Blogs

Oh la-de-dah!  Very swish looking new website/blog - also the new forums idea is brilliant - much needed and looking forward to seeing how it all progresses.  Good to know that all birds are safe and well - wha happened to the sun, Richard?!  Only two weeks ago we were all sweltering in the heat, and now it almost feels like September!

Richard thank you for the update, the new page looks fabulous. Can I just ask, do we use the same link on Google Earth as we used for Nethy & Deshar to follow our new brood?

Wow... very impressed with the new webpages/blog! Glad all is well at Loch Garten and I love the new camera angle and zoom ... have been glued to the screen all day as so much has been happening .. including the monster fish delivery :))

Oh, now I know I'm home! How lovely, not just the new blog, but an update. Thank you Richard, I appreciate it so much. It's good to know what's been going on today. I used to work on here, and listen out for the chicks to let me know when anything happened, but without the microphone, I can't do that any more. It's great to have the close ups though, and we can't have it all. Shame about that! :-)))

Great to be 'connected' again. Hello everyone!!  Chicks all looking fabby! Marvellous how well they've done giving the 'fishing line incident' . Weightwatchers subscriptions for you all rather than cake then?? :-))))

Glad you're back, and we can have the official version of what's been happening. Sounds like you are as full of cake as Mallachie is of fish. Great that they are all doing so well. Will probably get lost among all the groups, forums .....  Off to explore them.

Hi there.  Andy from the web team at HQ here.  Sorry for the disruption all week.  I appreciate that it's probably been a frustrating time for you all.  We've still got a few gremlins in the system behind the scenes here which means that some blog comments may take a while to appear.  Hope it doesn't cause any problems - we're still working really hard to get it fixed.  Thanks for bearing with us.

Thanks for the update Richard. Very impressed with the new community especially the forums. Only problem is response times seem a bit slow. Great viewing on the nest today with all 3 girls and EJ present for most of the afternoon. All is going really well.  

Hi everybody, thanks team for bringing us up to date. It has certainly been a learning curve trying to get onto the new site but success!!! The girls certainly look windswept and a bit bedraggled at the moment due to weather up there.  At least when we get the distance shots you can see just how the nest lies and how the girls are quite camauflaged (not sure of spelling) in the nest.

Just found you (well, not just, as have spent 15 mins trying to remember my old password etc,but never mind, I'm here now!).  What a posh new blog/site this is, hope to get used to it soon. Glad to hear that the staff and the birds are all suitably stuffed full of fish/cake or should that be cake/fish? We were sorryto miss the fledging, as I missed it last year as well, but it's wonderful that the Girls are all OK and now practising their skills in the air.Hoping it will stop raining for you soon.....

Richard, thanks for update.  The girls are looking just great.  They really are enjoying their new found freedom.  I'm off now explore this new website!!!  

Great to have the blog again. Thanks for everyone's hard work. The girls seem to be thriving desite the rain. Thank goodness I can cancel my plans to try to bake a cake for when I visit next weekend - you'll be better off not having to sample my baking. I'll try to bring some sunshine instead - though don't know where I'm going to get it from.

Richard thanks for the update aren't the girls looking great will miss these lovely ospreys when they go

Welcome back! Just as I need cheering up cos not too well today. At least the girls are not too fat to fly! Looking forward to reading all the familiar "faces" comments again.

Thanks for the update Richard.  Love the new site even though it was a bit difficult to get to grips with initially.  Thanks to everyone at HQ for all their hard work setting it up.  What an afternoon.  Lovely to see all the family on the nest at one point this afternoon - something we won't be seeing so much of shortly (boo hoo).  Anyway, it's just great to see the chicks looking fine and obviously so well fed.  I think that monster fish EJ brought in this afternoon must have beaten even her record for size!  Pru

Thanks for the update Richard, def feel at home again now that you have spoken to us, lol

Its quite grand innit, and user friendly which is good for me. Anyway back for a fill of nest watching cos I'm off to Germany on Sunday for a week. Who knows who'll be about nest when I get back.

Thank you

Thanks for the update. The lassies are looking well. Hope everyone is well too. Off to explore the new site.

Isn't it marvellous! I am sure it will take me a few days to get to grips (I don't do change well lol) and I need to learn how to put a photo up ...

The nest was nice and busy when i popped in earlier, lovely to see the girls practicing their flying. Reminds me of that lovely book, Jonathon Livingstone Seagull and all his shenanigans.

Thanks Andy Westley, for the update and the new site as a whole. Brilliant

Hi all! Nice to be back "home" :) I really missed the blog, its bloggers and the updates. Thank you, Richard, for the updates. Nice to see that the "girls" are doing great :)

thx for update richard

girls are looking fantastic,

if u have to much cake i'm heading to landmark tomorrow i can take some of ur hands...lol

Great to be back and like a lot of silver surfers we don't do change too well.GaryS you will like this one I got back on before tecky geeck, actually I am not sure he has cracked it yet. Girls seem to have been eating all day. I don't blame them as it started raining stair rods about 11ish up here on Speyside it has calmed down a bit now but I have actually just lit the woodburner as it is a tad chilly.

Great to be back on this page!  Feel I've been all over this pm.  Forgot I had to sign in for this new page and kept thinking "Gosh how do I post a coment" - even though I'd done it at work earlier.  Haven't even caught up with the "girls" since I got in from work so must go and do that now.  Thanks Richard for your latest blog and Andy from HQIT too.  I really do like this new look - just have to get used to it! x

Have just noticed that there are no times shown for when blogs are posted - is this a "gremlin" Andy or is this how it will be?  Really miss not knowing the times when things are happening on the nest.  Forgive me if someone else has mentioned this already but I just wanted to make sure I commented before I go and get the meal!! x

Great to see the LG team back and with a new site. I hope everything works well and that we will all get used to the new way of posting.  :-)

Hallo! It's WONDERFUL to see everyone. I can't stop to explore much this morning - am trying to figure out what the difference is between a blog and a forum?

