First Osprey Arrives Back at Loch Garten - EJ is back for the 6th Year
25/04/2008 13:31:11Update
19th May. Three eggs being incubated and no great dramas, so far at least. VS, the new male, is supplying EJ with plenty of fish.
1st May. Still no Henry, but several other ospreys have stopped by and some unusual behavious has been recoreded. Click here to see the full diary on the RSPB site.
28 April. Still no Henry. After last year's histrionics and egg ditching, this maybe a good thing, though he will be missed.
18-24 April. 3 eggs laid, still no sign of Henry.
13 April. No sign of Henry, EJ's usual partner, however she has been mating with another male who usually nests elsewhere.
27 March. First osprey returns, 11 year old EJ back for her sixth season.
April 18. First egg. EJ has laid her first egg, and her new mate VS is supplying plenty of fish. However this is a similar pattern to last year when her usual mate, Henry, arrived back late, ejected VS and the eggs that EJ had laid before mating with her himself. Last year Henry didn't appear back until April 22, and although EJ did lay more eggs, none of the chicks survived.
Live Webcam
And for the first time ever, people will be able to keep an eye on proceedings via a brand new webcam which will stream live images of the nest site to anyone with an internet connection.
Richard Thaxton, RSPB Scotland Site Manager at Loch Garten said: ‘EJ has had her ups and downs here at Loch Garten and we're delighted to have her back. I'm sure everyone remembers the saga last year, where she laid two different clutches to two different fathers, although sadly not one chick survived. She has successfully reared young at Loch Garten in two of her five previous seasons with us and we are really hoping that she can get back to form this year. Her regular mate Henry is probably en route, on the 3000 mile annual migration from West Africa, and we hope he arrives soon so that the pair can settle down to breed.’
Visit the Loch Garten OspreysAnd for the first time ever, people will be able to keep an eye on proceedings via a brand new webcam which will stream live images of the nest site to anyone with an internet connection.
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Richard Thaxton, RSPB Scotland Site Manager at Loch Garten said: ‘EJ has had her ups and downs here at Loch Garten and we're delighted to have her back. I'm sure everyone remembers the saga last year, where she laid two different clutches to two different fathers, although sadly not one chick survived. She has successfully reared young at Loch Garten in two of her five previous seasons with us and we are really hoping that she can get back to form this year. Her regular mate Henry is probably en route, on the 3000 mile annual migration from West Africa, and we hope he arrives soon so that the pair can settle down to breed.’
After April 1st, the public are welcome to visit the famous Loch Garten site, to where
Loch Garten Ospreys
- Female ospreys spend 40 days on the nest being provisioned with fish by their partners. Once widespread, ospreys became extinct in Scotland in 1916, but in 1954 a pair nested at Loch Garten. Since 1959, ospreys have arrived every year – raising more than 80 young.
- More than two million people have visited RSPB Scotland’s Loch Garten Osprey Centre over a period of 45 years, including almost 32,000 last year. The Osprey Centre is open daily from 10am to 6pm from April 1st until the end of August.
Richard Thaxton added ‘ You really can't beat seeing these birds in real life in terms of a wildlife experience, and many thousands of people visit Loch Garten each year to see the ospreys, as well as the abundance of other species like Scottish crossbill, crested tit, even capercaillie and red squirrel which we have here. But for the first time ever we're pleased to be offering people around the world the chance to keep up with the ospreys here via a live webcam. Log on to the RSPB website from Monday and keep your eyes peeled over the next few days and you might even see a male bird arriving!’
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