Warm and grey this morn…
I shall start with sending apologies to all for the lack of live coverage. Late yesterday afternoon our technology let us down. None of the three of us last evening could do what is required to encourage our PC to talk to the internet. I believe that it is something that our head office has control. We shall continue to work away.
Yesterday morning at my breakfast table overlooking Dunkeld and the broad rushing Tay river, the first bird of the day was an osprey peering into the water. They are often seen over the Tay valley, usually I see shreeching swift first thing. What is missing is the consistant piping of oystercatchers…
I am rambling to note that there are obvious wildlife changes already, albeit mid-summer. “Our” female osprey spends less time on the nest. Just last week she overviewed the bay and nest from a very predicatable perch. She does not frequent this tree as often these days. The juvies had a long bath yesterday, but still, oddly to me occasionally lie flat in the nest as if they have forgotten how to perch. Often, they soar ever higher and farther away from the Loch for longer and longer periods. The male continues to briefly provide his perch drops to the nest, and then is gone…I have witnessed “our” female tearing across the Loch after intruders lately. It is hard to believe that she was poorly when I watch now. She flies well and I am hopeful that she will successfully fly south. Of course we all are wondering when that will be. Personally I think that it may well be by the end of the month.
I have inserted some images for us all to visualise this morning. I hope that they are helpful until we can get our technology sorted. Best of wishes. Rinchen
It’s the end of a busy day, Rinchen. It feels like you are just taking the chance to chill, tidy, enjoy the peace and quiet and it gives us all a bit longer with the ospreys. I feel the same when the children leave school at the end of the day! Thank you.
Morag! It make me happy to share. Rinchen
Beautiful close up of chick Rinchen. Thank you for that. Do you know which one it is I still cant tell them apart?
Nice to see all four on the nest if only fleetingly, suppose its chick 1 that has the fish!
Jan, yes again, and then she/he/it flew off with it! That is a first! Rinchen
Thanks Rinchen, I do wish chick 2 would be more assertive I worry about it.
rinchen its been reported that a chick has flown off with the fish before. I can get a date and time if you would like it for the dvd.
it was wednesday 21st at 8.28am Rinchen.
if its right i told you. But if its wrong blame Alison D, lol
was it wednesday then? Good morning Rinchen.
Not sure if you have gone Rinchen but did I see that chick fly off with the fish?
Did anyone else see it?
Sandra, yes see my comment to Jan. Rinchen
Can you see where chick went with the fish, can it perch on a tree yet and eat? Sorry lots of questions.
Jan, it is somewhere not visible to me from camera. I am surprised. I thought that “greedy” may return with fish to eat, not yet. Rinchen
Hope it did not drop it!
Rinchen and all that must be very early for that to happen, that chick unbelievable but just wish mum would bring baby some food. Does not take it away but truly marvelous
SandraB et al, these are to transitional times that I am glad to experience as I unwind and marvel. I am off now, until tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for all systems to be operational tomorrow. Best. Rinchen
night night Rinchen. Thank you for today.
Goodnight, Rinchen, sleep tight, and don’t let the bugs bite. (A saying from my childhood. And no, we didn’t have bedbugs, before anyone asks!)
Sorry but was there something amiss with my earlier long comment about the Lady’s migration being so soon, and my finishing up my piano piece and offering sheet music? I can’t see that it was ever posted. Would that be better posted on the facebook page?
Marjorie, it should be here. I did moderated it and responded. It is presently 3 pages (60 comments) back. Rinchen
OK, sorry. After I posted it, I had to go out, just got back and thought I had gone back all the way to the beginning of all the comments for today and couldn’t see it. Checked twice, too! Thank you Rinchen.
I have triple-checked and out of the 161 comments listed at the moment, I can only see 143. I have a first page starting in the morning, with 123 comments on it, and then a second page with 20 posted comments. So 18 are missing including my post about the piano piece… perhaps a problem with my computer.
There are some posts missing. One had a comment I wanted to follow up on and I can’t remember what it was as I read it so quickly and was imbedded in replies.
