Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)
 

National WWT News

Heading south

Posted on 7 September 2011 by WWT Caerlaverock

Our Ospreys have now not been seen on the nest for over a week, but we have been getting regular daily sightings of Ospreys fishing on the Solway in front of our Saltcot Merse Observatory. Some days have been seeing one or two birds, other days there have been up to five, so as well as our resident Ospreys we know others must be joining them, using the Solway as a very convient rest and feeding stop on their southwards migration from  Scotland to Africa.

The fascinating science of Satellite Tracking is revealing more about Ospreys migrations all the time and this year we have an amazing total of eight Scottish Ospreys , two English and three Welsh birds wearing transmitters. We know that at least two of these birds have passed through our area already on their autumn travels southwards- for more information see our UK Osprey News page.

It is incredible to think that our two chicks are now ready to migrate  being just three months old- and facing that huge task of navigating to Africa alone.  We can only wish them well and hope that eagle eyed observers further south might spot them and their distinctive leg rings on route, or even in Africa, to give us news of their fate. We probably won’t see them back here in Scotland for a couple of years ( gap year in Africa is the Osprey norm) even if they are sucessful. Good luck “ZY” and “HL”!

 

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Still sitting…

Posted on 10 May 2011 by WWT Caerlaverock

Our resident Ospreys are still sitting tight on their two precious eggs despite the wilder turn of the weather- in fact such cool and stormy conditions are when their diligence is most important to keep the eggs warm. For those of us viewing the live nest camera on site though, the high winds rocking then nest back and forth can make you feel a little seasick! Despite being exposed to the elements Ospreys almost always prefer such high tree top nesting sites – prefferably with 360 degree views- for security.

Both birds have again been sharing incubation duties, and the male this morning seemed very reluctant to hand over to his mate on her return- he is certainly a proud father, or perhaps just too comfortable sitting snug on the nest.

Interestingly we have not been seeing the male bring many fish back to the nest- instead the female seems to be fishing ,at least partly, for herself during her turns off the nest. This will change though as soon as the chicks are hatched , when all responsibilty for keeping the family fed will fall on the male.

Another two weeks of waiting to go…

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Third week of incubation

Posted on 8 May 2011 by WWT Caerlaverock

We are entering the third week of incubation of our two osprey eggs here at WWT Caerlaverock. The eggs are incubated for an everage of 37 days and during that time our adult birds will diligently turn and rotate them regualrly to ensure even developement for the embryos inside. It is amazing to watch these big birds walk around the nest with their huge talons curled in under their toes to avoid breaking the eggs. Both adults have been taking turns with incubation duties- the male is just as willing it seems to sit on the eggs, which is not the case in every Osprey pair. Thier vigilance is essential not only to ensure an even temperateure for the eggs but to protect them from opportunistic predators during this period.

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Busy incubating two eggs in the sunshine

Posted on 4 May 2011 by WWT Caerlaverock

There has been no sign of a third egg laid this year and the female is sitting tight incubating the two eggs. AW as usual is taking his turn and she had to physically turf him off the eggs at one point yesterday, maybe she was ready for him to go and catch another fish. There is more plastic sheet on the nest today, only a small piece of clear plastic but it is right on the top of the nest in front of the incubating birds. There is less wind today to blow it away. The weather has been dry and sunny for the last three weeks or so but the forecast predicts a wet day for tomorrow. A rare wet day in the incubation process this year.

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Incubations continues

Posted on 2 May 2011 by WWT Caerlaverock

Our ospreys are happily incubating their two eggs on the nest today and no doubt enjoying the beautiful spring weather. The eggs were laid on the 19th and 22nd of April and it now looks unlikely they will be joined by a third egg this year, as it has been more than a week since the second was laid, which is usually the maxmium gap between eggs.

However, two eggs is still a great outcome and most welcome as this is a relatively young breeding pair, and every Osprey born here in Dumfries and Galloway potentially helps these still vulnerbale birds recolonise their historic range. If both eggs hatch the two chicks will stand a very good chance of both surviving to fledging as there should be plenty of food to go around.

