birds behaving...oddly
We can't help but notice this year that the osprey pair have a couple of funny habits that we never picked up on before. It could be that they have always had their weird little ways and we are only just noticing them now thanks to the super, zooming camera system. Or perhaps they have adopted some new behaviour...
The male has been seen standing on one leg quite often. This kind of thing is common with wading birds but we have never seen our male osprey doing it quite this much. He routinely stands on the nest with one leg tucked up under him, giving it a rest for several minutes at a time before swapping over and resting the other leg. Still tired from his long flight perhaps? Or resting his super talented talons, which need looking after if he is to continue being a great hunter?
Both birds are winking lots too. It's most obvious when we have the camera zoomed in on one of their heads and they turn to the camera, one eye shut, the other open in a jaunty little gesture. It looks pretty funny and several of our visitors have commented on it. It's difficult to say why these couple of habits have come about but we'll keep watching for any others and keep you posted.
Other birds that have been delighting our visitors at the site include a beautful red kite that came soaring over on Saturday - unmistakeable with it's vibrant red feathers and forked tail. We got great views of it overhead. A kingfisher has been spotted flying up the Glaslyn and three oystercatchers have been visible right outside the viewing hide - wonderful!