Ospreys 2021

OH has just come in and seen it on twitter, she never swears but boy did she at this point, utter scum and bastards were just about legible in the tirade. After last years disturbance as well. Unbelievable. We are both so angry.
 
I've just read about this and checked on here, as I know a few watch ospreys nesting on the webcam. You have to wonder what sort of mind these vile people/person have. Do you think these birds will make another nest and do you think it will be in the same vicinity? Daft thought, but I wonder if the birds are capable of thinking to look for a more secure place. ?
 
There are apparently a number of other man-made nests in the vicinity but they are usually blocked off with buoys so the birds don't nest too close together. The closest one of these has been cleared and a dummy egg put in it but it seems they are still perching in trees at the original site.

The latest update says they are going to replace the platform - staff and volunteers have been working on a replacement nest all day and it is hoped that a new pole will be erected tomorrow by Dwr Cymru (Welsh Water). She will be about due to lay again.
 
This isn’t casual vandalism - man-made osprey nests are very strongly built, they have to be to support the weight on top of the pole. Somebody with a chainsaw and an enormous grudge against ospreys put a lot of work into doing this. Not your average teenager out for a laugh.
So hard to think of a motive, though - I can understand that egg collecting would be a motive for nest disturbance, but obviously this isn’t that. Is there a commercial fishery nearby that might dislike their predation?
 
The site has a fishery on it, and they have contributed to a nice Osprey watch centre. I assume that the boat didn't come from the fishing area as that would have been picked up on the fishing lodge's CCTV. Doesn't rule out a rogue angler though. Most of the fisheries have more than enough fish in to accommodate, fishers and Ospreys. the Horn Mill trout farm at Rutland runs a very successful photo hide for people who want to photograph Ospreys catching trout. That gets about 10 different Ospreys fishing it
I know the people who filmed there last year and disturbed the nesting area wanted to return this year and were told no, another candidate possibly, could also be the person who shot the Peregrines over Glaslyn way
 
Apparently a motive other than egg-collecting, simple hatred of ospreys or a grudge against the authorities concerned has been suggested to the police and they are taking that seriously into account. It is sub judice so speculating as to the perpetrators, while only human, isn't much use and could even prejudice matters. Such a stir has been created by this that the police are having to take it very seriously, although to be fair they were doing so anyway.

Just went to check FB to make sure I had my facts right about motive and found that although Llyn Brening and NWWT were going to erect a replacement platform this morning a "group of wildlife enthusiasts" got in overnight and erected a new platform!
Personally I'm very suspicious and if I were lLyn Brening or NWWT I'd take that platform down in case it has been poisoned in some way.
Even if their intentions were good, they have still broken the law and created a muddle. How would you erect something like that, from boats, in the dark?
 
More cheerful news on the Osprey front, Aeron the male who was born at Dyfi and the female Blue014 from Poole harbour who appeared at Glaslyn a few weeks ago and took a liking to the nest next to the Glaslyn visitor centre have laid an egg
 
Lots of developments at osprey nest sites. On of the three eggs at Rutland was addled so two chicks there; this afternoon while trying to cope with a large flapping mullet Telyn, at Dyfi Osprey Project trod on the second chick which was just 8 hours old so when the 3rd egg hatches there will be two there; at Glaslyn the 3rd chick is still surviving on the yoke sac but neither of the other two nor Mrs G (mum) have eaten for 24 hours. Dad has been seen on the nest but apart from the river flowing very fast and muddy after all the rain, there are problems with crows at the nest so he seems to be hanging around; Loch of the Lowes in Scotland has had 3rd chick hatch; No chicks hatched at Llyn Clywedog yet.
Some, probably well-meaning, wildlife enthusiasts put up a replacement nest at Llyn Brenig but it was quite low and apparently quite flimsy. It has now been occupied by Greylag geese and the osprey project have erected the nest they built on a telescopic handler as a temporary measure.
 
Quick update. Sadly the eldest chick at Glaslyn has died although apparently the other two look quite strong. The male, who provides all the food is now seen to be missing a couple of primary feathers from his right wing, something that happened between going to roost on Thursday and Friday afternoon. I don't know what effect that would have on his ability to fly up from the water carrying a fish but it is said that he has been getting stronger during the day. He needs to bring a fish to the nest very soon or the other chicks will die.
At the Dyfi Osprey project mum removed the dead chick this morning, the first chick is feeding well and the remaining egg has pipped.
No hatching signs at Llyn Clywedog but the hatching "window" is open.
 
