show on the post, so I won't bother with the others until the speed picks up.
That fish, lying over her feeding perch, will take a while to consume! Meanwhile the nest is empty, apart from one obvious broken egg shell.
16.53 PTZ Asha suddenly started looking around, and cam reverted to the nest, so we don't know what bothered her.
16.54 KLive returned to the nest. More pottering, and looking around – for Asha?
16.58 He flew off.b
17.31 KLive returned, accidentally kicking the shell.. It won't e long before it is part of the nest. He pecks at it again, in passing and then nest cupped.
17.39 KLive flewoff over and to the left of the old nest.
Asha will be some time! ENS
That download took over ten minutes and I'm still waiting, so it may not post, but it showed Asha and her huge fish two hours ago, ca 16.00.
She's still on her perch at 19:30
Happy to see that Asha and Brodie are back after all the drama and heartache yesterday. That KL5 is so determined and so is Asha! Dear Brodie, when he was looking and picking and looking at the egg and then settled to brood, heartbreaking. So sad that this has happened here and also what is happening at LoTL. Nature indeed, but it is so cruel and is awful to us Ospreyholics.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Ceejay19 We can't see the perch now. Zoom/PTZ moved just after 16.53. She hasn't returned to the nest though, so I think you are probably correct, LOL.
18.57 KLive landed back on the nest. He had a good shake and began preening. His undercarriage looked a bit ragged, so perhaps he'd had a bathe.
19.03 He flies off, dipping off to the left.
20.21 ENS