Changing Behaviours

Fish delivery courtesy of Syfaddan ….

…. seconds later gratefully received by 0U1

Our family of four birds have currently developed a regular routine of nest attendance defined by time of day. The nest’s function appears to be soley as a site for the chicks to apply pressure on Syfaddan to provide fish for them and as a safe location to transfer fish. It is hardly used now for any other activities. This can be best illustrated by the chart below.

Average length of Nest Occupation by time of day according to the 2-hour shifts undertaken by our Nest Cam Watchers during 11TH – 14TH August:

On the 8th August Clogwyn (as identified at distance by her missing wing feather) landed in very shallow water within a flood channel away from the main River Usk, took a drink and then spent 20 minutes washing and splashing about in belly-deep water. She finished with a session of wing-flapping before rising away and shaking excess water off her wings. Later that afternoon 0U1 was also watched leaving the nest to fly upstream before she hovered twice over shallow water and dropped down each time to wash enthusiastically, splashing her wings to do so. These appeared to be practiced and measured drops into water too shallow for fishing.

Over this news period there is gathering evidence that Clogwyn is providing for herself and herself alone. She is catching fish according to her needs and retaining them. On the 11th August she was on the nest, took a fish from Syfaddan for less than two minutes, had two small mouthfuls before she acceeded to 0U1’s approach and the chick gained control. At that moment Clogwyn exhibited a swarthy look with a flat and empty crop. 0U1 had enjoyed a meal only a matter of two hours before. Clogwyn’s authority was clear.

Female Blue 469 drops in, 6 Aug

There were several osprey intruders in this period, as expected. The only one that came close to the nest, vacant at the time, was a ringed female, Blue 469, known to have fledged three chicks further north in Wales this year. That same bird was seen back in her home territory the following day having undergone a fact-finding mission to what was possibly several other Welsh nests. These post-breeding tours may have implications for future breeding attempts at her own or at any of those sites known to her.