Notes on nature: Eggs-traordinary ospreys hatch new plan

Egg-citing news: the two most-famous ospreys in Britain – Loch Garten’s EJ and Odin – have laid three eggs this spring!

The pair have settled down to family life once again at RSPB Scotland’s Osprey Centre, and appear to have put last year’s Eastenders-like love triangle behind them.

The lovebird's long-running romance was interrupted in 2015, when an interloping male attempted to mate with EJ while Odin was away hunting, later even going so far as to kick the pair's eggs from their nest.

The drama meant the famous pair failed to raise a family for the first time in years.

However, Jess Tomes, the Osprey Centre’s manager, said they appeared to be back on track this season - their eighth together. 

“EJ is sitting on three eggs – the usual size for an osprey clutch," said Jess.

“As is typical with ospreys, the eggs were laid over quite a long period.

“The first was laid on Thursday, April 7 at 8pm, and EJ finally laid what we expect to be her third and final egg on Wednesday, April 13 at approximately 10.20pm – her 45^th egg laid at Loch Garten over the years."

Jess said she expected the first egg to hatch around May 15, but stressed she and other experts at Loch Garten were not counting their osprey eggs before they'd hatched.

"There's a long way to go and anything could happen. There are interlopers, but fortunately this year they don't seem to have been very persistent!

“One actually attempted to land on the nest, but EJ saw it off in fine style. We're also encouraged that Odin has been doing his job as a breadwinner.”

Jess added business at the Osprey Centre had been brisk so far this year.

"We've had a nice, steady flow of visitors, with plenty of families enjoying seeing the ospreys and the other wildlife.

"At the moment, we've got a camera on a goldeneye box. Goldeneyes normally swim on Loch Garten but when they're breeding they actually breed up in trees.

"We've a camera in one of our nestboxes and I've just heard today that a female goldeneye has laid five eggs. We're expecting a few more and she'll start sitting when she's laid her full clutch.

"People will be able to keep an eye on her and see the chicks from inside the box and watch them launch themselves out of the box, which is a good few feet off the ground, and find their way to the loch.

“We’ve also had good views of crested tits on the feeders as well as great spotted woodpeckers, siskins, chaffinches and coal tits."

Why not take a look at the Loch Garten osprey blog and EJ and Odin's world-famous nest? If they aren't there, you may be able to spy them on their favourite perches.