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Right. The up-date you've been waiting for.  Firstly though, sorry for not keeping you informed until now, but we've had a very anxious time today, to put it mildly, and rather than give you incomplete piecemeal up-dates, we've awaited developments to see how things would pan-out.  But now I'm able to give you, not good news, but GREAT NEWS!!

Chronologically it goes like this, roughly.  Odin as you know was trailing this long length of fishing line.  He returned with a fish at c.8pm last evening and it seemed like he had lost the majority of the line, but not all.  When he flew from the nest after having delivered the fish, the line must have snagged on a nest stick, because he was seen flying away, line still trailing and now a stick attached. Very worrying.

He arrived again at the nest at about 10.50pm with another fish.  The volunteers again thought that he had much less line on his legs and feet, but it was dusk, light was fading and the infra-red camera had kicked-in, so the pictures weren't the clearest, but we could at least hope that this was the case. It seemed like the line had snapped at the junction with the swivel.  Though this left a shorter length attached to him, the weight of the swivel was now at the end, which could mean this might act as a bolas, whereby, when alighting on a perch,  the swinging weighted line could wrap around a branch, Very, very worrying.  Anyway, off he went to roost somewhere.

I phoned the duty volunteers at 6am this morning and the word was, no sign of Odin.  Currently it is getting light here now at about 03.40am and Odin usually shows up at the nest early on, at say 4am at least, but this morning, no-show, which was a bit odd and all the more worrying. There was no sign of him all morning in fact, until about 11am, when to our huge relief, he arrived at the nest but without a fish.  What had taken him so long?

As far as we could see, it did look like the line had indeed gone. But one of his wing feathers was sticking verticaly up in the air, still attached but looking like it had been wrenched out of place.  Could he possibly have been strung up over night somewhere, struggling to free himself, hence his very late arrival at the nest and with this feather damage?  We'll never know for sure.  But it could be that Odin had a very close call.

Anyway, he was only at the nest briefly, to support EJ in repelling an intruding osprey that arrived and landed on the pillar adjacent to the nest.  EJ lunged at it and sent it packing.  Odin then promptly flew off.  To fish, we hoped.

Several hours passed, but no sign of him returning.  On such a glorious day of weather, very warm & sunny, we expected him back with a fish in an instant, but no.  Again we worried.  Why on such a good fishing day was he not coming back?  Ordinarily, a male osprey away for several hours would be neither here nor there, but given all that gone before, we were concerned about this period of absence. Did he still have some line?  Was he injured in any way as a result of a struggle to free himself?

Finally, at about 3pm this afternoon, he arrived back, and with a fish.  To say we were hugely relieved would be an understatement.  The tension had been unbearable, but now once again we had the chance to look for line on him and he does indeed appear to be clean.  Returning with a fish was a re-assuring sign too.  Maybe he's just a bit out of sorts?  A little traumatised perhaps? Or possibly his fishing ability has been temporarily impaired?  That out-of-align wing feather, could that affect his accuracy, making him less deft in his movements when twisting & turning when diving?  Who knows?

For now though, we're back on an even keel, thank goodness.  Odin, EJ and the nest seem to be free of fishing tackle, Odin has brought in a fish, chicks have been fed and are enjoying basking in the wonderful sunshine. Phew!  What a day. I think I need a lie down.

Finally just to say, thanks for all your concern, support, encouragement and best wishes. It helped.  Much appreciated.  -   Richard 

Just when everything was going so smoothly & positively, we now have oursleves a problem.  Fishing line.

Because of the low resolution of the live-streaming image you see on your computers, you might not be aware of todays events.  This morning the team called me at 9.15am to say that there was fishing line in the nest, brought back by Odin when he returned with a fish.  At first, the line was stretched taught across the nest at just above the chick's head height. But when Odin left the nest it apperars that the line is attached to him and luckily when he flew off, it snapped and he took it away with him.  He is now trailing a 40ft length of line, attached to his left foot. And there appears to be another shorter length dangling over the back edge of the nest too.  At one point EJ also had a short 5 inch length dangling from her mouth.  However at 5pm this evening this seems now to have gone.

