Ospreys in Manton Bay 2008

Manton Bay lies at the south-west corner of Rutland Water. In the bay, there is pole where an artificial nest was built in the late 1990s. From the very beginning of the translocation project, this nest became a focus of attention for returning Ospreys, but it was the male 08(97) who made the nest his own. You can read the story of his attempts to attract a female to the nest here. Eventually, in 2007, 08 was joined by the young female 5N(04) and they produced two healthy chicks. Click for full 2007 story and pictures,

The Manton Bay nest is close to two birdwatching hides on the Lyndon Reserve (details).

29th June

In recent days it has become clear that, 70 days after she laid the first egg, 5N has now given up on incubation. Despite this she has rarely been absent from the nest, and 08 is continuing to provide a regular supply of fish for his mate - helping to maintain the pair bond in the process. In contrast to his mate, 08 has continued to 'incubate' at regular intervals - often for up to an hour at a time. In addition, he has added sticks and nest-lining material to the huge structure on a frequent basis. More news and photos to follow later in the week.

18th June

It is now 58 days since 5N laid the first egg, but remarkably both birds are continuing to sit tight on the nest for the vast majority of the time. 08 in particular is showing no signs of giving up - flying straight to the nest whenever 5N leaves. 5N does appear rather more restless, but continues to sit low in the nest in the typical incubation posture for long periods. Now almost three weeks after expected hatching date, we can only assume that the birds are incubating a failed egg.

Viewers of BBC's Springwatch will know that one of the eggs in Osprey nest featured on the programme failed to hatch after the male clumsily stood on it and pierced the shell. Perhaps something similar has happened in Manton Bay? Of course there is no concrete answer, but it now seems possible that 08's errant behaviour at the start of the incubation period could be to blame. As reported on 27th April he was absent from the nest for a period of three days, leaving 5N to carry out all of the incubation. Unfortunately 08's absence coincided with the arrival of the young male 32(05). Without an established territory of his own, 32 appeared to set his sights on the Manton Bay nest, repeatedly attempting to land on the nest with 5N. 32's aggressive behaviour meant 5N was forced to give chase on numerous occasions. Not only did this result in the nest being unguarded for a total of about five hours, but it is possible that 5N stood on one of the eggs when she was defending the nest. In addition, 5N is likely to have been very stressed during her mate's absence and perhaps this affected egg-laying in some way? Of course, without the aid of a camera looking into the nest, this is purely speculation, but it does seem highly coincidental that 08 was absent at such a significant point in the incubation period.

Despite the fact that the chicks have failed to hatch, the adults are likely to remain around the site until late August, and we will continue to report on their behaviour in this diary.

6th June

As reported earlier in the week, the last realistic chance of hatching was on Wednesday. Unfortunately though, several days have now passed with no change in the adults' behaviour. They are continuing to sit tight in the nest, suggesting that a third egg remains unhatched. More news to follow next week.

3rd June

With hatching apparently imminent, expectations were high at the end of last week. We hoped that the first egg might hatch on Thursday, and by the weekend at the latest. Thursday and Friday passed with no obvious change in the adults behaviour, but on Saturday morning, the female became very restless on the nest. Maybe a chick was hatching? 08 spent much of the morning fishing; perhaps spurred into action by what he had seen in the nest. The female continued to stand up on the nest at regular intervals, and then shortly after lunch time the male arrived back with a fish. Was this to be the magic moment? After eating the head of his catch 08 flew to the nest. Everyone in the hide collectively held their breath, hoping 5N would remain on the nest and offer fish down into the nest cup. After a few moments though she flew off with the fish and the male settled back down on the nest. Never mind we thought, maybe the chick was not yet out of it's shell? A few hours later 08 went fishing again. Surely this would be the moment? After half an hour he returned to the nest with a small perch. He quickly consumed the head before flying to the nest. Once again though, the female flew off with the fish. Despite several more fishing trips 08 failed to catch any more fish that evening, and when the birds continued to change-over at regular intervals, we came to the conclusion that if a chick had hatched, it must have died soon afterwards; once the eggs have hatched only the female broods them.

