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

[Donna]

Osprey Diary 5th August
August 5th, 2010 by E Rawling, Perthshire Ranger SWT

Good mornign bloggers,  from the team at Lowes. We are all wondering here, if today is the day we’ve all been dreading – the day our female osprey leaves on migration. She has not been seen since 10am yesterday, and if we don’t see her on the nest or loch today we can assume she has headed south. So keen eyes out today folks- let us know if you see her. Of course this is normal and natural this time of year but none the less we will all be sad to see her go- especially as many of us have lingering doubts as to whether or not we will see her here again.   

Meanwhile the male is delivering fish and Rinchen tells me these are noticeably bigger in size these days. This is a great sign that the chicks are now able handle  fish themselves ( perhaps the parents are deliberately challenging them with bigger prey? ) as well as a compliment to dads fishing skills.

Emma Rawling

Perthshire Ranger

[valhalla]

Osprey Diary 5th August
August 5th, 2010 by E Rawling, Perthshire Ranger SWT

Good mornign bloggers,  from the team at Lowes. We are all wondering here, if today is the day we’ve all been dreading – the day our female osprey leaves on migration. She has not been seen since 10am yesterday, and if we don’t see her on the nest or loch today we can assume she has headed south. So keen eyes out today folks- let us know if you see her. Of course this is normal and natural this time of year but none the less we will all be sad to see her go- especially as many of us have lingering doubts as to whether or not we will see her here again.   

Meanwhile the male is delivering fish and Rinchen tells me these are noticeably bigger in size these days. This is a great sign that the chicks are now able handle  fish themselves ( perhaps the parents are deliberately challenging them with bigger prey? ) as well as a compliment to dads fishing skills.

Emma Rawling

Perthshire Ranger

Interesting, as in this hemisphere, the female is the last to leave on migration (kids go first) AND it is a month earlier than our Bay osprey.

[MAK]

I do hope we see her again!

PS

[Donna]

Osprey Diary 6th August
August 6th, 2010 by E Rawling, Perthshire Ranger SWT

  Well folks, it does look like our magnificent lady has left us for the year- it is now almost 48hours since she was last seen at the nest and she has not been seen on the loch either, so we can presume she has begun her annual journey south. The instinct to migrate is incredibly strong and our female is always the first of the family to leave and  interestingly her timing this year is exactly consistent with her average dates- that’s our lady, regular as clockwork!

Spare a thought for her and the hazards she will face on her migration journey as,  like all Scottish ospreys she may have up to 4,000 miles to travel in the next month or so. She will stop, rest and refuel on route, relying on wetlands, estuaries and rivers as vital links in the chain for food and shelter. She will face the dangers of bad weather (particularly Atlantic gales that can blow an osprey out to sea where it cannot survive too long) and desert dust storms; indiscriminate shooting (particularly around the Mediterranean); power lines and rubbish entanglement hazards; and last but not least, shear exhaustion and starvation.If she makes it to her traditional wintering grounds ( the exact location of which are still unknown) she will have just over five months of blissful relaxation before she has to do it all over again to return to us here at Lowes.All of us are wishing her strength, luck and safe journeys, and are lost in admiration for all our birds who make this amazing journey yearly. Ospreys are truly remarkable!Emma Rawling

She has a rough few months ahead of her, I wish her the best and strength to endure, on her trek. 

[Bobbie Ireland]

"Lost in admiration" for the Osprey Mom does not even begin to say it, does it?! A fond but sad "Fare-Well"... we may not see her like again...

[MAK]

Safe journey banner mom! 

[Bobbie Ireland]

Osprey views right now show a rain-swept nest-site with one young aboard. Looks more like a rain-forest habitat than Scotland. At one stage yesterday, the camera panned off the nest to show some deer wandering through the nearby woodland. What a wonderful place. Soon to be silent as it sees the winter close in - and we await news of the next beeding season. Hardly seems possible that the Lady of the Loch would be back again. This breeding season has been such a privilege. Thanks, Donna, for keeping us posted.

Slainte!

BOBBIE

[jeanne]

God speed precious Lady

[Carol P.]

May this incredible Osprey mom have fair winds beneath her wings to carry her safely to her wintering territory.  Safe journey!  

[Donna]

Osprey Diary August 7, 2010
August 7th, 2010 by rboardman

And very good hello to all. If you will indulge me for a few lines of a song rotating around my mind shortly after our last image of “our� female. This song, in choir, recalls for me a past poignant tribute to a beautiful teen aged woman tragically killed in a car accident. It is credited to Gordon Light and found in the Book of Common Praise, Anglican Church of Canada. Excerpts as follow;

She comes sailing on the wind, her wings flashing in the sun, on a journey just begun, she flies on…

And in the passage of her flight, her song rings out through the night, full of laughter, full of light, she flies on….

