Nest Round-Up for the week. Sunday, 3rd June

June 3, 2012 in Wildlife Village by Shirley D

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Good morning all,

I am standing in for Nick this weekend as he is still having internet problems and although I cannot bring you the usual wit and humour that accompanies his posts I will do my best to give you a round-up of the week’s action across the country.

Loch Garten

It looks increasingly evident that Loch Garten have now lost Tore, as her tracking location has not altered for some while, raising suspicions that she is MIA (missing in action).  However, we ourselves know that there is always an element of hope that the transmitter may be faulty and not sending back the correct data but this will only become evident at a later date if and when she returns to her hatching site.

Back to the current matters in the nest though.  Following the recent heat-wave, the weather cooled considerably and temperatures took a dive along with heavy rain which will no doubt have affected nests across the country.  Odin continues to prove he is an expert fisher, bringing in his 100th fish of the season on Sunday and currently averaging 4 – 5 per day.  The three chicks are being incredibly well fed and growing fast in the process with the youngest chick now getting its fair share as it fights its way forward!

Dyfi.

Well, first, tears of joy then, tears of sadness!  What started out as a brilliant week with two chicks hatching within hours of one another turned to sadness later in the week when the horrendous weather took its toll and claimed chick No. 1.  We were able to view the hatchings on BBC’s Springwatch, which is currently covering the story of Monty and Nora as they did last year, and could see that both chicks were being well catered for with Monty’s usual flare for Mullet and Flounder.

Chick No.3 appeared right on cue at 37 days, (chicks 1 and 2 taking 40 days), but during that afternoon it became apparent that something was dreadfully amiss.  Monty had joined Nora on the nest and they lay side by side, protecting the chicks together from the elements, Monty was in fact incubating an empty egg shell at that point but whether he knew that or not it didn’t matter, he was with his family and doing what he could to protect them and unusually, that is where he stayed for the afternoon!  It was later evident, that one of the chicks had succumbed to the harsh weather despite Nora’s best efforts to shelter them and a cloud of silence fell across the country.  They do however, have two remaining healthy and strong chicks to rear and we must celebrate the fact that all three, are miracles of nature.  It takes its course in the only way it knows how, has done so for millennia and will continue to do so for millennia to come!  Our sympathy and also our congratulations are with Dyfi at this time.

Rutland – Manton Bay

The nest at Manton Bay is now occupied by two further residents, these being the recently hatched chicks of 5R and his mate.  5R is providing his family with a copious supply of fish and as with the other nests that we follow, some days bringing in four or five but with the recent good weather rendering the reservoir as calm as a millpond, fishing has been an easy task.  Thursday saw the beginning of the bad weather but he hasn’t been deterred in any respects, depositing a bream and two large pike to the nest giving the female a choice of what to feed the chicks.  As can be seen in the video, she decided on the bream as a starter with pike for main course later.

The chicks are getting stronger each day and now able to move around the nest more easily.  There was point this week when the youngest chick became trapped underneath a stick that its mother had accidentally dropped on it but was able to wriggle out and then another occasion when the older chick became pinned down by its sibling who had possibly fallen asleep and trapped it.  Later that day when 5R brought in another pike the older chick carefully and thoughtfully placed its wing across the younger and then clambered all over it in a mad rush to be first to get to the meal.  Now THAT’s payback!!!

© Video and photography copyright Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust.  http://www.ospreys.org.uk/webcam/

