It’s been an exciting couple of days here! Yesterday morning Charlotte, David & I were all in the centre with visitors when our second chick was revealed to the world. Later we watched it being fed for the first time, and then the second & third time as Odin brought in a whopping 6 fish yesterday! We’ve also been watching EJ see off a female intruder who tried to land on the nest earlier.
We’re short staffed today, so with the busy centre and all the excitement I was glad of a break - grabbing a quick bite to eat & checking my emails at the same time when a new email pops up from our administrator Jayne, ‘Satellite tracking is getting interesting’. Every week Jayne downloads the satellite data and plots it into Google maps to give an update on Rothes (EJ & Odin’s first chick in 2009), and every week she emails Richard & I with the latest, and every week it’s the same... ‘still on Ilha de Unhocomozinho’. This week however.... ‘Rothes heads north!’
I quickly scanned it, jumped up from the computer and ran out into the centre where Richard was covering – Odin had just delivered a fish, and EJ was standing up to reveal the chicks. All the visitors were enthralled watching the chicks being fed when I ran in shouting to Richard - ‘Rothes is in Senegal! She’s moving north!’. I ran out again and phoned David on the kiosk – ‘Rothes is in Senegal!!’. ‘Brilliant!’ he exclaimed... ‘Where’s Senegal?!’. ‘Um, I’m not sure exactly... but it’s definitely north, she’s definitely moving!’. Then I ran round to find Abbi who was having her lunch ‘Rothes is in Senegal!’ You get the picture, I was pretty excited!!
Rothes hatched here on 22nd May 2009, the first of a clutch of 3 that year, and EJ & Odin’s first ever chick. On 22nd May 2011, exactly 2 years old, she started heading north!
Sunday saw her leave Ilha de Unhocomozinho, a small island off the coast of Guinea Bissau that has been her home for the last 20 months, and headed to the nearby Ilha Formosa. By Monday she was already flying high above a forest reserve in central Senegal and the final data point we received saw her at Louge-Richard (close to a large wetland area according to Richard, who has been there) and heading north towards the coast on the border with Mauritania. We can even tell you that she was flying at a height of 81 metres above the ground, isn’t technology amazing?!
This really is exciting news, not just for us here at Loch Garten but for everyone involved in osprey conservation. For many years, the information we know about ospreys and their migration has come from ringing records, which has been great and we’ve learned a lot but satellite tracking allows us to follow the entire migration journey, giving us their position to within 15 metres anywhere in the world. Watching her moving north will provide answers to some of the many questions surrounding osprey migration. Will she make a part migration or come the whole way to Scotland? Will she take the same course north as she did going south? When she does return to breed, will she come close to her old nest here at LG or go somewhere else entirely?’
Well, we’ll just have to wait and see. You can see her journey for yourself, and find out more about satellite tracking, here: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/tracking/lochgartenospreys/index.aspx
You just never know what a day at Loch Garten will hold, I love my job!!
morning everyone, EJ giving chicks breskfast. i keep telling the little one to push in!
Morning all, weather doesnt look too bad up at LG, EJ sitting contented, its a bit windy where I am, hope the weather gets better so that the third chick may be encouraged to pop out, but I think it may be too late now.
Yes, Jillian and June Spradlin--I've been wondering where BigRab is this year. I still regularly watch his 9th July 2009 compilation video set to 'You raise me up'. It really catches the spirit of these wonderful birds.
Nice to see the sun out at LG with EJ still incubating that last egg. I wonder if there's any hope of it hatching now? I guess time will tell.
Another feed for the chicks and a quick fly around for EJ before settling back down . Ej didn't appear to turn the remaining egg. The egg apeared to have a hole in the end or was that just a large dark spot?
Looking back at my nesting calendars over the last 2 years for all the monitored nests, the 3rd egg normally hatches after 35 or 36 days. I am sorry to say that means that the 3rd egg wont hatch and neither will any at LOTL. Meanwhile at Bassenthwaite the magpies are providing a serious threat to the young chick.
For any one who doesn't know what us Big Rab 74 fans are going on about just go onto Google and type in Youtube RSPB tribute to the Loch Garden chicks 2009 to see one of his masterpieces !
And Milly if you watch the one which is accompanied by You raise me up get the tissues ready !
Still blowing at LG when is this wind going to go away ???
Liz
I have just been listening to my local radio station & they were playing "You raise me up" which of course brought back the memories of two years ago - & then to find that people on here had been remembering that same video - that is some coincidence :)
Well, I have just watched 8 minutes watching EJ try to place a stick she brought back. What a time she was having in the wind. Chick # 1 is very active and nearly got clobbered with the stick. After sorting round and having a springclean EJ settled on the nest.
Oh, that video - You Raise Me Up - just watched it again - tears and memories - and beautiful Mallachie!
You Raise Me Up is the one I referred to earlier. The first seconds I ever saw it, it gave me such a feeling of homesickness & I've never even been to Scotland. I, too, played it again just now & also several renditions of the music. It is a powerful song. To pair it with the scenery and our osprey, as BigRab did, was brilliant. The video captured all the emotional beauty of the land and all the emotions we were experiencing with Rothes, Mallachie, & Garten just as we were realizing we would have to let them go, & even the memories of Deshar, Nethy & Wee Yin from the year before; along with a hint of A Higher Power. Wonderful!
Big Rab had a marvelous talent. I hope it is still serving him well.
Milly, Sorry for mis-reading your blog, lets call it an Age thing !!
Liz x
Short clip of last feed. Both chicks are getting plenty:
www.youtube.com/watch
Family scene: A few momens ago Odin brought a fish & feft with it. Now, at 1:48, he has brought it back. EJ is feeding Star who has climbed up to the rim of the cup. The Little One is trying to hold his own at the bottom. Odin is trying to help. He looks at Storm as if realizing he could use a little assistance & wanting to feed him, but EJ has the food. Odin moves a stick which almost makes things worse as it falls into the cup. He proceeds to move the stick further away, getting between the caamera & the action in the process, then flies away.
Ah, now Storm has worked himself alongside his older brother/sister and is getting his share of fish.
Mum decides they've had enough and covers them from the wind.
2:20 Odin is home again with fish EJ is feeding herself moreso than chicks. This obviously is family time, as Odin hangs around watching his children as EJ takes a flyabout, rearraanging "furniture", etc. They just seem to enjoy being together for a while.
Thanks Alan for your info on the hatching--I was afraid it was now too late. Really sad for Lady at LOTL. I hope she will have a lovely summer just enjoying herself. I beleive she has raised 48 chicks (could be more) over her lifetime. Amazing. She's certainly 'done her bit' for the preservation of her species.
Liz M. I fully understand the 'age thing'. I have the same problem !!
Thankyou for the clips of them being fed I keep missing it, but it still fascinates me how so carefully she feeds these little ones.