Re: Odin

Like this Alan Odin is certainly a God among ospreys.  I watched last year and in no way was EJ's mate as caring as Odin has been.  Magnificent provider and back to full strength after the unfortunate episode with the fishing line,  helping EJ to bring up 3 beautiful girls in Rothes, Mallachie and Garten.  Not standing any nonsence from intruders and just being a great Dad.  To think they will all leave us soon makes me feel quite emotional but is has to be and we can only wish the best for all of this wonderful family.  Wonderful Odin and EJ please return next March and raise another family for us to watch in wonder as the whole process starts again.  Well done Odin you are the best.

Alan somebody else tried to hang Odin with the fishing line but as all like all heros he overcame the adversity because his purpose was to raise the magnificent three a job he has done admirably. Carol for someone who has many years of watching the ospreys at LG you must be pleased to see such a wonderful outcome this year after the disappointment of last year and thank you for the information on the previous males as many of us on this blog are first timers.

Do people have any thoughts on Odin before he sets off on his long journey?

Yes, I always have lots of thoughts about Odin. I've hardlly seen him. Have had to rely on other people's pics of him. Would like to see just where he is in LG right now. And will miss him tremendously when he goes. I reckon, the first good viz and high cloud he'll be off. Sooooooooooooooooo looking forward to next April and hearing of his return and actually see him wooing EJ again. I've never seen a sky dance so I hope we have an agile cam man next year.

I think he's put in a tremendous performance and  I'm so glad one of his progeny bears a resemblance to him. Marvellous Mallachie.

'God Speed'  Odin the Magnificent, hope your journey is smooth and the weather is kind.  Please come back to us next year, and even if its not the lucky EJ who is your girl next time, make sure you hand on those good genes to our Scottish ospreys, to make them as strong and resourceful as you, so that ospreys can reign long in our beautiful land.

Well I have to still reserve the 10 out of 10 for the wonderful one parent Ollie. But Odin comes in a very close second with an extremely healthy 9.5. I think it is safe to say we are all delighted with this new mate for EJ and are all hoping they both have safe journeys there and back again (as Bilbo would say) remaining as a breeding pair for years to come. A match made in osprey heaven.

Safe journey Odin.

15.46 on Thursday, 27th Aug.  Looks like its farewell, Odin.  Safe journey.

Lindybird

15.46 on Thursday, 27th Aug.  Looks like its farewell, Odin.  Safe journey.

Of course we have no way of knowing where Odin is right now. I hope he's relaxing somewhere in the sun with a plentiful supply of fish, building up his strength for a triumphal return in 2010.

I'd just like to add my appreciation of Odin and his part in a magical osprey season at LG by way of a few select highlights.

First of all he wooed EJ, this from Richard's blog on 4th April:

"He arrived yesterday afternoon, 3rd April at about 1.30pm. It is not Henry or VS, but an all new suitor for EJ, an unringed bird, origins unknown.  He's looking good so far. How's this for his first 24 hours - seven sky-dance display flights above the nest to impress EJ, seven matings so far, all deemed to be successful, he's brought her one fish so far at 8am this morning, and he has been bringing in nesting material, sticks and moss etc and he's done some nest scraping too. He's thrilled visitors with some very close approaches to the Osprey Centre building, when making sorties to collect sticks. It looks like this boy means business.  Thankfully, EJ would appear to like the cut of his jib, and has been quite accepting of him at and near the nest. Phew, that's a relief!"

And it wasn't just EJ he impressed, David wrote this on 13th May:

"Now is it just me or is Odin an absolutly beautiful osprey? I spent a lot of this morning watching him as he was taking his turn incubating the eggs and he really is quite stunning. I realise that ospreys in general are rather striking birds but I have to say that Odin seems, to me, to be a rather fine example. I have already been hugely impressed with his fishing exploits but his good looks have just added to the general aura that surrounds him."

Then he overcame adversity, this from Richard on 29th May:

"Chronologically it goes like this, roughly.  Odin as you know was trailing this long length of fishing line.  He returned with a fish at c.8pm last evening and it seemed like he had lost the majority of the line, but not all.  When he flew from the nest after having delivered the fish, the line must have snagged on a nest stick, because he was seen flying away, line still trailing and now a stick attached. Very worrying.

As far as we could see, it did look like the line had indeed gone. But one of his wing feathers was sticking verticaly up in the air, still attached but looking like it had been wrenched out of place.  Could he possibly have been strung up over night somewhere, struggling to free himself, hence his very late arrival at the nest and with this feather damage?  We'll never know for sure.  But it could be that Odin had a very close call."

And became the great provider once more, David getting excited on 28th June:

"Super Odin, Odin the Magnificent, Odin the Great, Odin the Fish Dude, Fishy Odin....... ok so maybe not the last one but whatever way you look at it we could not have asked for a better male! He seems intent on breaking every and any record we have, just last night he brought two fish to the nest within 15 minutes of each other, 15MINUTES!! Here we were all thinking how amazing it was that he had brought in two fish within an hour of each other a couple of times and then he goes and does this!

So including that burst from last night the overall total for the past week is 51 fish, an average of over 7 a day! Quite an achievment when you imagine all he has been through over the past few weeks, no fishing line can stop this osprey. I think the Superman 'S' would quite suit Odin at the moment."

Of course the most important thing that Odin has achieved this year is to father three beautiful, healthy chicks. My personal favourite memory of him is when he brought in a fish shortly after Rothes hatched. EJ got up to take the fish off him revealing the newly hatched Rothes and Odin stared at her with what seemed like a mixture of astonishment and pride!

Now we know that that tiny "bundle of joy" (David's words) is currently in West Africa after completing a near flawless migration and Mallachie is also doing well in Portugal. We won't know Garten's fate for at least two years, but who would bet against her turning up somewhere in 2011 or 2012?

Odin appeared at LG on the afternoon of 3rd April this year. Let's hope that he doesn't keep EJ waiting too long next year!

I am so glad I logged in and found you Sandy. It was lovely sitting quietly reminiscing about the family and especially that handsome fellow Odin.  Thank you Sandy for taking the time to write it.

Tish

I echo Tish's sentiment, Sandy. A beautiful way of expressing it Tish (sitting quietly reminiscing about the familly). Thank you to you both.

Sandy thanks so much this is such a lovely post.  I agree with everthing about wonderful Odin and I can only hope that he returns to EJ next year to father some more chicks.   All of his girls were beautful and must have inherited their good looks from Dad.  Fantastic migration so far and I truly believe Garten is safe and well being the feisty little girl she was. 

Thank you Sandy. What a nice read. I joined the forum when all the chicks had hatched and missed the "courtship" phase.  I wonder if EJ will "recognize" Odin next year and maybe even wait for him to show up? It'll be a tense time come March, which is only five months away....

Thank you from me, too Sandy.  You have reminded us of some of the exploits & dramas from Odin's year, let's hope that he is now enjoying himself somewhere after an uneventful journey south, a rest he well deserves after all his fishing efforts for the family he helped raise so well.  Yes, I too always thought he was a particularly handsome bird, but then perhaps I'm biased as I love them all. 

Sandy, Just found your post about Odin. Thanks so much for putting that together.

Brought all the memories flooding back, almost all good ones.

We was such a great dad and lets hope he and EJ do it all again next year:)

Well EJ does wait but usually not for very long.

See