Osprey Update 4/4/11

Hi Folks, thought that I would give you all a quick update on how the ospreys are getting on after they returned to their nest on Thursday (31/3). Both Yellow OU and Green DX look like they are starting to settle back in. Our male bird obviously thinks he is going to be the next Carol Smiley as he has been spotted doing a lot of nest interior design over the weekend! He is also proving his worth with his fishing skills as we have had a good amount of trout brought into the nest.

Just some more information on the female that has been spotted on the nest: Yellow OU last bred on the nest in 2005 before being kicked off by Red 6A (our female from the last few years). We believe she was ringed in the Borders in 2003 and also, unusually, winters in Spain. This is where she has been trapped and has been seen every year. I will confirm this soon.

All this sounds lovely and peaceful but over the last few days the unringed male bird from last year has been spotted both on the nest trying to charm our female, and also perching on a tree next to nest!

More blog posts

In a change the way to we blog with year we are going to try and blog at least every couple of days to keep you all updated!

Ospreys have landed!

We can now confirm that ospreys have returned! At around 9.45am this morning Yellow OU, our female from a few year back, and Green DX were spotted back on our live nest site! They have already been seen mating and sorting out the nest. Yellow OU has not been seen on this nest site for number of years, and successfully raised chicks here back in 2005. Red 6A our usual female hasn't been seen yet, and neither has our troublemaker from last year, the metal ringed male! I think there are still a few more twists and turns in the story before we even see eggs being incubated. Stay tuned for more info!

Lights, camera, action!

It's that time of year again! Our Osprey cameras are back up and running. Hurray! I have to admit that it brought back a lot of memories from last year when I saw the nest on camera today - Red 6A, Green DX, the intruder metal ringed bird, our change of nests half way through the season, Ozzy, Jemima and Fred and the many fish! I wonder what they have in store for us this year?

We are still awaiting on the arrival of our ospreys (as some of you will know, EJ from Loch Garten has already returned) but hopefully this should be within the next week. The David Marshall Lodge is now fully open so put down your newspapers, finish the housework and pop in and see how we are getting on.

Most of our other live cameras are up and running too, including our Barn Owl Box, where our female is currently sat on 5 eggs!

2010 Osprey Chick Spotted in Senegal

We have just received this photo of our Blue HV chick that has been spotted in Senegal. It is always good to hear if some of our chicks have made is safely down to West Africa and it from the photo it looks like they have having a better winter than us!

In just over two months hopefully our ospreys will be returning to take up residence for the 2011 season!

Winter Hits the Lodge!

The David Marshall Lodge has been hit by the recent Big Freeze, as have many parts of the UK; because of this the Lodge has been closed for many days. The good news is that we are now open!

Wildlife Watch currently has live cameras on Red Squirrels, Bird Feeders and recorded footage of the 2010 ospreys season, plus many other recordings of different species that you might find in the forest e.g. Pine Marten, Peregrine and Barn Owls!

This weekend is shaping up to be a busy one with Christmas Tree sales, Christmas crafts and the Rockin' Robin trail, so why not pop up and join in the fun!

New Name for Aberfoyle Osprey Viewing!

The Wildlife Viewing Project at the David Marshall Lodge has a new name!! We have been considering for sometime that the room that is not only home to the Aberfoyle Ospreys but also many other different species for wildlife needed a new name and we can now reveal that the winner is "Wildlife Watch". This has been chosen as we feel that it lets people know exactly what is in the room and what is it all about! This is just the start of many changes to come in the next few months, keep watching for more info!

Buzzard 61 Spotted in Sutherland!

Some of you may not know but this year as well as a live link to an osprey nest we also had a link to a buzzard nest. This nest was success full and fledged three chicks and we have had news today that one of them has been spotted in Ardgay, Sutherland! These birds can be identified by the wing tag colours and numbers that are placed on them every year for the same reason as the ospreys. This just shows how far these birds can fly once they have fledged off the nest.

If you do spot any birds with wing tags or rings then please do let us know, this helps us to keep track of all the birds that were born and fledged in the Aberfoyle area.