Osprey blog

Rothes had another uneventful week - I've entered her data, but the satellite didn't catch her leaving Ilha de Unhocomozinho, though she has been moving about on the island. I wonder if many ospreys have already left from that area to start their migration north?

Meanwhile here at Abernethy everything's been getting a bit manic. With the snow melting enough to get out and achieve things (read that as track clearing, hung up branch sorting etc), plus getting the GO for the mains power, we've been working pretty hard. We've started clearing the route the trench will take - marking the route for the cable laying and clearing the debris from all the snow damage. Once that's finished we just have to hope for a window in the weather - apparently we're expecting more snow...

Anyway, more next week.

Well it's the start of another week, I trust some of you had a enjoyable time at some point over the weekend, counting the birds in your garden for Big Garden Bird Watch

Rothes had a pretty uneventful week, sticking with Ilha de Unhocomozinho for the entire week. She was over the sea on Sunday morning (24th January), I'm assuming fishing, but for the rest of the week the satellite only caught her dodging about on the island. Anyway, the data is in and the map should update sometime this evening.

And now for a contribution from Richard:

Hope for Mallachie?

Richard was talking to Claire Buchanan who works for us from the North Scotland Office in Inverness, who is tracking 12 red kites. What she had to say gives us hope that just possibly, all could be well for Mallachie. From early-mid Nov Claire began losing contact with some of her birds. It was as if they had simply switched off and gone all quiet for weeks on end, with only the occasional bit of no-quality data leaking through. Lately though, Claire has started to hear back from 9 of the tags which has been a good sign, though there are still 3 out there with which there has been no contact from since before Christmas, whereabouts unknown.

As well as tracking the kites and being able to literally check up on any fixes received, Claire has the luxury of being able to go and look for birds that she isn't hearing from and so has been able to determine that her birds are at least ok - she's seen them - but for some reason they are just not transmitting. The possible explanation for her birds is that the solar-powered tags just aren't getting enough battery charge given the very short, dull winter days up here in hyperborea - at least not enough to charge up to a level where they can transmit any data. The extreme cold temperatures up here will not help either.

Now this scenario would of course apply far less to Mallachie, down there in warm, sunny West Africa, but if the tag on her back has become obscured by her feathers, or perhaps mucky with mud or algae from fishing maybe, or poo-ed on by another bird perhaps - imagine if she perched in amongst a cormorant or pelican colony for example - though unlikely, I know. But who knows? It does at least give us some hope that we may not have heard the last from Mallachie.

Claire has a website http://www.eyestotheskies.org.uk where you can follow what the kites are up to.

Up-date on the mains power project.

The latest up-date on monies received from the blog towards the mains power project at Loch Garten is now a magnificent £4,975. This is a tremendous effort, thank you so much. It has helped enormously and is very much appreciated.

There's more good news too.  We have been awaiting word from two potential funding pots; Cairngorm National Park Authority and LEADER+ and both have just confirmed that they will indeed be contributing to this project. Phew!

Originally we asked you to help raise £7,000 towards the project costs and so far you've raised almost £5,000 of this which is fantastic, but with these two grants, the project funding package is now in place, so thank you.  However, we would like to continue satellite tagging young ospreys at Loch Garten and need to find funding for tags for this year, so any further donations can be directed towards these costs, and would be much appreciated too.

Once again, thank you for all your support, you've been brilliant.  -  Richard

More next week.

Well Rothes hasn't immediately returned to mainland Guinea Bissau and the area around Varela. She is still in the Bijagos Islands (or was as of 9am on Saturday 23rd, the latest point I have for her). She spent a couple of nights on Ilha de Uno and then headed W to Ilha de Unhocomozinho on Tuesday (19th). This might be a new island for her, I can't tell from the scribble I can see on the map. I'm sure it's the first time I've written Ilha de Unhocomozinho in the blog though... We'll see where she heads / hangs around next week.

Meanwhile here at Abernethy the access track is now passable by normal car - thanks to some hard work with tractor and quad. We had more snow on Sunday - but only a couple of cms. Yesterday afternoon Dougie and I acted as ground staff for some tree surgery at the chalets (volunteer accommodation for the Osprey Centre). It's quite a skill not to have branches hit the chalets on their way down to the ground. If anyone has ever thought about spending a week as a volunteer at the Osprey Centre working at nest monitoring and in the Centre itself talking to visitors, there are still some spaces for this coming season (though mainly at the end of the season). If you are interested, you can contact the residential volunteering department at the Lodge in Bedfordshire on 01767 680 551.