 

So we have been watching very closely all day.  Thankfully the line Odin is trailing doesn't seem to have affected his fishing abilities so far.  He has brought back two other fish unimpeded, safely handed them to EJ, who has successfully fed the fish to all three chicks, who all seem to be doing very well.  If you've been watching today, you really wouldn't know or see anything untoward.

 

Our concerns though, are the potentially horrible scenarios that could befall Odin, EJ and family. It is of course hoped that it all might come to nothing.  A few years ago, former Garten male osprey, Henry, ended up with a bit of fishing line too, and somehow he managed to get rid of it.  But it was a lot shorter than this 40ft length.  Our worries are many; at each and every time when Odin is perched in a tree, this line could snag on a branch, anchoring him, and when he tries to fly off, he could get strung up. The line has a swivel on it joining two lengths of line of different test, and this weight can swing and sway around, so possibly flip over a branch on which he might perch.  If this were to happen here on site, then we would hope to be able to go to his aid.  But if it happens elsewhere, off-site, when we know not where, then he could end up in more trouble.

 

If this weren't worrying enough, at each and every time he returns to the nest with a fish, he will be bringing that line to the nest which could lead to it snagging on the nest, entangling the young and/or entangling EJ. 

 

So all in all, it is a very worrying time and the atmosphere at the Centre today was very subdued with great concern and furrowed brows all 'round. This, compared to the jubilation of recent days.  It has really taken the wind out of our sails.

 

All's well for now though, but something bad could potentially happen at any time, that's our worry. So we're on the case, we are considering what options we may have and are consulting with experts about what, if anything, we might be able to do.  You out there, I know will be as gutted as us here, at this development, but we are trying to keep up-beat and positive.  Things are fine currently, honest they really are.  Be re-assured the chicks are doing really well, includng the smallest one, muscling-in to get his piece of the action at feeding time. It's just the angst of what might happen. 

 

We will keep you posted. You'll want to know, we know that, but please bear with us. We're extremely busy at the Centre, rushed off out feet with so many visitors, which is absolutely marvellous (400-500 per day since the weekend), and if you've amongst those who have visited us, then we thank you for doing so and for your support.  But we've now all this to occupy us and contend with too, so if we're tardy in our blog writing or responses to your comments, be easy on us, ok?

 Thanks.  -  Richard Thaxton

 

Stop press

The third chick has hatched!  Unlike its siblings who hatched in the early morning, it decided to exit its egg in the evening!  Odin delivered a fish, a whopping 18" rainbow trout, at 21.20 yesterday evening, and when EJ stood up, she revealed not only the two chicks but also the third which was hatching!  Yay!

Odin has been busy already this morning, bringing in a 12" brown trout at 7.50!  He has flown off now, possibly hunting, the breezy conditions will make it a bit harder for him, but I'm sure he will rise to the challenge!

We await the next fish...and our next glimpse of the three chicks!

Stop press - The second chick has hatched here at Loch Garten.  Odin brought a fish in at 5am, but it was difficult to tell if the chick had hatched.  We knew hatching was imminent as EJ had been restless throughout night, standing up and looking at the egg and also making contact calls to chick number one and the remaining eggs.  Then at 6.34am....yay....our first sighting of the second chick! 

So far the second chick has had a sunny although rather breezy day out in the big wide world.  It had its first taste of fish, at 11.20, and Odin has just brought in a second fish as I type (15.10)!  It has also seen an intruder attempt to land on the nest as well, before being seen off by Odin! 

As I sign off, I can hear EJ's contact calls to the chicks, and their tiny calls back, playing on the microphone! 

We await the next fish...and the next chick!

Don't know if any of you have noticed but we seem to have a chick on the nest!!! Of course you've noticed! How brilliant is this! We got our first sight of the chick at 5:50 am when EJ stood up to reveal the (time for a cliche here) little bundle of joy. I don't really think it needs to be said but we are all absolutely delighted here at the centre. There is a real buzz about the place today, everyone is walking around with big smiles on their faces (we of course always have smiles on our faces, but they are just a little bit bigger today), its amazing the effect new life can have on you.

