.
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
SheilaFE said:Was last sighting of Asha on Sunday?
She first popped to the nest in between your sessions, SHEILA! Only for a few minutes, mainly feaking. Then back in the evening with Klive, as per your report. Here's the day as I found it:
Klive's tootsies:
..
ASHA arrived on nest perch at 05:26, preened and waited and flew off at 06:29:
I'm all electioned out, g'night and SYAL.
Friday 5 July 2024
05.26 Asha lands on nest perch, checks around, has a scratch and an intermittent preen. The remains of overnight rain show top right.
06.29 After a lot of preening, and swaying with the wind Asha leaves the nest perch, flying towards the nest cam.
08.13 Asha returns to the nest perch. It's still windy, but appears to be dry now. Asha preens again.
09.03 Asha has a fly-about and returns to the nest.
09.05 FISH No 1 She starts to fish solicit. Fish dance, getting louder. Backing up towards us and Klive lands with a big fish. Asha grabbed it, Klive was either trying to fly off with it or unable to let go of the whole brown trout. Once free of his talons….
09.06 Asha flies off with the fish!! Klive was faux mantling briefly when Asha left, but within a minute he is pottering about the nest, moving sticks.
Asha landed on the dead tree immediately beyond the nest and within view of Klive.
09.15 Klive has been nestorising and is now lying in the cup!
09.16 He gets up
09.17 He took off and floated down over the bog, behind Asha and off to the right (PTZ).
09.28
09.30 Klive is found on Odin's perch, preening
09.45 Asha appears to be pulling at the tail end all ready. She won't be returning any to Klive!
09.47 Cleaning her beak, legs and talons.
09.49 Klive lands on the nest, As she comes to land, he faux mantles.. She makes contact noises.
09.51 Klive moves closer to Asha, but continues to half mantle.
09.53 Klive hadn't relaxed, but he flow off.
09.54 Klive returned with a large awkward still, and mantles with his back towards Asha. She continues to gently call.
09.55 Klive flies from the nest. He returns with a scythe-like heavy stick, and mantles again.
09.56 And he flies again.
09.58 And returns with yet another long thick stick, and mantles again. This 'bonding' lark is a bit late Klive!
09.59 Off again. Asha has been standing on the rim watching. Klive returns with yet another long stick and faux mantles! Asha was watching him intently.
10.00 Klive relaxes at last and starts moving the sticks around.
10.01 Off yet again. Is he trying to impress Asha!
10.02 Klive returns stickless, and lands on the nest perch.
10.03 Klive flies towards the dead tree by the PTZ and returns with a large sticky stick this time, and mantles.
10.04 Asha flies off.
10.05 Klive flies off
10.09 Asha is found on Odin's perch
13.23 Asha still on Odin's perch
Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
13.56 Asha leaves Odin's perch and returns to the nest perch.
14.42 She is still there just sitting, with the occasional shut-eye.
My little heart soared and sank when I saw your screed, SHEILA - it's the work!
The fish wasn't quite a tiddler but it didn't take long to get eaten:
The 2 of them:
The fish and many sticks, up to "time for a break":
Asha on Odin's perch:
Asha sorted out the mess o' sticks that Klive had left on the nest:
I had a tech prob and can't tell is there was any late evening activity and am not doing rollback. G'night
I'm trying to show the spider's strand from the cam perch to the nest so I did a gif a few nights ago and forgot it.
You need to be ever so interested and keen to see it, then you'll spend the requisite time and energy peering to see the glisten and the spider-dot moving:
04:43 Asha flew in to perch - she popped down to the nest when Klive landed at 05:16:
After a couple of flyabouts Klive flew over to the dead treetip, where he still was a couple of minutes ago, and Asha was still hunched on the nest.
Saw it !!!
So did I!
Saturday 6 July 2024 England v Switzerland Euros
04.43 Scylla reported that Asha flew in to the nest perch. It looks very wet, but it's not raining now., looking wet.
05.16 Klive arrived on the nest. He immediately went into faux mantle, Asha dropped to the nest and started fish soliciting as she prowled behind him.