More next week.

The data is in, and Rothes had a slightly more active week (at least the satellite caught her covering a wider area this last week). She spent most of the week near Varela (so no change there) but on Friday (15th) she headed south to the Bijagos islands. The latest point (9am on Saturday 16th) showed her to be on Ilha Caravela. We'll see if she sticks around there for a bit in next week's data.

Meanwhile here at Abernethy, the thaw really started on Saturday. The ice holding one of the gutters up melted over night and it crashed down in the early hours. Fortunately the others seem ok. The track turned to impassable slush a foot deep, marooning the pick-ups. It turned colder again on Saturday night so the track is now much worse than it was last week. Jayne commuted in by tractor this morning - the sensible choice at the moment, and she brought milk - so that crisis (black tea) is averted!

More next week.

An extra mid week blog for you all - courtesy of our LTV, Douglas. I'd have published it on Monday, but he was in a snow drift and didn't get it to me in time! If you're reading this and wanting Monday's news on Rothes, please read the previous post. More from me next week.

Hi all,

Sorry I missed last month’s blog, the news of Mallachie and other matters took precedence, we are all still hoping for the best for Mallachie. Two months under my belt and it just gets better and better, thanks for all the comments to my last blog input, I am very new to publishing anything on the web.

So what’s been happening?

The first part of my writings describes November and most of December…up to the point of the big freeze …then it was human conservation as well as the trees and wildlife!

I am still learning lots and am constantly surprised by the amount of work entailed in maintaining as large and diverse a reserve as Abernethy is. I have had a few days on the hills with the guys and it’s great to see some of the Pine forest regeneration projects from vantage points. You always think trees just grow…well they do, but in certain areas they need help, by heather burning and scrub cutting the seedlings have the best chance of establishing themselves and consequently joining fragmented parts of the woodland.

Deadwood creation is an on going exercise, we create deadwood by pulling over trees with a manual winch or by ‘ring barking’, which creates standing deadwood.  Our deadwood areas are usually selected around the broadleaf trees that are dotted throughout the plantation areas of the forest, encouraging diverse woodland and improved habitat for all wildlife.

I have assisted Alice on guided walks with local secondary school children, who were also involved in freeing up the dragonfly ponds of excess weed and hopefully encouraging some of them to become the next generation of conservationists.

On the 1^st of Dec I got a trip in a helicopter over the Cairngorms, Superb! four of us went to a nearby estate (the helicopter was hired by them) to help with their deer count. This is done by a line of people walking through a wood making a lot of noise, this pushes the deer out the other side, and the animals are then counted from the air.

I have been on a chainsaw training course recently and can now assist with any tree felling needed on the reserve; my practical training has been great and I now really feel part of the team. As you know we have been quite badly affected by the winter weather, so my chainsaw skills are improving quickly with tree damage from the snow causing obstructions to road networks in the area.

I hope I have more wildlife to write about in next month’s blog, but until then its back to the snow and ice.

Cheers for now

Douglas

Well I made it back to Abernethy - and I'm writing this from our lovely warm office (not), so I'll keep it short as my fingers are freezing.

Rothes over the last week has stayed near Varela with the odd trip out over the sea for some fishing no doubt. Still nothing form Mallachie, but I'm staying positive.

Here at Abernethy, Ross et al have been busy keeping roads passable - removing branches as they snap off under the massive weight of snow - though you'd be sensible not to try going anywhere unless you are in a 4x4 or on skis! Now I'm back on site I'm getting my share of snow shovelling. Today was a balmy 0 degrees C, which was nice!

More next week.

There's been a pretty snowy start to the year at Abernethy - at Forest Lodge there's about 3 feet (that's 1m) of the white stuff. However, don't be impressed about me having battled through the snow to bring you this blog - I'm writing this from the Inverness office (eerily quiet - though that's just because everyone is working so hard...).

Those staff who have made it to Abernethy, (or have been snowed in there for the last two weeks) are battling with all sorts of chaos to get things functioning. 

