Farewell for another year.

An empty nest, at the top of an old Scots Pine, looking like a flattened out platform of larch sticks, garnished with dried out yellowed moss, is the scene on the live cameras for most of the time towards the last days of summer.

photo by J.Lister



Only a few short weeks ago this was the scene of bustling activity with three juvenile ospreys the same size as their parents, all squashed together, occupied with wing stretching exercises and flapping to strengthen their flight muscles. After fledging, the juvenile birds also continued to use the eyrie as a dining area to practice gripping fish in their talons and using their hook tipped beaks to tear off strips to eat.

In what seems such a short time, the birds are ready to make their way in the world, it is time to journey south and although we are sure that mum and one of the juveniles have already gone, it seems likely that the second young bird has left now too. A brief appearance at the eyrie of a lone juvenile on Monday indicates that there is one still to make a move, to start the migration journey and dad will most likely wait until this one goes before he too will make his way down to West Africa.

We are delighted that this 10^th anniversary of the parents, at the main nest site has gone without any hitches and young ospreys have successfully fledged once again from this nest all watched with privilege from our live viewing facilities at Glentress Wildwatch Room and at Kailzie Gardens osprey and nature watch centre.

The Tweed Valley Osprey Project is a conservation success story and a project to which the dedicated few who are involved should be very proud of because in a matter of 15 years this region has gone from somewhere where ospreys were extinct to a region that has now produced upwards of 160 fledged ospreys, mostly from artificial eyries created to encourage them to breed here. These magnificent birds will need careful monitoring and protection in the future if they are to continue to thrive. We hear reports of a couple of nest sites that have failed to produce young and we are all too aware that the biggest threat to them is from disturbance.

Photo by J.Lister

We are lucky that the main nest site location was so carefully chosen at the start of this project, as for ten years this site has been relatively disturbance free and its security has been very well maintained. The Forestry Commission for Scotland staff have maintained and renovated the nest site while the birds are away on migration, created new artificial eyries, they install all the camera workings to make the live images possible and the licensed Conservation and Heritage Manager actively monitors the birds by ringing the fledglings at six weeks old, so that they can be tracked in the future with visible identity rings.

Although the centres are quiet at this time of year we still have many visitors on holiday in the area and folk from as far as Lancashire and Devon have called in to see our ospreys this week and to hear how the project is progressing. Most of the time the centres have volunteers on duty and they do a great job to interpret the osprey activities and tell visitors all about Tweed Valley Ospreys and their amazing comeback to the area thanks to the work done by this project. We are extremely grateful to all the volunteers that have given their time so generously to support this project once again for this season.

This week is the end of osprey watching for the season and The Osprey and Nature Watch Centre at Kailzie Gardens will be closed from Sunday 1^st September although the Wildwatch Room at Glentress will remain open for longer.

I would like to thank everybody that has supported the osprey project this year and wish for a safe migration  journey for our ospreys and a safe return next spring when hopefully I will be able to bring news that our pair have returned for an eleventh season together.

Best Wishes

Diane Bennett.

Tweed Valley Osprey Project Officer.

Fledged Ospreys and unusual sightings

We were delighted that the first and boldest chick fledged from the nest on the 14^th July and a couple of days later a second chick was practicing the art of being airborne by flying from one side of the nest to another.

The male bird delivered a large brown trout to the nest where one chick took command of the situation by taking the whole fish from his talons and proceeded to feed itself. Shortly afterwards the female flew onto the nest with a fish in her talons and began to feed the chick that already had a fish of its own. Old habits die hard! The chick didn’t complain and gracefully accepted the proffered morsels, maybe keeping the fish in its own talons as a snack for later.

The female flew off after a while only to return later with a change of heart and snatch the fish away from the chick and fly off with it.

On the 17^th July, one lonely chick was seen in the nest while all the family were away. Perhaps this one was hoping that a sympathetic parent may pop by and deliver some dinner. This is the time of tough love and chicks can be left without food for a while to drive them on to begin to fend for themselves.

