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
INCUBATION FACTS...SO FAR- 20th May 2009
We have been having a look at what the incubating ospreys have been up to so far this season, and it has revealed some very interesting behaviour. Both pairs began incubating on 19th April and all being well the eggs are only a few days away from hatching.
5N and the new female at Site B done most of the incubating, spending around 85% of their time on the eggs. This is not really surprising for 5N, but the new female at Site B may not have bred before this year, so it has been great to see that she has wanted to spend most of her time either incubating or perched on a tree near by.
Both 08 and 03 have been fishing well, with trout being most frequently being brought back to the nest. Both males have been catching roughly the same number of each fish species, and 03 has even managed to provide his new female with a few pike, but there remains the usual number of unidentified fish that the males have eaten just a little too much of for everyone to identify!
During the first 3 weeks of incubation that we are looking at here, 08 spent a total of 38 hours and 20 minutes away fishing, with the average fishing trip lasting 1 hour and 4 minutes. 03 however, has spent rather a lot longer trying to provide fish for the female, spending a total of 55 hours and 53 minutes away, with his average fishing trip time being 1 hour and 26minutes. The recent unsettled weather has made it much harder for the males to fish, but 08 seems to have been making up for this in the last few days by catching 8 fish in 36 hours!
Every year, the breeding ospreys are visited by various intruders. This year, 08 and 5N have been enjoying a relatively quiet time at their new nest, with 36 intrusions recorded so far. 03 and the new female have had a more eventful time with 57 intrusions recorded. Most of the intrusions at the nests have been by other ospreys; 5R has visited his sister at the new nest on several occasions and a new male, possibly the only male chick from 2006, has been seen over the Site B nest more recently. The other usual suspects, buzzards, corvids and geese, have been over to the nests as expected, but it seems that this year the red kites are leaving 08 and 5N alone.
It has certainly been an interesting start the year for the ospreys, and with the imminent arrival of chicks at our two nests, it is likely to become even more eventful. Watch this space for what will happen over the rest of the summer...
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