I spoke to Richard on the phone earlier, and he managed to get to Forest Lodge, traipsing through the snow, after 5 days snowed-in at his house since Hogmanay. He reports that apparently, it is chaotic. The snow is hampering the team getting oot & aboot, the roads are impassable except by 4X4, and even those are struggling. They are out with chainsaws clearing trees and branches that have fallen on to and across the roads under the sheer weight of thick snow. The tractor is out rescuing stuck, snow-bound vehicles, and even had to pull the Council snow plough out of a drift, and generally trying to help where we can, with ploughing neighbours’ drives and access.  He says, the heating oil is almost gone and there’s no chance of a tanker delivery, probably until next week, as supplies are low and because the snow is still falling and so the tanker would have no chance negotiating the access track.

Despite all the mayhem, as a positive, Richard says it is absolutely, stunningly beautiful. Icicles 5 feet long hanging from buildings. Never seen so much snow. The walk to work was amazing, not a sound, complete silence up through the forest save for the crump, crump, crump of footfall in the fresh snow.

It looks too like the red squirrel feeder-cam is down also, either a generator breakdown or we have run out of gas.  No chance there for a delivery either for a week at least I would say.  Now, if only we had mains power………..? Talking of which, the response to the blog ask for £7000 towards the project (see previous posts), now stands at £3,525. Thanks to all who have contributed so far.

The forecast is for more snow and no let-up in the icy conditions for perhaps two weeks to come. We will up-date maps and blogs as and when we can but to be quite frank, we have more pressing life-support type stuff to be doing for the rest of this week, maybe for longer.  Please bear with us.

Meanwhile for those of you desperate to hear news on our ospreys. I've updated the map with Rothes' latest data (still nothing from Mallachie I'm afraid), so that should go up this evening. I've added data from 20th December onwards. Rothes had a pretty relaxed Christmas and New Year break. She remained in Guinea Bissau in the area near Varela, dotting about. On Christmas day she was close to Nhiquim, and she was back in almost the same spot for Hogmanay. The latest point I have for her is for 5pm on 2nd January (Saturday), when she was close to Nhiquim.

Hopefully next time I write this I'll be back at Abernethy....

Good evening. This is the weekly osprey news, brought to you by Katie from the Web Team.

Well, we've not heard from Mallachie again this week, so her whereabouts remains a mystery. As Richard mentioned in his last blog post, it's possible the transmitter has stopped working or fallen off, so please do not despair. Maybe she'll turn up in the UK again in a couple of years?

Rothes seems to have had a steady, rather unspectacular week - at least as far as we can tell from the 9 am and 5 pm snapshots of her location, altitude and speed. She's stayed pretty much in the same small area - near Varela in Guinea-Bissau, so I've added only one new point.

Weather forecasts for the location seem to show that it gets up to about 33 degrees C (91 F) during the day, and down to 23 C (73 F) at night.

By contrast, here at The Lodge, we're 'enjoying' temperatures ranging from +1 C at the warmest, down to about -5 C at night, with about 4-5 inches of snow still in place. Anyone for a snowball fight? (I'm sure that Scots and northerners will scoff at that, but it's making life interesting down here in t'south).

Here's the view from our office window:

So, if you're bored of winter weather and would like to see the climate Rothes is experiencing, have a look at the photos on the Panoramio website. And sigh...

Good news first…..

Rothes seems to be fine, having spent the last week (up until Friday 11th) pottering about in the vicinity of Varela, in Guinea Bissau. Might she spend Christmas there?

And more good news…..

To up-date you on the recent blog ask for support towards the mains power project, of the £7,000 hoped for by 1^st February, last Monday the total stood at £2,530, but as of today, it is £3,154 - a brilliant effort so far.  Our sincere thanks to all of you who have contributed.

Now, the not such good news…..

It concerns Mallachie.  We have waited for a second week to see if any data arrived, but there is still no data for her. Clearly, something must have happened, for there to be, no data for 2 weeks, but we cannot be sure quite what. Please try to be as reassured. It need not mean that it is entirely bad news.  The scenarios are as follows;

• The tag may have failed.  It may have malfunctioned or potentially dropped off.  If it had dropped off then, it ought to still be transmitting its whereabouts, unless of course it has dropped off into water. Although sealed, and waterproofed against brief and temporary wetting when the bird is fishing, prolonged emersion in water will likely cause it to stop working.
• Alas, it could suggest that something has happened to Mallachie.