Fish Deliveries  -  4
 
00.31 Lady facing 1 o/c and appears to be sleeping for now
00.49 Lady has her head tucked under her wing now and sleeping
02.41 Lady just lifted her head and straight back down again, and sleep
04:10 Lady is awake and having a good look round.
04:12 Lady calling
04.24 Lady gets up stretches her wings and flys off, Rocket is awake and active.
04:27 Lady back from her comfort break and settles straight down.
5.01 Fish Delivery
05,52 All calm at the loch this morning, with just a slight breeze and a lonely swan in front of the hides.
06.17 Laddie flies in, and Lady preens
06.22 Lady flies off nest leaving Laddie in charge
06.25 Laddie flies off now leaving the chick home alone for 9 minutes
06.31 I log in and the chick is on its own.
06.34 Lady’s back and doesn’t look to please the chick is alone
06.37. She is back , I think that would be around 5 minutes she left it on its own.
06.37 Lady and chick settle down
07:38 Look wet, windy and miserable at the loch. Lady sheltering the chick.
07.39 the chick has just wriggled out from under Lady, has a poop and then gets back under her.
07.49 FISH DELIVERY!  Laddie arrives with very large fish
07.50 Fish delivery, head still on. Lady takes it and Laddie flies off. She is eating the head, the chick is making its way over to her for a feed.
07.54 Lady starts feeding the chick and chirps away to it all the while she feeds it
07.54 and Lady is feeding chick, who looks enormous today.
08.00 Laddie back on the nest
08.01 Off he flies
08.03 He is back again
08.04 And off again
08.06 The chicks crop is full to bursting now
08.08 The chick is well and truly stuffed it cant even lift its head now
08.09 Lady has a few more bites then moves a large stick before settling down with the chick
08.10 What’s he up to. Is something bothering him?
08.18 There was an intruder flying about shirley. Nice day up here with no rain so far and just a slight breeze.
08.12 Feeding finished, Lady leaves some of the fish at 2 o’clock. Moves a branch and then settles on the chick.
08.19 Laddie back for the fish and flies off with it
08:36 Laddie back.
08:40 Off again.  Wonder if the intruder that Neil was watching is still around?
08:46 Lady off for a wing-stretch and poop break.  Stays away for three minutes.  Camera zooms in on chick.  What a strong little chick trying to pick up that stick and with some force too!  A definite nest-builder in the making.
09:00 Lady preening her tail feathers.
09 14 Camera seems to have siezed up at the Lowes just now.  Is it the same for everyone here?
09-25, Lady preening whilst sitting over Rocket. Now she is up preening her tummy feathers. Will pop in later.
09 31 All well again now over at the Lowes – must have been this machine having a rest!  lADY preening at the side of the nest, but can’t see Rocket.  He/she must be deep down in the bowels of the nest bowl.
09 35 Oh I got a fright there looking at nest first before coming on here, I could not see the chick and lady was preening at side of nest but calmness here reassured me and when I went back there was movement in centre nest phew.
09.58 LADY STANDING AT THE SIDE OF THE NEST PREENING – SO DIFFICULT TO SEE THE CHICK WITH ALL THE BUILT UP BARRICADES NOW
10 08 Yes it is hard to see Rocket deep down in the nest – I think because he is getting to be quite adventurous climbing up the nest, they decided to build up the cotsides so he didn’t fall off the edge! At least we can see him when he pops his little head up – like now! lol
10.09 LADY STILL PREENING AT THE SIDE OF THE NEST – CAN JUST SEE THE CHICK’S HEAD
10.12 – Rocket has waddled over to Lady at the side of the nest and seems to be asking for food!  He is getting very agile now – Lady just carries on preening…..
10.56 LADY CALLING
11 07 The webcam is is much greyer than when i looked earlier but it isn’t a particularly bad picture.  Lady is sitting peacefully.
11.20 LADY MANTLING – SAW SOMETHING SWOOP OVER THE TOP, OBVIOUSLY AN INTRUDER. CHICK LOOKED AGITATED TOO.
11.22 DANGER OVER
11.26 ALL SEEMS PEACEFUL NOW AND LADY SITTING ON THE SIDE OF THE NEST PREENING
12 03 Is anybody else having a problem getting the cam at Lowes?
12 11 Spoke  to Jonathan and would you believe the camera technician is there today,,,YEHHHHHH
So I asked for the contrast and fuzziness ti also be dealt with too,,, and to up the sound and colour as well,,  Cheeky or what !!!
WEBCAMS DOWN UNTIL FIXED ?
18.06 Lady sitting in the nest facing out over her loch.
Welcome back Lowes, with some awful noise, which I think might be from the covering of the mic.
18.51 Lady up for a wing stretch
18-53, Lady trying to sort herself out to snuggle down over Rocket. That twig, Y shaped, was catching in her bloomers!!.
19-00 Lady hunkered down and looking about.
19.03 Lady looking very alert
19.31 Close up of Lady
19.51 Lady up for another wing stretch, the camera zooms into the chick. Lady starts shouting now
19.52 Lady flies off for a few seconds and comes straight back and settles down
20.07 Infra camera comes on
20.18 LADY SHOUTING
LADDIE IN WITH A LARGE FISH DELIVERY WHICH LADY IMMEDIATELY TAKES FROM HIM
20.19 LADDIE OFF  CHICK MOVING ACROSS FOR HIS/HER SUPPER
20.22 LADY FEEDING ROCKET WHO IS WOLFING EVERY MORSEL DOWN
20.25 Laddie flies off now and Lady has a bite to eat first
21.20 Lady nods off for a minute
21.22 Laddie in with yet another Fish delivery, which Lady eventually takes and has a bite to eat first
21.25 Laddie flies off
21.33 Lady starts feeding the chick now or the next 8 minutes
21.41 Lady flies off for a few seconds and straight back and settle back down
22.55 Lady sleeping just now
23.40 Lady facing 9 o/c now and is hunched up, I guess with a growing chick under her, but she appears to be sleeping
 
 
 

Finally, can we wish Julie a very safe journey on her wonderful adventure tomorrow to visit Bella, the Orang Utan that she sponsors.  Be sure to get lots of photos for us Julie and have a thoroughly wonderful time. xx

Bella – Sponsored by Julie

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The Dyfi Osprey Project and the Scottish wildlife Trust  have kindly given their permission for us to post still and video images from their webcams. To visit their sites please click on the relevant link.    Loch of the Lowes.  Dyfi Osprey Project.


 


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