Previous Editions
July 2010
30(10) Makes His First Flight- Our regular contributor Lynda was in Waderscrape Hide when the first of the Manton Bay chicks took to the air
July 2010
Guided Walks and Water Rails - Trainee warden Michelle Househam spends a week with the Osprey Project
July 2010
A Boat, Rutland Water, a Warm Summer Evening and Two Fishing Ospreys- Lynda Berry on a spectacular first Osprey Cruise of the year
May 2010
Mr Nosey Drops In- An Afternoon In Waderscrape- Val & Alan Brown write about an enthralling afternoon in Manton Bay
May 2010
05(08) Returns Home- The earlist ever return for a Rutland two year old, photographed by Brian and Liz Nicholls
April 2010
First Shift Of The Year- Ken Davies sees the return of the 5R show in Manton Bay
February 2010
A Mid-Winter Gathering- Walks, works and welsh ospreys at the Osprey Mid-Winter gathering
October 2009
Time To Say Goodbye - Lynda's Summer Diary- Goodbye to Site N, and to another Osprey season
BREAKING THE RULES AT SITE B- 18th June 2009
Even though we've been closely monitoring our nests for many years, Ospreys can continue to surprise us. Barrie Galpin writes about some very unusual behaviour at Site B-
It wasn't much of a fish. After 03 had taken his usual share, about 6 inches of it were left as he delivered it to the nest. His mate stood up and looked only vaguely interested. I looked down to write my notes and when I returned to the 'scope I could see that the young were now being fed. Two of the three small heads were clearly visible and the adult was tearing tiny pieces of fish and delicately offering them to the chicks.
But hang on - that's Dad doing the feeding! Don't be daft, it can't be him, you've got them muddled up. No that's definitely him, clear white breast and darker back - you can't muddle up this pair. But male Ospreys don't feed their young, do they? Alan Poole's Osprey Bible says, "Female Ospreys distribute fish that males bring to the nest ...". I realised that I was watching something that I had certainly never seen before. The adult female was watching too.
After five minutes or so the female became agitated, looking up and alarm-calling as a Red Kite drifted overhead, circling closer and closer to the nest. 03 looked up too, but just briefly. Then he continued feeding the chicks, not encouraging them to lie low as usually happens when an intruder threatens the nest. Clearly Dad knows a thing or two about Kites and wasn't going to allow one's presence to interrupt the chicks' fish supper.
Slowly the Kite drifted away but it took a full 27 minutes before 03 finished feeding the chicks, flew to a low branch and cleaned his talons. There was still a nagging doubt that I'd got it all wrong and that this was the female, but the sight of 03's metal ring totally confirmed things. What a great father he is! And, shortly afterwards, just to drive home that point, he flew off to the reservoir and was back with a king-sized trout just 20 minutes later. Again, having eaten the head himself, he flew to the nest. Would he feed them again? Yes, but this time it was only two or three beakfuls before his mate stepped in and took over her normal role.
Is 03 the Osprey equivalent of New Man, I wondered. What a star!
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