Tags falling off or failing has happened before. Talking to our technical colleagues at HQ, they tell me that, there have been cases where tags have stopped sending data, perhaps because the battery has got very low, or where the solar panel has become obscured by feathers and isn’t charging, and yet transmitters have resumed transmitting after quite some time. Or where bird have strayed into areas of poor satellite coverage. Also, there does seem to be satellite "blindspots" where heavy radio traffic drowns out the signals.

Examples they gave me were; a Sociable Lapwing, satellite tagged as part of a research programme. It stopped transmitting and the worst was feared.  Yet a year later it was seen on its breeding grounds in Kazakhstan, identified by its leg rings, but was not carrying the satellite tag. Other Sociable Lapwings have been 'lost to the satellites” for periods of up to a couple of months.

In another case, the satellite tag, kept issuing data intermittently, and when investigated the tag was found in sand dunes, transmitting when it was exposed to the sun, but not doing so when the wind had blown the sand and covered it over.

So positive thinking please, Mallachie might just be fine, though we cannot ignore the possibility that we have lost her. Sorry to be the bearer of this worrying news in this, the season of festive cheer.

Owing to the festive break, we will not be able to check up on the birds, up-date the map or post a blog until next year – that might sound like a long way off, but in effect, it is just until Tuesday 5^th January.

So for now, Alice, myself and the rest of the team here at Abernethy, wish you a Happy Christmas and all the very best for the New Year ahead.

Richard Thaxton  - Site manager Loch Garten

Regular viewers of the osprey web-cam, the red squirrel feeder-cam and followers of the blog, will recall those, all too often occasions, during the past summer and indeed in previous summers when there were interruptions to your viewing.  Add to that, that annoying humming noise on the osprey nest microphone and the, at times, less than perfect picture quality etc.  All these problems and vulnerabilities have one source – the generator that powers all that we do at the Loch Garten Osprey Centre, powering the lighting, all our camera systems, the TV monitors, web-cam links, nest microphones and our retail operation equipment - all are powered by a generator.

We have been inspiring people about ospreys at Loch Garten for 50 years now, for the first 30 years without power at all, for the next ten years with power from a petrol generator and for the last ten years, from a gas powered generator - at least latterly from a cleaner and greener option.  However, as long as we operate with a generator, not only do we remain vulnerable to its failure, but it limits what improvements we can make to the current visitor experience and what future developments can be made.  The generator is barely able to cope with and keep up with the changes in technology, for example the demand for faster, better web connections.

To have a mains power supply has been an aspiration of ours for many years - actually more a personal crusade of mine for nigh-on 20 years!  It would solve so many of our problems and shortcomings, not least of all security and reliability of supply, but also improve no-end, what we currently do, and create so much more future potential for the Osprey Centre.

 The benefits are multiple.

·          Reliability - generators are prone to mechanical breakdown, and boy, have we had our share of these, or what?  For example during the 2007 season, our gas generator died in the first week of our season.  We got it back from a very expensive repair in the last week of our season.  The stop gap was an on-hire diesel generator, needing filling with fuel every day and all the faff that that involved – jerry cans, spillages etc etc.

 ·          The visitor experience - without the noise, smell and throb of a generator, the ambiance and thus the visitor experience would be greatly improved.  I am sure the wildlife would approve too!

 ·          Technological advances - with almost year-on-year additions to our technology, be it new cameras, web-cam links, the EPOS cash register system in the shop etc, we are getting to the limit of capacity.  New technologies like high-definition cameras have come on stream and we would like to move with the times and up-grade our equipment, but to do so ahead of having a mains power supply would be silly.

 ·          Enable RSPB to source and buy “green” energy from renewable sources.

Therefore, we are hoping to install mains power next year.  However, it will be very expensive, to the tune of £109,000.  Yes indeed, ouch!  The reason for the expense is the Osprey Centre's remote location.  The nearest transformer from which to take power is 2.3km away and the cable has to be trenched underground all that way.  RSPB does have some funds to put towards this project and we are of course exploring all formal grant-aiding channels, but even if applications to these succeed, we are still facing a significant shortfall.

Therefore, we are asking for your help, again.  Many of you, I know, very kindly helped towards costs of the osprey satellite-tracking project (thank you, again), but we hope that you may be able to help us with this too.  It would be great if the blog readership could raise £7,000 towards the mains power project by February 2010, the date by which time we will know whether the full funding package is in place and that we can proceed.

If you can contribute to this project at all, please click on the following link:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/lgpowerdonate

 We will keep you informed as to how this fund-raising effort progresses, but I am though obliged to say that if we either raise more than the sum required, or if we do not raise sufficient money for the project to proceed, then the money will go towards wider work here at Abernethy.

