Herons and more nest site news from Tweed Valley



Waiting and hoping Mum will bring some food.

Herons. The two heron chicks are fully fledged and flying off to feed themselves and to explore their surroundings. They return to the nest and spend quite a time sitting and resting ever hopeful that one of their parents will pop in and bring some food. The parents have not been seen at the nest for some time though and this is a deliberate ploy to make the chicks leave the nest and hunt for themselves.

Blue tits.

Both blue tit families which were live on camera have now fledged, four chicks in each nest which is a low number, considering some years a single brood can consist of at least 10 chicks. The weather caused a lack of food and some nestlings died of starvation but it is good that some of them have made it.

Swallows.

At Kailzie, a small camera is now revealing life in a swallow nest. The swallows have been seen building the nest up and we were aware that there was at least one egg in the nest at the weekend but now the female appears to be sitting more in the nest, so perhaps she has laid her full clutch now.

Oystercatchers at Glentress.

Oystercatcher eggs in the scrape nest.

Sadly, too much disturbance from people passing the nest meant that the female oystercatcher was away from her eggs for too long.

A smashed egg was first seen with two eggs remaining but a little later all three eggs were smashed. We don’t know what smashed the eggs but presume a crow has attacked while the female was disturbed and away from the nest.  Very disappointing and next time a vulnerable nest appears we may try to cordon it off to allow the parent some peace to incubate without disturbance.

 It was too difficult where this nest was positioned because it was right next to the main path leading to the wildwatch and washroom on a main thoroughfare.

Pied Wagtail

We may prove to be lucky yet though, as it appears that a new nest is being constructed within the structure of the osprey demonstration nest. A small pied wagtail has been seen working away and if she does settle we will move a camera over to watch her and hopefully be able to witness her incubate her eggs and raise a little family.

More osprey ringing photo's

These photo's were taken on 5th July during the ringing of chicks from Tweed Valley osprey nests.

One of the main nest chicks has been ringed but the larger chick is now fully fledged and was off flying when the ringers arrived. The ringed chick is very well advanced and we can now see the parents encouraging her to leave the nest by withdrawing food supplies. If she wants feeding she is going to have to fly to mum and dad to get some. She is fully capable of flying, her feathers have 100% broken through the quills and she is a powerful youngster. She just needs a bit of courage to take the leap of faith to test out those magnificent wings.

The two chicks in the video are about half their full grown size now and their feathering has the spangled charecteristic of pale edging to the feathers which distinguishes them from adult birds. They clamber about the nest with confidence, their legs have become sturdier and the facial markings are clearly visible. The video footage was recorded on 20th June.

The chicks will be fitted with leg rings shortly which will be carried out by licenced rangers. The unique leg ring numbers will enable the birds to be identified in the future wherever they may end up.

Nest Cams

A fidgety female osprey sat in the nest incubating her eggs yesterday, she will be aware that it is not long to go until the arrival of the little chicks. I wonder if she can hear them inside the eggs?

The other nests on camera at Kailzie Gardens are doing well, the blue tit has finally begun to incubate her eggs. The nest is a cosy, snug little cup, adorned with swan feathers under which she covers herself and the eggs. She regularly wriggles about and turns the eggs during which time we can view in stunning detail, this attractive little bird.

The heron camera is now back to full working order and the nest has three big, not so cute chicks! Watching herons on the nest is like watching a scene from Jurassic Park.

Family News

Over the last few days the main Osprey nest has been the site of regular activity and it's been quite hard to keep a track of all the coming and going! The whole family is never on the nest all together now, and with the adults and chicks all still using the nest as a base , especially for feeding, it is a bit like watching a constantly changing who's who!

The reason for all the confusion is easy to appreciate when you realise that all three chicks are now at least as big as their father and Tokyo and Caledonia are nearly as big as mum! The only appreciable difference in appearance is the more speckled feathers of the youngsters (as each feather still has a pale fringe to it).

The only way to be certain of the birds identities is to zoom in and focus on their legs to read their Identity Leg rings ( known as Darvic rings) which they have been wearing since the 13th July. By this method we have been able to confirm all three chicks have visited the nest regularly this week- including little Stig who seems to be doing just fine!

We have even seen mum on Thursday who brought a fish back to the nest and fed the chicks as if they were little.

This is interesting as she is obviously back to hunting herself and getting fit for her migration south, as she is usually the first to head south- and this could be very soon indeed.

Soggy

Our poor Ospreys have spend a rather soggy weekend here in the Tweed Valley, with intermittent downpours of heavy summer rain. Some of you have no doubt noticed that mum seems to be a little less vigilant on the nest than earlier in the season, but before you criticise her, let us explain.

Now the chicks have a decent set of adult feathers coming through, they are much better at thermoregulation ( maintaining their own body temperature) and have gained an amount of waterproofing as well. This means mum can now take breaks sitting nearby, without having to sit on top of the chicks all the time.

Secondly, the chicks are now much less vulnerable to predators, being a) well camouflaged ( as some visitors will be able to tell you!) and b) big enough to be too much of a meal for almost all predators.

Thirdly, you will probably have noticed the chicks have started their wing stretching and exercising, which can be rather vigorous and make the nest a bit crowded and uncomfortable for mum- better to give the chicks room for their aerobics!

So if mum is absent from the nest- don't panic! It is most likely she is just a few feet to the right or left of the camera on a perch, nearby if there's any trouble or threat- as you can see from how quickly she appears when food arrives!

What to Expect Next

As our chicks reach their 'halfway mark' in the fast race to fledging, its a good time to look ahead. We've had lots of questions about what to expect over the next few weeks, so here's a guide.

Our chicks will quickly gain adult feathers now( these currently showing as wee brown smudges in their down), and will begin to look a lot more like miniature adults.

The chicks legs will start to develop strength and they will begin to stand more on the nest , whereas they are still currently 'walking' on their knees and their elbows! They will likely be much more adventurous on the nest too, venturing out of the central cup to the edges.

We expect in a week or so to see the chicks start stretching their wings and develop their muscles. They will likely fledge at between 7 and 8 weeks- watch out for the thrills and spills.

We also expect to ring the chicks sometime in the next ten days to two weeks: this special day will be organised by an expert team- stay tuned for the date to be announced. This event will be televised in the centres live.

Hotting Up

Our baby Ospreys are now three weeks old, and taking on a speckled appearance, as they get the first tiny adult feathers. Their wings seem to be growing faster than anything else, and they seem to using these long appendages as 'props' . All three youngsters are quite mobile now and as they move around the nest, they balance on their wings as their feet are still quite weak.

Dad excelled himself this morning with three nice fish delivered within 3 hours- the demands of a hungry family just keep growing! The fishing conditions are near perfect, with calm clear water, at a good depth.

Mum has spent most of today shielding the youngsters from the hot weather- what a difference to last week when she was struggling to keep them warm. She has been standing over the chicks with her wings spread to provide as much shade as possible!