Ring of changes
The astute amongst the webcam-watchers out there may have noticed that the three Manton Bay chicks now sport leg rings! The chicks were ringed this morning, and what a beautiful morning it was! The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, and there was not a breath of wind as we launched the boat from the shore behind the Osprey nest. The surface of the crystal-clear water was marred only by the ripples from our boat’s wake, as we sailed serenely to the nest.
5am this morning
Maya protested a bit, but she was not overly concerned. She flew around above the bay and intermittently alarm-called, until the deed was done and her chicks were returned to her, safe and sound. The whole process took less than an hour to complete. The equipment was prepared, the boat launched, and a ladder was extended up to the nest, which Tim climbed and brought the chicks down to the boat.
Left to right – S1, S2, S3
The chicks are absolutely gorgeous! To be so close to them was an indisputable privilege. They have such beautiful feathers, and enchanting deep amber eyes. All three chicks are in perfect health and look fantastic. They were placed in a comfortable tray for a minute or two to settle, then were ringed and weighed one by one. Their ring numbers are S1, S2 and S3. Based on weight and bill size, it has been determined that S1 and S3 are female, and S2 is male.
S1
S2
S2
S3
Whilst we were there, Tim took the opportunity to clean the smudge from the wide angle camera! It turned out to be spider-webs. In the picture you can see Maya high above.
Tim cleaning the camera
Once the chicks had been returned to the nest and we had left, Maya and 33 returned to their respective positions and life went on as normal. A fish came in at around 9 o’clock – a great big roach. 33 took it to the T-perch first, and in the video below you can see him fly past the nest, before alighting on the perch with the still-kicking roach!
33 with roach on T-perch
About fifteen minutes later, 33 delivered the fish to the nest, and Maya fed the enormous chicks.
33 brings roach
Feeding on roach
A couple of Osprey intrusions occurred today, but nothing substantial in terms of disruption. A bit of mantling, that was all!
There is a certain stick that has been bothering Maya for a while now. It sticks up a bit, but is wedged tightly by others, and Maya keeps trying but cannot move it!
Maya attempts to move the stick
Due to the hot temperature, the chicks have been lying in the nest panting a lot today. Maya cannot shade them with her body anymore, as they are too big, but there is no need for her to do so now. The chicks are of an age where they can regulate their own temperature, so they do not require Maya to brood them or shade them. Soon they will no longer need her to feed them. Her job is almost done, and she can relax, knowing her chicks are healthy and she and 33 have done an unquestionably excellent job of raising them!
Panting in the sun
The chicks stood up long enough for us to get some shots of their new rings! And S1 did get a bit energetic and did a bit of flapping!
S2 and S1 rings showing
S2
Wing flapping
Another fish was delivered at around 15:30, which Maya grabbed and fed to the chicks. Well, the two that were interested!
Another fish, 3:30pm
And it didn’t end there! An hour later 33 landed on the T-perch with another one! And it was a monster! It took him almost an hour to eventually bring it to the nest, after having his fill.
Yet another fish
Here are a couple of adorable close ups from yesterday evening, as the chicks were all tucked up together for the night!
Snuggled up together
Close up
And here’s a middle of the night shot!
Chicks on infra-red
The next big milestone in the chicks’ lives will be fledging. It won’t be long now, only a couple of weeks! In the interim, they will be doing a lot more wing flapping and will start helicoptering above the nest, getting those wing muscles ready for the day they take to the air… but for now, they can sleep, and enjoy nest-bound life whilst they can!
Sprawled
Caught in the light
The heatwave has begun! It has been a lovely hot day today, and temperatures are set to rise in the next few days. The Ospreys have been going about their normal business, and we have seen several fish delivered to the nest today, by the supreme fishing machine that is 33. Unfortunately, no videos could be captured this morning, as the cameras, well the transmitters to be more exact, decided to play up again and we lost the picture for a while. Tim and Lloyd deserve our sincerest thanks for getting it back up and running again!
Fish at 3pm, 29th June
Feeding on pike, 29th June
33 brings another fish
Maya grabs its face
Dinner time
The chicks seemed to grow in the few hours that the camera wasn’t on! I’m sure that was just my imagination, but there’s no contention that their growth rate is phenomenal. In just a couple of weeks, when they’re seven weeks old and about ready to fly, they will be the size of the adults. They will still look like juveniles, of course, with their buff-tipped feathers and orange eyes. Their adult plumage will appear when they are around 18 months old.
Close up of chick – a beauty indeed
We have seen the chicks trying to move sticks about already, and today one of them was seen playing with a clump of dried grass that had been brought in as nest material.
Chick playing with nest material
There is a video captured on Saturday evening that I simply must share. After the day’s activities on Saturday, we stayed at Lyndon a little later, as there was a talk to give and a moth evening to be enjoyed. We watched as 33 brought in yet another fish at around 19:40. The view on the wide angle camera was the best, as the slowly setting sun lit up the nest, illuminating Maya and the chicks, and casting a soft pink glow across the sky. It was beautiful.
Feeding a chick in the fading light, 27th June
Unclouded day
It has been a wonderfully warm and sunny day! Hundreds of people have come along to visit us at the nature reserve today, to take part in all of the activities Wild Rutland Day had to offer. It’s not over, either! There is a badger walk, a bat walk and a moth evening all taking place tonight. Also, as I write, my esteemed colleagues Tim and Paul are currently on the Rutland Belle in the middle of the reservoir, hopefully seeing some fishing Ospreys! What a splendidly busy day!