I know we are currently in belt-tightening times and in the run up to the expense that is Christmas, but if you did feel able to help towards this project, it would be very much appreciated, not just by us, but by all those who have a connection with Loch Garten, past, present and future, both actual and virtual visitors.  Please help if you can.  Many thanks.

We are off to a good start.  I recently received a cheque for £200 on behalf of the Loch Garten Bloggers from sales of some LGB merchandise.  I thought that this should kick-off this appeal.  So thanks to all, who contributed to that fine start.

Richard Thaxton  Site Manager-Loch Garten

Well it's the start of another week. I've input the most recent data for Rothes - she stayed on Ilha de Orango until 9am on 30th Novemeber (last Monday), then headed to I. de Unhocomo for 24 hours. By 5pm on 1st December she was heading back NE, passing Ilha Carache and Ilha de Caravela on 2nd Decemeber. She continued N and was back near Varela on the mainland by 5pm on the 2nd. The latest point I have for her was 5pm on the 5th (Saturday) when she was settled back in the area near Varela. Maybe she'll have another explore next week? - tune in next week to find out.

Mallachie meanwhile - ? it's hard to say. The data didn't come through for last week. This will be due to a transmitter type problem, not a bird problem, so please don't panic. When there is a bird type problem we get data - it just shows no movement or an inability to get a 3D fix. When there is no data at all, that's because something in the transmitter or satellite download isn't working. We'll be looking into it, and hopefully get this resolved as soon as possible. In the meantime, please don't get concerned.

Now to change the subject a bit... If you are stuck for ideas for Christmas presents - have you considered giving a gift memership to RSPB? It's a great present to give because it lasts all year and it helps us to do more to help birds and the environment. If you would like to give a gift membership, go to the link below:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/join/

The last order date for Christmas gift membership is 14th December - that's next Monday, so don't delay....

And finally - Richard's ask for donations towards mains power for the Osprey Centre is repeated below (in case you haven't read it yet...). So far this on-line appeal for support for this project has raised a total of £2,530 so many, many thanks to those of you who have chipped-in already, it is very much appreciated. If anyone else feels inclined to help too, then please read on.

---

Regular viewers of the osprey web-cam, the red squirrel feeder-cam and followers of the blog, will recall those, all too often occasions, during the past summer and indeed in previous summers when there were interruptions to your viewing.  Add to that, that annoying humming noise on the osprey nest microphone and the, at times, less than perfect picture quality etc.  All these problems and vulnerabilities have one source – the generator that powers all that we do at the Loch Garten Osprey Centre, powering the lighting, all our camera systems, the TV monitors, web-cam links, nest microphones and our retail operation equipment - all are powered by a generator.

We have been inspiring people about ospreys at Loch Garten for 50 years now, for the first 30 years without power at all, for the next ten years with power from a petrol generator and for the last ten years, from a gas powered generator - at least latterly from a cleaner and greener option.  However, as long as we operate with a generator, not only do we remain vulnerable to its failure, but it limits what improvements we can make to the current visitor experience and what future developments can be made.  The generator is barely able to cope with and keep up with the changes in technology, for example the demand for faster, better web connections.

To have a mains power supply has been an aspiration of ours for many years - actually more a personal crusade of mine for nigh-on 20 years!  It would solve so many of our problems and shortcomings, not least of all security and reliability of supply, but also improve no-end, what we currently do, and create so much more future potential for the Osprey Centre.

 The benefits are multiple.

·          Reliability - generators are prone to mechanical breakdown, and boy, have we had our share of these, or what?  For example during the 2007 season, our gas generator died in the first week of our season.  We got it back from a very expensive repair in the last week of our season.  The stop gap was an on-hire diesel generator, needing filling with fuel every day and all the faff that that involved – jerry cans, spillages etc etc.

 ·          The visitor experience - without the noise, smell and throb of a generator, the ambiance and thus the visitor experience would be greatly improved.  I am sure the wildlife would approve too!

 ·          Technological advances - with almost year-on-year additions to our technology, be it new cameras, web-cam links, the EPOS cash register system in the shop etc, we are getting to the limit of capacity.  New technologies like high-definition cameras have come on stream and we would like to move with the times and up-grade our equipment, but to do so ahead of having a mains power supply would be silly.

