Yep, we have ourselves a girl band - all three chicks are female.
Very sorry that you were not able to see some of the event "live" this morning, we just were not able to sort the technical faults in time. However, the video is back now.
Heavy rain overnight and some light drizzle this morning, almost caused us to postpone, but when we set off out to the tree it was dry and on the plus side, it was relatively cool at 17 degrees C which compared to the hot & humid weather of late made for good ringing/tagging conditions.
I don't know if the sound was working (I suspect not, given that the camera wasn't) but you might have heard EJ alarming as she saw us approaching. She high-circled above the nest, and her alarm call was the chicks' cue to lie motionless in the nest.
My colleague, Robert climbed the ladder to bag-up the chicks and bring them to the ground. The youngest/smallest, Garten was weighed, measured and ringed, photographed and them promptly put straight back into the nest.
We then beat a hasty retreat with two boxed-up osprey chicks, back to the Centre for tagging. The chicks were kept cool and in the darkness of the box until it was their turn to be tagged. To calm them further, during tagging Roy places a falconry hood over their heads, which subdues them almost to the point of dozing off. Anyway, rest assured, they were handled very gently, preciously and carefully throughout. In return? They both pooped on Roy and I as we held them for photos!
As hoped and predicted, EJ, who had been overhead throughout, came back towards the nest and perched in the adjacent tree to the nest. I don't think she came back on to the nest, but I wasn't watching all the time, too busy with other things. Whenever I checked she was sat quietly nearby.
The dampness of the morning had made it hellish midgy, so we set up table and chairs inside the Centre building, at which to tag. Roy Dennis ringed both first, then fitted the tags, taking time to explain to those of us gathered to watch, each step in the procedure. Once both birds were fitted with their tags, there was a photo-call for all those with cameras including the local press, and a thrilling once in a lifetime experience for young Alfie, Jack and Erin, children of some of the staff, to actually touch an osprey.
Then it was promptly back out to the tree with Rothes and Mallachie to replace them in the nest, check for any fishing line and clean the camera lens. By this time Odin was back and at one point he valiantly made a half-hearted stoop at Robert at the top of the ladder.
The details are as follows:
Oldest chick: Rothes
- Leg ring: White PJ
- Radio No. 76830
- Wing length: 376 mm
- Weight: 1,646 g
Middle chick: Mallachie
- Leg ring: White PM
- Radio No. 92583
- Wing length: 342 mm
- Weight: 1,790g
Youngest chick: Garten
- Leg ring: White PH
- (No radio)
- Wing length: 325 mm
- Weight: 1,770 g
You will notice that the oldest chick Rothes, is the lightest in weight. Roy explained that on a growth curve they increase in weight with age, obviously, but that once they have reached a certain peak point, they actually lose a bit of weight - heavier fat, converting to lighter muscle, as they prepare to fledge. I am very pleased to report that all three chicks are in very good condition indeed, according to Roy, all of a good, if not decidedly chunky weight, and no sign of "checks" in feather growth which result from food shortages.
We've had two fish today so far, one at 04.30am and another just in at 14.40 pm.
Fledging will likely be between 19-22 July for Rothes, the other to follow a few days later.
Sorry for the delay in posting this blog. Further lightning strikes knocked-out the office computers.