.
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've seen Klive again several hours ago but have been waylaid by a dying TV, had to research and order a new one *yowl* which isn't arriving till the 9th *yowl*.
Now extremely tired, shall update later.
Not having a great deal of luck are you Scylla ... don't envy you having to set that up!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Klive was back - not only in the afternoon but late evening for 10 minutes, too! I'm almost feeling sorry for him
03 July
No-one seen up to 05:43, and I'm away for the duration
3 July 2024
It's been a wet start to the day, with rain 'blobs' on the screen and lots of wind blowing the trees around.
09.39 No sign of life until 09.39 when PTZ moves from the next to the old dead tree branches. Klive is here with half a fish – brown trout? He has his back towards us.
10.18 Klive either downs or tears and drops the end of the fish. He starts cleaning his beak and talons, and has a poop. He re
10.21 He returns to cleaning beak and talons.
11.22 Preening and watching.
11.39 Klive leaves the dead tree near the old nest – remnants of the barbed wire at the base of the nest are in view below the tree.
11.39 Cam moves to the nest as Klive lands.
11.46 Klive lifts up in the wind, and flies off.
12.07 PTZ draws back, and looks at the distant dead trees behind the nest (PTZ) and finds nothing They rested on trees and bog where it stayed until ..
12.20 When it zoomed in and checked the trees in the distance, including the two dead trees again, and a flat topped tree, another dead tree or two. Nothing.
12.21 Back to the nest. ENS.
No sign of Asha or Brodie, or the pretty pale male.
The cam stayed on the nest, I think, until about 16.00 after rain and sun.
16.29 cam takes a wander of the scenery, looking at the trees, the variety, the different shades of green, at the back of the bog. Then back to the nest, now in some sun, with dark skies to the east.
16.51 beautiful colours in the distance
Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
There was lovely light late afternoon, as per SHEILA's snap - it almost looked like daytime northern lights.
Yesterday they focused on this individual tree for some reason - I snapped it and forgot it, for some other reason
And this afternoon we had two rows of light treetops, it makes it look like a Forestry Commission plantation, trees planted in rows:
Here was Klive - he arrived first at 08:29 to the dead treetip but flew off and spent some time in parts unknown before returning - I thought he had the fish from the start but it's difficult to see. After finishing his fish he had a very long preen and then spent some minutes on the nest. In the evening he returned to the nest and nestcupped, then flew off for the last time today.
I forgot to caption time-stamps on the cropped bits, sorry!
Amongst a lot of lovely preening he did a mantle for Canuck but the cam was a bit too close to get the whole of it:
04 July
I can't wait for this momentous (or not) day to be over, and yet am dreading it and the (probable) anticlimax to follow.
On the subject of Ospreys - certainly no-one seen up to 05:50, and from rollback I can't see anyone up to this time but that's less certain.
SYAL !!!
I can see any sign of anyone either. No sighting on Chat. Very windy, and it has been raining. Definitely a day to hunker down!
4 July 2024
All very quiet. Rain on the screen and wind in the morning, and no sign of any osprey, with nothing reported on Chat.
11.40 Klive landed on the nest perch, and preened with a yawn.
11.55 He flew off
12.48 Cam has a tour of regular perches, and no one was seen. Was last sighting of Asha on Sunday? She was on the old nest frame at 18.29. I'm not sure whether she's been seen since that evening??
12.50 Another wander around the trees!! Two pigeons were atop the old dead tree near the PTZ.
12.51 One pigeon on nest cam perch. Checks the dead tree again, and the pair are still there.
12.57 Back to distance view of the nest over the bog out to the mountains.
13.01 Rain drops, just in passing as some blue sky appears.
13.39 Heavy grey clouds come in.
13.44 More rain drops, which come and go for the next hour.
15.24 Cam still on distant view of new, bog, trees and mountains.
20.02 Klive landed with nesting material. He was followed in by Asha who immediately started fish soliciting. Klive was faux mantling!
20.05 Klive is still mantling, Asha calls expectantly.
Klive lifts up in the wind and comes down, sliding of Asha
Klive may have visited more times earlier. There appears to be new nesting material scattered about.
20.17 Klive lits up and floats away.
20. 21 Asha flew away.
20.26 Klive floats towards the nest and lands gently
20.48 Klive is still there moving nesting material around.
That's all well and good, but he has to learn to bring fish in and SHARE willingly.