MarjorieM, you’re post re your piano piece was definitely there, because I also answered it, but I can’t find it now. I was agreeing that your idea re the playing of your music at the Lowes was appealing, especially as the sun was slowly setting! Rinchen asked you to send him a copy of your score, posted to the centre. (I hope you don’t mind me repeating your words, Rinchen).
Thanks, Carolyn! I will post a copy of the score to the centre. And thanks for looking for my prior post, at least I know I’m not the only one who can’t find it again!
Marjorie, please send it to me Rinchen Boardman at the centre. Rinchen
Ive been watching the nest on and off most of the afternoon and evening – I see our Lady is there now as well joining in the frantic ‘food please’ calls! What a racket they make – its wonderful to hear them all in full voice!! Perhaps the combined voices of all his brood will spur our Laird into bringing in some long awaited supper!
Just recorded 8 mins of all 3 on the nest as there wont be many more scenes like that now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig2Ll6RP6Zk
Alan, you’re a darling – thanks so much for recording that. It’s gone straight into my favourites collection. The clip also gave us a great opportunity to compare the difference in the calls made by the juveniles. The youngest’s call was definitely pitched slightly lower than that of the oldest, and it was more ’squeaky’ (for want of a better word!). I read somewhere that the female’s call is always much louder than the males, as it has to carry further when she’s soliciting food, so in my book, that makes our youngest chick a male!
i just watched the whole piece alan…just a lovely picture of tranquility and ladys successful season. thanks for this!
thank you alan.
Alan Thanks for that. Pure dead brilliant! It will help brighten up winter days.
I just found this and thank you so much!!! Today is August 3 in Portland Oregon.
Still a blue screen on Cam 2 – but thank goodness Cam 1 is working again. Just had a lovely view of Mum and the Kids on the nest
Web cam off again.
You didn’t aswer wether you are watching on your computer at home as well.
Cam down – okay an hour ago when youngest on nest calling for food.
I see the cam’s gone on strike again. Ho hum, what’s to be done, we’ll just have to wait until morning has come.
It’s back! Empty nest, bar the eternal egg, but someone’s shouting for supper nearby. A duck just quacked – well, you’ve got to record something when you’re faced with an empty stage.
Back again – empty nest
Cam back again but nest empty
do you have to be someone with a poem or someone who has only followed this blog since lady became ill to get some response from this blog i have followed lady since she first returned to the loch and have asked a few questions latererly but have few responses i feel that i have been ignored i have read nearly all blogs and excuse me but all of them did not know of ladies existence until she took ill
i am sorry to be so harsh but it is fact that because i do not blog it does not mean that i do not care because believe you me i love this wee family completely and when i do blog i should not be made feel inferior
ella, if you have outstanding questions for me, feel free to pose them again. If the osprey team have missed something, apologies on behalf of all of us. Thank you for your support. Best regards. Rinchen
now now. No one gets ignored. I.ve posted questions and when they’ve gone unanswered its usually because the question has been asked before and i find the answer then. This is the only interactive osprey blog i know of and the staff and bloggers try to answer what we can.
Ann B I agree. I haven’t asked too many questions as I get most answers to my ‘I wonder what, wheres and hows’ from other blog people who clearly have more experience and knowledge than me. What questions I have asked direct have been answered. I knew about lady long before she became ill. Having been unaware that I had seen her 19 years ago and had missed so much was entirely my fault and p***** me off…big style. Thoroughly enyoying it all. Cheers
ella – sorry that you appear to have not had some questions answered – and its not true that all the bloggers on here only became aware of this osprey family since Lady became ill – I for one – and I know of many many others – have been watching this site for several years – in my case this is the 4th year. It is true though that since the drama and trauma of Lady’s illness there have been hundreds and hundreds of blogs and the Team at LOTL do their level best to answer each and every one. They also have their jobs to do at the Centre, with the many visitors there all asking the same questions, and most of them stay there well into the night, or overnight, just to wade through the piles of blogs and questions that come in, and they answer as many as possible in the time – in lots of cases the same question is asked and you can usually find a reply somewhere back in earlier days’ blogs. The wonderful Osprey Team try their hardest to please everyone and also keep two cams up and running despite the weather, power cuts, and general computer glitches! – From me, and all bloggers out there, a HUGE thank you to them for the priviledged viewing of this wonderful year of Osprey life.
