I've been posting these in the off-season Loch Garten thread but it's time to stop, so here they are until the ospreys prevent me from sparing time & resources for the beautiful couple and their beautiful (mostly ;) ) co-habitants.
Last season 2 youngsters safely fledged (but only just, it was hairy for a while, with one on the ground defending vs a persistent fox).
It was a relief to see the 2 adults return after the worst of the fires had passed.
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Some birdie porn brought forward to save you risking the dark web ;)
The Rainbow Lorikeets are delightful and often invade in numbers, but the cams need to be manned to get decent close-ups of them.
The resident pair (I can't quickly find a nice colour pic of the two):
11/12 March:
One visited mid-afternoon, had a brief spell on the nest, left:
Back in the evening:
Was sleeping peacefully on a far-out bough when (probably) a Boobook Owl made mischief for about 40 minutes, on 'n off - hence she(?) stayed on where you see her for the rest of the night, until she left at about 06:40:
The frequent visitor top-right is a Noisy Miner, it wasn't one of those who caused so much disruption while the youngsters were on the nest, they were a Magpie (main culprit) and a Currawong.
My last post has been in limbo for ages and I can't C&P it so am trying to copy it over in bits.
Progress reports:
21 October - Wow! A big eel!
Evening - it's such a pity about SE-26's right foot - I can't imagine what's going to happen - it must be too late to try to intervene... I suppose we must just watch and learn and stop fretting.
20 October Facebook post:
The nestcam view of the post-storm breakfast:
Nearly bedtime:
The morning after the storm the Magpie got started early - but then SE-26 was compensated by an early breakfast. The leg/foot looks painful.
Parents are being very attentive, and SE-26 balanced on left leg for 17 minutes
At breakfast time SE-26 didn't seem very hungry, Dad had started on the head until Lady came and took over:
I wonder what fish it was?
Wow what luck!
27 October
SE-26 managed to feed herself a small portion of fish for breakfast - gripping with right foot, it wasn't easy but she ate it all. Currawong not far away and I forgot to do the sound :'(
Aww
If it's not Magpies and Currawongs is the dang Boobook!
28 October - breakfast got interrupted by the Currawong but it didn't stay long:
The Currawong returned several times in the afternoon, this is just a sample of what poor SE-26 went thru:
A nice fish for breakfast, which SE-26 partially fed herself from, Lady took over:
More Currawong torments and a lot of wingercising/mantling - rather long, even tho some is FF'd:
She ventured up to a new branch at the front: