Sad news for the 25 yr old Osprey mom in Scotland, still has chics in nest

[Donna]

Loch of the Lowes Osprey Wildlife Diary
Osprey Diary 29th June
June 29th, 2010 by Osprey Team

A beautiful morning again here at Lowes, with glorious sunshine and a gentle breeze ruffling the surface of the Loch. There are duckling and goslings a plenty around the shores, and great crested grebes nesting again amongst the yellow water lilies near the hide.
We have been focussed very much this last week or so on our female osprey ( quite rightly) and her plight, but I would like to mention our male today, because he deserves a Hero of the Loch award as far as I am concerned.
Most of you will know that he is a new male this year, ten years old born at Ballinliug in 2000. As a new partner for our lady, he was very much an unknown quantity at the beginning of the season. His courtship was text book, his nest building skills in no doubt (he virtually buried our lady!), but his fishing skills took a while to impress us! He ahs turned out to be a specialist pike fisherman and capable of bringing in very large fish (though his average is small and some truly tiny!). He did give us a couple of frights when he abandoned the eggs during incubation for half an hour or so- he was called a few very bad things those nights!
Most of all though, he has impressed all his doubters with his dedication, first feeding his mate tenderly on the nest, and then proving himself incredibly dedicated to his hatchlings. Once the chicks arrived he stepped up his hunting to an incredible level and hasn’t slacked since- there has never been a lack of fish which has meant the chicks having the best possible start in life.
It is thanks to dad however, that the chicks survived their mother’s terrible illness, because he stepped into the breach when she was unable to, and fed them himself. Though not unknown in ospreys, this kind of behaviour is considered rare and a sign of our male’s total dedication to rearing his offspring- what a super dad!
three cheers for Green 7Y- hero of the Loch!
Emma Rawling
Perthshire Ranger

Hi All

Just a wee update on the camera. We have had interference problems so I changed the feed as you have seen from the black and white picture. I will keep at it and get the original picture back.

Thanks for your patience.

Peter

[huddiecat]

Hey Donna,
Thanks for the update!!  I am so happy that all seem to be doing well and dad deserves a big applause for stepping it up when mom was ill 

[Donna]

Hey Donna,
Thanks for the update!!  I am so happy that all seem to be doing well and dad deserves a big applause for stepping it up when mom was ill 

Kinda reminds ya of Kaver huh? 

[Donna]

p

Loch of the Lowes Osprey Wildlife Diary
Osprey diary 30th June
June 30th, 2010 by Osprey Team

Hi folks,

Sorry for the delay in posting todays blog and approving your comments. We had an issue with our phone line which meant we had no internet connection. We’re back online now and we’ll get onto your comments ASAP.

The laird delivered a very large perch about 11am this morning but we have no idea of previous fish deliveries so if you witnessed any please let us know.
It’s another pleasant day here at Lowes. The sun is beating down on the nest and the chicks are panting away. There is a nice breeze though, so this should help keep them cool. I fear we can’t really call them chicks anymore, as they are almost fully grown now and acting like proper ospreys (except for the flying bit!). How quick they grow and how soon we will all be suffering from empty nest syndrome!
Fiona

[Donna]

     
Latest osprey blog

1 July 2010
What a delight it is to wake early this morning to gentle rain at last! The woods around Lowes are dripping musically and the loch surface is rippled by drops of much needed rain!

Our two young ospreys are snuggled in the nest using their newly acquired waterproof feathers to keep dry - their first real test so far! Mum no longer needs to be their umbrella, and instead is watching from her perch regally.

She now also feels confident enough in their ability to defend themselves, to leave the chicks for short periods - the longest yet was this morning for nearly an hour. She has even begun indulging in a little fishing herself, which is a fabulous sign of her regaining her strength.

It may be a little as ten days before the chicks first flight - we are entering the ‘thrills and spills’ time of year! Emma

[Annette]

Latest osprey blog

1 July 2010
What a delight it is to wake early this morning to gentle rain at last! The woods around Lowes are dripping musically and the loch surface is rippled by drops of much needed rain!

Our two young ospreys are snuggled in the nest using their newly acquired waterproof feathers to keep dry - their first real test so far! Mum no longer needs to be their umbrella, and instead is watching from her perch regally.

She now also feels confident enough in their ability to defend themselves, to leave the chicks for short periods - the longest yet was this morning for nearly an hour. She has even begun indulging in a little fishing herself, which is a fabulous sign of her regaining her strength.

It may be a little as ten days before the chicks first flight - we are entering the ‘thrills and spills’ time of year! Emma

What great news! 

[Donna]

Loch of the Lowes Osprey Wildlife Diary
Osprey Diary July 2nd
July 2nd, 2010 by Osprey Team

Our young ospreys have survived the down pours of the last day or so well, with their new coats of speckled feathers- a wonderful camouflage on the nest.
The rain did however, make fishing conditions a bit more difficult for dad- his eyesight is phenomenal but even he struggles when it rains all day! It just goes to show just how lucky we have been this year with ideal fishing conditions prevailing and an abundance of food for the two chicks.

The chicks are really starting to flap now- don’t worry they aren’t really going to take off just yet, they are strengthening those vital flight muscles. There will be loads and loads of this behaviour for another week probably before their first flight.
Has anyone else noticed too in the last few days how those HUGE feet have suddenly started to be more coordinated and the chicks are starting to use their talons, instead of balancing on their heals?

Lastly, you will have noticed too that the chicks have been starting to ‘head waggle’- the name we give the side to side head movement ospreys use when fishing or trying to focus on something. Their eyesight is developing just as fast as everything else and they are practising eyeing up things out on the loch.