Great look...will I ever get to grips with it all? Feel a bit like the girls must have felt when they were practising their flying skills. Shall I go here or there, what will happen if I hover over here etc....

Missed looking in over the past few days..but they are looking good and healthy. I am trying to work out now how to remove Nethy and Deshars routes and putting in the new ones.

I'll never get the hang of this.  Thank you for the blog  Richard.  I'll check back after I've read all this!! XX

Well I say !  What an improvement.  Just one minor glitch to report - my wife attempted to upload a picture to the Community Gallery but to no avail.  She has sent e-mail to web team about this.  I see Big Rab has had the same problem.  Otherwise great.  New camera position great for this stage in the weans development.

Humph! As for her indoors calling me a techie geek...............well!

The bit that gets me, I write this sort of application as such probably read too much into the fact that I was getting access denied messages and allsorts to the extent I set up a new account, which account I'm using right now I have no idea, just in case you haven't guessed it, this is Wendyb's other half, its been one of those weeks me thinks :-(

Well I say !  What an improvement.  Just one minor glitch to report - my wife attempted to upload a picture to the Community Gallery but to no avail.  She has sent e-mail to web team about this.  I see Big Rab has had the same problem.  Otherwise great.  New camera position great for this stage in the weans development.

Thanks as always Richard for the update.

Like others have said, this fancy dan webpage thingy looks wonderful. I have explored the forums a bit and will delve in more later. Great viewing today when all 4 girls were around for ages. Thanks for the camera and zooming. Top marks for whoever is in charge of the joystick.

Just one thought though, how is it possible to have too much cake!! LOL

Thanks also Andy for the IT update. I'm sure, like every other IT update, it never goes how you think it will.

Great to be back and thanks for the new blog, Richard. Great fun watching the girls on the nest this afternoon. See you all on Monday to meet up with a few other bloggers.

Thanks Wendy, great to have you back and giving your other half some grief!!

Glad you made it on Nomis (AKA Simon)!! Are you likely to be moved to do any more photos' of Odin the Magnificent??  

Gary S, she who must be obeyed has been nagging me about doing another titter image, I do have something in mind but have somehow been up to my neck with other stuff, also my website domain has recently been moved to a new Carlos Fandango server that I haven't quite got the hang of yet.

Hopefully I'll get the thought on screen in the not too distant future.

In between all this, it really is a sight to behold when the entire (well almost, Odin gets out of the way pretty quickly and who can blame him) family are on the nest munching away at lunch :-)

So pleased that the webcam and blog are now back to normal!

I felt quite lost without even being able to catch up on past blog pages.

Well done to all at LG for the repairs and new updated blog, all I have to do now is work it out!

At least the ironing and the garden got done........ while I was not preoccupied with ospreys.

Ehhhhhhhh-took 10 months to learn how to write comments and now it is more complicated. Fortunately husband very good at IT so has signed me in and told me what to do, I think it will take me a while to get going as I am sure it will others as well.

Fun and games on fledging day, saw the still camera working on and off, then moving images on and off and noticed one had wings out and I shouted at the screen "its going" and the picture went, 5 mins later only one bird left. looked when working later and "yes", no visible birds. So pleased they went around the same time and I laughed when I read it was little Garten, who did not want to be the lightest but also didn't want to be the last to fledge.

Leaving tomorrow for 2 weeks in Scotland visiting LG first then Skye, Harris, Lewis, Mull. So excited about seeing the osprey family.

RICHARD - won't be bringing cake all that way but will bring you something else to eat. Will visit on Monday when centre opens at 10.am as staying in motor home at Boat of Garten - Will you be working on Monday morning ????   So we can see you.

Taking laptop with us but not sure whether it will work in some of the remote places we are going.

JILLIAN.

She posted it in the forums instead of here.

Jillian's husband

GaryS at least we got it sorted out faster than the tecky guy...who had to change his sign in to get back on.

Not mastered piccies yet and will have to ask youngest if I can post a picture of her now elderly horse.The whip is out and Nomis is slaving over his computer putting your request together.

Jillian pack your thermals as it is chilly at present and I think we had summer a couple of weeks ago.

Well I am still a bit confused it comes with age I know but I am not sure where I should be posting still.  Have posted earlier on the forum (I think) but I am sure I will get the hang of it evenutually.  I was formerly Margobird but as I couldn't remember my password had to change it.  Thanks Richard so much for the update and by word EJ and Odin have been the best parents ever.  No wonder they have 3 beautiful daughters and I spent a lot of time this afternoon watching them on the nest.  Sorry you are having such dreadful weather there.  It seems as though a lot of bloggers are getting bad weather too.  I have to say thanks again for all the hard work that Richard and the crew have done as well as coping with these changes.  My ambition now is to come and visit Loch Garten maybe next year to meet some of you and give my thanks in person.

Rothes back on her post.

400 new members,for the season,  that's absolutely brilliant Richard, you should all be very proud of yourselves up there.  Hope the RSPB realise your worth.

I am glad to see that the new system is up and running. When does the tracking on Google Earth begin?

Thanks for the update Richard.  Great to see the girls doing so well and close up views today have been fantastic.  Thanks to whoever had control of the camera.

Hi everyone,

I've been watching this site since EJ and Odin became an item but have never contributed before. I have avidly read all your comments so thanks for keeping me up to date when work had to take priority. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the family grow and fledge (well almost watch it on the still camera) along with everyone else and thought I should join in at last. I have successfully managed to navigate the site so far I think.

Thanks to all at Loch Garten for keeping us up to date - much appreciated. I have visited this year and enjoyed seeing the ospreys in the flesh.

Eureka. Found you all at last after flitting around various pages. Feel as though I am back home now. Thanks for the new blog Richard. Great to hear 'the girls' are doing so well.

The new Web page and blog is  fantastic!!  Thanks!! Now the comment will  be  posted in real time so we can  alert others of important the happenings at the nest.  So happy the  girls , EJ and Odin are all doing fine.

Love the new blogsite........

The three chicks look wonderful and will no doubt venture a bit further over the next few days when the weather improves

Great to have you back on blog, Richard and thanks to the web team at HQ for the new set-up. It looks great and I'm sure I shall master all the ins and outs eventually! A big thank you for keeping all the links for favourites in the same place. At least in the interim I've got the bathroom painted.

Ospreys look lovely, even if a little wet, the zoom on the camera looks good, but I guesss the mike was linked to the other camera?. Weather has also been wet here in Bedfordshire. Liz.

20:31 Osprey on the post at the moment. Cant make out which one it is.

Loving the new site - Thanks for the update Richard. It already seems ages since we were up there at the begining of June - time to book next years trip to LG !

Wauw, it lookes posh indeed.

Glad te read all the ospreys are doing fine. I've had some trouble with our computer as well, but now I am able to read everything, and see the live video again. I am happy!!!

Richard will you still be the moderator of this blog.  (You know why I ask, lol)

:) Thanks for the update Richard, so nice to have the blog back!

I hope the weather will improve for birds and people.

So glad you're back, I have really missed all the comings and goings, I dont post much, but love reading all the blogs, have to say I get quite sad when I see the empty nest, but at least at the moment they aren't far away, soon they will be though and how we will miss them

when you get to my age it sometimes takes a while to fathom things out and I have just found out how to leave a comment after sitting for quite a while trying to figure it out . have managed now and I can now spend a lot longer with an excuse for not doing things. It is great to be able to read all your comments again and we will be able to be kept up to date with the happenings in the wee small hours which we have missed for the past few days. Richard it is great to be able to get the updates that you and the team give and I was wondering if you have an approx. date when the birds will migrate because I would like to visit again before they go.

21.08 Nice to see old names coming back to the blog. Maybe we should all time stamp for a while so that we can put things into perspective.Also we can work out what time it is in South California.Just a thought!

good thought on the time stamp Wendy:) (now 9.15pm in the UK)

Empty nest at the moment.

been reading the blogs since last year and finally found how to join/post now!!

does anyone know where the tracking data for this year is shown or is it not online yet?

Greetings from the Planet Krypton Star Date 17.26.39 at about 21:26 :-)

Nest is still empty

Thank you WendyBruce for your message, Ive packed for all weathers except gloves, hat and scarf. I feel the heat and am usually hot when others say it is chilly, I don't wear trousers so I might end up walking round in a blanket haha.

So excited like a child as it will be a fantastic experience seeing eagels and osprey.

Is anyone writing on here visiting the south coast of England for a holiday? JILLIAN.

21.30 - good idea Wendy -  don' tthink its on line yet babyg

This is just to see what name my comment comes out under as I've changed it . But had such a lot of trouble trying to re-register with a different name I gave up and signed in as 'normal' and then edited my profile. I come out with my new name in the LG forum so here goes to comments under the official blogs. Have to say though I really miss not hearing the birds call. For me it's 50% of the magic.

Jillian, rain or shine, if you are lucky enough, some of the sights up here are nothing less than awesome, just the scenery is magnificent, the wildlife will blow your socks off (assuming of course you have any socks)?!  Regardless.................. Enjoy :-)

Jillian, Knukles wrapped, message was sent @ 21:38, albeit from the Planet Krypton :-)

testing!"

Hi, again. Just been looking at the nest but it is getting dark now up there. Presumably all three girls are snuggled up for bed and EJ & Odin are nearbye.  Night, Night, everyone.

Following the events at LG since April. Everything has gone so much better than last year. Fingers crossed for migration time. Sisters will take their time exploring their boundaries.Google earth is so good to follow there peregrinations.

no community name!

22.34 on Friday - determined to sign in on the first day of the new website - but still learning to navigate it.  Can't register because I am already registerd through the gardens thingy - so I can't allocate myself a community name!  Any advice?

Saw EJ and Henry 2007 at LG and followed the website ever since.

Have clicked, and waited, and clicked, and waited.... (my broadband is VERY slow) and at last I hope, I have found my way to the right page.  With luck, I will even have a colourful pic of a bunch of nasturtiums to identify me.   Can't call it an avatar as its not in human form.   Every time I checked the nest today it was EMPTY.  Mind you, I didn't have that much time to stay long on site so its great to have everyone's comments telling me what's been going on.   Time now 22.37 (give or take a minute or two!)

22.36 Wendy think your idea is great about putting time before each blog - that has answered my moan from earlier!  :o)  Wonder where they've all gone - roosting nearby I expect.  It is strange seeing the empty nest "all of a sudden" !!!!Will gradually get us used to it I suppose :O( xx

22.45 Found profile page and it worked retrospectively - I am now goldfinch!

Well I've just managed to roll myself off the settee (and no, not too much cake here....) and what do I find? A wonderful new Blog! Thank you Richard, great to have you back. Never thought I could possibly miss a bunch of complete strangers so much!

What a week it's been. I've laughed, I've cried and have spent much of the week sat on the edge of my rather uncomfortable, bottom numbing chair. Facebook helped us out but my goodness, the despair when the newly got-going webcam gave up on us at the cruicial point that Mallachie fledged. That on top of realising that what we thought was Garten fledging wasn't actually, that we'd actually missed it earlier when the webcam had taken 5. So all that whooping and tears from us (ok, the tears were mine, I hold my hand up) on Facebook were misplaced!

