.......to hear a wren singing this morning on the way to work – for two reasons. Firstly, it struck me as rather early, another sign perhaps of the mild (I walked in shirt sleeves this morning!) winter so far and a looming early spring perhaps? Also, because wrens, like other small birds such as goldcrests for example, fair badly in harsh weather and the past two bad winters really hammered our local wrens up here in hyperborea. There really haven’t been any or many around for the past two years. So to hear one sing perhaps signifies a bounce-back by wrens in this area. I hope so. It wasn’t a quick token blast of song either, but a giving it laldie multiple rendition, and was uplifting to hear. Coal tits were at it again too, singing away as I walked.
I also heard a few crested tits en route too and some fly-over crossbills. Three “species” of 'bills are to be found here; common, Scottish and parrot. Telling one from another can be tricky but the pitch of their chip-chip-chip flight calls as they pass overhead, can be indicative. My guess? Well, they were a bit distant, but from what I heard and could tell, and given that it’s 25th January and Robert Burns' birthday, in recognition of the bard, I decided they’d be Scottish.
I’m interviewing for the Osprey Team 2012 tomorrow and Friday and once appointments are made I’ll introduce them to you in due course. It’ll be they that’ll be keeping you informed on the looming osprey season ahead.
Meantime, thanks to Julie for doing the data up-date. She reports that again this week there is little movement from Rothes, Tore and Bynack, all still content in their respective haunts. Some good news this week that Rothes’s transmitter has been sending back some daily data again. Hopefully this might continue so that we can follow her when she starts her migration in a few weeks time. Exciting stuff!
Don’t foget the Big Garden Birdwatch which is taking place this coming weekend. Details on how to take part can be found on the RSPB website:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/takepart.aspx
Finally, just to say very many thanks indeed to those that responded to my re-ask last week, about contributing to the satellite tag pot. A brilliant response, thank you, and to those who had chipped-in previously too. It is very much appreciated. If anyone still feels able to pitch-in then please do, see opposite, right. Many thanks.
It was –9 C last night and Jack Frost had been out & about. Everywhere was white-over with rime this morning, and was it all looking beautiful, or what? It was absolutely stunning. Despite the cold, coal tits were determined to sing , an early sign perhaps, heralding the Spring to come
Many of you I’m sure saw the latest episode of BBC’s amazing Earthflight series, showing grizzly bears scavenging fish scraps from beneath a feeding osprey, somewhere in North America. It makes you wonder whether that was something that happened here in the days of yore, many, many moons ago, only brown bears in our case, not grizzlies, feeding beneath osprey nests.
Like you no doubt, seeing that osprey footage brought into sharp focus how close we are now getting to another osprey season. Only another month, come mid to late February and those innate yearnings to return north to breed will again begin to stir. Already in the press there have been many other reported early signs of spring, how long then before the first osprey sighting is reported? It is likely to be this spring that Rothes might well make her move and it’ll be exciting to keep tabs on her in particular, as best we can, in the coming weeks.
Julie has checked the latest data and there is very little movement from Tore this week, but don’t panic she’s fine, pottering about on the Casamance River. Bynack is still visiting the same coastal area of Mauritania, although he has been returning inland to roost at night and Rothes, is as ever is still on Ilha de Unhocomozinho.
With the season looming, preparations begin, and amongst all that’s to do, we need to be thinking ahead to satellite tagging this year’s young ospreys. Before too long, I will need to place the order for tags with the company in USA- a long lead-in time is required to make the tags and ship them to us in time for tagging in late June/early July. Many of you have already chipped-in to help fund the tags and it is very much appreciated, thank you, but we are currently way short of the funding level necessary to buy the tags. We’re exploring other ways & means of doing this, but if any of you out there feel able to contribute, please do so by clicking on the Make a donation to 2012’s satellite tags, under Support us (see right). Many thanks indeed.
Jack Frost hasn't been the only jack about the place in recent days, we've had jack snipe too, not on the reserve as such, but close by. This diminutive wader is smaller than its cousin the common snipe but equally cryptic and easily overlooked. Its name refers to its small size i.e fishermen refer to small pike as jack pike and in bowls the jack is the smallest of the balls. Jack is also a term used as an indication of sex, as in the male donkey, the jackass. Combining these uses of both being small and male, has given rise to old country names of the female common snipe as Jill to the male, Jack. The jack snipe once being considered, not a seperate species, but the smaller male of the common snipe, in the same way that in so many, if not all birds of prey (ospreys included) the female is the larger of the pair. Here in Strathspey jack snipe are considered a rare winter visitor, this is quite likely the case but probably due in part, because they are so secretive and rarely seen, often not until they break cover when flushed from right at one's feet. It's nice to know they are around but with the ground like iron they'll struggle to probe for worms except in the softer, unfrozen wet flushes.
Other than that, Loch Garten is frozen over and appears lifeless for now, yet stunningly beautiful on such crisp & frosty days. Silent too, save for the reverberating deep, resonant cronking calls of ravens passing high overhead, very evocative.
That's it for now, more news next week.
.......and so say all of us.
We are delighted that our former colleague and continuing volunteer, Stewart Taylor, was made an MBE in the New Years honours.
Stewart started his career with the RSPB as a volunteer warden at Ramsey Island, Leighton Moss and at our very own Loch Garten Osprey Centre in 1971. He then joined the staff on a five month contract in 1973 guarding the Lake District golden eagles at Haweswater. From there followed a three year stint on Rhum working for the then Nature Conservancy Council. He returned to the RSPB in 1976 when appointed as our first and only warden of the Loch Garten reserve (now part of Aberenthy) . Stewart stepped down from the role of Senior Site Manager in 2002, but continued as a highly valued member of the team until 2010 when he formally retired. Nevertheless he continues to devote his days to adding to our knowledge of the numerous rare invertebrates, plants and fungi for which Abernethy is now so famous. Stewart has been an inspiration to countless staff and volunteers alike. Indeed the training and quiet encouragement he has offered will have prompted many people to pursue careers in conservation.
So we're delighted that his 37 years of dedication have been acknowledged and his continuing voluntary work on the reserve he did so much to establish will mean we continue to benefit from his knowledge and enthusiasm. Very many congratulations Stewart.
And so to our birds..... again all three have not ventured far this week, although Tore did make another trip to the west of her usual haunts, to the north-west of Kaour on the Casamance River. Bynack is still beside the seaside, it looks like he’s found a good feeding area on the west coast of Mauritania, and Rothes, yes you’ve guessed it, on her island of Ilha de Unhocomozinho.
(Posted by Julie Quirie)
A Happy New Year to all our Bloggers and thank you for your greetings and wishes to all the staff Abernethy and Loch Garten, I hope you are fared well over the festive period, it is great to celebrate Christmas and the New Year, but also a relief when everything returns to normality.
It looks like 2012 is going to be a exciting year with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics, but I'm sure the antics of our ospreys will top these two great events!
I opened the data with trepidation this morning, not having downloaded any for over two weeks....... but all is as it should be....phew.....
Rothes's data is still coming in intermittently, but she did make a detour to the neighbouring island of Unhocomo on the 27th December. and by way of a coincidence, Tore left her area for a short visit west of her usual haunt to an area north of Birkama, also on the 27th! ....and Bynack, well he's decided to visit the seaside over the holidays. He headed west on the 18th December and was still languishing on the coast slighty north-west of Dara on New Years Day. With the weather as it is here I rather wish I was there with him!
Keep warm and hope the gales over the past few days haven't caused too much problems for you.
Julie Q