You would think that a chick hatching would be enough for EJ to contend with, but she has also had to deal with intruding ospreys on two separate occasions. Both of these however were dealt with effectively, especially on the second occasion where we witnessed Odin storming in to chase the intruder away, leaving the it in no doubt as to who was in charge of the nest.With the intruders dealt with Odin got down to the business of providing the chick with his first meal, and as we have come to expect from Odin, he duly delivered. At around 4 o'clock he brought in a whopper, you've got to wonder if he can do no wrong! EJ then wasted no time in giving the chick its first meal, it was a great sight and one of those moments which made us realise just how lucky we are to work in such a wonderful place.

So what better a time to come and visit the centre than a bank holiday weekend when more chicks are due to hatch! If any of you are thinking of coming down then come and say hello, we'll be the people with the huge smiles on our faces.  

2009 is the Golden, 50th Anniversary of osprey viewing at Loch Garten.

It was back in 1959, on 12th June, after the eggs had hatched, that George Waterston, the then Director of RSPB in Scotland, took the very brave, but above all, visionary decision to go-public with the Loch Garten ospreys.  Such was the already developing curiosity and interest in the ospreys' return, with people clamouring to see them, that the first osprey viewing initiative in UK was begun.  In that first season, over 14,000 people visited the site in just three months.

What proved to be a winning formula with the viewing public back then in 1959, is still a winning formula today.  It began as an innovative model of sustainable wildlife interpretation, the first of its kind, and is now renowned and emulated the world over.  Fifty years on, it still attracts visitors in the thousands, 35,000+ each year between April and end of August and since it all began, collectively over two million people have visited the Loch Garten Osprey Centre.

Of course, it wasn't a "Centre" then, as the picture shows; the very first viewing facility was just an old caravan, but hey, who cared?  The ospreys were what people had come to see.  In the years since, there has been immeasurable change in some ways, to the very fabric of the facilities for example, but in other ways there hasn't. 

We are still doing today, what we started doing 50 years ago, only we'd like to think better and using modern technology with which to do it.  Basically, continuing to bring people close to these spectacular and special birds, enthusing and inspiring people to take an interest in them, other wildlife and the environment. For many, a visit to the Osprey Centre, often acts as a springboard for what then becomes thereafter, an interest, a passion and a life-long interest in ospreys, birds and other wildlife.

Anyway, we plan to mark the passing of this milestone, on Saturday 13 June 2009 and we would be delighted if you would visit us.  It will be free-entry to the Osprey Centre that day and we hope that as many people as possible will join us to share this milestone year.  Hatching is due this coming weekend and so by mid-June the osprey chicks will be well grown and large enough to be readily seen on the nest, so it is a good time to visit.  Our guest of Honour will be Frank Hamilton, former Director of RSPB Scotland.

In commemoration of this Golden Anniversary, we plan to attach a gold fish, (that's a fish made of "gold", not a goldfish!) to the Osprey Centre sign here at Loch Garten.  Join us if you can, but in particular, we are looking for someone to unveil (attach, actually) the golden fish to our sign - and that could be you!  We would like you to tell us, in no more than 50 words (appropriately), What the Loch Garten osprey story means to you. 

Send your entries to; LochGartenOspreystory@rspb.org.uk The closing date/time for receipt of entries is Monday 1st June at 5pm.

What are considered to be the best three will be chosen - those that capture our imagination most.  Of these, one outright winner will be chosen and will be contacted by e-mail and invited to join us on 13th June.  If that person cannot do so, then we will then contact the person in second place. The winner will be notified by e-mail by Friday 5th June.  The winner will win a Deluxe Room, Dinner Bed and Breakfast, for 2 people at The Boat Hotel, www.boathotel.co.uk in nearby Boat of Garten, for one night, Saturday 13th June.  All travel costs to be at the winner's own expense. 

