Showing posts with label ring numbers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ring numbers. Show all posts
Thursday, 26 August 2010
More news of returning chicks!
We have heard that another Borders bird ringed in 2007 has returned to the Borders to breed. She has a white leg ring letters EB and came from a brood of two chicks originally. She has successfully raised a family of her own this year on Tweed Valley Forestry Commission land. This is more fantastic news for our project and it is always a delight to hear that youngsters reared here are surviving their migration journeys and are beginning to return. We do not know the identity yet of her partner.
Friday, 20 August 2010
Borders Chick from 2007 returns!
We are delighted to hear that the osprey spotted(white leg ring HC) checking out the main nest by sharp eyed volunteer, Iain Mckay while on duty, is a bird which came from our back up nest in 2007. He is now a mature bird checking out territory near to where he was raised in the beautiful Borders landscape which is so familiar to him.
More nesting platforms will be going up in our region to accommodate returning youngsters as they reach maturity and look for territories of their own.
It is great to hear news of any of the ospreys raised in the Borders and is testament to the great success of the Tweed Valley Osprey Project and the Team working in partnership which ensures that the project continues to thrive.
Thursday, 19 August 2010
Ringed chick news.
One of the Borders ospreys ringed back in 2002 from our main live nest has been discovered alive and well. He is raising a family in Glen Almond in Perthshire, his partner is an unringed female.
It is possible that he has been there for a few years but it has only just come to light that he has a ring number which is visible and this has been reported to the ringers.
We are delighted to hear that he is doing well.
Often we do not get to hear what happens to chicks raised in the area and news of any sightings of ringed ospreys is always welcome, as we can then find out where they came from and when they were ringed.
It is possible that he has been there for a few years but it has only just come to light that he has a ring number which is visible and this has been reported to the ringers.
We are delighted to hear that he is doing well.
Often we do not get to hear what happens to chicks raised in the area and news of any sightings of ringed ospreys is always welcome, as we can then find out where they came from and when they were ringed.
Monday, 5 July 2010
Today Tweed Valley Osprey Project chicks were ringed by Licensed Forestry Commission Conservation Manager, Tony Lightley and his ringing colleague Ronnie Graham.
The larger of the two chicks on the live camera nest fledged a week earlier than expected at the weekend and so was unable to be ringed but the smaller chick was ringed today and was found to be a huge and healthy female.
Other monitored nest sites in the Tweed Valley had their chicks ringed also. The Tweed Valley birds are all doing very well and each year we are seeing successful chicks being raised which will one day come back to the area and raise broods of their own or spread into new territory and increase the distribution of ospreys in the UK.
Thursday, 27 August 2009
The End is Nigh
Well, metaphorically speaking the end of our 2009 osprey season is nearing its natural conclusion, as our young birds become independent and all the birds begin to think of moving southwards.
Over the last week, we've noticed the birds returning less and less often to the nest, and the three chicks are now appearing only once or twice a day for brief visits. This is , of course, a good sign as the youngsters need to be effectively self-sufficient any day now.
We have not had a confirmed sighting of our mother bird for well over a week , so we are pretty certain she has heading south on her long migration. Dad has also been conspicuously absent from the nest for the last few days- though he may still be in the area , just spending all his time at the river 'coaching' his offspring!
We are also starting to get regular sightings of other ospreys in the area- birds from further north in Scotland who are passing through the Borders on their journey south, often using our waterways as a convenient staging post.
All this of course means it is the best possible time of year to try your hand at spotting ospreys out and about in the Borders. If you want some hot tips, pop into one of our centres over the next few days and ask our volunteers. If you see a bird , and especially if you spot any wearing colourful Darvic leg rings, please let us know!
Over the last week, we've noticed the birds returning less and less often to the nest, and the three chicks are now appearing only once or twice a day for brief visits. This is , of course, a good sign as the youngsters need to be effectively self-sufficient any day now.
We have not had a confirmed sighting of our mother bird for well over a week , so we are pretty certain she has heading south on her long migration. Dad has also been conspicuously absent from the nest for the last few days- though he may still be in the area , just spending all his time at the river 'coaching' his offspring!
We are also starting to get regular sightings of other ospreys in the area- birds from further north in Scotland who are passing through the Borders on their journey south, often using our waterways as a convenient staging post.
All this of course means it is the best possible time of year to try your hand at spotting ospreys out and about in the Borders. If you want some hot tips, pop into one of our centres over the next few days and ask our volunteers. If you see a bird , and especially if you spot any wearing colourful Darvic leg rings, please let us know!
Wednesday, 12 August 2009
Update on Other Birds
Just a quick note to answer some enquiries about our other birds we've been featuring at the centres over the last few months on live cameras. Though Ospreys are of course our stars, we like to think of them as ambassadors for all our local wildlife and try to feature other species in the centres as well.
Firstly, the live Heron nest on camera at Kailzie fledged at least 7 healthy chicks, and though we've had one sad mortality since then, these youngsters are often being seen in the Kailzie fields and on the Tweed river below the centre.
Similarly the nuthatch family who so fascinated us on live nest box camera are all fledged and still visit the bird feeding table outside the centre- though trying to see any leg ring numbers on these visits has proved impossible!
At Glentress, the swallows have just yesterday fledged their second brood on the live nest camera - a grand total of 10 chicks this year- well done parents! Its a pleasure to watch the swallows swooping around Glentress carpark oblivious to all the human activity below.