Throughout Sunday the birds continued to incubate; but this was not overly surprising since Osprey eggs usually hatch two days apart. Maybe a second egg would hatch on Monday?

Sure enough, on Monday morning the nightwatchmen reported that the female was very restless shortly before 6am. She continued in much the same vain for much of the morning and 08 eventually arrived back at the nest with a large trout. Once again though, the female did not offer any fish into the nest. Although she continued to sit very high in the nest for much of the afternoon, a posture more typical of a brooding bird than an incubating one, 08 did not bring any more fish to the nest, not helped by heavy rain. Without the aid of a camera looking into the nest, we can only speculate as to what has happened, but the behaviour of the adults does suggest that on both occasions a chick may have died soon after hatching. We can only hope that if a third chick hatches on Wednesday, that we have better news.

26th May

It's now day 34 of incubation, and so excitement is growing about the (we hope) imminent hatching of the first chick - last year the first chick hatched 36 days after incubation had begun, which means Wednesday may be the magic day this year. Like at Site B the clearest indication that hatching has occurred will be when the female offers fish down into the nest cup, so we will be watching the nest very closely every time the male arrives back at the nest with a meal. Not that fishing has been easy recently; strong winds and heavy rain have combined to make spotting fish very difficult for 08. Wind and rain not only disturbs the surface of the water, but it also churns up sediment from the reservoir bed, making the water much less transparent. As a result, 08 has made numerous fruitless foraging trips over the bank holiday weekend. We are certainly hoping for more summer-like weather later in the week!

Meanwhile, further east along the day, the metal-ringed female who had 5R and 32 vying for her affections in early May made a brief reappearance last week. On Wednesday morning she spent 45 minutes on 5R's nest; but when the young male failed to appear she disappeared and was not seen again. Despite the fleeting nature, it is extremely encouraging that she has returned; having departed in early May we assumed she had flown north to a nest in Scotland, but it now seems that this was not the case. Without the aid of a colour ring it is impossible for us to know how old the female is, but this recent behaviour suggests she may be a two year-old bird. Like males, female Ospreys usually return to the UK for the first time in their third summer, but unlike males, they do not necessarily return to their natal site- research has shown that female are less site faithful and may breed away from their natal site if they find a male with a good territory elsewhere. So we are now hoping that this particular female may take up residence with 5R later in the year; in 2006 5N and 08 spent six weeks together in late summer, and then returned to breed next spring. Let's hope the same is true for this new young couple!

19th May

Although young Ospreys usually do not breed until they are at least three years old, most return to their natal site for the first time as two year olds. Last summer 30(05), a female who fledged from the Site B nest in 2005, returned to the reservoir in mid-May and was then present until early September. We had hoped that she would return early this year, and perhaps even breed - as her sister, 5N, did last spring. However by Saturday she still had not returned and we suspected the worst...perhaps she had died?

But then, some great news! Yesterday lunchtime 5R was joined by a female on his nest on the south side of Lax Hill. And yes, it was 30!

She remained with 5R for fifteen minutes before heading off on a fishing trip. Unfortunately for 5R she did not return, but we now hope she may pair up with one of the various unattached males. It is too late for her to breed this year, but assuming she survives the winter, it bodes very well for the future.

Meanwhile...at the Manton Bay nest, incubation continues. The photo on the right shows 5N playing in the wind during a break from her sitting duties.

Each time 08 disappears from the nest we assume he has gone fishing, but this is not always the case. On Thursday afternoon five male Ospreys were circling over the Egleton reserve, 'chipping' at each other. The photo on the left shows three of the birds - the uppermost one being 03(97), the middle bird 08 and the bottom one, 09(98). Just out of shot are 32(05) and 5R(04).

13th May

It's now three weeks since 5N laid a clutch of what we hope are three eggs, meaning the birds are over half way through the incubation process. This morning at least three different Ospreys intruded at the nest, forcing 08 and 5N to give chase on a number of occasions. In Scotland there have been several examples of eggs being broken during aggressive intrusions by non-breeding birds, but thankfully the three intruders - 5R, 32 and another bird - did nothing more than circle over the nest. The photo on the right shows 32 and 5R during one such intrusion.

