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Friday
18th July The chick is alone first thing this morning until the
female arrives with nesting material, she then departs immediately
the male arrives with a fish but only to nearby perch. The chick
begs to be fed but is left with it and feeds itself, but slowly.
The adults chase off intruding buzzards and return to there nearby
perches. The female also takes some of the chicks fish whereupon
the chick is left with the remains for the rest of day.
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A
decision has been made today not to ring this years chick. This
is due to the chick growing so rapidly now that it is close to being
able to fly. The project partners are concerned that the chick rather
than lying low when approached on the nest may try and jump off
but not being able to fly may fall to the ground injuring itself.
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Saturday
19th July Another cloudy and dull day but brightening up in afternoon.
Morning sees the chick being fed by the female before she leaves
the nest to have a bath, preen and gather nest material. The male
arrives at nest with a fish but leaves immediately to a nearby perch
with fish, he returns a few times to nest but no sign of the female
or chick wanting to feed until later on in the early evening. During
the day the chick has been practising full wing flapping very vigorously
and adults have chased off other birds of prey
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Sunday
20th July Morning sees the male fetching a fish (a Perch) to the
nest but immediately flies off with it even though the chick was
begging for it, (this fish was eaten by both adult birds away from
the nest). Another fish (a pike) was brought back and was given
to the chick after it had done a lot of begging and it took it about
an hour to devour as much as it wanted, the remnants were taken
by the female. Another but smaller fish was brought back to nest
late in the day and again it was devoured by the chick.
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Monday 21st July The chick was alone on the nest for most of the
day, with the adults on nearby perches, exercising its wings and
it wasn't until late in the afternoon that a fish was brought back
for the chick that fed itself.
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Tuesday
22nd July A Quiet day with chick on nest alone exercising wings
and jumping up and down with a fish being brought back again late
in the day after the adults had been chasing away buzzards
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Wednesday 23rd July A very wet and drizzly day sees the chick on
the nest alone, again with the adults on nearby perches before they
go to gather nest material. It wasn't until afternoon that the male
brought back a fish for himself and chick to feed together on, after
this the chick begins to exercise more vigorously.
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Thursday 24th July This morning the chick is seen jumping across
the nest bowl flapping its wings, Late afternoon a fish is brought
back to nest and as the chick feeds it directs its yellow faeces
over the rim of nest, after its finished feeding the chick cleans
its beak on nest edge. The chick then proceeds to re-arrange moss
and sticks in the nest, then settles.
- Friday
25th July
Both adult birds are perching above the nest with the chick alone
in nest exercising wings vigorously on nest edge. The male arrives
with a stick from the plantation before he and his mate chase off
another bird of prey, he then goes off and returns with a fish which
he takes to his100 metre perch and eats it. Later on in the afternoon
he returns to nest with a fish, which is taken by chick and eaten.
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Saturday 26th July
Morning finds both adults on usual perches above the nest, the male
goes fishing and returns with his catch and eats it on his perch,
the female after chasing off buzzards goes to lake to bathe and preen.
The chick does a lot of wing flapping. The male while returning from
his next fishing trip meets up with another female osprey and flies
around with for a while until she is out of the area and he returns
still with his fish. Afternoon sees both adults chasing off three
buzzards before another fish is brought back to nest, but the chick
is not interested but is busy wing flapping & jumping from one
side of nest to the other threes times in short succession.
Later on Four ospreys are seen circling above the nest before moving
off to the top end of lake. Sunday 27th July
A quiet overcast morning sees the chick nest alone as the adults'
chase off two peregrines then the female is seen dropping into the
water off a post ("Is she beginning to start fishing again"?).
The chick meanwhile does some serious wing flapping from one side
of nest to the other. Afternoon sees the male take a fish to nest
where the chick drags the fish from him and feeds itself.
- Monday
28th July
Late morning sees the male make a spectacular dive to catch a large
fish, in the river mouth below Dodd viewpoint, this was taken directly
back to nest for chick to feed after it had been doing some rigorous
wing flapping and jumping from side to side in the nest.
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Tuesday 29th July
This morning the chick is seen flying from one side of nest to other
about eight times in a couple of minutes, (it won't be long now!!),
both adults meanwhile chase off a couple of other birds of prey before
the male goes fishing.
- Wednesday
30th July
Morning sees an early meal for the chick who although is very competent
in feeding now is assisted by the female. She later goes to the lake
to bathe and preen before the weather becomes too bad and both adults
stay sheltering on their respective perches
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Thursday 31st July
The
first flight
Morning sees the adults changing perches a few times and the chick
flapping very vigorously before at 12.00 almost exactly. "It
flies from the nest confidently, around and below the nest before
flying into the plantation". Both adults begin long soaring flights
around and above the plantation before the female returns to the area
where the chick was last seen. The chick & female are later seen
flying close together when the chick tries to land on a tree but makes
a complete "hash" of it by landing upside down and tumbling
down several branches where it stayed for rest of day with the adult
birds above it.
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