.
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
4:19 Klive flies onto females back - mating attempt (u)
4:31 a very feeble (u) mating attempt
Thursday 16 May 2024
03.55 Day can kicked in ENS
04.12 EJFan Asha landed on the nest perch
04.19 EJFan KLive lands on her back and attempted to mate. Failed.
04.24 KLive flies off. Asha fish solicits
04.31 KLive lands on her back, but quickly slid off. He stays on the nest, in a half mantle/ Asha remains on the nest perch
04.32 CLive flies off to the south, the opposite side of the nest perch. PTZ cam
05.18 Sun comes thru
05.59 Mist has rolled in. Asha leave the nest. Seen flying low behind the nest.
She lands back on the nest, calling.
06.00 She starts the 'fish dance', pauses to move a large stick around, and continues calling.
Nest cam shows KLive arriving on Odin's perch, partially hidden by the PTZ tower. He has a fish
06.53 The mist has lifted. Asha continues to fish solicit
09.27
09.39 KLive finally takes flight, Asha calls excitedly, and starts backing up.
FISH Asha grabs the tail end, KLive holds onbriefly, Asha claims it and flies off with her late breakfish.
09.40 KLive cleans his beak before checked the centre of the nest, moving twigs and sticks.
09.40 Cam finds Asha on a bare topped tree, eating her tail end.
09.59 Asha returns, immediately looking at KLives talons for fish, and fish soliciting loudly. That fish tail wasn't enough.
10.01 Klive lifts to Asha's back. There was a lot of paddling as he keeps his balance. Her tail was up and ready, but I don't think it was successful. KLive leaves. Asha calls.
10.59 Asha calles as KLive flies on to her back, a successful mate, and he slides down over her head.
11.00 She continues to call. He stands on the rim with his back to her
11.02 KLive leaves. Asha calls
11.17 KLive lands to mate. Successful.
11.23 Klive departs
Edit:
11.38 Asha flies to the nest perch
12.20 Asha leaves the nest
12.21 She lands on the cam perch, calling
13.02 Cam finds KLive on the branch of the dead tree near the PTZ. Beautiful close-ups
13.10 KLive takes off
13.28 Asha leaves the nest
14.07 No sign of either of any cam
more edits:
From Chat Canuck So far since 1 May, there have been 147 mating attempts by KL5, with 18 successful (12%)
15.09 KLive lands on the nest, looking around.
15.14 KLive flies away. Cam goes in search.
15.15 But fails to find anyone. .
15.35 KLive landed, defending, intruder chipping at intruder unseen above the nest.
15.36 Such a beautiful blue sky.
15.42 No sign of the intruder, KLive has a preen and checks around.
15.45 KLive flies away down to the right, then seen flying to the left in the skyline.
16.16 Asha lands on the nest perch and preens.
16.23 She drops to the nest, looking around.
16.24 Asha starts calling.
16.25 KLive lands on Asha, from behind, and fails to mate.
16.26 Asha calls, KLive tries to mate again, but she pecks at him and he can't balance and drops to the nest, before flying off. Seen circling in the sky
16.38 Asha flew. Within the minute an osprey flew left to right across the bog.
16.51 Asha landed, mantling. KLive followed her in as he tried to mate, tipping him off. Both looked skyward.
16.52 KLive flew off. Asha calls.
17.01 Asha keeps calling, and looking around, and up, which is odd, as there aren't any taller trees in the immediate vicinity.
Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
May 16, 2024 - Day complete
Fish: 5:59:58 (KL5)
Mating: 4:19 F, 4:24 F, 4:31 F, 4:38 S, 10:01 S, 10:59 S, 11:17 S, 13:01 F, 16:25 F, 16:26 F, 16:51 F, 18:08 F, 20:08 F, 20:54 F, 21:54 F. All with KL5.
The (S)uccess or (F)ailure indication is purely my untrained observation.
4 S, 11 F
Thank you Canuck. So he is feeding well himself, a survivor. Unfortunately he is not proving a good provider, for Asha, let alone a family. Having said that, I thought how well Asha was looking. Perhaps she is catching her own fish, away from the cams.
20.37 she is currently o5 the nest, calling.
How are you doing Scylla? We missed you today. I hope the sciatica is easing.
We always miss Sclla!
17 May
03:34 both female and Klive in or above nest - female food soliciting.
(u) mating attempts House sparrow 01 4:03 Klice leaves nest but female continues to solicit.
Where did the sparrow come from? Substitute 4:02 for sparrow
Thank you for thinking of me, CANUCK & EJFAN It got worse after spending time on laptop for the Manton Bay incident so I'm back on phablet. Oh how I miss my birds, I've just brought up Asha on her perch on another sunny morning - am thinking of what might have been, what should be, if only....
See how morbid I am
Look what I've managed to do !!! !!! !!! I was about to throw the phablet out the dang window, but whatever I did it worked, let's see when posted.
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