When can we tell if Bynack and Tore have started fishing??
Hi Cooky. Yes it would be great if we could see all Roy's tracked birds for ourselves on Google Earth instead of having to wait for reports and maps on his site.
ChloeB & Tiger's Osprey Data
Tiger it will be interesting to see what journeys the two now tracked adult Ospreys at Rutland take as they have migrated before. Will they take the short route, (re-phrase) as direct route as a long journey ahead. Will they then come back the same route, I am very interested.
Unknown said: Tiger it will be interesting to see what journeys the two now tracked adult Ospreys at Rutland take as they have migrated before. Will they take the short route, (re-phrase) as direct route as a long journey ahead. Will they then come back the same route, I am very interested.
Well we sort of know the answer to that already. Experienced ospreys take the almost exactly the same route each year. Juveniles just have to take pot luck. That proved rather a mistake in the case of Deshar in 2008.
There was a young American osprey last year called Belle and she knew nothing osprey books. She broke all the rules and set records I doubt will ever be broke by any osprey.
Tiger Signature
Just read the link Tiger thank you
One thought occurs to me. If a Loch Garten juvenile were to catch a fish why would it carry it back to the nest to risk being molested by a sibling?
When I visited the Rothiemurchus fish farm recently I was stunned at how easy it must be for an osprey to catch a fish there. I am sure a human could catch a fish there with their hands.
That's a very good point Tiger.
Some of those trout were huge weren't they?
I am just back this evening from an unamed site given to me by a friend in Grampian Ringers. The nest overlooks a very small loch so the juveniles will see all fishing activities undertaken by the male. This evening the two juveniles soared with the male criss srossing each other as they catched the thermals. It was left to the male eventually to take the plunge and on a second splash brought out a pike - the juveniloes both followed him back to the nest area. Neither attempted to fish (They are approximately two weeks into flight) but joined the parent. After eating in a dead tree one of the juveniles dived below the tree as if in a fishing dive but it may have been just to wash its feet as it did not pursue this. Last season I watched the juveniles fish at Lochter and they certainly attempted and believed to be successful but then the nest is 20m from the fish lakes just like a take away and the owner stocks with very small trout to encourage the young to catch. These nests directly over the water like the ones I have described and Rutland, LOL may see juveniles catch before migration but certainly the majority of Ospreys learn after they migrate which I suspect is the case of Loch Garten.
I do not think Tore or Bynak would catch at Rothiemurchus - They have a problem the fish stocked there are very large and doubt if they could handle these yet. I am not sure either they have gone far enough to the feeding grounds although one visited Broomhill in its earlier flying days a favourite spot for feeding.
Keith this is very interesting. I just checked Google Earth and Bynack made a second trip yesterday , Aug 4th, to the Loch Garten Loch. His point was in the trees near the edge so perhaps he was observing.
So far Tore's points don't show her near a body of water, but they are not continuous so she may have been to the water too.
Tiger that must be where EJ fishes :) Most of her fish look like Rainbows.
Formerly known as Barbara Jean
Barbara - Bynack was probably just observing and unlikely to follow any one to L Garten. It contains Pike but because it is so peaty and brown it is not fished by the Ospreys - last time I filled my cup with the water and it was like a rusty colour. EJ fishes at the farm - however they have not had their regular amount of Osprey visitors because of the size of fish being too large to carry - you will see some of the size of whoppers this year from EJ. I have heard that some early bird photographers on the £125 - 3 hour pass have complained to Mr Grant (laird) on lack of Ospreys blamed on the stocking being too large. At Lochter the manager is aware of this and stocks one of his pools with one pounders - this pool is where the birds head to.
When I was at Loch Garten I took a photograph to show how peaty the water was.