Like 08, 32 and 5R regularly fish in Manton Bay. The photos below show 32 during one such fishing trip.

Over the course of the summer Ospreys moult their flight feathers, sometimes creating obvious gaps in their primaries or secondaries. Usually they will drop just a single feather at any one time, but in the past few days 09(98), has suddenly lost three primaries in each wing. The photo on the left was taken on 8th May and shows that although several primaries are very worn, they are all still in place. Compare this with the photos below which were taken yesterday when 09 was intruding at the Manton Bay nest; they show primaries seven, three and one missing, giving him a very scrappy appearance. Although 09 has an established territory, in the past few days he has been seen perched on a dead tree in the North Arm of the reservoir; it seems he knows that it is too late for him to breed this year and, as a result, is less tied to his territory.

9th May

As we suspected the (presumably) Scottish female who was present for two days last week has not returned, leaving 5R and 32 to continue their territorial disputes. It's a battle that 5R seems to be winning - on Wednesday evening he repeatedly chased 32, attempting to oust the young male from his Heron Bay nest. The photo on the left shows one such chase.

Over the past few years we have monitored the behaviour of the non-breeding males closely, and there is no doubt that hierarchies do exist. Before finally breeding in 2007, 08 was always dominant among the non-breeding males, and it now seems that 5R is exerting dominance over younger 32. It will certainly be interesting to see how things develop in the coming weeks.

Interestingly, the two bachelor males have rarely intruded at the main Manton Bay nest, leaving 08 and 5N to continue the long incubation process. 08 has continued to catch one or two fish every day, usually fairly hefty trout. After eating the head of his catch 08 takes the remainder to 5N and takes over incubation; a far cry from his errant behaviour of two weeks ago!

3rd May

While 08 and 5N continue to incubate, their near-neighbours, 5R and 32, have been battling for the affections of a new female.

Shortly after lunch time on Thursday, 5R began displaying spectacularly above his nest on the south side of Lax Hill. Although both of the young males have been displaying regularly as they try to establish territories, this display flight seemed more vociferous. We suspected that 5R may have seen a female and, sure enough, a few minutes later a second bird dropped onto his nest. A quick look through a telescope revealed a dark breastband; this was definitely a female.

Eventually it was possible to see that although the female was not colour-ringed, she did have a metal ring on her right leg, suggesting she was probably a Scottish bird. For the next few hours she remained on the nest, and spurred into action, 5R brought numerous clumps of hay to line it. He also attempted to copulate with the female at regular intervals.

After an hour or so the female began food-begging and eventually 5R left the nest in search of a meal. Sensing his opportunity 32, who had been watching intently from his nest a few hundred metres away, began displaying, attempting to entice the new arrival towards his territory by dangling a newly caught fish in his talons. Sure enough, the female followed!

Although initially reluctant to hand over his catch, 32 finally passed the fish to the female and she remained with him for another hour or so. Like 5R, the presence of the female prompted 32 to begin nest-building furiously. He made numerous short flights to collect sticks and turf and made several ungainly attempts to copulate. Eventually though, the female grew tired of 32's advances, and returned to 5R!

The female remained with 5R for much of Friday morning, but when he failed to respond to her constant food-begging, she flew off north and did not return for the rest of the day. Over the past few years we have seen many passing Scottish females linger for a few days with unpaired males before continuing their journey north. Perhaps this is another example of a female who knows that if she pauses with a male for a few days, she will almost certainly get a free meal! One other question remains. Could this female be the bird who kept 08 away from the Manton Bay nest last week? Unfortunately we will probably never know!

1st May

Following 08's wayward behaviour last week, it is a relief to say that normality has returned to Manton Bay. Having returned to the nest with a fish on Thursday evening, 08 has remained at the nest since then, sharing incubation duties with 5N and providing a regular supply of fish. He is generally catching one-two fish each day and always ensures that 5N receives her fair share.