05.18 Klive relaxes, wings by his side again, and he stands tall, while Asha continues to call.
05.19 Klive flies from the nest. Asha calls, looking to the right, nest cam. He landed on the dead tree immediately beyond the nest. (PTZt cam)
05.42 Kilve takes flight, and returns to the nest Asha continues to call.
05.45 Klive flies to the nest perch, and then away to the dead tree near the PTZ. Asha continues to call!
07.04 Asha continued calling, Klive left the dead tree by the PTZ, and she stil called. Presumably Klive is within sight. A change of perch. He is not on the dead trees beyond the nest.
07.06 Asha flies to the nest perch, and is still calling, but I can't see Klive.
07.30 Klive returns to the nest. Asha looks inquisitively, but sees no fish.#
07.47 Klive flies to a tree beyond the total pole, having stayed companionably on the nest with Asha fish soliciting! He is not easily visible. There is a pompom of green above, but behind the totem pole and he is hidden in there, with his head showing now and again.
08.09 Asha gets active and moves a branch/twig around which prompt Klive to return. He landed on her back for an attempted mating, but her tail didn't come up. He slid down, and stood faux mantling on the nest rim near the base of the nest perch.
08.11 Klive turns and attends to a sticky stick, breaking off twigs, while Asha calls.
08.13 Asha flew towards the totem pole. She may have landed on the same leafy branch just behind the total pole. Klive flew off beyond the nest and round to the right, to disappear.
08.24 Asha flew from the nest.
09.11 Klive flew to the nest, and faux mantled which prompted the return of Asha, calling for fish now!
08.31 Someone is in early! Thank you. Asha is on Odin's perch, much more comfortable than the nest.
09.10 A lovely stretch.
09.11 She leaves Odin's perch at the same time that Klive returns, faux mantling.
09.13 Klive is off again and disappears. Asha watches.
09.20 Asha starts nestorising, or tidying up. Hmm, she is still calling, so Klive hasn't gone far.
09.21 Klive returns and faux mantles while Asha calls. Come on Klive, surely you have taken the hint by now?
09.25 Klive flies off again, over the back and sweeping round to the right before I lost him.
09.27 Klive returns with a stick. He potters, tidying up looking confident! Asha calls.
09.29 Off Klive goes again. Asha stands looking, keeping an eye on him or the scenery! The nest is really building up again,.
09.33 She calls again, and sorts some of Klive's large sticks.
09.45 After more calls, Asha lifts to the nest perch, and calls some more.
The trees that had been cut lower are growing again. Soon Odin's perch will be obscured.
09.46 Klive returns, and faux mantles while Asha calls from the perch.
09.48 Klive attacks a sticky bit off a stick
09.49 and off he goes, again, leaving Asha calling plaintively.
10.13 PTZ - Klive is seen on a bare topped tree
10.16 Klive leaves the bare topped tree and returns to the nest.
10.18 Klive is off again. Asha is still on the nest Perch
10.22 The sky is getting very dark.
10.23 Asha flies off to the left out of sight.
10.47 Klive returns to the nest
10.49 He flies to the nest perch – the look-out perch!
10.58 Klive flies from the nest perch
12.14 Cam has a look at the old nest structure and after 15 minutes returned to the nest.
13.32 A look at the VC, a brief look elsewhere, then back to the nest
13.59 Klive returns to the nest, then up to the perch.
14.05 Klive flies off. The nest tree vegetation has grown this season too, and can be seen from the camera, coming to the same height.
14.38 After a look around cam rested on the cam perch and beyond.
13.04 It's been raining again.
16.24 Cam has a wander and back to the nest
19.22 Football getting tense. No sighting recently.
SheilaFE said:Football getting tense
I had to shut down when that caught my eye, as I was about to start watching my recording - dreaded that someone would post a spoiler