Who said that about the ironing and the garden being done? Speak for yourselves! lol I've spent the time exercising my right fore finger...giving it a stretch, then a push on the F5 button and then slowly retracting it to start the process all over again....repeatedly! I know I can replace the now worn F5 button but forefinger? I'm sure I'll get some feeling back at some point in the future. At least I can blame it for my spelling mistakes. And what do you go and do? Present us with this all singing, all dancing sparkly new community. How could you? How on earth am I supposed to get the housework done now?!

I'd better shut up or my membership will be terminated for waffling too much!

In short - great to have you back, have missed you much....you're brilliant (if not bursting at the seams with excessive cake!)...thank you :)

Ruth:  Not sure what you mean by the gardens thingy.  I'm still quite new here so maybe its something of which I'm unaware.  When I tried to register, I was initially told my name did not exist.  I tried again and this time was told that if any one of 3 options (one of which was whether I had already commented on the previous blog) applied to me, I did not need to register.  Then I must have done something to jog the blog's memory because Hey Presto, I was suddenly 'in' the community under my old name.  Do you need a community name?  Ruth Mitchell seems to suit you!  timed at 22.47

Hi Richard, Any idea when the tracking will be starting on Google Earth and when you will be giving us the link to put in?

10.55 You do not realise just how much you appreciate something until its not there, so with the return of the blog i thought i would express my thanks to all the bloggers and LG staff who have kept me entertained and informed through the spring and summer. I visited LG in April when EJ & Odin were mating and was hooked from then on. Have missed most of the crucial happenings but thanks to Bigrab74 for providing the highlights on YouTube. Have learnt so much about Osprey behaviour over the last 3+ months and so keeping fingers crossed that the maiden journeys to Africa of the young ospreys are successful and that we can follow the progress of Rothes & Mallachie in the coming months.

I am so glad to see that I am not the only one experimenting here!  (BTW it is 2251) I have not posted often but have been following avidly for ages. I only realised just how much I missed reading the comments when I couldn't do so! As a relative newcomer(  logged on for the first time last year, when Nethy and Deshar were about to leave) I have learnt so much from you all, thank you.

Oooh, I'm so glad we can still post here too!  Just been rambling around the new forums, which will keep us going nicely during LG's 'off' season.  It's really lovely to see our youngsters progressing so well, isn't it?

11.30pm. HI  EVERYBODY. The weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth stopped as soon as I found out about the new webpage.

The weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth began again because I couldn't figure out how to logon, then when I had worked it out.......forgot my password!!!!!! Everything OK now.....obviously!!!

So we missed Mallachie and Garten taking their maiden flight which is a shame BUT at least we know they are both alright. I was a bit surprised that Garten went before Mallachie....being the youngest I thought she would be last. As for Rothes, I can imagine her 'showing off'. THEY ARE ALL MARVELLOUS. I am sure EJ and Odin must be proud as punch about their 'babies' It will be great to observe their behaviour over the next few weeks.

RICHARD and your teams, thank you so much for all the work you do to enable us to be part of the Osprey Saga. A big thank you to Andy Wesley for sorting out the problem with camera...'clever clogs'!!!

Looking forward to being 'switched on' tomorrow. Night all.

Finally clocked which username and password to use as had several on old site for various projects, then had to unearth the e-mail with the password on out of archive. Here at last! Thank you team at LG for your patience with all of us out in cyberspace.

Christina Kennedy here as was. Havent been able to contribute to the blog for ages, as I reinstalled some software and lost the ability to comment on the blog. Nevermind the new site has sorted it all out now. I have been keeping up to date with all the goings on with our little osprey family. Havent they done well this season! Odin and EJ have pulled out all the stops and have produced a very healthy set of chicks (with a little help from Tesco)! We now have to hope that they have a safe journey south to Africa when the time comes next month. I'm heading off to Spain myself in a fortnight so I hope I dont miss the farewell! Glad to be part of this wonderful community again. Thank you Richard and LG staff for your hard work and giving us the opportunity to follow the ospreys so closely!

Thank you for the great update and your wonderful new web pages. Delighted to see the girls becoming independent. There is a new Australian Osprey  webcam from Beckmans Road, Noosaville in Queensland (About 73 miles north of Brisbane). It is Osprey Nest Relocation-Sunshine Coast at

www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov/.../sitePage.cfm

The osprey laid one egg on the 3rd July and the web page is up dated every 60 seconds.

Australian ospreys are sedentary and do not  migrate.

This is my first year watching your ospreys and I can only thank you all for opening up a world of knowledge.

I look forward to following the girls when they migrate.

Best wishes,

Linda

Love the new website very much and found it much easier than I thought it would be, to log on and create my page and sort out a photo for my profile.

I have missed the blog a lot and so glad this is now up and running and hope it will be a great success!!

The osprey sisters are getting more beautiful by the day although they will never quite surpass their mother EJ!! :)

It will be interesting to see if Odin teaches his girls to fish, as he has been outstanding so far, as a Dad, unlike VS last year, who sat on a branch eating a fish in front of his hungry youngsters, then went off on his migration without teaching them to fish at all.

Mind you.....Odin doesn't stay about very long on the nest admiring them these days, when he delivers a fish and it is grabbed by whoever is on the nest he is off like a shot and who can blame him :)

4:26 a.m. UK time and having horrible computer problems. Have been trying to connect on my computer for almost two hours. I swear, we get the live cam back up, the new blog online, and then my expletive-deleted computer annouces there are no wireless networks around to connect to (even though I'm sitting on top of our router and all the appropriate lights are flashing!).  So. Now on hubby's computer and looks like I'm going to have to find someone who really knows about these things to look at mine since System Restore, which has worked in the past, has done nothing to help this time. Might try throwing it across the living room.....

6.15am. Mallachie and Rothes on the nest. One of them, probably Rothes, is eating a very large fish but not sharing!!! Poor Mallachie is looking on longingly.