We hope that a selection of entries will form part of a temporary display in the Osprey Centre. Please refer to our website for the terms and conditions  http://www.rspb.org.uk/help/terms.asp 

We look forward to receiving your entries and hopefully, seeing you on the day.  We hope osprey enthusiasts, past, present and future will come along, to see EJ, Odin and Family, to meet the team and join us in celebrating this amazing milestone.  We look forward to meeting you.

Just a reminder:  -  Osprey tagging 2009 - How you can help.
For a further year, we would like to continue to build on the knowledge gained about osprey migration, by fitting tags to two of the Loch Garten osprey chicks in 2009.  EJ and Odin currently have three eggs which we are hopeful will hatch in two weeks time. All being well, and assuming successful hatching, later this summer, we hope to be able to tag two chicks, the largest two, if we get a brood of three. 

So far, Odin is proving to be a very able and competent male osprey and an excellent provider of fish for EJ and hopefully, for her brood to come - something last year's male, VS, father of Deshar and Nethy, was not!

We are hopeful therefore, that the young ospreys will grow big and strong during the summer and set off in the best of condition and fully resourced for their testing first migration, in a way that last year's young were possibly not.  In order to do so, we need to raise £4,500 for tagging and the initial on-going data download costs, which is where you can help us.

If you have been fascinated by following the fortunes of tagged ospreys and would like to help us do it all again and to continue to build on the knowledge gained so far, you can make a donation online. Many thanks.

I am obliged to say that, if we are fortunate enough to raise over the amount required for the continuation of this project, then we will allocate that money to other osprey and general conservation work here at Abernethy/Loch Garten.

For those of you who feel able to contribute to this project, many thanks in advance for your help. It is much appreciated.

Thanks. -- Richard

Though not wanting to count our chicks before they hatch, but in answer to the questions from many of you recently, yes we are hoping to be able to satellite tag two young ospreys at Loch Garten this year, all being well.

We have learned so much already from this project; about the routes taken by last year's young ospreys Deshar and Nethy, and the duration and timings of their journeys.

It was just so unfortunate that both chicks subsequently died - Deshar on his initial migration and then Nethy, who reached her winter destination but who then subsequently is considered missing in action, presumed dead.

These events in themselves though sad, provided useful information about migrating ospreys, highlighting what these and other migrant birds face on these, often perilous journeys.

You can help

For a further year, we would like to continue to build on the knowledge gained about osprey migration, by fitting tags to two of the Loch Garten osprey chicks in 2009.

EJ and Odin currently have three eggs which we are hopeful will hatch in two weeks time. All being well, and assuming successful hatching, later this summer, we hope to be able to tag two chicks, the largest two, if we get a brood of three.

So far, Odin is proving to be a very able and competent male osprey and an excellent provider of fish for EJ and hopefully, for her brood to come - something last year's male, VS, father of Deshar and Nethy, was not!

We are hopeful therefore, that the young ospreys will grow big and strong during the summer and set off in the best of condition and fully resourced for their testing first migration, in a way that last year's young were possibly not.

In order to do so, we need to raise £4,500 for tagging and the initial on-going data download costs, which is where you can help us. If you have been fascinated by following the fortunes of tagged ospreys and would like to help us do it all again and to continue to build on the knowledge gained so far, you can make a donation online. Many thanks.

I am obliged to say that, if we are fortunate enough to raise over the amount required for the continuation of this project, then we will allocate that money to other osprey and general conservation work here at Abernethy/Loch Garten.

For those of you who feel able to contribute to this project, many thanks in advance for your help. It is much appreciated.

Now is it just me or is Odin an absolutly beautiful osprey? I spent a lot of this morning watching him as he was taking his turn incubating the eggs and he really is quite stunning. I realise that ospreys in general are rather striking birds but I have to say that Odin seems, to me, to be a rather fine example. I have already been hugely impressed with his fishing exploits but his good looks have just added to the general aura that surrounds him.

