Loch of the Lowes (Scotland) Osprey
Loch Arkaig, Scotland: Lots of fish & healthy chicks
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The nature needs us not, but we need the nature
- Birdfriend
- Registered user
- Posts: 11633
- Joined: July 19th, 2014, 2:47 pm
The nature needs us not, but we need the nature
Loch of the Lowes, Scotland: 26 June 2019 - Meet PT4 and PT5
What a cracker of a day for the annual ringing of the young osprey chicks!
The team at Lowes could not have asked for better weather; calm, warm and not a breath of wind, perfect for the tricky job of ascending the tree by local licensed and experienced raptor ringer Keith Brockie. The young birds even had an early feed – or ‘breakfish’ – ready for the day ahead.
Keith has decades of experience and the chicks were safe in his hands. Once he had ascended the tree the ringing process itself took only a mere 12 minutes! Ringing on the nest not only speeds up the process, but minimises the disturbance to both chicks and adults.
The chicks’ natural instinct is to play dead as soon as they hear their parents’ alarm calling, which makes handling the birds much easier. The chicks are further calmed by placing a piece of dark material – in this case Keith’s ringing gillet – over the birds. All that is required to secure the ring is to gently coax out each leg.
In Scotland ospreys are ringed with a coloured ‘Darvic’ ring on their left leg, whereas ospreys from England and Wales receive their coloured ring on their right leg. A smaller metal BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) ring is then attached to the other leg.
This code is used to register the bird into a UK-wide database. Along with the ‘Darvic’ code it is unique to each bird. This year our chicks have been ringed as Blue PT4 and Blue PT5.
The wingspan of each bird was also recorded, with PT4 measuring 390mm and PT5 coming in at 380mm.
Sexing the birds is always based on a ringer’s judgement and experience, however one indicator that is fairly accurate is observing the fit of the ring. Female birds have much thicker leg bones at the time of ringing than the males. Keith’s observations this year indicate that we potentially have two young males on the nest.
https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/20 ... 4-and-pt5/
Newly ringed young ospreys PT5 and PT4 © Keith Brockie
What a cracker of a day for the annual ringing of the young osprey chicks!
The team at Lowes could not have asked for better weather; calm, warm and not a breath of wind, perfect for the tricky job of ascending the tree by local licensed and experienced raptor ringer Keith Brockie. The young birds even had an early feed – or ‘breakfish’ – ready for the day ahead.
Keith has decades of experience and the chicks were safe in his hands. Once he had ascended the tree the ringing process itself took only a mere 12 minutes! Ringing on the nest not only speeds up the process, but minimises the disturbance to both chicks and adults.
The chicks’ natural instinct is to play dead as soon as they hear their parents’ alarm calling, which makes handling the birds much easier. The chicks are further calmed by placing a piece of dark material – in this case Keith’s ringing gillet – over the birds. All that is required to secure the ring is to gently coax out each leg.
In Scotland ospreys are ringed with a coloured ‘Darvic’ ring on their left leg, whereas ospreys from England and Wales receive their coloured ring on their right leg. A smaller metal BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) ring is then attached to the other leg.
This code is used to register the bird into a UK-wide database. Along with the ‘Darvic’ code it is unique to each bird. This year our chicks have been ringed as Blue PT4 and Blue PT5.
The wingspan of each bird was also recorded, with PT4 measuring 390mm and PT5 coming in at 380mm.
Sexing the birds is always based on a ringer’s judgement and experience, however one indicator that is fairly accurate is observing the fit of the ring. Female birds have much thicker leg bones at the time of ringing than the males. Keith’s observations this year indicate that we potentially have two young males on the nest.
https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/20 ... 4-and-pt5/
Newly ringed young ospreys PT5 and PT4 © Keith Brockie
Loch Arkaig, Scotland:
Two Girls both chicks now weigh in at 1.49kg
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2 ... ks-ringed/
Chicks JJ0 & JJ2 lying doggo after ringing, each poops
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... BGUXAH4PUE
Two Girls both chicks now weigh in at 1.49kg
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2 ... ks-ringed/
Chicks JJ0 & JJ2 lying doggo after ringing, each poops
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... BGUXAH4PUE
Arkaig ospreys:
Behind the scenes of a nest camera in the Scottish Highlands
https://stories.woodlandtrust.org.uk/ospreys/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtwK6Yz1YNQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5IHJEd-zYY
Behind the scenes of a nest camera in the Scottish Highlands
https://stories.woodlandtrust.org.uk/ospreys/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtwK6Yz1YNQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5IHJEd-zYY
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Ferenz thank you for sharing the news about Loch Arkaig
The nature needs us not, but we need the nature
- Birdfriend
- Registered user
- Posts: 11633
- Joined: July 19th, 2014, 2:47 pm
20 July 2019 - JJ0 Mallie fledges, first to Robin's perch,
fells off, tries once more, fells down again and succeeds
with 3rd attempt >>>
https://community.rspb.org.uk/placestov ... nt-4292=40
JJ 2 Rannoch’s face as her sister took off
Video by scyllabub
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... 7gmevpKov0
fells off, tries once more, fells down again and succeeds
with 3rd attempt >>>
https://community.rspb.org.uk/placestov ... nt-4292=40
JJ 2 Rannoch’s face as her sister took off
Video by scyllabub
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... 7gmevpKov0
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- Joined: July 19th, 2014, 2:47 pm
Loch Arkaig: Fish delivery by DaD
JJ0 Rannoch wins the tag of war... JJ2 Mallie is 2nd and has to wait
JJ0 Rannoch wins the tag of war... JJ2 Mallie is 2nd and has to wait
JJ2 Mallie is looking for her chance & steels Rannochs' fish
02 August 2019 - Farewell LF15, our beautiful Female Osprey
Our beautiful female osprey, LF15, has not been seen at Lowes since last Sunday. We have been keeping a close watch on the Loch and on all her usual perches and have decided that now is the time to confirm she has left on migration.
Since her two chicks (now large, hungry juveniles) fledged, she had been keeping her distance from the nest, encouraging their independence. She passed her days calmly sitting on her favourite trees preening, bathing in the loch and taking flights to build her strength and gain condition for her own long journey south. Last week, she disappeared from view for a few days and we were on the verge of deciding she was away, but then she returned!
Female ospreys leave the family group first: their part of the breeding season is done. Last year, she left us on 8th August so this is a comparatively early departure. The male, LM12, is still here to provide fish for the two juveniles while they hone their own flying and fishing skills.
What a wonderful season of osprey watching LF15 has given us. We are truly privileged to protect her and watch her tend her growing family during their time in Scotland.
Keep safe LF15 you have done a wonderful job protecting and rearing PT4 and PT5. You will be missed but, rest assured, next Spring we will be eagerly scanning the sky with hopes for your return.
Cherry
https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/20 ... le-osprey/