All chicks are now fledged and are gaining superb flying practice and for a change the Scottish summer weather has not been all about deluge and torrential rain, but we Brits are great at moaning about the weather and this seasons chicks have had to contend with searing heat, as we have a proper summer sunny period. This brought about a period of inactivity and the weather was too hot for osprey chicks and volunteers alike!

At cooler times during this balmy summer, conditions have been excellent for fishing and bumper supplies must mean fit and healthy birds getting into prime condition, in readiness for that all important first migration journey which is looming in the not too distant future.

Sightings of a New osprey family in town!

Innerleithen games week parade was visited by a new family of ospreys in town, marching down the high street! A couple of pupils from St.Ronan’s Primary school that had been involved in the osprey project this season dressed up as ospreys and pushed their eyrie along the road complete with little brother as a cute osprey chick peeking out of his eggshell!

They won third prize in the fancy dress competition and we are very proud of them here at the Tweed Valley Osprey Project. Very Well Done. Great costumes!

Nearly ready to fly from the crowded nest.

Dad in the middle of the nest with his young family
 and Mum watches from the side branch.

The Tweed Valley Osprey chicks on the main camera nest have not flown yet. At the viewing centres, the on- screen antics of the birds limbering up ready for flight is super to watch.

We have witnessed many concerted wing-flapping sessions and valiant effort but lift-off has been achieved only briefly so far, rising from the nest and then straight back down again. The birds are well feathered and look physically ready to go but they are not in a hurry to venture out into the wider world just yet.

It's a bit of a squash !

While on duty, one of our volunteers, Iain Coates, made this observation about their flight practice:

"One knew what it was doing, another tried but didn’t quite have the rhythm and the third wasn’t really sure what it was supposed to do!"

When the whole family is at the nest it is a very crowded place now. The huge nest structure looks really small when occupied by the five family members together.

Survival against all the odds

The Tweed Valley Ospreys have done remarkably well to raise chicks to survive this summer of deluge and rivers mostly in a state of spate.

We have heard news of chick fatalities across the whole of the UK. Birds have simply not survived due to the cold wet summer and lack of food. One chick from each of the nests at Caerlaverock, Aberfoyle, Loch Garten and Kielder have been reported as having died in the nest; two chicks died at the Dyfi nest in Wales.

A final count up of all the osprey nest sites in the Tweed Valley has not been reported yet but we know that at least two of the nest sites have very good, healthy chicks ready to fledge. The parent birds are finding a good food source to exploit and this is looking very optimistic for the future of Tweed Valley raised ospreys.

Growing Chicks are now wing stretching.



Young ospreys play dead



The osprey chicks have survived the worst that the good old British weather has managed to throw at them and it was really heart - warming to see relaxed and healthy large chicks in the nest yesterday.

Tensions seem to have eased between the siblings too, and the youngest chick has apparently regained an appetite. The male bird with white leg ring SS continues to exploit his fishing source and is bringing in lovely big trout to feed the young brood.

Plenty of relaxed wing stretching was witnessed at the nest today and this is a good sign as the youngsters flex their muscles and develop their bodies in preparation for flight which will only be a couple of weeks away now.

Ringing the young chicks will be taking place shortly under licence with Tony Lightley, the Forestry Commission Scotland Conservation Manager and his team of helpers.

This will involve accessing the nest and removing the youngsters to fit their legs with Darvic ring and BTO ring so that we can gain an insight into their distribution once they have left the nest. Sightings of the large Darvic rings with the coloured background and lettering can be used to trace the origin of birds seen.

This year so far we have received news that Tweed Valley raised birds have appeared at Leighton Moss, and Tweed Valley osprey with blue Darvic leg ring ‘HF’, turned up at Dyfi Opsrey Project in Wales on 4th June - probably trying to get a spot of stardom on Springwatch!

Tweed Valley-raised chicks dispersing around the country is superb news for us, as it is so good to know that birds are returning after successful migration journeys.

Keep up to date with our ospreys progress and view images on the new FCS facebook page

All chicks now fully fledged.