Ella pet,,,,,
I’m so sorry you feel you have been ignored,, I know myself have answered you at least once,, but please read carefully ALL that our Jill has posted above,, THANK YOU JILL !!!! all so complete and concise pet well done,,,
WE all ask many questions and our wonderful team have only so much time on the computer,,first and foremost the are Scientists and Rangers and THEIR work MUST always come first,, we here on our lovely blog, MUST and always take a back seat and allow them to fulfil their jobs,,
Quote a lot of our blogger here are long standing members of many years Osprey watching,, me included,, i’ve had the wonderful joy of knowing Lady and all her past broods for almost two decades,, and I’m still learning from her everyday,,,,
We as a site, will always reply as Jill has said with a reply,, BUT what you have to do first is go back a good few posts and look to see if your question has already been answered pet please,,,, as replying to the same question over and over can waste a lot of time when we want to view the nest,,,,
WE tend to leave the technical questions to our team,, and wait for answers WHEN they have the time,, then scroll back for the reply,,,
THAT’S what makes this site unique pet,,, we all get on so well,, there isn’t any nagging,, we son’t want that,, we have never had that, and I hope we never will,, we respect each other and listen to each other, we give, take and above all share,,, and over the years we have become friends,, WE KNOW at each and every new season,, WE ALL COME HOME AGAIN !!!
We love to see and welcome any new blogger who would like to come on here and enjoy the Ospreys with us,, cry with us and worry too,,,
So for us this is Osprey Central,, we may diverse at times into odd bits of banter, poems and what we have done during our day,, even post what we are cooking for that night dinner,, and if someone has lost a beloved pet,, or we know they have been ill,, we try to help there as well Ella pet,,,
We also give out info on other sites and other birds and animals too,, WE are and Eclectic bunch you know,,,
We are all from many different background and professions and we just love, I’ll use and old phrase pet, our “Melting Pot”,,, it makes everything so interesting all the time,,,
I’ll say this again pet,, we are a wonderful bunch here,, no cliques here,, we all muck in,, and new family member are always so very much welcomed,, but don’t expect preferential treatment pet,, we are all equal and that’s just how it should be pet,, if a new question comes up,,,, and a blogger can answer it,, we wait,, and then reply with manners,, and hopefull with a little joke too,,
So come on girl, join in and have fun,, the water is wonderful,, just be patient for your answers and we’ll get to you when we see your question,, honest !!!
love
Chrissy
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Ella just seen your blog and I can assure you I have been a blogger since before Lady became ill in fact I followed the cam last year having visited Loch of the Lowes in June and was on the cam in early March this year waiting for her arrival. I also visited Lotl in 2002/3 and Lady was in situ then and my interest in ospreys goes back to a visit to Loch Garten in l983. The team and fellow bloggers are great at answering most queries and if they don’t usually they are in a previous blog somewhere and I hasten to add Roy Dennis has written an excellent book about his work with the ospreys over the last forty or so years. I think this is a great site and a lot of friends seen and unseen can be made. Hope you will enjoy it more in the future I’m sure most of us will be back next year.
Hi ella, I saw that yesterday I think you asked to know which chick was on the nest at a particular moment. I think it is very rare for the rangers to see the blog entry as soon as it is written; they are talking with visitors at the centre or following the action with the camera and can’t do everything at once. They probably did not see your question until 30 minutes or more later, and by then the scene had changed many times I’m sure. If you want an immediate answer from others who are watching the nest at the same moment, the birdforum thread on the ospreys is probably a better place to try to get one. http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=165923&page=121 There isn’t always someone there, but if anyone’s there they will try to help I’m sure. You can tell if anyone’s reading the thread at the same time as you by scrolling to the bottom of the page and it will list all the members who are on the thread at the moment. Nothing can beat the LOTL blog for getting reliable information about the ospreys but it’s only one of the rangers’ many duties so they can’t be on the blog all the time. The birdforum can fill in some info during the nighttime in particular.
