Over the weekend we have seen both ospreys bringing in more sticks to the nest. AW as ever is a bit optimistic in thinking he can find the final resting place for his sticks on the nest. His mate rearranges his endeavours as sooon as he leaves. There have also been more mating attempts on the nest so things are looking good for an egg sometime soon, hopefully before the end of the week. Our pair are always a bit later than others, some of whom are already on clutches of 3. AW’s mother at Wigtown Bay laid her first egg of the season on the 15th and the second should be very soon. We have also seen good views of AW’s tail feathers over the weekend as he perches on the branch holding the CCTV camera at the nest. Thankfully the black plastic does seem to have blown away and no more has been seen. Just after midday today I could see an osprey perched on driftwood just off Saltcot merse and it looked to be eating a fish. It was too far away and too hazy to see if it was a ringed bird.
More DIY and mating on the nest
As we return to chilly wet wether it is all go at the nest with more sticks arriving and the bit of black plastic has moved to the edge of the nest and is flapping about in the wind. Hopefully it will blow away soon. AW has been busy bringing some good sized flounders to the nest and we have seen quite a few mating attempts on the nest. There seem sto be no sign of the intruder male near the nest however our colleagues west of us at NTS Threave have seen a third osprey at their nest, maybe he is trying his luck over there?
High drama at the nest
High drama today at the Caerlaverock osprey nest. The female was on the nest arranging sticks and forming the nest cup in the morning. The new male flew in and as Ian, our volunteer warden put it, ‘attempted intimacy’. Just after lunchtime a third osprey flew down to the nest and a right rammy ensued with both males fighting it out. When one of them came back into view and landed on the nest we could see what looked like a green leg ring with white letters, AW was back and standing beside his mate on the nest. She just carried on sorting the nest out as if nothing had happened. Both were then very vigilant and she stayed on or around the nest for the rest of the afternoon. More than likely that will be AW back in his patch now and he should see off the intruder male but it will be interesting to see how it all pans out.
It was a great atmosphere in the Caerlaverock Visitor Centre today watching the action live on the big screen. It is much better than any soap opera! Live images are beamed to the centre every day from 10am to 4pm. Why not pop down for a scone and a cup of coffee and see what happens next.
