Just a short blog to let you know that the staff and volunteers here are trying their hardest to locate the birds. Because both birds have fledged the nest is now often empty and as such we have to pan the surrounding trees to see where the chicks (and adults) are. If we can't find them then we may just give you views of the Red Squirrels and Great Spotted Woodpeckers on our feeders.

The birds are not flying great distances at the moment and as such their movements are not being registered on the tracking page; once they do start to venture further afield then the tracking will come into its own.

I will write a "round-up" blog at the weekend.

Until then......

Deshar fledges at 57 days, just like his big sister Nethy.  At 6.28am this morning Deshar took his first flight to the camera tree.  

It's a very windy day here at Loch Garten and Deshar did well to hold onto the tree, he finally flew back to the nest at 7.20am.

Celebrations all round.

As the doors close on the Osprey centre for another day, a cork pops off a bottle of champagne.  The Osprey team can finally celebrate Nethy's long awaited maiden flight fifty-seven days after hatching, a very proud moment.

To be honest, she took us all a little unaware as we all prepared to open the centre.  The girls were busy vacuuming the centre, filling bird feeders, I was walking up the path after changing gas bottles, and Dave was at the kiosk.  It was only when Claire can rushing out of the centre shouting my name and saying "Nethy's flown" that I'd realised something was happening.  So don't worry folks I missed it too!

Nevertheless, what a day!  Nethy had started by teasing the volunteers on shift by flying and landing on top of the nest camera (and no this does not count as fledging!).  The ever confident Nethy was not going to stop at this, at 10.04am she flew for a minute and a half around the nest and then onto the camera tree.  Dad (OVS), no doubt praising her on her latest achievement, shortly followed her into the same tree.

However, at 10.25am a rude invasion occurred on the family celebration and an intruding Osprey few close to the nest and Nethy sitting on the camera tree.  OVS and EJ both returned to the nest mantling and alarm calling, then OVS took chase.  Nethy seemed relatively unperturbed by this all and at 11.00am returned to the nest.

Deshar then started to tease us by exercising his wings.  Was he too going to fledge today?  Big sister showed him that jumping up to the nest camera was a good first step.  I think Deshar took the hint and he did an amazing hover over the nest and 1.40pm. 

This is where the confusion started over Deshar fledging (which he has definitely not done yet!).  When Deshar landed back on the nest, he switched places with Nethy, who then decided at 1.53pm to take her second flight of the day.  Obviously, Nethy was telling little brother that this flying business is quite easy.

After a hard day of flying lessons Mum (EJ) obviously took pity on them are returned to the nest at 2.55pm with a lovely whole brown trout, which Nethy promptly nicked of her!  Only giving Deshar and Mum a look-in once she had finished.

Nethy is going from strength to strength.  At 4.45pm, she made another short flight around the nest, and landed confidently on the nest.

So what will tomorrow bring?  Will Deshar finally fledge?  Moreover, will the Osprey team be able to recognise that it is in fact Deshar flying!

Thank you for your blog comments about our camera views; we would like to thank Murray Foster - Cameraman (age 10) for yesterday’s superb views of the birds.  Murray is possibly our youngest blogger (and if the Osprey team continue to be rubbish at identifying the birds apart, will be having our jobs!)  However, nothing would have been possible without the careful production by Cameron Foster - Producer (aged 5) and direction by Jenny Foster - Director (aged 8 1/2), a grand team who we hope to see again soon.

If you want to specifically help the Loch Garten Osprey Team 2008, you might consider supporting the RSPB. You can do this online via the RSPB website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/join, if you add the code PR08 (that is zero eight), your membership will be credited to the Loch Garten team.