Richard, I am sorry I forgot to thank you for your,as ever, most informative report.

GREAT WEBSITE!!!!!

REPLY: Maureen, just been trawling back through comments and I noticed that you asked a Q several days ago, about osprey sense of smell.  I did asnwer the Q back then,  but it was at the itme of change over to the new web page lay-out and it looks like my answer didn't make it across to the new regime.  So, if I can remember what I said.........given that ospreys have nostrils, we can sssume that yes they do have a sense of smell of sorts, however in most birds of prey including ospreys, the olfactory sense is the least well developed, instead they rely more heavily on acute eyesight, and in owls, on acute hearing.  The exception, (there's always one isn't there?), are the New World Vultures, species like Turkey Vulture, American Black Vulture and King Vulture.  These raptors glide over the rainforest canopy and detect their food, which is mainly carrion (dead stuff), down of the unseen forest floor below, by smell wafting up through the canopy.

It was memorably demonstrated by David Atts. in one of his fabulous Life of Birds episodes whereby he took a piece of rotten, putrid, smelly meat and hid it amongst the leaf litter on the forest floor.  In his inimitable style he then went and hid behind a tree to sit and wait.  Eventually a vulture (Black or Turkey, can't quite remember which), that had been quartering the airspace above the forest canopy, detected the smell and came down through the foliage on to the ground and homed-in on the wiff.  Yet another unforgettable, brilliant bit of wildlife telly from Sir David.  -   Richard.

Yeah as everyone says a much improved site. I like Tiger am interested to find out when we can start tracking on google earth ?

Hello Richard and Team:  

Very many congratulations on an immensely successful 2009.  

I am not in a position to bake and bring you cake, so, such as it is (I'm not in JeanetteLM or Lindybird's league) I want you to have this effort as my way of saying ‘thank you’ to you all for your dedication and hard work, and for putting up with us bloggers which must have tried your patience from time to time. Richard, Katie, Ian, Debbie, Malcolm, Claire, David, and Paula.(Hope I haven’t missed anyone - please add  your name right up there with the others if I have!)

Enjoy your 'hibernation' when it comes you all deserve it!

Very best wishes indeed.

A Tribute to EJ and Odin and The Team

The wind stirred feathers brown and white

A single shaft of brighter light

Highlighted the eye

Golden, piercing, observing all

Her growing chicks within the wall

Of encircling sticks

Shrieks above in the vaulted blue

Announce intruders one and two

Mantled wings o’er shadowed

Her precious brood protecting them

From avian marauders once again

Envying her nest

First hatched chick with a golden nape

Strides round the nest with beak agape

To keep itself cool

A broad white band above its eye

Makes chick two easier to spy

Chick three is feisty

Now time has come as autumn nears

The nest is left deserted here

Three grown chicks all fledged

The parent birds will rendezvous

Another spring; Odin will woo

Sky dancing Osprey

Once more the loch its trout will yield

The Centre’s Team with eyes all peeled

For that first mating

Watchful observing each egg laid

Another trio to parade

At Abernethy

Rothes, Garten, and Mallachie

Safely migrate o’er land and sea

Africa awaits

Then in due time when instinct stirs

Fly back to see us in three years

For your first fam’ly

Hello!  I previously thought it was just the Girls I was missing during the camera problems, now I know that the Blog is incredibly addictive too and I found I missed everyone else!

Great to see the sisters looking so good, and thanks to everyone at LG.  I'll stop going on about cake in future....

Cirrus/JaneA? nice poem.

8.31 logged on to an empty nest. Got a phone call from my daughter last night raving about new web page and wondering where Maureen McCann was! She'll be able to relax now that You've commented Maureen lol. Out today and then off tomorrow for a week. WIll catch up tonight. Hope you all have a good day

Ooo Cirrus - "Sky dancing Osprey" - what lovely imagery! Super poem. Found out how to upload a photo so will have a go next week.

Empty nest just now, 09.28, guess they are all off exploring again. Mrs Hobby is nestled down - I could only make out one baby. Did the other egg hatch?

Hope it's as sunny at LG as it is here today. Have a lovely day, folks.

9.50 Just a quick weather report up here on Speyside...well it's not raining at the moment but I do hope the girls had an electric blanket last night as the temp dropped to single figures and it is still a bit chilly out there.The BBC have promised wall to wall rain tomorrow..so back to normal!!

09.57 - turn my back for a few mins and someone reappears. Not sure who but she's sat preening herself.

Richard (or anyone) - need a bit of guidance. Are we to continue posting updates of what's happening at the nest on here or do we start a daily thread on the forum?

Oh Paula - comments under the official blogs are much easier. I personally see the forums for other info and interests. Anyone else?

WOW - you go awol for 24hrs and look what happens!!!!! love the new site, thanks to everyone involved. I saw ej bring that whopper of a fish in yestrerday about 1pmish and Mallachie? claim it but then havent been on until this morning. everything looks all new, fresh and interseting. didnt actually get to see fledgings but have watched a couple of times when garten and mallachie have flown off and landed since then. great to catch up with everyone, am going to have a look around the new site as i noticed there is gallery and forums and groups, mmmmm i maybe some time!!!

hi all nice to see all the bloggers back on. Have not checked in the forum yet, so have that to look forward too. Thanks Richard and all for keeping us up to date with what was happening when we were not able to watch our girls.

So grown up now cannot tell which is which lol.

Nice new web page, how about doing the same for the tracking page? It's still showing last years data next to this years blog !!!

Jeanette: HOW do you upload a photo?

ALICAT: How did you invite people to be your friend?

ej sitting all alone on the nest. is she starting to think 'job done' i wonder!