Please don’t be upset; I am sure you are not being deliberately ignored; Rinchen has apologised.
The people who are getting answers to questions are asking general questions, such as migration dates or “what will happen to the egg?” rather than “who just stole the fish?” (that being said, you probably will get the answers to questions like “who just stole the fish” by eventually reading the entries that get posted over the next few hours. Some of the bloggers are really good at posting all the action, play-by-play. But it might be the next day before all the posts get moderated and added to the blog.) Hope this helps. I’ve had posts deleted! But I am not taking it personally.
Both chicks arrive at nest, awaiting food delivery(4.55)
Still no breakfast delivered. No 1 chick flew off some time ago but no 2 is still calling. Lady made a couple of visits since 5.00 but no fish.
Two hungry chicks on the nest this morning calling for breakfast but no deliveries yet, as far as I know.
Intruder alert! Mom on the nest with the chicks. Mom is mantling, one chick was sort of mantling, other chick in meatloaf position in the middle of the nest.
Marjorie, “meatloaf” position. Nice one! Rinchen
Oh, and offtopic but the owlets have been left all night with no food at all (forecast was for some rain in Devon, I hope that’s all that’s gone wrong. Barn owls can’t hunt in rain, their feathers are not waterproof enough.) The larger owlet took the opportunity to fledge! Can’t wait for the other to do so as well, then we needn’t fear any more falls or missed meals (assuming mom and dad owl will be back shortly with some meals for the little ones.) Again I am thinking how lucky the osprey chicks have been. They never had to wait 24 hours for a meal, especially not when growing their flight feathers. Those owlets need lots of calories right now!
Both youngsters on the nest as the sun is just coming up and bronzing their feathers – hard to judge the weather, but the wind’s not blowing and I don’t think it’s raining either. Kids are waiting for beakfast but not making too much noise yet, no doubt it will increase shortly.
Good morning to everyone as you wake up and log on for an update.
Morning Steff pet,,,,
“Bronzing”,,, Cricky pet,, that could be the reason our boy wont leave the nest to often then,,,
He has sunstroke,,,,I think we better ask Rinchen to pop over to the nest with some factor 50,, don’t you pet,,
love
Chrissy
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oh, ps – there seems to be a minor crisis with camera two – it’s showing a bright blue screen – best of luck !!
10.20 pm – 1 chick on nest, together with the Ubiquitous Egg. I swear, you must retrieve it at the end of the season and put it on display in the Centre. It must be fossilised by now, or surely it would have been broken by all the patter of not so tiny feet.
Jean, you may be on to something about the egg. Rinchen
Looks like a beautifull morning and a lovely sight in the nest with mum on her perch and both youngsters eating .
Ella, no disrespect but you can surely see the volume of “traffic” the team has to process from the blog, and the sterling job they do of it too. This is is my first season, and i learned quickly that some of the more experienced bloggers will post replys to our queries which takes the weight off the team, and is greatly appreciated on both sides. It’s unfair to suggest the majority of people only started blogging at the time of Marje’s plight, and many have joined from other blogs out of concern for her at that time, but i would suggest if you feel left out, why not join in some of the discussions, post some replies yourself and enjoy this terrific blog, and if there’s anything that needs a response specifically from the team, they’ll do their best to reply – come on in, the water’s lovely!!
Ann B, I would be interested in when that occured. I will have a look for your note tomorrow, no rush, goin’ home now…Rinchen
AnnB, Cheers. Rinchen
already done lol. Have a good night. X
Ann B, the wednesday comment sounds as if the fish bit was caught on a talon… The behaviour last night was a deliberate activity of flying off the nest to eat. My diary note made a loose assumption that both events were intentional. Rinchen
i think chrissy also seen something on thursday but i.m sure she.ll clarify. I didn’t see it on wednesday but i seen last nights and it was definitely deliberate. I think we can presume she.s got her balance sorted for eating on a branch then. Another step into adulthood just need meatloaf to follow suit. Now i see both chicks flat on the nest with mum in protection mode. They really are still very young bless them.