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

[Annette]

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.

A beautiful video of a beautiful Osprey.
And it looked some weeks ago very sad for the female.

[MAK]

What a fantastic place she chose to rear her young. May her wings be strong and her food supply plentiful on that long journey. And with any luck she'll return again next year. 

[Paul Hamilton]

Many thanks for bringing this site to my attention.  After following the fortunes of the gallant Lady, I am awed by what a magnificent bird the Osprey is. 

I have to admit that I have failed to visit any of these wonderful birds this season. There must be ten nests within a few minutes of my home, so I really have no excuse.  I guess all my birding time was spent with Peregrines.  (It's OK to admit that, since this is a falcon board, right?)

I'll make a resolution to spend quality time with local Osprey next spring.  In the meantime, I'll imagine the Lady soaring over the ocean to West Africa, so there will be Osprey in my dreams, if not in my life.

Paul

[Donna]

Many thanks for bringing this site to my attention.  After following the fortunes of the gallant Lady, I am awed by what a magnificent bird the Osprey is. 

I have to admit that I have failed to visit any of these wonderful birds this season. There must be ten nests within a few minutes of my home, so I really have no excuse.  I guess all my birding time was spent with Peregrines.  (It's OK to admit that, since this is a falcon board, right?)

I'll make a resolution to spend quality time with local Osprey next spring.  In the meantime, I'll imagine the Lady soaring over the ocean to West Africa, so there will be Osprey in my dreams, if not in my life.

Paul

Very well said Paul. You never know about any bird or raptor until you watch, hear or see for yourself their way of life. Just like me watching MK for 7 years and totally different A and B this year, we learn. I hope to hear your stories next season. Thank you.

[valhalla]

Many thanks for bringing this site to my attention.  After following the fortunes of the gallant Lady, I am awed by what a magnificent bird the Osprey is. 

I have to admit that I have failed to visit any of these wonderful birds this season. There must be ten nests within a few minutes of my home, so I really have no excuse.  I guess all my birding time was spent with Peregrines.  (It's OK to admit that, since this is a falcon board, right?)

I'll make a resolution to spend quality time with local Osprey next spring.  In the meantime, I'll imagine the Lady soaring over the ocean to West Africa, so there will be Osprey in my dreams, if not in my life.

Paul

There is still time, Paul - not much, but time.  I did get to spend a few hours with a few osprey last Saturday afternoon/evening.  Natural nest - no pics, as we were at a party, but I did turn my chair around and enjoy the osprey 

[chlosmom]

has anyone heard any recent news about our roc born new
father HURRICANE?

[Donna]

Osprey Diary 9th August
August 9th, 2010 by E Rawling, Perthshire Ranger SWT

  â€œOver to Dadâ€�

 With our female osprey’s departure to African pastures for the winter, the two juveniles have been left in dads care at Loch of the Lowes. This is the normal pattern- the female invariably leaves first and the male stays behind to ’supervise’ the teenagers. We believe his instinct to provide for his offspring lingers and that there is a certain amount of ‘demonstration’ in fishing technique going on too. Whilst most of the young bird’s training in life skills seems to be instinctive, there can be no harm in watching an adult expert at it to give them some ideas!

 As Rinchen mentioned yesterday, the youngsters need for fish is plateauing as there incredible growth spurt is levelling out. We are also about to enter the ‘tough love’ stage when the male begins to taper off the fish he brings in, to encourage the youngsters to fish for themselves. By later this month the male too will head south and the youngsters will be alone in the world (gulp!).

So our males role as ’super -dad’ is entering its last phase. Aren’t we grateful he has turned out to be such a wonderful first time father! It seems an age ago we were doubting him back in spring, shouting at him neglecting the eggs- I eat my words. Emma Rawling

BTW, both juvies at nest now

[Donna]

The Juvie on the left is trying so hard to steal the fish from it's sib....funny to watch. 

[Donna]

Dad Osprey guarding his domain

[MAK]

    Nice pics!   

