Loch Garten osprey diary

The Birds are on the move

2008-08-27T10:44:00Z

It is great to see that our two chicks are on their way South. All those fears about Deshar not fishing have been proven wrong, and Nethy, as someone has already stated, is currently eating her way down the centre of England. To be serious for a moment, this is just the first leg of a long and dangerous journey for the birds, they may at times stay in and around one location for a few days - maybe weather is preventing them from continuing their migration, or possibly they are taking an opportunity to replenish body fat. Please don't be too alarmed if it appears that a bird hasn't moved - assume no news is good news.

STOP PRESS - The map is to be updated soon

2008-08-25T08:46:00Z

The Google Earth map will be updated on Tuesday

I have just checked on their positions and as of 5pm yesterday (24th August):

Nethy was in Fairford which is 10km east of Cirencester.

Deshar was near Brockhill Country Park, Folkestone

The last on Will and his testament

2008-08-21T12:51:00Z

OK... I am sure Will has broad shoulders but can we leave it at that for now, he is entitled to his opinion, let's keep the blog upbeat and positive. I am happy to publish different opinions, but when the replies get personal and vindictive that is when we draw a line, that time has come.

The good news... Nethy and Deshar have started their migration. The map and Google Earth will be updated shortly, and a more detailed blog will be posted to explain the latest developments, but in the meantime can i simply relay a message from Admin which said:

Deshar has started migration and the last fix (5 am today) was from 56.86267,-2.25933 which is on the east coast near Kinneff, S of Stonehaven. Nethy has also left - last fix (9 pm last night) she was east of Cupar.

Home Alone

2008-08-18T14:49:00Z

There has been no sign of EJ since Thursday, so it looks like we can safely say she has started her migration south! The chicks have been left unsupervised since Friday, with OVS also being absent since he flew in with that fish,which he proceeded to eat the whole thing himself.

Although this may seem worrying at first, he may be employing an advanced parenting method, know as the 'starvation technique', to kick in the natural survival instincts of the chicks. This is quite normal behaviour, and actually quite understandable. After all, why would a youngster go to the bother of getting its own dinner if its parents keep on providing...sound familiar?! However, this is obviously a critical time and there is always the risk that a chick may be continually unsuccessful when fishing, become weaker and weaker and eventually starve to death. Many other ospreys and indeed other animals are taking similar risks as I type...although that doesn't make it any less nerve racking for us!

Nethy's behaviour over the last few days has been very encouraging as she has spent very little time on site and presumably has been gaining strength and perfecting that fishing technique (we hope!). The satellite data shows that she has flown over both the nearby lochs, Loch Garten and Loch Mallachie and as you already know she has returned to the nest wet and muddy. The adults don't actually fish on these lochs (they are very peaty) so we wouldn't expect her to have much success on either.

Although we are all eagerly awaiting the day when one of our chicks returns with a fish the fact that they haven't doesn't mean that they are being unsuccessful. Think of it this way.... if one of the chicks catches a fish (I imagine it's pretty tiring!) why go to all the extra effort of carrying it back to the nest AND trying to keep it from your hungry brother or sister when you could just eat it somewhere nearby?

Deshar has been spending a lot more time on site than Nethy, but from his satellite data we know he has been flying as far as Loch Garten - has he been attempting to fish here too? Over the past few days we have seen a number of intruding ospreys fly a little too close to the nest for Deshar's liking and he has successfully defended the nest and sent them on their way by mantling his wings to make himself look bigger.

Hopefully by the end of the week we will have some more satellite data and will be able to update you on where the chicks have been flying to. And please be assured that if Nethy or Deshar returns to the site with a fish we will update you as soon as possible.

In the meantime....If you want to specifically help the Loch Garten Osprey Team 2008, you might consider supporting the RSPB. You can do this online via the RSPB website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/join, if you add the code PR08 (that is zero eight), your membership will be credited to the Loch Garten team.

Muddy Feet

2008-08-15T14:15:00Z

I expect Nethy and Deshar are feeling rather hungry today. The last time we had a fish brought to the nest was 10.20 yesterday morning, delivered by EJ (who else!!). EJ has not been seen since (has she started her migration? We are not sure but watch this space!). Earlier on this afternoon we watched Orange VS land on Henry's perch with a big trout. Our two chicks also spotted this, and promptly flew over to the nest and began to beg for a bit of lunch. However, OVS was having none of it, and proceeded to eat the trout from head to tail, leaving nothing for our two bemused chicks. You could accuse OVS of being greedy, or maybe it was a lesson in tough love. The hungrier Nethy and Desher get, the more likely they are to head off and find their own supper. And I am sure they are feeling pretty hungry by now!

So has all this food deprivation worked? Well, as yet we have not seen either chick come in with its own fish, but it is just a matter of time. Both chicks have been seen looking somewhat wet and muddy, presumably from failed attempts at fishing! This is very enouraging for us and we know it wont be long before one of the two catches its first fish. My money is on Nethy first...

The osprey nest is looking quite empty and neglected now that our Osprey family are no longer residing there However, give it a closer look and you may just spot a few new residents that have moved in.... we have been informed that a crested tit was spotted on the web cam, flitting around the nest, probably looking for insects. We also found a spotted fly catcher sitting on the top of the nest yesterday morning. So not as empty as it may seem!