A week in the life of an unattached male Osprey

The following account was written by Field Officer Tim Mackrill, using notes compiled during the week when 08(97)'s quest for a female took an exciting turn.

 

Some of John Wright's field sketches of the female

Thursday 15^th April

I arrived just before 9 o'clock to great excitement; a female had arrived on the artificial nest at the Fishponds in the NW corner of the reservoir half an hour earlier. She was now sitting in the nest and the male, 08(97) our well-known serial non-breeder was bringing in sticks and weed. Maybe at long last he had found a female who would stay and breed. (For an account of 08's exploits in previous years please click here.)

The female herself looked in very good condition. Unlike the female who had stayed for a few days at one of the other nest sites earlier in the week, she had few worn feathers on her wing coverts and scapulars, giving her a very striking, clean appearance. Although likely to be another Scottish female pausing on her migration north, she was unringed giving us no clue to her origin. Some Scandinavian birds migrate through the British Isles and so it was just possible that she was returning to join the breeding populations of Sweden, Finland or Norway when 08 displaying with a fish high above the reservoir, persuaded her to drop in. While she continued to perch on the side of the artificial nest at the top of a very tall sycamore, 08 continued to bring in weed from the waters edge, at one point snatching a piece so large that he had real trouble flying up to the nest with it.

Once females arrive at a nest site, fish is provided almost exclusively by the male. Sure enough, on her arrival 08 had placed a partly eaten roach in the nest. Rather surprisingly, the female showed very little interest in this and as a result a large number of carrion crows and magpies had assembled on the nest edge hoping to steal a piece. The female was equally uninterested in 08's mating advances. Despite his best efforts, vigorous wing flapping and pecking from the female indicated to us, if not 08, that she was just not interested!

The pair remained until mid-morning when they moved a mile or so south, to Manton Bay where 08 has held territory for the past four summers. However by late afternoon both birds had returned to the nest at the Fishponds and they remained there until dark.

Friday 16^th April

Although the female was seen by John Wright from his bedroom window at first light, she was not present at 8.30 and a rather forlorn looking 08 was sitting dejectedly on the artificial nest in the North Arm. It appeared that once again, he had been unable to hold onto a female and she had continued her migration north. However at 11.50 an unringed female appeared at one of the nests where a pair successfully bred last year. A quick look at her head pattern, breast band and unworn wing coverts suggested that this was 08's female. Despite the attention of the resident male, who immediately began displaying with a fish, the female remained on this nest for only a few minutes before heading off. Was this the last we were going to see of her?

It was not. She returned to 08's artificial nest late in the afternoon and remained there all weekend, providing wonderful views for the assembled onlookers.

Monday 19^th April

Over the weekend 08 had continued to build up the nest and the structure was now looking more and more impressive. At the height of nest building activity males can make up to one hundred trips a day for nest material and while 08 was not quite that busy, the presence of the female had certainly spurred him into activity. His mating was not nearly so impressive, and successful copulation had not yet been observed. However we were beginning to become more hopeful that she would stay and at least attempt to breed, and our hopes were raised further when at 11 o'clock she chased off another intruding male who had briefly landed on the nest platform in the North Arm. It seemed that she was becoming more attached, not only to this nest site, but also 08.

The pair remained in the Fishponds area for the remained or the day with 08 bringing a small pike and then a trout that any fisherman would have been proud to catch.

Tuesday 20^th April

More good news. The female was seen to bring in at least one clump of hay early in the morning, surely a sign that she was intending to stay.

Well no. Shortly after 9 o'clock she was seen to leave the nest and head off down the North Arm of the reservoir fishing. She had been food-begging all morning and with 08 having not yet brought her fish, perhaps hunger had got the better of her.

She was not subsequently seen all day.

Wednesday 21^st April

Once again there was no sign of the female at first light and 08 appeared to be venting his frustration on his neighbours. Firstly he dive-bombed a cormorant , forcing it under the water and then he picked a large stick from his own nest and dropped on the nearby rookery!

We are still hopeful that another female will arrive and breed with 08 but for the time being at least, it appears that he will have to wait a little longer.

Six translocated males seen so far

They are:

white ringed 03(97), father of four, now back at his nest site, with last year's mate 05(00);

white ringed 08(97), our serial non-breeder, described above;

orange ringed 03(98), father of two, still waiting for last year's mate to return (she arrived on 28 April last year);

orange ringed 09(98) - has not yet bred, seen frequently establishing a territory;

green ringed 06(00) - has not yet bred, seen from time to time in various locations including Manton Bay;

green ringed 10(00) - has not yet bred, seen just once this spring on April 19.

Five of the above have been seen nest-building at various sites around the reservoir.

For more details about all the birds that have been seen since their translocation please click here.

A picture by Danny Green showing the male 03(97) on the nest where he has bred for the past 3 years.