We are still at a loss to explain his behaviour last week. Perhaps he did stumble across a female while fishing on Tuesday morning? There are examples of polygamy among the Osprey populations in the United States. In his book, Alan Poole describes how he found three instances of a male attempting to breed simultaneously with two different females, in the 1980s. So perhaps 08 was attempting something similar? If this was the case, it seems that his second relationship was short-lived; the second female must have departed on Thursday afternoon because 08 has rarely been absent from the nest since then.

Like previous weeks, 08 (above) has again favoured Manton Bay for fishing, making regular circuits of the bay as he searches for a meal. 5R and 32 continue to build up two other artificial nests on the Lyndon reserve and they can often be seen fishing at the same time as 08. Interestingly there is little animosity between the birds. When fishing they seem to ignore each other, and the two young males rarely intrude at the Manton nest. It is particularly interesting to see how 32's behaviour has changed. During 08's absence he made life very difficult for 5N by constantly trying to land on the nest next to her. However, with 08 now back in the bay, 32 has invested nearly all his energy in building up the Heron Bay nest and trying to find a mate of his own.

Although the territories of the 32 and 5R are very close to each other, they seem to have clearly defined boundaries; 32 rarely encroaches too close to 5R's nest, and 5R is similarly respectful. In the photo on the left 32, holding the remains of a fish, can be seen looking skywards as he watches 5R displaying high above. The close proximity of the territories has drawn comparison with nesting Ospreys in North America and Australia where neighborouing pairs nest very close together. Hopefully the amazing situation at Lyndon is a sign of things to come in central England.

25 April

When 08 was absent from the nest on Tuesday morning, we suspected that he was merely having difficulty fishing. Strong easterly winds were disturbing the surface of the water, making catching fish difficult even for a hunter as adept as an Osprey. However, when 08 still had not returned by mid-afternoon we started to worry. Had he had an accident whilst fishing, perhaps becoming entangled in fishing line? By 5pm the alarm bells were really ringing. Clearly very hungry, 5N was beginning to food-beg vociferously, but not wanting to leave the nest and eggs unattended she had no choice but to continue to incubate.

Then just when we were planning to send out a search party, 08 reappeared. He landed on the nest and copulated with 5N as if nothing had happened! 5N's food-begging became even more vociferous, but when 08 eventually left the nest to go fishing, his efforts were curtailed when he was forced to repeatedly chase away 32(05); the young male who had been intruding at the nest for most of the day.

By dark 32 was still causing trouble and 08 had still not caught a fish. Surely though he would attempt to hunt again at first light and, with any luck, soon return with a fish.

32(05) intruding at the nest - notice his yellow ring on his right leg

08 roosted beside the nest all night but by first light, thick fog made watching the nest almost impossible. When the fog finally cleared at 8:30am, 08 was nowhere to be seen. Good we thought - he must be away fishing. However by lunchtime he was still absent - this was obviously more than a fishing trip. A phone call to Roy Dennis and quick consultation with the Osprey 'Bible' Poole, suggested that, although 08's absence was very hard to explain, it was possible that he had found a new female, and was building a nest elsewhere. It sounded far-fetched but there seemed no other explanation for his sudden change in behaviour. Meanwhile, 32 was continuing to prove a nuisance, intruding at regular intervals, and sometimes forcing 5N to leave the nest unattended.

By evening we were very worried, but then suddenly, fifteen minutes later than the previous evening, 08 reappeared! This time he arrived at the nest with the tail end of a fish and immediately took it to 5N. Clearly very hungry she devoured the fish in a matter of minutes. Moments later though 32 reappeared. 08 and 5N both took to the air, leaving the nest unguarded and both disappeared south. As darkness approached the nest remained unattended. After what seemed like an eternity, 5N reappeared and settled back down on the eggs. 08 though was nowhere to be seen, and remained absent throughout the night.

