Three eggs, two fish and an intruder...these are the things that have been getting us all very excited here at the Osprey Centre over the weekend. The three eggs really do not need an explanation, except to say that we are all getting very excited about the imminent hatching, which fingers crossed should be taking place in roughly a weeks time! EJ has enjoyed amazing sunny weather this past week while she has been incubating, no repeats of the previous week's thunderstorm!
Orange VS has been a good fisherman, as well as security guard (more on that later!) over the weekend! Yesterday (Sunday), he brought EJ two fish - a 12" whole Brown Trout at 9.33 and another fish (headless this time!) at 14.20. EJ was able to enjoy the afternoon fish and take a well earned two hour break from the nest, while VS incubating the eggs. However, this was not the case with the fish that was delivered at 9.33, which she had to bolt down in little over 15 minutes, which brings us onto the intruder....
We were all very impressed and proud of VS when he brought in a good sized fish, relatively early in the day. He handed the fish over to EJ, she went off to her favourite perch to eat it, and VS, after a bit of fidgetting, settled down on the eggs, all was well with the world.
Then at 9.44 VS started alarm calling, we could see another osprey above the nest! However, EJ was oblivious, happily munching away on her fish. At 9.46, the intruder flew over again, and this time VS gave chase, leaving the eggs alone on the nest, as it started to rain. At 9.48, EJ returned to the nest, with some of the fish still in her talon, she proceeded to eat this as quickly as possible, whilst standing over the eggs and shielding them from the rain! At 10.10, the intruder returned, and so did VS to chase it away! However, this osprey was like the wasp that always flies around a picnic, it would not be told, and just kept coming back! At 10.30 VS chased it way from the nest, again at 10.35, VS guarded the nest standing alongside EJ at 10.55, and then flew off again at 11.05. Phew!
When the coast was clear, at 11.20, he flew off, returning in the afternoon, with another fish. We know very little about the intruding bird, as in never landed for long enough for us to check if it was male or female, nevermind check for a ring! One things for certain, things are getting very exciting here at Loch Garten!
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.