It is so sad, We wondered if something happened to Aran in the storms. It is made worse as Ospreys don't do role reversals so Mrs G could go fishing. Everything is crossed here and a lot of praying heavenwards, been some nice messages from Dyfi and Threave Ospreys on Twitter, incidentally Black 80 one of Mrs G's first born has just had a chick hatch this is his 15th year at Threave, and KS1 Mrs G and Aran's chick from 2018 has paired up at a new nest in Wensleydale, 1st time a pair of Ospreys have occupied a nest in Yorks for 100 years.
Just keeping everything crossed
 
The latest update from Glaslyn is that Aran has bee making short flights and has twice chased intruders away but has not been fishing. One of the osprey experts has looked at the camera footage and thinks that Aran will recover. Whether that will be in time to save the two remaining chicks is not known. The weather has improved and if it warms up then I understand the fish will be nearer the surface potentially making it easier for Aran to catch one.

The third chick has hatched at the Dyfi Osprey project so there are now two live healthy chicks there, and the first chick has hatched at Llyn Clywedog -two more to go.
 
The lack of role reversal is so frustrating. You’d think they’d just see what needed to happen, wouldn’t you? It’s like that clip from David Attenborough of an albatross just sat there, watching a chick that had been blown off the open-topped nest and was struggling to get back to where it could be fed by its parent, when only a little nudge would have helped it back to safety.
Any idea what has actually happened to Aran? Loss of main wing feathers suggests either an accident, predation or an attack by humans, damaging his wing muscles perhaps.
 
I guess we will never know exactly what happened, he could have got into a tussle with another Osprey, the two Llyn Clywedog youngsters are still hanging about, got caught by a branch in the storms, even got tangled by something in the water whilst fishing. Shame there isn't a handy trout farm nearby with fish living near the surface.
You would think that something would kick in and they would swap roles, remember seeing a Peregrine virtually starve on a nest when her partner failed to return
 
Apparently ospreys will only take live fish and if they drop one when they're eating they very, very rarely drop down and pic it up. I think it's partly the way their talons work, I can't remember the exact detail but think one of the front talons moves to the back so they have two at the front and two at the back when they seize the fish.

A number of unfortunately ignorant people wanted "someone" to take fish up to the nest. Apart from the fact that without the appropriate licence, interfering with the eggs,birds or eggs is illegal there were 70 mph winds and pouring rain ad the nest is 80 feet up I think. Much as I want to save the chicks risking someone's life to do so is ridiculous. One FB poster, when I said that, answered that they would probably do it - risk their life I mean!

The weather has been appalling at Glaslyn, much worse than at the other Welsh sites. Aran could have been blown against a tree or something or any of the accidents BYM mentions.
 
Well I was wrong about feeding stations and I'm glad I was!
There's been an update from the Glaslyn site and they have been putting fish out at a feeding station but they can only do that when the crows have gone to roost otherwise they would take the chicks while mum was off collecting fish. They don't know why the first chick died because it was eating well on Sunday afternoon.
Anyway the two remaining chicks are doing well, Aran seems to be improving all the time but there's a cheeky osprey who has been seen hanging around the nest and she stole a fish early on Monday morning which meant there were no more fish until dusk. Fortunately Mrs G had fed the chicks earlier.

I decided to leave my earlier post ...

If you want to see the update and video clips here is the link:

https://www.glaslynwildlife.co.uk/2021/05/an-important-update-from-the-glaslyn-nest/?fbclid=IwAR0XQd75_lAaKjw1n0c4eHOUEJO7gCiUIospIGZChZPt7Qy8H8aLrakN8-U
 
Apart from needing food, I suppose fish are the only source of water for both the parents and the chicks, so it’s a relief to know they’re getting something. Presumably a dead fish is better than nothing?

Very interesting link, Margaid. They’re obviously going through a really difficult time at the moment.
 
Well once the parents have eaten the head the fish is dead anyway. The chicks on the Dyfi nest were nearly knocked out of the nest by the tail of a huge grey mullet that dad brought without having eaten the head. It's also quite normal if the fish is big for it to be on the nest for a couple of days. The last fish that Aran brought in was on Thursday and they finished it off on Friday.
 
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