Yes, all of this is happening incredibly fast- think of all the development our children go through fast tracked into 8 short weeks! Never a dull moment with young ospreys!
Emma Rawling Perthshire Ranger

P.S. three fish so far this morning- thanks eagle eyed bloggers- or should that be osprey eyed?

[Donna]

Osprey Diary July 3rd
July 3rd, 2010 by Osprey Team

Good morning all you Bloggers- its a very windy morning here at Lowes as you can probably see from the webcam. Its a warm gusty breeze which is perfect for our birds to soar in. Some of you may be worried about our chicks accidentally taking off whilst doing their wing stretches and practise flapping. Don’t worry they usually keep a firm hold on the nest with thier talons at this stage. As their muscles strengthen, they will start to make proper little ‘leaps’ or ‘levitations’ aloft for a few seconds, sometimes right across the nest. It doesn’t count as fledging though ( in our book) until they actually leave the nest though! The first flight it often a bit ungainly and landings certainly take a while to be perfected , so we could be in for some comedy moments in the next week.
Emma Rawling
Perthshire Ranger  Wow, I thought I posted yesterday's.. hmm


     
Latest osprey blog

4 July 2010

Moist musings, perhaps even wet ones this morn…all of us creatures are so interconnected; from clean oxygenated water, not too many phosphates, nitrates, heavy metals; to aquatic plant life, invertebrates, amphibians, small fish, and large; to osprey, migrant birds, mammals; and all of their intricate mechanisms from sodium/potassium balance/imbalance inervating nerves which stimulate muscles and move bones on joints. It requires so much to be in order to accomplish what seems to be a very simple thing; mopping a floor, learning to sense air resistance against feathers, to use a tail to manouevre, balance (squirrels also), eye coordination and on…
I have used the word “miracleâ€� and “miraculousâ€� often as many of us have, this past fortnight in referrence to “ourâ€� female. There are so many occurances that we miss moment by moment. On this moist day without the strong wind forcast, let take a moment to feel the fresh drops of water on us. And continue to marvel the unfolding day before us. Rinchen.   

[Donna]

Osprey Diary 5 July
July 5th, 2010 by Osprey Team

Good morning ALL

Sorry for being so late with this mornings post. It has been very hectic here at Lowes this morning.

I think our Lady has proven her fitness in getting through yesterdays thunderstorm. The weather was very sever at times and I for one would not have liked to be 60ft up a Scots pine during that down pour. Lets hope the rest of the week is more settled.

The family have had a few visits this morning from other ospreys, this will happen more and more as young ospreys from around the area find their wings. Our young too will venture out to visit other nest sites nearby. It is not unusual to see young from other nests begging for food at a neighbours nest site, this has not been recorded at Lowes yet.

Peter

[DebInTexas]

This has been amazing to watch unfold!  Osprey are captivating to watch, and this mom is exceptional.  We need to edit the subject line to say 'NOT - Sad news'!!

[Donna]

Osprey Diary 6th July
July 6th, 2010 by Osprey Team

Good morning all! As I’m new to The Scottish Wildlife Trust at Loch of The Lowes a brief introduction is called for. I’ll be here for the next six months at the reserve, working on the visitor services side of things, no doubt I’ll be blogging pretty regularly too. Coming from London , Scotland and it’s resident wildlife is all rather new for me, I’m just looking forward to getting stuck in and acquainting myself with our celebrity ospreys.

Onto the update. We’ve had a fairly quiet morning so far with relatively little activity from the Lady, although our youngsters are becoming more boisterous, flapping their wings vigorously and shuffling closer to the edges of the nest in eager anticipation. Having just seen the osprey chicks at Bassenthwaite who appeared slightly dozy and were still taking chunks of fish from under Dad’s talons, I’m impressed by how developed these juveniles are. At 9.40 they were feeding themselves with chunks of pike found in the nest then taking turns to peer inquisitively over the sides of the nest and directly at the camera. No sign of Dad so far and Lady is busy watching the skies for potential danger.

Will update soon,

Charlotte

[Donna]

Osprey Diary 7th July
July 7th, 2010 by Osprey Team

Morning all,

This morning came with a surprise from one of our osprey chicks who took advantage of a strong gust of wind and raised itself about four metres from the nest, flapping vigorously. This leaves us thinking- could today be the day one or possibly two finally make the move? Despite their attempts to gain flight however, they quickly nestled down against each other in the nest against the buffeting winds waiting patiently for Dad’s return. Although seemingly quiet at the moment bursts of activity from the juveniles occur on a pretty regular basis, so keep watching!

Charlotte

[MAK]

Be safe little ones!

[Donna]

prey Dairy July 9th
July 9th, 2010 by E Rawling, Perthshire Ranger SWT

You will notice that our staff are now logging on to  post and reply to your comments using our individual names, rather than just as “Osprey Teamâ€�.  We’ve done this to help you know who it is on the ‘other end’ of the keyboard. Eventually , we will even have wee pictures accompanying our names- but we are a notoriously camera shy bunch!

On the osprey nest this morning, we still have three birds- mum and two very large and adult looking chicks. You will notice how speckled their plumage is, and they will wear this disticntive juvenile pattern for up to two years -ospreys moult continuously so it will be gradually replaced with adult colours.

Both chicks are now able to feed themselves to some extent, as recent squabbles over fish deliverys demonstrate! As their feet stengthen they can now stand on the fish and tear with their beaks, but are also not averse to begging mum to ‘baby’ them.

Will today be the big lift-off day?

Emma Rawling

[Donna]

Mom and her 2 baby Ospreys. They are fun to watch. One was just hovering above the nest.