Searches of surrounding farmland next morning came up with nothing, and 5N remained alone at the nest. We wondered how long she would be able to continue to incubate without feeding?

By mid-afternoon there was still no sign of 08, but the experience of the past few days suggested that there was still a chance he would return in early evening. Sure enough, at 5:15 an Osprey appeared from the east carrying a large trout. He took the fish straight to the nest - yes, it was 08! Within a matter of seconds 5N had taken the fish from her errant mate and 08 settled down to incubate. Eventually 5N returned to the nest with the fish, handed it over to her mate and he took it to a nearby perch where he remained throughout the night. It seemed, that at last, some degree of normality had returned!

08 attempting to lift a huge trout out of the water

Friday morning dawned cold but clear, and 08 incubated for almost two hours, before leaving the nest at 7am, evidently on a fishing trip. After several circuits of Manton Bay he dropped spectacularly just a few metres in front of Shallow water hide. Grasping hold of a huge trout he spent almost a minute in the water, attempting to muster up the energy to lift off with his catch. However it seemed that the fish was simply to heavy and he was forced to land on the water again. After a few seconds he tried to lift off again...once again with no luck; this was clearly a very large trout. After three more attempts, 08 conceded defeat and flew back to the perch to dry-off.

An hour or so later he tried again, this time flying off strongly east. By 11am he had still not returned. Surely he had not deserted the nest again? Well, thankfully not. At 11:30, almost three hours after leaving, he returned to the nest with a large trout. He immediately took it to his hungry mate, and took over incubation. Finally it seemed that harmony had been restored.

With 08 back on territory it was noticeable that 32 (right) was intruding far less, but there was another very significant reason for this. For much of the morning the young male made numerous short flights around the bay collecting grass and sticks to build up an artificial nest close to Heron hide. It seems that after four days of almost constant intruding on 08 and 5N's nest, 32's thoughts have turned to establishing a territory of his own. With 5R continuing to build up the artificial nest on the south side of Lax Hill, there are now three active Osprey territories on the Lyndon reserve; all within a kilometre of each other. We hope it is a sign of things to come!

22nd April

At 7am this morning, 5N was observed sitting low in the nest for the first time; it seems that the long 35-40 day incubation period has begun. Females usually undertake around three-quarters of incubation and so 5N will spend much of the next five to six weeks sitting very low in the nest as she incubates what we hope is a clutch of three eggs.

08 will take over incubation duties whenever his mate requires a break, but his primary role will be to catch fish. Over the past few days strong easterly winds have made fishing very difficult for the birds and 08 has spent prolonged periods away from the nest as he attempts to make a catch.

During one such absence this morning, 5N was forced to single handedly defend the nest against a particularly aggressive intruder; 32(05). The young male fledged from the Site B nest in 2005 (meaning he is 5N's younger brother) and returned to Rutland on Saturday afternoon. At just three years of age, 32 (in photo on left) is still to young to have established a territory of his own, and since his return he has made frequent intrusions at the Manton Bay nest. When 08 is present this poses little of a problem, but on several occasions this morning 5N was forced to leave the nest and eggs unattended while she chased away the persistent male.

It is not just 32(05) who has been seen on the Lyndon reserve in the past few days. For the past week, 5R(04) - also 5N's brother - has been seen taking sticks to an artificial nest on the south side of Lax Hill. The platform is almost a kilometre from the Manton Bay nest and 08 and 5N have largely ignored 5R as he has attempted to build up the nest.

Unfortunately for the young male, strong easterly winds made nest building on the bare platform very difficult. Without the aid of a solid base, every time he placed a stick on the platform it would blow off, making building any kind of a structure almost impossible.

Seeing how 5R was struggling, we decided to give him a helping hand. On Tuesday morning we replaced the rotten base of the platform with a stronger plywood disc and build a nest on top. We are now hoping 5R will accept the new structure and begin to build it up - with a solid base he should have more luck when adding sticks!

