.
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
19:28:25 KL5 flies to the old nest branch. It looks like he has a fish because his head is bobbing up and down as if he were eating. He was last seen at 11:08 which means he would have had plenty of time to go fishing and finish most of the fish.
When he flies to the nest perch at 19:40 he doesn't have any fish.
14:04 PTZ cam finds Asha on top of old nest pole. She is feaking her beak. Did she have something to eat? She was last seen at 9:21.
In the evening Klive flew to perch @ 19:40 and quite soon seemed to fly off and fetch Asha - but she only stayed a few minutes:
After a long preen, Klive pooped and flew off for the night @ 20:51:
11 June
The mystery critter was very slightly clearer this morning - musta been a fox, I reckon, but strangely patterned?
04:57 Asha flew in with a stick:
She flew off at 05:03:
06:56 Asha returned. She waited and called and called until 08:06 when she flew to Odin's perch, but right back to the nest when "someone" appeared on a distant tree:
The someone soon flew to this tree:
08:53 Asha flew to Odin's perch, then back to the nest at 08:59 for a few seconds...
09:02 PTZ the Someone flew off to our left and by 09:06 Asha was back on the nest...
09:12 Asha was back on Odin's perch and Camperson had come on duty so we got a close-up of her back view...
09:57 she flew:
09:34 Asha to nest with another stick:
09:44 she flew again to Odin's perch, where she was still preening when I decided enough was enough at 10:00.
Maybe Klive's fishing, but will that do anyone any good besides him?!
GSW mother and child for Trevor
scylla said:The mystery critter was very slightly clearer this morning - musta been a fox, I reckon, but strangely patterned?
I think it does look like a fox too Scylla, it moves like one as well.
June 11. KL5 with a FISH.
6:58:43 KL5 flies in the distance to the old nest branch. He has a fish. Asha yells at him from the nest but he bypassed the nest when he flew by.
8:06. She flies to the old nest branch to perch beside KL5. She's really chirping at him and she edges closer to his fish.
8:07:00 KL5 flies off.
8:07:48 She returns to the nest
8:09 He lands on a tree behind the nest (see ptz) until he flies off at 9:02.
10:53 PTZ cam finds KL5 on the old nest branch with a partially eaten huge rainbow trout.
16:14 He is still on the branch. The fish is pretty much all gone. Maybe just a morsel left.
Asha last seen at 10:11 so perhaps she is eating her own fish somewhere.
June 11 2024 - Day complete
Fish: 6:58:43 (KL5)
Mating: 19:32 F. All with KL5.
The (S)uccess or (F)ailure indication is purely my untrained observation.
0 S, 1 F
16:51:04 Asha lands on the nest.
KL5 touches down for one second with his fish at 16:51:11.
Asha dives for the remains of the fish but KL5 takes off immediately. No handover!!
17:06 he's on the tree behind the nest eating his fish, while Asha looks on from the nest!!! The nerve.
17:12 he flies off from the tree (see ptz), Asha does her fish dance, he by-passes the nest and flies to the old nest branch (see left below). She is screeching.
scylla said:Maybe Klive's fishing, but will that do anyone any good besides him?!
What did I tell ya?!
Thanks anyway, CANUCK