The third chick is now finally flying. All three chicks will use the nest as base camp for a while yet as they practice honing their flying skills. The parents are still around and Dad is bringing fish to the nest for the young chicks to feed. Soon they will begin to attempt hunting techniques and Dad will oversee their training until he is confident to leave them to fend for themselves.
At times the nest may be empty but when the chicks are hungry they will head to the nest and call for food. It is at this time of year when other ospreys sometimes take a visit to the nest site to check it out while the family are away. Last year, late in the season a white leg ringed adult, with the letters HC appeared at the nest site and began moving sticks around and scraping out the bottom of the nest. He was a bird from another nest in the Tweed Valley that had been ringed as a chick back in 2007 and this was most likely his first return since fledging.
Hopefully, he has returned again, found a partner and set up a nest of his own. Who knows, perhaps he has reared young of his own for the first time this year.
This is a good time of year to spot young ospreys and adults flying around the area. If anybody spots coloured leg numbers that they can read, please let us know and we can find out about the birds spotted.

Buzzard visit

The three big chicks were in the nest when an adult sitting in a branch close by began alarm calling, the smaller two chicks instantly lay flat in the nest and shielded their fish. One of the chicks boldly sat at the edge of the nest to survey any drama, the adult male was seen to take off and all the chicks sat back up into a more relaxed position.
A short while later a buzzard was heard flying around the nest and calling loudly, the chicks did not flatten back down and the adult returned. There was no alarm call and the buzzard sounded very close by but did not seem to be perceived as a threat.

WEX Club and childrens' event.

At Kailzie Gardens there is an RSPB Wildlife Explorers Group for young children to come and enjoy outdoor adventures and learn all about wildlife. The group meets once a month and is led by volunteers from the Tweed Valley Osprey Project and trained, competent volunteer leaders from RSPB.

The next meeting will be held on 8th August and we are inviting all children who would like to get involved to come along. ( Normally it is just for members and there is a waiting list to join).

We are planning to hold an osprey day of childrens events at the osprey centre at Kailzie Gardens starting at 2pm(8th August). Please ring if you would like to book a place for your child on 07908098026.

There will be osprey arty crafts and games, including the chance to take part in creating a giant papier mache osprey head for display at the centre.

We can guarantee that all involved will have a great time!

One of our WEX leaders Aly, is pictured above, holding an osprey chick at the recent osprey ringing event carried out by the licensed Forestry Commission, Conservation Manager , Tony Lightley.

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.

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.

Growing Up Fast

Our three Osprey chicks are certainly growing up quickly and showing remarkable independence at this early stage of their newly fledged lives. Over the last three or four days they have been an increasingly rare sight at the nest, as they spend longer and longer away on their 'training' flights, working on their all important fitness.

They have also taken to roosting on trees nearby the nest rather than on it, as their quick appearance when an adult with food appears testifies! Like all hungry teenagers, when food is on offer, they magically appear! Dad has been bringing at least two fish a day the the nest, but it looks very like the start of the ' tough love' period when the food deliveries decrease, as a none to subtle 'hint' that the youngsters should be trying fishing for themselves.

High Drama and Dramatic Rescue

Monday the 27th July 2009 will go down as one of our most dramatic days ever, but I am happy to report 'All's well that ends well'.

Yesterday afternoon, the youngest chick " Stig" took a tumble from the nest, despite not being anywhere near ready to fly . Witnesses describing him 'stepping backwards and falling of the nest' late afternoon. This is not uncommon in birds near to fledging and we waited to see if this unscheduled departure would force him to fly and see him return safely. (Almost all young Ospreys come back to the nest after their early flights, which usually only last few minutes.) Unfortunately by early this morning he had not reappeared and our concerns for him grew.

If "Stig" had been able to glide to a nearby tree, his parents would continue to feed him and all would be well until he was properly ready to fly in a few days. If however, he fell to the ground, he would most likely not have the strength to take off and would of course be desperately vulnerable to predators and unlikely to survive.