Osprey eggs hatch between 35 and 42 days after laying, with a pretty reliable average being 37 days. Some quick calculations reveal therefore that the earliest possible hatching date for egg one would be the 24th of May, but more likely the 26th, whereas egg two could hatch as early as the 27th, but more likely around the 29th of May.

Meanwhile the parent birds continue to be dedicated and vigilant as the eggs must be kept constantly warm and protected from opportunistic predators during the long incubation

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Still two eggs

Posted on 28 April 2011 by WWT Caerlaverock

The ospreys are still basking in sunshine and we still have a clutch of 2 eggs. It has been quite difficult to see what is actually going on in the nest cup due to the mounds of grass and sticks that the female has heaped up at the edge of the nest. Today AW took his turn on the nest for almost 2 hours over lunchtime before his mate took over again, when he stood up we could clearly see at least 2 eggs, the very dark almost brown first egg and the more speckled second egg.

With the increased daylight and sunlight hours we now have enough solar power to beam live CCTV images to the visitor centre from 10am till we close at 5pm.

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Still no third egg

Posted on 26 April 2011 by WWT Caerlaverock

At the end of the CCTV recording yesterday I could still see only two eggs on the nest. This morning the female has been sitting tight on the nest most of the morning and has built up the grass and twigs at the front of the nest so that it is difficult to see the eggs when she stands up to turn them. Hopefully I will get a chance to see what is going on later on and update today or tomorrow morning. Still basking in spring sunshine which is always a good thing for the birds.

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Can’t see the third egg yet

Posted on 25 April 2011 by WWT Caerlaverock

Like yesterday AW has been doing a lot of nest duty today sitting on the eggs. He spent nearly 2 hours this morning before his mate came in and took over. Due to the build up of nest material on the edge of the nest it is very difficult to see if a 3rd egg has been laid this morning. Hopefully I will be able to see what is going on this afternoon on the live feed, if not I will have to go through the DVD later to se if I can get a glimpse of the eggs when they stand up and turn them or change over. At 1.10pm AW arived back on the nest empty handed and stood on the edge of the nest for 10 minutes before flying off again. Maybe she is in need of a fish, she was calling to him when he left. I hope to post another update later this afternoon with an egg update.

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Osprey Easter egg number two laid this morning

Posted on 22 April 2011 by WWT Caerlaverock

When the CCTV images came on this morning we could see AW stand up on the nest and between his legs there were 2 eggs. If we didn’t know better it looked as if he had just laid them! A second lighter and more speckled egg was beside the very russet first egg clearly visible in the nest cup. Soon after the female arrived to take over and AW flew off. They changed over another 2 times before noon. No sign of any fish yet this morning. I will try to get some images today from the CCTV system as the weather and the images are very clear.

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No sign of egg number two yet

Posted on 21 April 2011 by WWT Caerlaverock

It looks hot on the osprey nest today as the birds bask in the spring sunshine. AW has flown in to take his turn on the nest 3 times today, once with a fish for his mate. We have also seen a mating attempt on the nest this morning, a precarious operation as the female sits on the egg! By 4pm this afternoon there was still no sign of a second egg, hopefully later this evening or tomorrow morning.

Good news from AWs home at Wigtown Bay, HD & EP have a clutch of 3 eggs.

More good news from NTS Threave, 5 ospreys were seen at the nest site yesterday and the regular pair sat tight on the nest till the 3 interlopers flew off.

Dumfries & Galloway is fast becoming a great place to watch opsreys with three very different viewing sites. here at Caerlaverock we have live CCTV from the nest and a chance to see the birds fishing in the Solway. At NTS Threave near castle Douglas you can actually see the nest from a special viewing platform near the castle and at Wigtown bay there is one of the best CCTV systems beaming live images to the Town Hall viewing room. There are also other birds about so you never quite know when you may see one of these spectacular birds in this area.

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