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

[Donna]

Osprey Diary August 13, 2010
August 13th, 2010 by rboardman

A grand morning it is at the Loch! Beautiful light, flat water.

As the days pass, I ponder migrants everywhere, gathering in groups, in flocks and as individuals. “Our� male must be very aware of the changing light, perhaps even aware of the warmer water as he steadfastly catches for himself and “his� young. Will he be one of the males that stop over in Spain or does he fly to the Gambia and catch flying fish far offshore?

The juveniles must surely be wondering what is in store for them. Although they do not require as much food as they did 6 weeks ago, they must be senseing that more is expected of them in order to survive. Survival is an amazing motivator. I inwardly cheer on these two birds. The learning curve continues. Late yesterday afternoon, a very welcome rainbow trout put a smile on my face. Food for life, food of encouragement.

It is often the simple things that are the most profound.

[jeanne]

I absolutely love how these blogs are written, so tender and informative!  How could we not hope for the best for this osprey family as well as the other animal families we so cherish

Thanks so much, Donna, for finding these wonderful links!!!!

[Donna]

I absolutely love how these blogs are written, so tender and informative!  How could we not hope for the best for this osprey family as well as the other animal families we so cherish

Thanks so much, Donna, for finding these wonderful links!!!!

Your so welcome jeanne, you have a great day!

[MAK]

I absolutely love how these blogs are written, so tender and informative!  How could we not hope for the best for this osprey family as well as the other animal families we so cherish

Thanks so much, Donna, for finding these wonderful links!!!!

 I agree Jeanne. I love the way they word their posts on this website. I especially like "it is often the simple things that are so profound". That's so true.  Like this morning with Dan, we saw no falcons over at the Frontier parking lot, but we had sparrows at our feet eating weed seeds. We both agreed that was enough to keep us smiling. Seems we're always seeking bigger and better when the little things that go unnoticed sustain us. As always thank you Donna!

[Carol P.]

Me too!  Love these posts.

There is always something to see.  Something to put a smile on your face.  You just have to look.

[Bird Crazy]

Me too!  Love these posts.

There is always something to see.  Something to put a smile on your face.  You just have to look.

amen

[Donna]

Osprey Diary August 15, 2010
August 15th, 2010 by rboardman

Light shrouds of mist in the basin as I came to work, heavy dew on meadow, and a wren singing its’ heart, and of course mine…

It has been clearing as I have done my chores and now the loch is crystal clear and quiet, save for the occasional groaning of great crested grebe and the quacking of mallards. It feels as if it will be a bright warm day. We shall see. This is Scotland, on an island…

I pondered at the end of yesterday the whereabouts of  juvie 1. I do not believe that we have seen two juvies at one time since Friday. They were flying over the Loch. So, at present I can only conject, which I am sometimes uncomfortable. Has “ourâ€� greedy juvie started to fish? Is it fishing and has drifted off? I will note that the timing may be within the range for fishing, and we do know that this bird can eat and is aggressive in action. However it seems rather early for the bird to have flown away. The other juvie has been feeding well in its’ siblings absence.

So, we will be diligent about our observations today, as ever.

Enjoy your moments of sight, sound and touch today. Rinchen

[Donna]

Good morning bloggers near and far!

The heat and blue skies of yesterday have left us and been replaced by grey, but as of yet, no rain.
No sign of any ospreys this morning, at least not by us staff. I will however be spending a fair amount of time out in the hide in search of our flying friends. We are all pondering whether they have decided to follow mum or are still hanging about, just out of sight? Only time will tell.
As in years gone by, we will continue to see a number of ospreys over the loch right up until mid September, with young and experienced birds alike heading south from northern climes. We can only speculate as to their identity, but I like to think that our remaining 3 birds will hang about as long as they can to watch over their loch, and bide us a fond farewell we we’re not watching!

Keep a weather eye on the horizon; that osprey passing overhead could be a familiar friend!
Fiona

I can hear 2 near the nest right now, sounds like the Juvies.

[Donna]

Osprey Diary 17th August
August 17th, 2010 by E Rawling, Perthshire Ranger SWT

  Good morning all, Emma here , back after another wee four day break, which means I have been busy catching up this morning on all our wildlife news with the team here at Lowes. I am so glad to hear our male was still around yesterday- I have become very fond of him this season and wouldn’t have wanted to miss saying ‘goodbye’. He has more than proven himself as a father and proved me wrong as his biggest doubter!

 The chicks however are conspicuous in their absence from the nest, but who can blame them- the draw of the wild world to explore must be strong. Only the need for food will be strong enough to tempt them back to the nest. However, in the local area, chances of seeing young birds are very good indeed if you have the patience to stake our local waterways.

 Our general sightings of ospreys locally will now start to climb too, as more and more birds start passing through the district on their way south.

 Hopefully more news today of our osprey family- I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks Emma Rawling

[Donna]

Osprey Diary 19th August
August 19th, 2010 by E Rawling, Perthshire Ranger SWT

Update: Camera problems again folks! Bare with us! Also, 3 ospreys have been seen flying around, although we have no idea if they are ‘our’ ospreys or visitors!

  Thanks to everyone who has sent osprey sightings from around the UK, and we hope you are enjoying seeing them in your neck of the woods. The next month or so should be a very productive as far as sightings go, except for those of us in the far north whose sightings will dwindle.

 As the wonders of migration unfold this autumn, we are lucky to be able to follow some osprey’s journeys in real time via tracking technology. We did not have the opportunity to satellite track our ospreys here at Lowes this year but there are young birds being tracked by Roy Dennis of the Highland Foundation for wildlife from Speyside and at the Lake District Osprey project (www.ospreywatch.co.uk). Check out their websites for detailed updates of the chick’s progress this migration season. You can also follow some birds all winter via Roy site: www.roydennis.org.

 Our male osprey has been around on the nest at Loch of the Lowes over the last day or so, but still no sign of the chicks- they must be out and about in the area , so we will let you know of any sightings today.

 Emma Rawling

 Perthshire Ranger

Osprey Diary August 18th
August 18th, 2010 by E Rawling, Perthshire Ranger SWT

Update: Sorry for the interruption in viewing! Seems to be a problem with our internet connection. We’re working on it! On a positive note, our Laird has been seen for a while this afternoon, so they are still with us…well dad is anyway!
Fiona

A beautiful morning here at Lowes, with blazing sunshine and a light wind- a perfect late summer day. But what is noticeable is how much the evenings are already shortening, with dark now falling well before 10pm, a sure sign the year is turning fast.

 We know that most animals and birds respond to day length, rather than temperature as triggers for migration and other seasonal behaviour. So little wonder that our ospreys thoughts are all turning south!

 This time of year with ospreys from all over Scotland are migrating,  so those of you who live in southern areas are in for your twice yearly chance of seeing an osprey locally. The birds take all sorts of routes over the UK and can be seen , not just near water ( where they stop and feed and rest up on route) but flying over even built up areas- a couple of years ago, Roy Dennis even satellite tracked on osprey flying right over Heathrow airport!

 So, here is our guide to spotting an osprey:

 Look for a bird about the size of a buzzard (roughly five feet in wingspan) or a very large gull ( such as a black back).

 Look for a distinctive raptor silhouette, with classic ‘finger-tips’ on wing ends, and a slight elbow in the wing- Buzzards have a very straight front wing edge.

 Look for a pale white under belly (not just pale elbow patches like buzzards) and if you can, a pale head- a buzzard always has a darker head. .

 Good luck and be sure to let us know where you are seeing birds!

 Emma Rawling

 Perthshire Ranger

Thought I posted yesterday's  ???

[Donna]

Loch of the Lowes Osprey Wildlife Diary
The Wonders of Osprey Migration
August 20th, 2010 by E Rawling, Perthshire Ranger SWT

The wonders of migration.