 ·          Enable RSPB to source and buy “green” energy from renewable sources.

Therefore, we are hoping to install mains power next year.  However, it will be very expensive, to the tune of £109,000.  Yes indeed, ouch!  The reason for the expense is the Osprey Centre's remote location.  The nearest transformer from which to take power is 2.3km away and the cable has to be trenched underground all that way.  RSPB does have some funds to put towards this project and we are of course exploring all formal grant-aiding channels, but even if applications to these succeed, we are still facing a significant shortfall.

Therefore, we are asking for your help, again.  Many of you, I know, very kindly helped towards costs of the osprey satellite-tracking project (thank you, again), but we hope that you may be able to help us with this too.  It would be great if the blog readership could raise £7,000 towards the mains power project by February 2010, the date by which time we will know whether the full funding package is in place and that we can proceed.

If you can contribute to this project at all, please click on the following link:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/lgpowerdonate

 We will keep you informed as to how this fund-raising effort progresses, but I am though obliged to say that if we either raise more than the sum required, or if we do not raise sufficient money for the project to proceed, then the money will go towards wider work here at Abernethy.

I know we are currently in belt-tightening times and in the run up to the expense that is Christmas, but if you did feel able to help towards this project, it would be very much appreciated, not just by us, but by all those who have a connection with Loch Garten, past, present and future, both actual and virtual visitors.  Please help if you can.  Many thanks.

We are off to a good start.  I recently received a cheque for £200 on behalf of the Loch Garten Bloggers from sales of some LGB merchandise.  I thought that this should kick-off this appeal.  So thanks to all, who contributed to that fine start.

Richard Thaxton  Site Manager-Loch Garten

--

As promised, a more detailed update on last week's data on Rothes and Mallachie. Apologies for the unintentional concern I caused on Monday by not mentioning Mallachie - I'll remedy that now. Mallachie is still in The Gambia, in the same area near Sotokoi. She's moving about but isn't get caught doing anything drastically exciting - like going anywhere new, but the area she's in is good enough for her...

Rothes meanwhile had a quiet week near Varela until after 9am on 27th (Friday) when she headed S, reaching I. de Unhacomo soon after 5pm, where I'm assuming she roosted as that's the island she was near on Saturday morning at 9am. On Saturday 28th she headed SW over to Ilha de Orango - the last point of the week. I'll update everything again on Monday.      -   Alice

Read on for a short exciting bit from Richard:

A man from Gambia phoned our Edinburgh office last week to say that he had seen an osprey. He left his number so I have just phoned him back. About 8 days ago, he saw a bird with a leg ring, with letters LY.  Now, as you'll  know,  one of last year's tagged birds, Nethy was ringed AY, so you can imagine our hearts leaping at the thought that .....just maybe..... he might have read the ring incorrectly.  However, the man is completely confident that the ringed bird he saw was definitely LY , bah!  Though he was less sure about the ring colour.  I've been in touch with Roy Dennis to see if we can identify his bird, and I'll then let the man in Gambia know.  He's a very interested birdwatcher of 23 years standing.  It was good of him to take the time & trouble to contact us. He saw the bird near Sanyang, Gambia.

There was a beautiful, elegant drake Pinatil on Loch Garten on 30th November, only the fourth reserve record.    -    Richard

Regular viewers of the osprey web-cam, the red squirrel feeder-cam and followers of the blog, will recall those, all too often occasions, during the past summer and indeed in previous summers when there were interruptions to your viewing.  Add to that, that annoying humming noise on the osprey nest microphone and the, at times, less than perfect picture quality etc.  All these problems and vulnerabilities have one source – the generator that powers all that we do at the Loch Garten Osprey Centre, powering the lighting, all our camera systems, the TV monitors, web-cam links, nest microphones and our retail operation equipment - all are powered by a generator.

We have been inspiring people about ospreys at Loch Garten for 50 years now, for the first 30 years without power at all, for the next ten years with power from a petrol generator and for the last ten years, from a gas powered generator - at least latterly from a cleaner and greener option.  However, as long as we operate with a generator, not only do we remain vulnerable to its failure, but it limits what improvements we can make to the current visitor experience and what future developments can be made.  The generator is barely able to cope with and keep up with the changes in technology, for example the demand for faster, better web connections.