We have also had exciting regular reports of Tree Sparrows on our live feeding station camera- as well as all the usual suspects- which is a quite uncommon species distinct from the common House Sparrow.
Lastly we have a family of Jays frequently using the Live Osprey nest at the moment- two adults and at least one youngster have been making appearances, mostly when the Ospreys are away, to scavenge for scraps. They have even appeared when the nest is occupied occasionally, and after ignoring them imperiously for a while , the young ospreys eventually give chase! Jays are lovely forest birds, not often seen up close, but are versatile scavengers and a colourful addition!
There is still lots to see in the centres, including highlights of the season so far, so drop in before the end of August.
Firstly, the live Heron nest on camera at Kailzie fledged at least 7 healthy chicks, and though we've had one sad mortality since then, these youngsters are often being seen in the Kailzie fields and on the Tweed river below the centre.
Similarly the nuthatch family who so fascinated us on live nest box camera are all fledged and still visit the bird feeding table outside the centre- though trying to see any leg ring numbers on these visits has proved impossible!
At Glentress, the swallows have just yesterday fledged their second brood on the live nest camera - a grand total of 10 chicks this year- well done parents! Its a pleasure to watch the swallows swooping around Glentress carpark oblivious to all the human activity below.
We have also had exciting regular reports of Tree Sparrows on our live feeding station camera- as well as all the usual suspects- which is a quite uncommon species distinct from the common House Sparrow.
Lastly we have a family of Jays frequently using the Live Osprey nest at the moment- two adults and at least one youngster have been making appearances, mostly when the Ospreys are away, to scavenge for scraps. They have even appeared when the nest is occupied occasionally, and after ignoring them imperiously for a while , the young ospreys eventually give chase! Jays are lovely forest birds, not often seen up close, but are versatile scavengers and a colourful addition!
There is still lots to see in the centres, including highlights of the season so far, so drop in before the end of August.
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Baby's Big Day
Wow! What an amazing day for our young Ospreys and us!
Yesterday was ringing day- the only time in the Ospreys lives when they will be handled by humans. This safe and strictly controlled research technique involves the chicks being brought down to the ground for about half an hour to be weighed, measured, health checked and have identity leg rings fitted. These will enable us to identify these individuals in the future and track their movements. It is also our only chance for the team to meet them face to face and take photographs- an experience to be treasured.
The parent birds circled overhead during this process as usual, swearing at us but not attacking, and were happy to return to their family very shortly after they were returned to the nest safe and sound.
All three chicks were in very good body condition and very well grown for their age, we are happy to say. Tokyo was rather feisty and had a few nips at our team- until given a stick to hold in his beak! It turns out that he is a male bird, whereas Caledonia is undoubtedly a female, and little Stig ( still a healthy 1.6 kgs) is also probably a boy.
The rings this year are blue on the left leg, and the ring 'numbers' are : "LK" for Tokyo, "LL" for Caledonia" and "LM" for Stig.
There is extensive footage of this process now available of this process in both centres for you to enjoy.
Yesterday was ringing day- the only time in the Ospreys lives when they will be handled by humans. This safe and strictly controlled research technique involves the chicks being brought down to the ground for about half an hour to be weighed, measured, health checked and have identity leg rings fitted. These will enable us to identify these individuals in the future and track their movements. It is also our only chance for the team to meet them face to face and take photographs- an experience to be treasured.
The parent birds circled overhead during this process as usual, swearing at us but not attacking, and were happy to return to their family very shortly after they were returned to the nest safe and sound.
All three chicks were in very good body condition and very well grown for their age, we are happy to say. Tokyo was rather feisty and had a few nips at our team- until given a stick to hold in his beak! It turns out that he is a male bird, whereas Caledonia is undoubtedly a female, and little Stig ( still a healthy 1.6 kgs) is also probably a boy.
The rings this year are blue on the left leg, and the ring 'numbers' are : "LK" for Tokyo, "LL" for Caledonia" and "LM" for Stig.
There is extensive footage of this process now available of this process in both centres for you to enjoy.
Friday, 17 April 2009
A Terrible Long Wait
Here in the Tweed Valley we are suffering a terrible wait for our first osprey egg on the main nest. Though we hoped it might appear as soon as last weekend, we are sure it can't be far off now! It is certainly still in the realms of reasonable timing since their arrival so we aren't panicking yet, but the wait feels like torture!
The good news is that the behaviour of the birds is all normal and certainly the female is looking very homely!
Further good news is that out of the 8 pairs of ospreys we know nested in the Borders last year, at least five are back so far this Spring, so things are looking good for the breeding season ahead.
I have has some enquires regarding ring numbers for previous years chicks form The Tweed Valley- I am hoping to publish a list next week with all the numbers you should be looking out for! Thanks for the interest- lets hope this year we will see more of this next generation of ospreys making it back to breed here in Scotland.
The good news is that the behaviour of the birds is all normal and certainly the female is looking very homely!
Further good news is that out of the 8 pairs of ospreys we know nested in the Borders last year, at least five are back so far this Spring, so things are looking good for the breeding season ahead.
I have has some enquires regarding ring numbers for previous years chicks form The Tweed Valley- I am hoping to publish a list next week with all the numbers you should be looking out for! Thanks for the interest- lets hope this year we will see more of this next generation of ospreys making it back to breed here in Scotland.
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