We have been getting a lot of questions about how our ospreys will make their way to Africa this autumn, so I thought I’d share with you what we know, but bear in mind this is still something of a mystery and an area with lots left to research!

We know most UK ospreys travel south via a route that takes them over England, (though some go west over Ireland) and then usually over western France, then Spain or Portugal. They often cross near Gibraltar, then hug the African coast to their eventual destination, as too far inland means crossing desert.

We know most ospreys take between 4-6weeks to make the journey in autumn, but are considerably faster on the way up in spring (the breeding instinct is strong and they must get to the nest first!).

Young birds make more stops and wander more before settling down to habitual yearly pattern.

Most birds go to the same over-wintering area each year routinely- creatures of habit!

 They stop many times on route and can spend up to a week or more on a particularly good estuary or river, especially if weather is unfavourable.

They can fly at considerable heights, at up to 100km a day and can even fly up to 48hrs non stop!

 Most miraculously of all, we still do not know exactly how they navigate- probably some combination of visual clues (we know they fly more on good clear weather) and certainly genetic instinct, and probable some form of geomagnetic perception we do not yet understand.

I often ask our younger visitors if they could walk to Africa at age 10, with no parents to follow, no map and catch all their dinner with their feet on the way! It does put our young ospreys achievement in perspective- migration is truly miraculous!

[MAK]

It surely is miraculous!

[Donna]

Osprey Diary August 21, 2010
August 21st, 2010 by rboardman

How do they know?

I have been able to answer many queries from past experience in handling, monitoring, gathering data, writing, working with “experts�, and learning. One of the questions that continues to baffle me is “how do young ospreys know when they have arrived on their winter grounds�? If they have not experienced migration before, why do they either keep on flying or reckon that they have arrived? Fortunately for me, most visitors do not ask this question. It is easy for me to talk about many migrants, whether they be cariboo, monarchs, warblers, many raptors, terns, etc. for they mostly gather in groups and have past experience as a collective mass. Ospreys seem not to flock on migration, they fly as individuals. By stating that they have done this for “eons� is not correct, in that only 6 or 7 thousand years ago glaciers were receding in most parts of the northern hemisphere. The few years that osprey have been occupying this part of Europe surely is not sufficient time to allow for “eons� of imprinting.

I do not know.

The important aspect of us knowing is that we do have a profound impact on all migrants by being responsible for protecting waterways, breeding habitat, safe stopover/rest areas, food supply, air and land space.

This we know. Rinchen

[Donna]

Osprey Diary August 22, 2010
August 22nd, 2010 by rboardman

Sometimes I wonder how I, as a human, fit in to this place.

I arrive disturbing jays, robin and chaffinch as I walk along the wooded path. A fox barks at times, moths flutter. Bats are roosting. I peruse the loch and marvel at the water alive with insects skimming the surface and the occasional breaking of the silver sheen by pike, or the wind pushing waves on shore. There are fungi in the woods and flakes of late blooming flowers in the air.

On the Loch itself, are the plentiful, and might I add, fanciful great-crested grebe with now increasing numbers of tufted duck  and goosanders, a solitary pochard. They are all relishing small invertebrates, perch, trout and pike. Grey herons are doing the same from shore. Of course there are the “up-endersâ€�; mallards, Canada geese and mute swans seeking their vegetatation and invertebrates. I could go on…

Yesterday afternoon we were graced by “our� stalwart male at the nest, for moments only, but exciting ones to us. Monitoring of any kind has its’ merits, sharing of information beneficial. Perhaps as mused earlier he and his two young have been seen on thursday morning. I was certain that we were seeing one juvie roosting on thursday evening.

As I marvel, I wonder, as a human, how I fit in… Rinchen

[Bobbie Ireland]

As I marvel, I wonder, as a human, how I fit in… Rinchen

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I saw that post, Donna... how poetic many of those Osprey rangers are!