I thought we were settling in for a quiet few weeks of EJ incubating and OVS popping in on the odd occasion with a fish... Well I was wrong. Yesterday morning's visitors to the Centre got a real treat.
Here is an extract from our logbook for Friday 2nd May
11.00 – EJ food soliciting, OVS flies off.
11.02 – OVS arrives back on the nest, he starts alarm calling.
11.03 – Male osprey hovers above the nest and starts to display, it isn’t carrying a fish but it does “skydance”.
11.07 – OVS chases male osprey away.
11.10 – OVS back on nest alarm calling again, EJ starts to alarm call too – both quite frantic.
11.15 – Five birds in the sky, 2 osprey + 3 buzzards, OVS and EJ still on nest alarm calling.
11.17 – The ospreys see off the buzzards, OVS chases off the intruding ospreys.
11.57 – EJ agitated and alarm calling, OVS flies in from camera tree to nest. Unidentified female osprey lands on the nest. EJ
chases her away.
12.00 – EJ and OVS on nest alarm calling. Two rogue ospreys above the nest, 1 female the other unknown but likely to be the rogue male from earlier. – Are they a pair trying to steal the nest?
12.01 – EJ and OVS take to the sky and chase the ospreys away.
12.25 – They are back and once again EJ and OVS chase them away.
12.30 – Both our birds back on the nest. EJ food solicits, OVS flies off… hopefully for a fish.
14.41 – OVS returns with a half eaten fish for EJ.
After that it calmed down again to the usual routine.
We have had requests to update the blog daily, even hourly. Believe me; I think this will drive people away as an example of our usual day is as follows.
5.12 – OVS flies off.
11.04 – EJ goes on exercise flight.
14.19 – OVS bring in fish. Birds swap over incubating.
14.47 – EJ back on nest, OVS flies off.
19.01 – OVS brings in fish. Birds swap over incubating.
19.37 – EJ returns to nest. OVS flies off to roost.
19.38 – EJ settles on nest to roost.
We will give you minute by minute information when it is necessary, we will also update the blog daily when the time is right; but for now, during the (supposed) quiet period of incubation, we will continue to update twice a week just to keep our readers informed as to what is happening…no matter how mundane that may be.
Many thanks for all of your messages of support and suggestions.
If you want to specifically help the Loch Garten Osprey Team 2008, you might consider supporting the RSPB. You can do this online via the RSPB website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/join, if you add the code PR08, your membership will be credited to the Loch Garten team.