Now you may be wondering why I have started my blog in this rather wandering manner but there really is not much else to report, and we all know that at Loch Garten, that is a very good thing! Odin is bringing in a good supply of fish, intruding ospreys are being dealt with efficiently and the incubation continues with Odin doing his bit when needed. So with us all feeling a little more relaxed we have been able to enjoy the ospreys witout any real worries, hence my musing on the relative beauty of Odin!

Enjoy it while it lasts! The average incubation period is 37 days and that is now 27 days since the first egg was laid, so hatching time is fast approaching and from that point on we will be back to the worrying! However for the moment lets enjoy simply watching these beautiful birds.

The weather this week at Loch Garten could best be described as inclement! Wind has been an ever-present factor throughout the week, with sunshine and showers in more or less equal amounts, and even snow on the high tops!

However, Odin has not let this faze him, bringing back two fish on Thursday, three yesterday (although he ate the first small one himself!) and one already today! This is a very impressive total, as fishing will not have been easy - the high winds make the surface of the water choppy and therefore more difficult for the osprey to spot the fish, whilst the added combination of the current cold temperatures causes the fish to go deeper in the water. So Odin continues to live up to his name!

EJ has been experiencing some long incubation stints, as Odin has often had to spend a good few hours away from the nest catching the fish. She has experienced the brunt of the weather this past week, keeping a firm seat on the nest no matter what. Thankfully, she has not had to endure anything quite as severe as the thunderstorm that we experienced last year the week before the first egg hatched! We are more than half way through the incubation period now, so we are all getting very excited here at the Centre!

We have had a couple of singleton osprey fly past the nest in the past couple of days, but Odin and EJ have given them short shrift, and sent them on their way. There have been several crows in the area too, but Odin has obviously made an impression, as one that was sitting on the camera tree at 7.45 this morning took flight as soon as it saw Odin return!

We await the next fish...

As you have probably noticed, we have had a few days up here where it’s been a little blustery. Well… that’s putting it mildly! Saturday was a really wild day and EJ had no option but to sit tight, while Odin was away fishing. There was no way she was going to leave those eggs, even for the shortest of exercise flights.

We are all agreed that Odin is the exact opposite of Orange VS; always busy. So, when he disappears for a long time fishing, we fully expect him to return with a good meal. Yesterday, however, he was gone for eight hours! He did not return empty handed, although he had eaten the head along the way.

The fastest delivery of a fish came on Sunday, with Odin being spotted by a visitor on top of a small dead tree, with a 12'' pike, just 40 minutes after flying off! It wasn’t long before EJ spotted him too! Our many Bank Holiday visitors were very happy as Odin also brought back a brown trout in the afternoon. Sunday was a good calm day on the water, but even so…

Many people are asking where Odin goes to fish. That’s a good question! In the last six days, he has only brought back one rainbow trout  from the fish farm.

Today, Odin left at 9.30 am and we expected another long wait. He finally returned with a 10’’ brown trout at 2.12 pm,  much to the delight of a rather large group of visitors! EJ has now sent him off again, despite him trying to keep her happy by moving those huge sticks around. She can be very insistent!

What can I tell you all, its my turn to write my first blog and do I get something exciting to tell you, no, it's all going according to plan!

However given the recent history of our nest this in itself is good news. Odin continues to bring in enough fish, despite breezy cold conditions making things difficult for him. Meanwhile EJ  continues her lonely task of keeping the eggs and herself warm and fending off the occasional intruder.

Between one and three fish a day are being brought in by Odin along with moss and a few branches, much to the annoyance of EJ who has to rearrange them. We have noticed a change in Odin in recent days, he seems much more at home, finding new places to perch other than the camera tree next to the nest. He has one perch in particular where he likes to eat his share of fish before taking them to the nest and it is perfect for viewing with a telescope from the visitor centre (thank you Odin!).

Away from the nest spring is slowly descending upon us at last, swallows, willow warblers, redstarts, cuckoos and other migrants are arriving and down by our dragonfly pond I have seen my first common lizard of the year. So all is well here at Loch Garten, we’re all looking forward to hatching in about three weeks time and having three healthy chicks to show our visitors, so if you are among those visitors please come and say hello.