To have a mains power supply has been an aspiration of ours for many years - actually more a personal crusade of mine for nigh-on 20 years!  It would solve so many of our problems and shortcomings, not least of all security and reliability of supply, but also improve no-end, what we currently do, and create so much more future potential for the Osprey Centre.

 The benefits are multiple.

·          Reliability - generators are prone to mechanical breakdown, and boy, have we had our share of these, or what?  For example during the 2007 season, our gas generator died in the first week of our season.  We got it back from a very expensive repair in the last week of our season.  The stop gap was an on-hire diesel generator, needing filling with fuel every day and all the faff that that involved – jerry cans, spillages etc etc.

 ·          The visitor experience - without the noise, smell and throb of a generator, the ambiance and thus the visitor experience would be greatly improved.  I am sure the wildlife would approve too!

 ·          Technological advances - with almost year-on-year additions to our technology, be it new cameras, web-cam links, the EPOS cash register system in the shop etc, we are getting to the limit of capacity.  New technologies like high-definition cameras have come on stream and we would like to move with the times and up-grade our equipment, but to do so ahead of having a mains power supply would be silly.

 ·          Enable RSPB to source and buy “green” energy from renewable sources.

Therefore, we are hoping to install mains power next year.  However, it will be very expensive, to the tune of £109,000.  Yes indeed, ouch!  The reason for the expense is the Osprey Centre's remote location.  The nearest transformer from which to take power is 2.3km away and the cable has to be trenched underground all that way.  RSPB does have some funds to put towards this project and we are of course exploring all formal grant-aiding channels, but even if applications to these succeed, we are still facing a significant shortfall.

Therefore, we are asking for your help, again.  Many of you, I know, very kindly helped towards costs of the osprey satellite-tracking project (thank you, again), but we hope that you may be able to help us with this too.  It would be great if the blog readership could raise £7,000 towards the mains power project by February 2010, the date by which time we will know whether the full funding package is in place and that we can proceed.

If you can contribute to this project at all, please click on the following link:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/lgpowerdonate

We will keep you informed as to how this fund-raising effort progresses, but I am though obliged to say that if we either raise more than the sum required, or if we do not raise sufficient money for the project to proceed, then the money will go towards wider work here at Abernethy.

I know we are currently in belt-tightening times and in the run up to the expense that is Christmas, but if you did feel able to help towards this project, it would be very much appreciated, not just by us, but by all those who have a connection with Loch Garten, past, present and future, both actual and virtual visitors.  Please help if you can.  Many thanks.

We are off to a good start.  I recently received a cheque for £200 on behalf of the Loch Garten Bloggers from sales of some LGB merchandise.  I thought that this should kick-off this appeal.  So thanks to all, who contributed to that fine start.

(The map, of Rothes & Mallachie's whereabouts will be up-dated on Monday 30th, but the blog not until later next week).

Richard Thaxton  Site Manager-Loch Garten

Mallachie and Rothes have both stayed put in their respective areas over the last week. Mallachie is still in the Gambia and Rothes is still in Guinea Bissau, close to the border with Senegal. They are both moving about - fishing and really getting to know their patches no doubt.

Here at Abernethy it's been a stuck in front of the computer day. Luckily it's been raining and grey so I don't mind too much and maps need producing...

With regards some of your comments - Richard is looking into getting the live webcam up and running again. The photos (2 minute updates) are still working - though it'll be dark soon... And no we've not seen any waxwings yet - it's usually December that they arrive - so we'll be looking out for them next week.

I'll update again next Monday. Have a nice week.

Right then, this weeks data is in - this week thanks to our LTV (that's Long Term Vol if you were wondering).

Rothes is still in the area around Varela in Guinea Bissau. She's had a flight out over the sea but is seemingly keeping to a pretty localised area. Mallachie is also not showing any inclination to move to a new area - the area around Jarreng Tenda and Ba Faraba Island in The Gambia is good enough for her.

Below is the first post from our LTV Douglas - we decided we couldn't let him be outside all the time...

Hi all,

I’m the current long term volunteer at RSPB Abernethy NNR and will be helping out in this wonderful Highland location until April 2010, which I’m sure will come around all too soon.

I would like to take this opportunity to let you know about some of the work undertaken and the wildlife on offer throughout the winter season on the reserve.

Since starting my placement on October 7^th,  as well as black and red grouse I have been lucky enough to see three male and several hen Capercallies, these magnificent birds are a target species for conservation on the reserve and indeed throughout Scotland.