It is interesting to compare the behaviour of 5R and 32. 5R is a year older and clearly much more serious about breeding than his younger brother. 5R has rarely intruded at the Manton Bay nest - preferring instead to save his energy for nest building and keeping a look out for passing females. Males rarely establish a territory until well into their third year, so it will probably be sometime before 32 settles on a territory of his own. In the meantime he will almost certainly continue to provide a real annoyance to the breeding birds! The photo on the left shows him sitting on a perch in Manton Bay while 08 was away from the nest.

15th April

8th April

After finishing a meal, 08 and 5N often wash the fish scales off their feet by dragging them in the water. This makes for a spectacular sight, as these photos show. 08 has also favoured the Manton Bay area for fishing. At this time of year pike spawn in the shallows, making them easy prey for a hunting Osprey. But it's not just pike, this morning 08 caught a rainbow trout directly in front of Waderscrape hide!

3rd April

As this series of photos show, over the past few days 08 has made numerous forays around the bay to collect sticks with which to build up the nest. Sometimes 08 snatches these sticks from trees, but more often than not he chooses ones that are lying on the ground.

Whilst some of the sticks measure no more than a few inches in length, others are much longer, which makes landing all the more tricky (see below).

Once at the nest, 08 often spends several minutes manoeuvring his chosen stick into position. This involves intertwining it with other sticks, thereby creating a remarkably solid structure. In the photo on the left 5N (left) can be seen surveying her mate's work.

5N does not leave all the nest-building to 08. She has made several flights to a nearby field to collect turf and grass with which to line the nest.

To prove just how busy the birds have been, the photo on the left shows 5N landing with a clump of dead grass, and 08 taking off on another stick-finding mission!

30th March

With 08 back in the bay, all thoughts began to turn to 5N. When would she be back? Given the fact that the young female arrived on 6th April last year, we suspected that 08 probably had around a week to build-up the nest in preparation for his mate's return.

But then suddenly, at 10:30 this morning, a second Osprey appeared in the bay. 08 began displaying vociferously- hovering high over the second bird, dangling his legs and giving the distinctive high-pitched display call. Clearly the second bird was a female, but surely it was too early for it to be 5N? Frustratingly, neither bird landed, and a few minutes later both drifted off west.

In the photo on the right you can just make out 08 (top left) as he displays to the female.

This summer, ITV are following the progress of 08 and 5N on Anglia News. To see Tim Mackrill's report on the birds' return, click here.

Half an hour later, the two birds returned to the bay. This time the female hovered over the nest and dangling her legs. In doing so she revealed a green colour ring on her right leg - amazingly, it had to be 5N!

Sure enough, a few minutes later the female landed on one of the perches in the bay, enabling us to confirm her identity. Yes, it was 5N!

During the breeding season Ospreys have clearly defined roles; whilst females remain at the nest, males must carry out all of the fishing. Assuming a female has a good mate, once back at the nest site she should not need to catch another fish until mid-August. True to form, 5N began food-begging within an hour of returning. Clearly not quite back in full breeding mode, 08 seemed reluctant to go fishing, but after several excursions around Manton Bay, he eventually returned with a fish shortly after 5pm.

As the above two photos show, 08 gave 5N little chance to recover from her long migration, attempting to copulate with her within minutes of her return!

Like yesterday, the pair of Canada Geese again caused problems for the birds. The photo on the right shows 5N dive-bombing the male goose, which eventually got the message and flew off. It wasn't just geese that were causing problems - crows proved troublesome too, as the photo on the left shows.

29th March

At 10:45 this morning an Osprey appeared over Manton Bay. After circling the bay and dive-bombing a pair of Canada Geese it flew off east. For the next couple of hours we wondered...was it 08(97)? But if it was, why hadn't he landed on the nest?

After an anxious wait, the bird returned to Manton Bay shortly after 2pm, this time landing on one of the perches and enabling us to read his white colour ring - it 08!

08 was seen at the nest intermitently for the rest of the afternoon. Like last spring he was confronted by an aggressive Canada Goose who, in the absence of any Ospreys, had taken a liking to the nest. On one occasion the Goose actually chased 08, but we are sure that he will eventually get the better of them.