[Donna]

Osprey Diary 10th August
August 10th, 2010 by E Rawling, Perthshire Ranger SWT

Both our juvenile ospreys have been on the nest this morning, seeing off corvid intruders quite stridently.  They are both handling looking after themselves remarkably well, although dad is still supplying fish. It is hard to imagine them flying south in as little as two or three weeks, all the way to Africa, a mammoth journey of up to 4,000 miles.

What always amazes me is that, unlike many of our migratory birds, the ospreys do this journey alone, not following a flock or even their parents, but setting out alone. Our juveniles will be setting out at the grand old age of three months or so, into the wide world alone, as nature intends. Once they get to Africa (if they survive the hazardous journey) they will spend a ‘gap-year’ holiday there, fro anything from  a year to four years. When they reach sexual maturity, the instinct to breed will drive them back to where they were born, or close by, to start families of there own.

Just how ospreys navigate is of course, still a mystery- migration is one of natures biggest enigmas. We know they use a mixture or genetic instinct, visual clues, and [probably some sort of geomagnetic perception, but this is an area we are learning more about every year.

Meanwhile, come and enjoy watching our young birds at Loch of the Lowes, as they are still very much visible around the shores form the hides. It will only be a few short weeks until they leave us for another year.

Emma Rawling

[Donna]

Osprey Diary 11th August
August 11th, 2010 by E Rawling, Perthshire Ranger SWT

  Our two young ospreys have feeling pretty soggy this morning with another wet day meaning they are roosting in the trees away from the nest where there is a bit more cover- who can blame them! Neither has had a lot of fish yet today, but we suspect more and more of the fish are being passed over by dad away from the nest, so we could have missed one.

With weather like this you can’t help but think of our female osprey travelling south, hopefully in much better conditions. We know ospreys take anything up to 5 weeks or so in the autumn to migrate, stopping many times on route to rest and refuel. So with her being gone a week now she could already be over southern England or even over the Bay of Biscay or the Iberian peninsular.  Let’s just hope she gets good winds (ideally a northerly wind to speed her on her way) and no stormy patches that could blow her out to sea, or too far in over the desert. Safe travels Lady!

Emma Rawling

Juvies in there now, 1 has a fish as the other cries for some.

[Bobbie Ireland]

Not that The Lady is heading our way (or at least I sure hope not... wrong direction!), but Ireland and GB are expecting northerly and north-westerly winds for the next little while. Hope they give her a gentle shove to speed her on her majestic way...

Also, such conditions usually mean fine weather here - and it is glorious! Harvesters are in the fields, working away - the buzz of machinery went on in the adjacent fields til late last night.

Slainte!

Bobbie

[jeanne]

i  never much liked transmitters until situations like this

[Donna]

Osprey Diary August 12th
August 12th, 2010 by E Rawling, Perthshire Ranger SWT

  Loch of the Lowes is a busy place at the moment with our two young ospreys out and about all over, and trying their fishing skills in between rain showers!

As some of you have noticed, there are also quite a few geese appearing on the Loch- the beginning of our autumn and winter influx?  Amongst the Canada geese there have even occasionally been three Barr Headed Geese (a central Asian species, probably escaped from captivity!).

There are also lots of ducks on the loch- Mallards, Tufted Ducks and a few Goldeneye, as well as our Great Crested Grebes which bred successfully here for the first time in a few years (thanks to a lack of summer flooding).

Our ospreys are not the only birds with fledglings learning their flying skills at the moment- there is a large family of jays with young around, as well as dozens of woodpeckers, and many small birds too.

 Amongst the mammals, our red squirrels are doing really well, with at least two young visiting the feeders at the visitors centre regularly- you can tell them by their cheeky antics and the very shiny pelts in contrast to their parent’s rather threadbare moulting stage fur. Our local fallow deer have also been seen a lot around the loch, including our white hind with her beautiful pale faun.

 And you thought it was just all about ospreys here at Lowes! Even after our youngsters leave us in a few weeks, there will be plenty of wildlife for visitors to enjoy, and to console us ‘osprey addicts’ until the spring.

 Emma Rawling