Family tiffs and camera problems
A relatively quiet week for the Gilestone osprey family has seen fewer intrusions from other ospreys in their territory, and none have landed on the nest…. to our knowledge. (* more on that later).
Both 9K5 (now 13 weeks old) and Clogwyn have continued to receive fish from Syfaddan.
Syfaddan brings fish for 9K5
On one occasion, Clogwyn was seen to take a fish from 9K5 down on the ‘acorn branch’ below the nest and fly off with it. She had been waiting quietly on the nest above for quite a while, biding her time it would seem. It should be said that this was a huge fish, which 9K5 had struggled to the perch with much earlier on, and had probably already had a really substantial feed from in the interim. Nevertheless, it demonstrates that transference of fish between birds can, and does, happen away from the nest, even though the nest remains the most likely point of initial delivery.
9K5 food soliciting
On another occasion, both juvenile and female were eagerly anticipating a fish as Syfaddan flew in clutching something, albeit something small. But only on his landing did they discover he was simply bringing a large pine cone to line the nest - much to their disappointment.
Family tiff over a pine cone. Syfaddan left, Clogwyn behind and 9K5 top right
While both adults have continued to bring in nest materials, 9K5 has been observed taking some away again on a few occasions. One flight departure saw the juvenile carrying a fish in the right foot and a stick in the left. In this instance the stick was simply by-catch, and as such was quickly jettisoned. A good reminder, if it were needed, that not all behaviour witnessed is intentional.
9K5, fish in one foot and stick in the other
With a significant change in the weather, any thoughts of migration may well have been put on hold. Ideally (though not always possible) warm, dry days are preferred. These produce warm air thermals on which an osprey can soar and glide, which is far more energy efficient than wing flapping all the way. Wind direction is also important and a good tail wind is helpful. None of these elements have been on offer for several days now, reducing the opportunity to embark on a perfect maiden migratory flight for 9K5. But there is no harm in waiting it out at this point.
Very sparse footage since the early hours of Sunday - UVO stands its trained camera watchers down
*In the early hours of Sunday morning, the first signs were evident that there were problems with both the live streaming cameras. Wildlife Windows were quickly notified and spent a good deal of time on Sunday and Monday attempting to rectify the problem remotely, as no physical investigations can be carried out within the exclusion zone with the birds still in residence. The sad and frustrating news is that a resolution will not be possible before the end of the season. UVO apologises for the disappointment this will cause for those who have enjoyed watching the nest in real time.
In terms of monitoring the birds, while our hardworking team of trained camera watchers have now been stood down, UVO are using a skeleton crew to ensure that what little footage there is is watched through in detail and all activity captured is still recorded.
The team of trained watchers at the towpath continue to provide their observations of the area as usual, and are now adding nest observations (not normally part of their remit) to supplement the diminished camera footage. On Sunday in particular, their combined efforts in producing non stop coverage from 08:00 to 20:30 (in often dreadful weather and with no shelter) were extremely valuable and much appreciated.
Viewpoint team protecting the telescope from the weather
UVO will continue to monitor the ospreys and bring you as much accurate information as possible via this website and Admin posts in the Usk Valley Ospreys Facebook group. Migration will be announced when it can be ascertained that each osprey has departed (which can take a few days to confirm). Watch this space.