NEWS FROM OTHER NESTS - 2012

I'm just watching and recording him now, Alan.  I must say he's a beautiful bird but quite different from Odin with his distinctive quiff, if you know what I mean :-)  This bird looks less lean and wiry, too.  We need another camera at LG focused on Odin's tree.

DUNEDIN OSPREYS - I was very interested whether the Dunedin Nesting Pair were either Sedentary Ospreys or Migrating Ospreys as we get a proportion of both in FLA.

I received today a very nice letter from Barbara Walker who looks after this project and also the same Barbera Walker that did the rescue at Palm Harbor featured by ALAN PETRIE on Unusual Osprey Stories, rescues, Incidents. I would like to share her letter with interested parties.

Hi Keith,

I would love to have met you while you were here.  Maybe in May?  If you come back to the Clearwater area you could come by my place and see the nesting Swallow-tailed Kites.  Ospreys at this latitude are partially migratory and up to this point we have only been able to guess that it is about 50% that stay and 50% that go.  We recovered a satellite tagged osprey this year just south of Orlando.  There wasn't enough of the osprey left to find out what happened exactly but the transmitter was returned to the study.  Within the last couple of weeks we have had a lot of ospreys return and some are sitting in their nests waiting to mate but I haven't seen incubation in my area, although that does occur this early, but usually directly along the coast.  This has been a long term trend and suggests that longitude also plays a role in the nesting habits of the ospreys here.  We saw a shift last year, with no early phase nesting and believed it was due to extreme weather conditions for the past two years.

We appreciate the support for the cam from you and from Scotland.

Here is my information:

Barb Walker

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Best to you as well,

Barb

Fascinating Keith and I do hope you do manage to see the chicks when you are in Florida and so look forward to some stunning pics you have taken and can share :)

A truly wonderful reply and I wish the Dunedin Ospreys a successful nest this year.

The Dunedin Birds will need a Jersey (US for Coat/Jumper) on tomorrow as they are expecting exceptional cold weather for the sunshine state with a High 11C and low Minus 1. Normally averages in January are High 21C and low 11C.

As Barbara pointed out incubation has been later the past two seasons due to exceptional cold weather that FLA has experienced the past two winters.

Loch of the Lowes osprey nest survives the storm but not the visitor centre.

Male on the perch with a fish at Dunedin now.

Female on the nest and male on the perch.

Stunning picture Scylla, he is so hansome