The Ospreys have not felt at all affected by everything that has gone on today. The chicks have been relaxing, lying in the sun, eating fish and flapping about – completely oblivious to the fact that well over three hundred people have sat in the Lyndon Centre and Waderscrape hide and watched them!
As you can see from the videos above, the chicks are getting much better at standing up and walking now, and have a lot more balance. They are walking about more often than shuffling now!
All three chicks on their feet
All three chicks on the move
Walking around the nest
Flapping wings
The chicks have been getting nosier, too, and taking interest in everything around them. In this photo you can see two of them peering intently at something over the side of the nest.
What’s down there, then?
They must have had a big fish early this morning, as 33 didn’t go fishing until the afternoon. He brought in a nice pike at 13:40, which he caught right in front of Waderscrape!
33 brings a pike
Maya with the pike
Eating pike
One of the chicks tried to have a sneaky bite of the fish – in the video below you can see it trying to pull a fin off! It won’t be long until they learn how to eat the fish for themselves, and the adult birds will be able to deposit fish on the nest and leave the chicks to it.
There were a couple of intrusions today, but nothing that troubled the Ospreys too much. Maya mantled on the nest, but the intrusions came to nothing, and her concern was short-lived.
Intruder about
Later on in the afternoon, 33 went fishing again and brought back a lovely one at around 17:30. Maya fed the chicks and all was well with the world.
Fish at 5:30pm
As if that wasn’t enough, 33 delivered another fish at 18:30! This fish was another pike, which he caught right in front of Waderscrape hide again!
33 delivers another pike!
To round the day off, here is a clip of all the Manton Bay Ospreys on the nest together.
All on the nest together
Too soon to know
The oldest chick will be five weeks old tomorrow! Time just seems to fly, and it won’t be long until the chicks do! We’ll be ringing the chicks at around six weeks old, and at ringing we will be able to determine their sex. People have been asking recently if we can tell whether the chicks are male or female yet, and we were talking about it ourselves today. The answer is – no! Not yet, anyway. We could guess, of course, but as we decided today – it’s still too soon to tell. We need to wait until the chicks are weighed, and then we’ll know for sure.
Whatever their gender, all three chicks are growing incredibly fast – even little’un is almost fully feathered! They have been stretching and flapping a lot more recently, and one chick even tried a little jump at one point today! In the next couple of weeks the chicks will become much steadier on their feet, and will gain more control over their wings. They will be flapping away enthusiastically, preparing for the the day they take that leap of faith and fly… But that’s not going to happen just yet, so let’s focus on today. Here’s a video of one of the chicks having a good old flap!
Flapping
Maya has been bringing lots of sticks in again today, and making sure that nest is just as she likes it!
Maya flying in with a stick
Maya landing with the stick
Maya moving a stick
Just there will do
An intruder came over this morning, at about 08:40, and 33 came to the nest and mantled. Maya didn’t seem too bothered, though, and while 33 shouted and made a fuss she just moved a stick about!
Mantling at an intruder
33 brought in a trout at around 11:00, which the chicks enjoyed in a nice, orderly fashion!
Trout
Orderly queue
As yesterday, he came back for it, ate a bit then returned it later. Maya took it from him and fed the chicks again.
33 brings the fish back
Feed me
The next fish, a pike, came along at 16:30, and it only took 33 about five minutes to catch this!
Pike
Eating the pike
It’s been a lovely day overall, with the warm weather creating the perfect conditions for lying around in a nest, with a nice view and plenty of fish. What a life these Ospreys have!
33 with the chicks
Bring on the sunshine
What a beautiful day – it has definitely felt like summer today! 33 went fishing early this morning again, and the chicks were halfway through what looked like a trout when we switched on the cameras.
Feeding the chicks this morning
33 took the remains of the fish off to the T-perch again, as is the usual routine, and then brought it back to the nest a little later on. You can see the camera wobble as Maya flies off the french perch, then she circles round and flies into the nest to join 33. She looked rather wet, and must have recently been for a bath in the reservoir!
33 brings the fish back, chick stretches
The chicks weren’t that interested in it, though – they must have had their fill earlier!
The peace was shattered part way through the morning when two intruding Ospreys entered the bay. They didn’t come near the nest, and didn’t act aggressively, they just passed through and left, but they still got shouted at by the resident pair!
A few sticks have been added to the nest today, and it was lovely to see that the chicks tried to help 33 as he positioned one of his sticks!
33 moving a stick
I’ll help you, Dad
Something rather funny happened on the nest today – well it made me laugh! It was just after the stick moving episode shown above. 33 was in the middle of the nest, shuffling about in some nest material, then all of a sudden he plonked himself down and just sat there! Maya happily realigned some sticks, two chicks preened and the other watched Mum, while 33 chilled out and had a rest. It was a scene of utter contentment!
33 having a sit down!
This afternoon, 33 brought in two fish in quick succession. One was a very small something, and the next one was a larger perch. You can hardly see the fish in the first video, it’s no wonder he had to go out again and immediately catch another one!
Maya feeds the tiny fish to the only interested chick!
Maya with the third, larger, fish
Wild Rutland Day is fast approaching, it’s this Saturday – check it out here! There will be lots of interesting and exciting things to learn and discover, including an informative talk at 10:45 by our Education Officers, Jackie and Ken, providing an introduction to the Osprey Project and our education work, both here and in Africa!
I hope this sunny weather lasts for Saturday, and also continues into July for our series of guided walks! There is one space left on Tim Mackrill’s evening walk on 1st, and seven on our second guided summer walk on 22nd. Click on the bold links to book your place!
All together
Chilling on the nest
33 with chicks
