The Ospreys are back !!

Things are a bit mixed at Loch Garten, Extugger. Although there is a pair at the nest the male, Axel, is not delivering fish frequently enough to the female, Mistle, and the thought is that he may also have another partner at a second nest. If that's the case it might depend on which female lays first and received his undivided attention, as he would not be able to keep both of the fed during incubation.  This is a link to the RSPB LG website so that you can follow the daily action.

https://community.rspb.org.uk/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/f/loch-garten-ospreys/280015/loch-garten---may-2022#pifragment-4292=8

There is good news from other monitored sites, primarily at Llyn Brenig, where following the destruction of the nest last year by vandals, the same pair, LM6 and LJ2, have returned and she has laid 3 eggs. Hopefully they will all hatch and fledge successfully.

There are 16 other nest sites with at least 3 eggs in each, and at Keilder 1A the pair have produced 4 eggs. Good luck to them all.

Any news of Bassenthwaite ospreys this year?

There is a report of 3 eggs having been laid by 18th April, and also 3 more at the Esthwaite nest by the 20th. From the RSPB website:-

A look at the Cumbrian situation as of 20/04/22 -

Bassenthwaite Lake
Unringed M, Unringed F – three eggs laid

Esthwaite Water
Blue 7A M, Unringed F – at least one egg laid

Foulshaw Moss
White YW M, Blue 35 F – three eggs laid

Roudsea Wood
White YC M, Unringed F – no news of eggs yet

South Cumbria
Blue CX5 M – returned, no news of Blue PA1 F or eggs
Blue W1 M – returned, no news of Unringed F or eggs
Blue 9C M – returned, no news of F or eggs
Blue V8 M – returned, not known if breeding

Duddon Estuary
Unknown pair. Could this be the Roudsea M, Rutland F reported to be paired in the Lakes last year

Thanks Nellie, I know that the ospreys moved to a different nest site a few years back which was not that visible from the Dodd Wood viewing point. Went past the Keswick A66 circle today where they used to advertise the direction to the viewing point but no road signs at all visible. That may be a good thing mind!

micky, this is the comment I found on the RSPB, Foulshaw page, which confirms your thoughts, I think.

"the nest is not the one you can see from the view point above the Water, but on private land, and that's why there isn't much info coming through. "

Great news from Loch Garten.

The resident female, nominally named Mistle, today at 18:47 laid the first egg to have been laid at LG's monitored and videod nest since 2018. Many fingers now crossed for the pair to rear at least one health chick. Volunteers and watchers are all on text hooks as they think that this is the first year that either of the pair have matured into prospective parents, so this is a learning curve for both of them.

Thank you for that information My very good friend  --  Our prayers doooo seem to be answered occasionally  

Let's just hope that they stay together and that Axel both supplies her with fish, which he has not been that good at so far, and that he takes his turn at incubating the egg(s).

Watching the news this morning it sounds like Keilder is having an osprey bumper year. This seeding strategy for reintroduction certainly does work. Let’s hope for the same at Poole Harbour and the WTS eagles on the Isle of Wight!