NEWS FROM OTHER NESTS - 2011

Oh thank you bright&breezy for this information about L & L at LOTL.  I do hope this is a good sign for next year's breeding season.

Hi bright& breezy - good to have you posting on here.

Sandy and Alan have reported mating at Rutland recently - see the Rutland thread on the forum. I'm not the expert that some folk on here are (despite their protests to the contrary!) but I can't imagine that they would lay again at this point in the season.

Alans comment 11 nests producing 29 chicks (2010) only producing 20 (2011) was very interesting. Two local nests to me producing 4 chicks (2010) have completely failed this year to add to these statistics and in addition Helen was aware and e mailed me of a nest local to us both that has also failed and was destroyed in the hurricane we had. I am sure this is repeated over Scotland so all in all not a good season. Our own Osprey watch has declined this year.

Unknown said:

Lady & the Laird at Lowes are restoring the nest and have been mating today.  

Please please no eggs.  

Not sure but this must be unusual behaviour, can anyone shed any light on this?

I suspect that it's a combination of pair bonding & protection of the next site, certainly the nest building etc is the norm. If they were to leave now another pair would take over the nest site ready for next season. The new pair would the fight much harder to keep it when/if Lady & Laird returned in March/April having held the site for a few months this year. The other thing that often happens with failed pairs is that they move to another site in the area & build a "frustration nest". With the webcam it's lucky they've stayed at LOTL

Thank you Vespa, Tiger also said that Odin had the same behaviour with EJ last year and I remember him bringing in that clump of grass/moss that had firmly routed in the nestcup.  One of the highlights this year was when we all saw a hand going into the nest and removing it. Pure magic.

Thank you so very much for your explanation, Ospreys always never fail to amaze us and that is very good and keeps us all hooked.

Will sleep tonight, NO eggs lol

Report over on the Dyfi site that the Threave Castle chicks were being ringed some hours ago. Threave Castle is the nest of Black 80.

P M said:

Sounds to me as though they are reinforcing the pair bond ready for next year

Our pair at the Big Muskego nest in the USA are also spending a lot of time together on their nest since their chicks perished . They are re-arranging  nesting material and just defending the nest. The only bird that has been allowed to land on the nest is a little black bird looking for a meal of insects :)

Golly, Nora has a necklace   as big as EJ's . (goes down with the boys I'm told  )