So far, my work has included heather burning, wetland construction, deadwood creation, deer fence maintenance and salmon counting on the river Nethy (note from Alice as one of you asked about this - we do this by walking downstream and counting the fish, not by electrofishing), all done under the expert guidance of the enthusiastic team up here.

As my experience increases, the team have given me more responsibility for individual tasks and I would like to relate a magical experience I had on the hills just the other day. I had been asked to assess repair work needed on a section of deer fence high on a hillside and as I approached the top, a Golden Eagle rose no more than 30 feet in front of me! Now I have seen these birds before but usually just a speck in the sky, this was a mature bird and I was close enough to see the golden brown nape feathers and powerful talons and beak. I did manage a picture on my point and press camera but the one in my memory bank will stay with me forever, truly a magnificent bird.

There have been great flocks of fieldfares and redwing feeding on the rowan and hawthorn berries in the area, fattening up for what I am sure will be a very cold few months ahead.

It’s another day in the hills for me tomorrow, this time with the wardens, and I am sure I will be seeing and doing things that will appear in my forthcoming writings.  Cheers for now…  Douglas

Sorry not to write this update earlier - trailer wheel brake issues and a salmon count - and since it was such a fantastic day, frosty and sunny (-8 degrees C last night) it seemed justifiable to download the latest data later on - as I'm writing this at 4.30pm it's nearly dark...

Anyway I've put the data in for Rothes and Mallachie. The points I'm getting are 9am and 5pm each day. Rothes has stayed put in the area between Varela and Nhiquim - she's taking it easy and enjoying the winter sun?

Mallachie meanwhile is in the same area of the Gambia, but dodging about a bit more - she's roosting in different places (unlike Rothes who may almost have picked her favoured tree...).

Anyway so both are moving around. The next update will come through next Saturday  and I'll update you all again next Monday.

On the reserve front, our Goose Roost Watch yesterday was very successful (sort of...) Richard's written a bit about it below:

The Goose roost-watch on the shore of Loch Garten last evening, was a spectacular success, attended by no-less that 85 people, a simply magnificent turn out, including ten children and many local people amongst them, and out-numbering the geese by…………….85! Yep, a complete blank on the goose-front, which was just a tad humiliating for Alice and I, but nevertheless, it was a wonderful evening. The loch was glassy-calm, giving perfect reflections of the Craigowrie hills beyond, the sunset was superb and the light at the gathering gloaming was just stunning. Add to that the frosty conditions, (which dropped to minus 8 degrees C later last night), and it all made for a beautiful hour or so at the loch side, bar the geese of course. But pah! Who needed 'em? Well, if I'm honest, one or two would have been good, to at least have had the event live up to its billing.

There were a mixture of other wildfowl including a few each of goldeneye, goosander, mallard and wigeon, plus assorted large gulls wafting in to roost. Just no geese. Yet there are, as I was vainly attempting to impress on the gathered throng last night, (some would say clutching at straws, maybe), many hundreds if not over a thousand greylag geese in the Strath right now, somewhere. Earlier in the day I had passed Loch Pityoulish a few miles away where 250+ were loafing, but who clearly opted to stay put rather than shift to Loch Garten. The bright, moonlit evenings of late might not have helped the situation either, as in such conditions, the geese can remain feeding out in fields, as moonlight enables them to be alert for predators.

But hey, we had a fun time (he says optimistically), and we are grateful to all who made the effort to come along, just sorry it was a disappointment. Alice skillfully disarmed any pending rebellion, with pacifying cups of tea & coffee, and the banter was good, and it really was a stunning end to the day, in contrast to the thrashing rain we had last week - though we did at least have geese on that occasion! What is it they say? Never work with animals and…..geese.

Anyway, that's all for now - more next week.

I've checked again for new data today (Friday 6th) but there's none available yet. It's looking like it'll become available tomorrow - as that's 7 days into November. Unfortunately I don't have access to a computer at the weekend - so it'll be Monday before I can get hold of it. Monday morning it'll be the priority job (unless something more urgent turns up...).

In the meantime, if you are around this Sunday it's the last of this year's Goost Roost Watches at Loch Garten - if you're in the area come along - it's looking like the weather will be better than last Sunday. It's on between 4 and 5pm - no guarantee of geese, but we had some last time even in the torrential rain. If we're lucky we might get to see and hear them whiffling as they come into land.

Have a nice weekend.