.
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
We didn't get away with a Klive-free day
It was a lovely sunny evening!
scylla said:Was it a Peregrine Falcon?
Looks a likely candidate to me Scylla
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
At about 11:10 the PTZ found Klive with fish on his usual dead tree - he came to the nest at 13:01 with something in his talons, I couldn't tell if it was a bit of fish or a small stick... then he hovered down onto the cam perch:
Can't concentrate so I was messing around.
A bit lurid?
..
To be caught up with later.
Klive's "travels" from trees to nest and back to trees and back to nest... I didn't include everything, got in a right mess thru misreading the timeline
There are a couple of little gems in here:
14 August
Klive's arrival - a holding snap.
SYAL.
I've just received the details of blue 179 who intruded here on 7 August. He was ringed on 30 June 2024 at a nest near Inverness by Hugh Insley and Benjy Wilcock. He was from a brood of 3. (I got this information from Dr Tim Mackrill after reporting the sighting).
Holly29 said:I've just received the details of blue 179 who intruded here on 7 August. He was ringed on 30 June 2024 at a nest near Inverness by Hugh Insley and Benjy Wilcock. He was from a brood of 3. (I got this information from Dr Tim Mackrill after reporting the sighting).
Thank you very much, Holly29 for letting us know. I wonder if he's on his way south by now, and wouldn't it be super to see him back in 2026?
14 August rayzoomay
Buzzard?
Thank you very much Holly. Tim is very good at coming back with details. He was such a 'pretty' looking youngster. It was clearly 'exploring' the area. A nest 'near Inverness' could cover quite a wide area, so possibly he was already heading south, but I tend to think (and I'm sure I said it at the time) it is probably too early yet. He will still be relying on at least the larder of Dad, if not Mum and Dad. I do hope we see him again in 2026!
And thank your Scylla.! Your vids appeared while I was taking forever to produce my epistle!!
Blue 179(24)f hatching near Inverness, ringed 30 June 2024, visited LG nest 7 August 2024. Thanks to Holly and Tim for the info
It seems to be as windy at LG as it is south of Cambridge, making it a very pleasant day.
09.58 the nest had a lovely visitor, and VC zoomed in. A redstart on the nest perch. A coal tit (I think) appeared over the back of the nest followed by a small pale bird, ID unknown!
10.01 no sooner had the redstart departed, when Klive landed (nest cam). He had blood on his legs so presumably had just enjoyed a late breakfast, and not taken a bath! Unusually, and most welcome, the PTZ cam zoomed in to his lower body in the hope of checking the ring, but it wasn't visible from that view! He cleaned his beak on a a rim stick, and broke off twigs from a few random sticks
10.04 with a chirrup he headed up to the nest perch.
10.08 where, having surveyed the area, he enjoys a good preen
11.07 the cloud levels drops, the horizon disappears and it is clearly raining
11.09 the rain reaches the nest
11.19 still on the nest perch
11.22 the clouds on the horizon lift and the mountains are visible
11.23 Klive drops to the nest cup, and shakes rain from his head
11.24 it's still raining
11.26 Klive flies off over our left shoulder (nest cam).
14.01 the sun is out, casting shadows.
16.06 Klive brought in some soft furnishings, and looked anxiously around. He appeared to mantle, then opened in his wings and flew off with his bundle of nesting material. As he took off towards 'us', nest cam, another osprey flew in from the back of the nest, flying overhead and out of sight.
16.39 Klive flew to the nest and mantled. He was followed in by a female. After my faux pas last time, I am reluctant to say it was Mistle/Asha. I need to check some other pics first, this time! The chest was very dark, and not exactly freckled. Klive merely mantled, a bit like a faux mantle he does when Asha is around. He didn't attempt to get rid of her.
I'm not clever at putting together shots, but as example of our dark visitor. Wind doesn't help
16.40 She flew off, Klive looked surprised, then flew off too
16.41 Klive returned
16.50 Klive flew off
I do not think the intruder was Asha. The intruder was far darker than Asha, the dark shape on her head lacked the vague heart shape, and there was no white oblong on the top of her head..
Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
SheilaFE said:09.58 the nest had a lovely visitor, and VC zoomed in. A redstart on the nest perch. A coal tit (I think) appeared over the back of the nest followed by a small pale bird, ID unknown!
I've been "sitting on" the Redstart episode for blinking hours - it was so selfish, unwilling to share that great big nest, it chased off the Coal Tit twice. I couldn't recognise the pale boid at the back of the nest either.
Having been digressed for so long, a rest is due before attacking any more.
PS - I only got as far as seeing Klive land right after the little birdies departed and have been paused ever since - I'll have a conscientious look at the female later
The small pale bird might have been a female Redstart:
Coal Tit got chased off twice!
SheilaFE said:16.39 Klive flew to the nest and mantled. He was followed in by a female. After my faux pas last time, I am reluctant to say it was Mistle/Asha. I need to check some other pics first, this time! The chest was very dark, and not exactly freckled. Klive merely mantled, a bit like a faux mantle he does when Asha is around. He didn't attempt to get rid of her.
I didn't think it was Asha, either. I'm posting this episode to cover both the "intrusion" and the day's "Klive was here" evidence: