The time has come, well almost.  We plan to ring and satellite tag the young ospreys on Monday 6 July at c.8 am.  This is somewhat dependent on weather.  If conditions are not right, then it will be postponed until that evening possibly or even the next day.  But as it stands just now, Monday is the day. Osprey expert Roy Dennis will be ringing and tagging the birds for us.

Many of you I know will be watching, so I thought I would explain what will take place and what you will/might see.  I'm afraid that you will not see very much.  For safety reasons, both for us involved and of course the birds, ringing and tagging takes place on the ground, not at the nest, so all you will really see is when the chicks are removed from the nest and then a little later, placed back.

Firstly, you will hear EJ give her alarm call and leave the nest.  The chicks will respond to this and slump down into the nest and remain motionless.  This is a survival strategy whereby their camouflage is such that they might go unnoticed by any airborne predators like crows flying overhead.  We though aren't that easily duped.

Next you may here our voices - and before any of you ask, no, we will not be giving anyone a name check over the microphone into cyberspace!  The ladder is already in place, left there from a few weeks ago when we had the fishing line incident etc.  We ought not need to alter its position, but you might hear the clunking of ladders.

A mysterious pair of hands will then appear.  Each chick in turn will be carefully bagged up to be brought to the ground.  Our plan is to satellite tag only two of the three chicks, the third chick will be ringed first and promptly, and replaced in the nest complete with bling.  The other two will be taken out of sight of the nest, for the longer proceedure of having tags fitted, this will give EJ the chance to return to the nest and the third chick. If EJ doesn't return to the nest, please do not be alarmed, she'll be there, but may well just be perch in the nearby dead tree 10m from the nest, where you will not be able to see her.

Once tagging is complete, the two chicks will then also be returned to the nest, ladder removed and we retreat from site.  Whilst we are at the nest we'll have a further opportunity to check for and remove any fishing line, and buff the camera lens.

All three birds will be ringed, weighed, measured, sexed..... and named.  I know you've all been clamouring to know the names and thank you for all the suggested names and suggested naming- threads that we might follow.  There have been some good suggestions, some.... less good, shall we say.  But thanks all the same.

They are to be called:

Rothes (pronounced Roth-es).  This is a primary school north of us here, and both last year and this we received a significant contribution towards the project from someone connected with the school.  The third chick last year, that died in the nest in mid-June, pre-tagging, was scheduled to be called Rothes, so we are going ahead with that name this year.  The other two are to be called Mallachie and Garten, the two lochs here at the reserve.  All names are effectively unisex so the, as yet undetermined sexes of our brood does not matter.

I trust you approve.  Yes, I know, there'll be those of you out there, who like these names and those that don't, others that wanted Norse names, relatives of Odin etc, but there you have it, Rothes, Mallachie and Garten are this years' birds.  The ref's decision is final.  Please do not harangue us about these names, it's a done deal.  Dissenting, name-debate blog comment will not be published, sorry, but I just envisage heaps of them and we will not, in any case change the names now.

The ringing event is not a public event - the osprey staff team and volunteers will be present, so please do not be tempted to turn up to join us.  Ringing and tagging is carried out strictly under-licence and it is not a public event, sorry.  Later that day or the next day we will post some details of the sizes, weight and sexes etc plus some photographs of proceedings.

Can I please ask you all again to be patient with all things blog, whether awaiting comments to be published, answers to questions, latest news and up-dates.  As if we haven't been run off our feet already so this season so far, July and August are our busiest months, plus staff have annual leave to take which can leave us short-staffed at times, yet with no let up in all that we have to do, servicing the blog included.  So bear with us folks, please.  Many thanks.