10.30 Cirrus great great poem.  I have saved aoll the poems put on by bloggers and at the end of the season will print off all the poetry and place in my 2009 Osprey diary so I have a hard copy of everything.  I have saved all BigRab74 videos as well to look at during the winter months.  It is good to have the blog back again I didn't realise how much I missed it till it came back.  The story this year has been absolutely wonderful and hopefully this will continue with a successful migration.  Only 1 girl on the nest when I looked and couldn't quite make out who it was but I am just so grateful to all all LG for making this such a popular site.  Hope Richard has a good break he certainly deserves it.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction to get back to my previous user name.  Margaret Southon is now Margobird again.  You learn something new every day.  Have a good day all.

Oh dear, I thought it was Garten stood on the nest. I can't tell unless they're all together and even then it's hard. This is who was stood on the nest...

www.rspb.org.uk/.../b-_2D00_-Garten.jpg

Can't help agreeing with Paula and Cirrus - I don't post often but log on over breakfast and enjoy an update and the to and fro of comments. I do hope the new setup doesn't fragment the comments and lose the continuity from the regulars - it's been like following friends over the summer.  I have looked at the forums etc so not just being luddite! Love the webcam and the blog - so pleased it's back up and running.  Thanks Loch Garten staff.

OK Alicat, I think I've found the way to invite people to be friends but it does need people to have posted on forums, doesn't it?

Yes, Paula, I 'm sure you are right . I haven't refreshed the still camera yet so still have the image of an Osprey with a dappled back (juvenile) but no satellite aerial: Ergo, little sweetheart Garten!

Margobird, very much appreciate you like my poem. Wish I was really talented this way. I need practice. When you print would you mind putting The Tribute into Word first and separating the verses? There was a space between each when I put the poem in the comment box and I just don't know why it didn't publish as six separate verses. Six lines to each verse. It seems such a muddle to me as it is. Thank you.

11.05 Whilst we are praising the new web blog I would like to praise and say thankyou to the RSPB on line shopping team.Ordered quite a few fat cakes(they are special offer at present and well worth a look at as around half price)Friday am and they arrived here today (Saturday) amazing really as Royal Mail usually have a get out clause for us in the Highlands and Islands so everything usually takes a lot longer. Still dry on Speyside so going for a nice long walk.So looking forward to catching up later.Grand Prix weekend so walking on my own....shame.

Oooh, a new makeover!!!  Wonderful what can be done with a lick of paint and new wallpaper!!!!  Shoes off at the door now folks, you wouldn't want to mess up the new carpet, would you?????  

Brilliant to be back on and see that all is well with "the girls"!!!!!  Thanks to everyone concerned!

Great new web page - thank you everyone.  You have so much to do all of you - greatly appreciated.  So pleased to watch the new camera in action - think it is or else the position has changed?  The girls are looking so well and strong.  Sadly EJ will soon be off at some point soon.  The weather hasn't been too kind to them this last couple of weeks but at least they had sunshine in the early days to give them a good start and lots of fish!

Golly Jos, I had to look up 'luddite'. What a good word! And of course you are not.(smile) :)

Well I have finally got to be able to make a comment after being told that there was another user with my details YES it is ME .... I could only get accepted if I used my other e-mail address and changed my user name - I was CliveT now I am Taff ...........

Taff

11.20 - EJ arrives quickly followed by Garten. They seem a bit frazzled - appears to be an intruder about?

Just come back to blog and find I can post a reply to Cirrus.   Great poem by the way. It looks like it is EJ on the nest at the moment and either the girls are out of shot or they are having a fly around.

Think I have sent Richard on a break when he is notl.  Muddled up with the Mull eagles.

Hi Maureen- here's how to make a friend (and if you look at YOUR PAGE, you'll nowfind me there under 'Friends')

First go to Forums.

Next choose a topic (Kinda quiet out here/Hello hello or whatever)

Next see who has responded to the topic and posted.

Next choose the name of the person you would like to be your friend and click on it . (the names are in blue).

Up comes a dialog box (spelled correctly for computer language. :) )

Complete the box and that's that? Just put in a request for that person to be your friend and add a message if you like and submit it.

Then, it all just happens !

11.43 - seems to be a lot of intruder trouble about. What are the intruders after? I thought it would be too late to be looking for a nest? Looking for a mate?? I mean there are 4 beautiful girls here!

EJ, Garten and a tagged chick all on the nest. Tagged chick mantling.

Oh Maureen I think I've accidentally replied to Margobird instead of you in regard to 'how to make a friend' on the site. When the comment is published I'll copy and paste it to you. AND SORRY MARGOBIRD I replied to you instead of Maureen.

Rothes home alone!

Richard : Thanks to you and your staff for all that you have done this year to enable us to see these amazing birds through their daily stay here at LG - I now look forward to knowing the Tracking info for Google Earth - I think I'll like this format once I get used to it and I'm sure it won't take long :)

Taff

12.03 Fish delivery (EJ?) - a big one! Big commotion! Intruder about as well. My goodness...

ej just delivered a fish,rothes? attempted to take it but ej mantling and calling-she seems to have been followed by intruder. someone else landes at the same time but took off immediately couldnt see who it was!

another tagged chick landed on nest,sorry cant tell who is who, and ej took off,presumably after the intruder

Great new site, congrats to all concerned, signing in for the first was a doddle!!

Thanks for all the chat and great poem Cirrus:)

I think it may be Garton noshing on the fish and Rothes looking on but can't be sure as I can't see the whole nest.

Long may the sun continue to shine up there!

I think it is Mallachie eating away as now Garton has flown in to try and get some lunch.

All 3 girls there now:)

Taff, That was exactly the same problem I had preventing me from blogging! Never mind - all sorted now. I am hoping to change internet provider soon, so I hope that doesnt muck things up again. Great to see no bullying now between the girls. I wonder if they would recognise each other if they met up in the future?

Maureen: Tags take you to forums. Just click on one to explore. Just take your machete with you as if you are like me you are sure to get lost in the jungle along the way. Sigh.

EJ really sorting out an intruder and the girls lying low. And I'm off to enjoy some sun in my garden whilst it is here. My brain is aching from all the sorting out of how to do what on the site. And I still don't know how to upload a different avatar.

14:03 and just logged on to see Garten tucking in and Mallachie? standing watching her. Cirrus that was an outstanding poem and believe me you are talented. Been out and about today and saw 2 red kites near Oundle. This is definately the best place to post otherwise it gets too complicated with groups,forums and not to mention facebook so lets all stay here please.  

2.05 GaryS what time was lunch?!!!!!

Taff - same thing happened to me but just used another email address - was just Borns.  I agree with Alan Petrie - forum looks a bit complicated for seniors but will attempt it when I get back from holiday.  Maybe the old grey matter will be more refreshed then!  Anyhow this is just great!  Thank you IT.

3.05 can't tell who it is but one of the girls being fed whilst the other watches.  They still like EJ to help them feed bless them.

3.10 Just had another look and EJ is feeding 2 of the girls now and they are both being fed in turn and it is all very civilised at the moment.

3.13pm

oh dear Wendy, I failed miserably on my first important posting that needed a time stamp!!

Thank you for the reminder............................. (you aren't related to my wife by any chance LOL)

My excuse is it was early for me (being 5 hours behind you) and I was still half asleep.....

Just enjoying a lovely view of EJ feeding two of our girls. What a beautiful close up (THANK YOU LG:))

lovwly to see EJ feeding GARTEN she is so gentle

15.50pm

Hi Everybody! I'm still feeling my way round this new website.

The young ones seem so huge to me - it's been a while since I've been able to sign in. I wonder how long it will be before they start catching their own fish and flying longer distances. I seem to remember last year it all got very stressful once EJ left.

4.04pm

Congratulations LG on your great new look website.  Didnt have any problems getting on here. I do not often write in - but enjoy reading all the comments from others.  I missed the blogs and very pleased you are back up and running and very successfully too judging by the numerous messages from all !  Thanks Richard and team and all volunteers - you are keeping many people happy.

4.28pm

Thanks for the update Richard.  I love the new look site - just taking a while to find my way around.  I was so busy looking at the Forum, I forgot all about the Blog!!  Had to sort my log in too as it had taken my son's name from when we did the bird survey!  

Lovely view of Rothes (I think!) sitting on a nearby tree.  She must have seen the camera moving round to look at her, and keeps looking at it, and her head does that cute side to side movement that they do!! LOL

4.25pm

That is Rothes I can see, but that's not the nest! She's sitting on the branch of a tree. I wonder where? I went to get the washing in, (have tried but been totally unsuccessful in training the dog to do it!) leaving an empty nest on the monitor, and come back to see Rothes sitting in a tree. At least, I think it's Rothes....?That was a surprise!

16.30 I think you are right Paula, Rothes on the branch, she's so beautiful :)

Thanks LG team for the "zoom-thing"!

Good to see all the comments, I've missed you all and of course our girls... don't they look grand?

Just trying to master the new set up before I go off on holiday next week.... Good to see the 'times posted' are on the blogs again, thanks, I take note of name & time of last blog I read then I know where to start next visit......

An excellent view of whichever one it is ... three cheers for the one on the Joy Stick hahaha

Taff 16:40

4:35

PaulaP she is sitting on a dead tree not far from the nest but it amazes me that they can sit in the same position not moving but quitely contemplating their surroundings. Is it more comfortable for them on the branch than on the nest or is the nest only used now for eating and sleeping a B&B in the sky  

16:43 hrs

Just come home from a village fete, straight to the pc and ...wow!  Rothes on a branch - and she seems to know what a beautiful bird she is and that she is being watched - she is really posing for the camera!

Oh oh oh! Rothes on a branch of a tree ! In close up.

Aarh found it at last. Thank you Richard for your update - I would have said thanks earlier but ..... It is all very smart. When will we be given details of how to follow the 'ladies' on Google Earth please. I know they are not going far at the moment.

Rothes is having a cat nap I reckon!

Ain't she beautiful!

17.05What an amazing camera shot and a good day to be posing as we have had a sunny dry day up here on Speyside, probably one of the best days we have had for a couple of weeks.

GaryS you are forgiven....not sure all wives are related but we all have that same piece of paper with the very small print on the back.Grand Prix today Nomis has got quite a lot done outside as he volunteered to get Sky Plus a couple of weeks ago...so much easier than being nagged.

Me again, having said I'm pleased the times are on the blogs I see the time posted is not on my blog, could some kind soul tell me what I've done wrong or have omitted to do :)

Just had a thought, are bloggers typing in the times themselves... Oops maybe I had a senior moment?

What a lovely shot of the tree with ? Rothes in it 17.25. It's lovely seeing a bit more of their world. And yes, Bunl, we ae typing in the time ourselves just now.

17.26

Yes Bunl, we are putting the times in ourselves, until, or if, we can force, persuade or otherwise impress those in control of such things, how important the time is to us all!  :-)))

5.26pm  BUNL, yes we are typing in the time ourselves.  I have lots of senior moments : at least that's my excuse :o).

17.25Buni that's it we are putting times in ourselves as it gives some sort of perspective.Don't worry about the senior bit I am one of those and it was my suggestion last night..and it seems to be working.

17.29

Thank you George G, for your answer. Now you have told me, I remember a lot of talking about the girls flying to the dead tree. It's good to see where these places are in relation to the nest.

Hi, it looks as though the perches are clear, they must be on the nest or flying around and exercising themselves. Got to keep in trim for the thousands of miles ahead of them!!!!!!!!

One of the girls is now perched on the dead tree one.

Hi SOOSIN

I put in a request for you to be on my friends list but was told to cancel it because you haven't given profile of yourself. Jump to it.!!!! You don't need to write much.....have a look at mine :o)))

I think we are spending so much time sorting out problems that we seem to have forgotten about our wonderful family?????

Have you seen the the Hobby 'baby'? She is gorgeous.

Watching the hobby chick at the moment, doing a lot of moving about the nest, mum presumably is off getting the grub!!!! It looks like one of the eggs hasn't hatched, or it could be it was laid much later?????????

RICHARD....thank you for answering my question.

17:52 and it looks like Garten perched on the dead tree as I cant see her tagging aerial. She is just the most beautiful osprey. What an amazing family they are. We are so lucky to be part of this.

At last. Changed my email and everything just to get back on this blog.  I now know I am not computer literate!!   I've got to read everybody to catch up.  Is this posh or n ot!!   Hello Cirrus and Maureen McCann, Soosin everybody.  It's good to see evrybody again and the girls and find out what they've all been up to!! EXHAUSTED !

Lynette...the second egg is not fertile so will not hatch now!!

I have named the 'baby' Holly...isn't she beautiful??? Chick has got such HUGE feet, which makes me think it is female

Hi! everybody! Finally I also worked out how to add a comment. Love the new site Will visit Loch Garten on Tuesday, so I hope the birds will still be around and the weather also behaves... although it is better to be cold than so hot (In Hungary it is 4 degrees... boiling,) lucky I am not there, but in rainy Scotland.

Well eat your heart out Loch Garten looks like we may have a super duper OSPREY at Arne RSPB hopefully becoming resident as he/she has been around a long time.We have called him/her Purbeck and no arguments about the name will be published but any of you who really want to see a super duper Osprey come and see Purbeck sitting in a dead tree worth the effort to see what a real Osprey looks like,perhaps Odin could call in and pick up a few tips on his way to Africa.  

18:15  Thank you so much to the 'cameraman' for the lovely Zoom and wide shots'. They are lovely to see.

Why do I find myself thinking of Nethy and Deshar more now. I have downloaded a picture of the three girls to use as my computer wallpaper but I am still reluctant to remove my picture of Deshar. Possibly because we now know, in reality, what can happen during migration. Anyhow must be optimistic and move forward. The sun is still shining and looking forward to our trip to LG next week.

Holly Hobby--brilliant Maureen.  . There is so much to understand here.  Went up to one of the glens today and saw my favourite- a buzzard-  and then low and behold a golden eagle.  Loads of sallows and martins, chaffinches galore, wagtails bobbing about.  What a superb day it's been.  Sun shining good company and food Ahh!!!

17.55 Rothes was preening on nest post. Doesn't she look fantastic. Then she flew to the camera tree.

Has anyone else been getting more e-mails than they can handle???? I have discovered that I MUST 'switch' off section which says send e-mails... I have been sending them to myself!!!  See what I mean about senior moments?????

18.27 - Just logged on to an empty nest and a catch .up on blogs. Brilliant sunny day today, Been in Kirkcudbrighty and watched an Osprey fishing, without success. for about 15minutes.It would have been good to see one with a 'flattie The tide was coming in but  It was harassed constantly with the Gulls before flying off back in the direction of Threave.

Maureen I'm jumping lol will do it now

Thanks all for keeping me right re the time on blogs, need my hols after which I'll wave goodbye to 'senior moments' and use my preferred description 'recycled teenager' (well they can be scatty too!!)  :)  Good to see the weather a bit better for our Osprey family.........

Hi Tish, great to be back  and see everyones names again. Pity we missed the fledgings but its great to see them flying around and being independent.

AMES we heard you the first time AND the second by third we realised your were really proud :-)) lol

18.45  After all that on my blog I just sent I still didn't enter the time, what am I like??

TEAM: I am 'playing around' with images for an avatar. I'm not sure what I will choose, but so that I can, please may I have permission to use an image of one of the RSPC  Osprey family??

Hi - first post to the new blog! all looks very impressive and looks like there is even more to distract me from my studies!!

Thanks all for wonderful updates, excellent camera work, and informative blogs. The family are just wonderful to watch at this stage - with the three girls showing great confidence in their flying skills. It will be interesting to hear how they get on fishing! I seem to recall one of the yongsters from last year (can't remember if it was Nethy or Deshar), coming back rather muddy! Any way still plenty to enjoy for a wee while yet!

Oops, sorry forgot to time stamp! 18:52

19:10  Sorry Maureen but found it hilarious to visulize you receiving all these e-mails. Then to see a run of messages as various bloggers apologise for missing off the time. We could be renamed 'The mad Bloggers of L.G. That's what makes this site, apart from the ospreys, so happy a place to be part of !!!

19:20  Not long back from yet another great afternoon down at Loch Garten.  The weather was fine and for part of the time the sun actually shone.  Met up with Julie and her daughter and Valerie, who is volunteering for the next two weeks.    The chicks have had three fish so far today, two from Odin and one from EJ.   For quite a long time after feeding, all three chicks were sitting in the camera tree (which is the dead tree to the right of the nest), preening, dozing, stretching their wings etc.  Then one by one they had a quick fly round before landing back on the dead tree again.   No sign of EJ or Odin when I was leaving the Centre.  Pru

19:20  Not long back from yet another great afternoon down at Loch Garten.  The weather was fine and for part of the time the sun actually shone.  Met up with Julie and her daughter and Valerie, who is volunteering for the next two weeks.    The chicks have had three fish so far today, two from Odin and one from EJ.   For quite a long time after feeding, all three chicks were sitting in the camera tree (which is the dead tree to the right of the nest), preening, dozing, stretching their wings etc.  Then one by one they had a quick fly round before landing back on the dead tree again.   No sign of EJ or Odin when I was leaving the Centre.  Pru