It's only been two weeks since I told you about the new pair of ospreys in the Lake District, but it now looks like it's all change again with the female from the pair being ousted by a new arrival last week! The victor has set up home with the male and things seem to be going swimmingly according to Fran Currie from the Lake District Osprey Project:
“The unringed male seems to have been charmed by the new female, as he has been mating with her and bringing lots of fish to the nest There's also been no sign of the unringed female she has ousted."
We know a little more about the new female thanks to the ring (white KL) on her left leg. Fran tells us more:
"She has been seen and photographed in Senegal in 2011 and 2012 by colleagues from the Rutland Osprey Project, which is amazing. She was ringed north of Fort William on June 19, 2009, so at four-years-old, this could be her first year of breeding.”
The whole team were keeping their fingers crossed for the arrival of some eggs and they didn't have to wait too long as they've confirmed this morning that there's at least one egg in the nest. We'll let you know when we find out more.
The Scarborough peregrines are back! The friendly team of RSPB experts will be on hand on Marine Drive from 10:30am - 4:30pm every Wednesday and Sunday from now until 28 July. So if you're heading to the coast for a little seaside fun this summer, stop by and see us.
Last thing on Friday, I posted a quick update to let you know the exciting news that the first Chichester peregrine chick had hatched. Well, chick number 1 was quickly followed by chick number 2, who arrived a short while after. The second egg was only laid an hour after the first, so it's no big surprise that they should hatch so close together. Chick number 3 made its debut on Saturday, leaving just one egg in the nest. It's too early to say whether the last egg has failed, but the team on the ground are keeping a watchful eye on the nest to look for any behaviour from the female that suggests it has. If she moves the egg off to one side, away from where all the action is happening, then it's probably not going to hatch. In the last 13 years, there's only been six failures so fingers crossed this won't make it seven. We'll keep you posted.
It's not just down south that we're celebrating the arrival of peregrine chicks - it looks like there's good news from Malham too. Last week, we told you that the Malham peregrine eggs were due to hatch soon, and our man on the ground, Jon, confirmed there were chicks in the nest over the weekend. From the top of the Cove, he managed to see into the letterbox shaped gap where the nest is and saw three chicks, which he estimates are about a week old.
The first egg has hatched! There's three more in the nest so shouldn't be too long before they hatch too. What a cracking start to the weekend!
This was the female about to leave the nest yesterday afternoon. Photo by biteyourbum.com
The has been full of ospreys and peregrines over the last few weeks, but the Bank Holiday weekend sees the arrival of a very different kind of Date with Nature.
If I said bottlenose dolphins to you, what do you picture? Warm tropical waters and dolphins playing in the bright blue waves? Now what if I said bottlenose dolphins in Aberdeen? No, seriously. Very few people know this, but one of the best locations for spotting dolphins in the UK is Aberdeen Harbour. Working with the Aberdeen City Council, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Scottish Natural Heritage and Visit Aberdeen, our team on the ground are celebrating the Year of Natural Scotland by showing people the best views of the dolphins that call the harbour home. Not only that, they'll be helping to monitor dolphin activity at the site too.
Starting this weekend, our friendly experts will be on hand in Torry Battery car park every Thursday to Sunday between 11 am and 6 pm until the end of August. So why not try something different this Bank Holiday weekend and come on by to see us.
Photo by Chris Gomersall