Silent waters rocking on the morning of our birth, like an empty cradle waiting to be filled, and from the heart of God the spirit moved upon the earth, like a mother breathing life into her child…

The season, the year continues. Parents efforts are securely planted and two young new creatures have the world ahead. “Our� male solidly continues to do what he has done; care for his offspring. Yes, there must be a sense of separation amongst all of the individuals. Yes, there must be a sense of the unknown. However the skills, health and fine weather that we continue to have boad well for the “our� three resident osprey at the Loch of the Lowes. Rinchen

Gosh, I'll miss that ole gal. I'll be waitin on her next season.

[Donna]

BIRD lovers bid an emotional farewell yesterday to the grand old lady of Scotland's ospreys on what wildlife experts fear may be her final migratory flight from the Highland loch that has been her home for the past two decades.
Six months ago Britain's oldest breeding osprey, known simply as "Lady", astounded staff at a wildlife reserve in Perthshire when she returned and produced eggs for a record-breaking 20th consecutive year after completing an arduous 3,000 mile flight
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from West Africa.

The osprey - now believed to be 25, more than three times the normal lifespan for the species - successfully raised two chicks in her nest at the Scottish Wildlife Trust's Loch of the Lowes reserve near Dunkeld.

But fears that the bird would not survive her summer stay in Scotland were heightened in June when she spent days in her nest on the banks of the loch, apparently unable to fly.

Hundreds of fans from across the world sent messages of sympathy to an online blog, after viewing the bird on a webcam in the nest. Remarkably, Lady made a full recovery.

But the trust yesterday announced that Lady has now departed from her annual breeding ground on what could be her last journey back to Africa. Her departure has sparked a flood of messages from bird lovers across the world.

Trust spokeswoman Nicola McGovern said: "Experts now say that there is a 50 per cent chance that the bird will return next year.

"However, following ill-heath earlier this year, it is still unknown whether she will be strong enough to migrate successfully."

Peter Ferns, the manager at the Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre, said watching the osprey leave was "particularly moving" this year.

He said: "This amazing creature has exhibited an unprecedented endurance over the 20 years she has been breeding at Loch of the Lowes, living over three times the average lifespan for an osprey and producing an astonishing 48 chicks. This alone is a significant contribution to repopulating the osprey species, which became extinct in Scotland in 1916."

Charlotte Beskeen, a member of staff at the centre, said: "Usually we see her in the nest about two or three times a day because she was still part of the feeding process for the chicks. However, we haven't seen her since Wednesday morning, which is the longest she's been away."

She added: "It will be quite sad if she doesn't come back because she is obviously a big part of Loch of the Lowes and so many people have been following her story. We will have a long wait to find out though, as Lady doesn't normally return to the nest until late March to mid-April."

The Scottish Wildlife Trust's osprey blog has received almost 400 messages, from as far afield as Canada and Finland, from fans of the "Lady of the Loch".

Martha, posting from America, said: "It seems as if the nest isn't the centre of the osprey universe any more for this year, which is as it should be, I suppose. Let Lady and her family be blessed with good fortune."

Emma Rawling, the Scottish Wildlife Trust's Perthshire Ranger, said: "The support and interest we have received from enthusiasts around the world has been overwhelming and wonderful. It is encouraging to know that so many people care about Scotland's wildlife."

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Old-Lady-of-the-Lowes.6462371.jp

[Bobbie Ireland]

How privileged were we to have spent this last season with her!

[MAK]

    How wonderful that these and other creatures can be seen all around the world from the comfort of our homes.   

[Donna]

…a warm & muggy morn…in contrast to last nights’ blazing sunset with “Sir� presiding majestically from atop a pine…

This morning I was greeted by “ourâ€�  male on the same perch high above the loch. I have mentioned behaviour and patterns over the many weeks. The male perchs close to the nest now. He has been afar for weeks, save for his reliable fish drops. Yes, to me, he looks majestic. He is in his prime.

I have noted in reply to a couple of comments that the young no longer require as much food as they did 4-6 weeks ago. Do you remember how rapidly they grew during their flight feather stage? The large fish now delivered are serving the juvies well. They will start to catch over the next week or two, I am confident of that.

At the Visitors Centre over the past few days I have noticed beaming smiles by young and not so young. People knowing that “our� female is on her way.

I send a smile to you. Rinchen

[Donna]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_KdhnUlRmk  Mom Osprey's last day at the Loch. She checked the nest, took a few circles around the area, made sure all was OK and left.  Be well sweet lady.