After consulting with our experts and much discussion on the merits of interfering, we decided that the other two chicks would not be compromised if we went to the nest to see if we could find " Stig". After a short search, we found him stuck amongst very long bracken near the base of the nest tree, looking forlorn, but unharmed. After a short confinement in a quiet and safe box, "Stig" was fed with some fresh fish ( kindly supplied by Ronnie Graham of Barony Country Foods at short notice!) and returned safely to the nest by Forestry Commission Conservation Manager Tony Lightly.

We watched on camera this afternoon as he sat on the nest feeding well and waiting for his two older siblings ( both now flying) to return to share his windfall of fish! He seemed none the worse for wear for his adventure, but was still standing perilously close to the nest edge having learnt little from his mishap! This happy outcome seems to vindicate our decision to intervene- since he most probably would not have survived if we hadn't. We will report on his progress tomorrow and hope all the excitement won't have done him any harm!

Whilst all this was going on, we shouldn't ignore the fact that our female chick "Caledonia" fledged naturally today as well, at about 2pm. Her first flight was a text book five minutes and she came back to an impressively accomplished first landing- well done lass!

Teenagers Doing Well

Our three Osprey chicks are all doing well, a week after their exciting ringing experience. They settled back into life on the nest very very quickly and have been happily showing off their blue leg rings on camera ever since!

They are spending a large amount of time preening themselves as the last of their down 'baby fluff' is shed and their adult feathers fully develop. When they shake themselves, little clouds of tiny down feathers often float away like thistle down!

They are also importantly spending a lot of time wing stretching now- which we have been jokingly calling 'Osprey aerobics'. This is crucial for their wing muscles to develop and strengthen prior to their first flight.

We've had lots of questions regarding when these chicks will fledge: the answer is soon! In 2007 when the chicks hatched at a similar time, they first fledged on the 24th July- so will this year be the same this year?

And don't worry , once they fledge they will keep coming back to the nest , like all teenagers, for food, rest and company, so you will still be seeing plenty of them!

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.

Fledging Youngsters

News today of our other nesting birds on live cameras in the centres.

The swallows at Glentress have begun to fledge from the nest- all six are absolutely huge and hopefully will therefore have a good chance on the wing. The jackdaws have also fledged but are still using the box to roost in.

The Kailzie nuthatches are doing well, with several of the ringed young appearing on the feeders at the window very regularly. We are still hoping their parents will lay another clutch in the televised nest box.

The Herons are still using the nest their nests in the colony on camera, and are often to be seen sitting in a loose group in the field along the river bank- sometimes up to seven or eight of them!

We also have a blue tits live on camera at Kailzie at the moment on camera.

We are hoping to have more youngsters on camera in the centres soon- just in time for the school holidays!

Herons and Nuthatches

Those of you who have enjoyed views of our local Heronry at the Kailzie centre this spring will be pleased to hear the colony is doing well. There are at least seven 'teenage' herons, all either just fledged or on the cusp of their first flights. There are also, unusually, three freshly laid eggs!?!

We were privileged to witness the ringing of some of these young herons last week, when they were brought safely to the ground (using techniques similar to those we use every year on the Ospreys) for our licensed bird ringer to attached identity rings. These will hopefully enable us to follow their progress and chart how many of these local youngsters survive.

If you would like to see pictures of this process , please just ask centre staff

Our Kailzie Nuthatches have also fledged recently, with all six making their first flight within 20 minutes of each other on Thursday. These delightful little birds often lay two clutches of eggs per year so we will be leaving the nest camera connected in case. If you would like to see footage of this nest, there are highlights available in the centres. The adults are also still a common feature on the live feeding station at Kailzie.

A Second Osprey Arrival

More great news on Tuesday morning with the appearance of another baby Osprey on the main nest. It took us a while to confirm its presence- it wasn't until the lunchtime fish arrived that we saw its little head clearly- interestingly dad took a turn feeding both the chicks showing his typical dedication and tenderness which is not that common in male ospreys.

The second wee arrival is noticeably darker marked than its sibling which should allow us to distinguish them , at least for a while until the later feather stages - regular watchers will know how many colour stages baby ospreys go through!

We still await the third eggs potential hatching- stay tuned!

More Babies!

More delightful news as our swallows at the Glentress centre have hatched at least two young live on camera. One of our young visitors this morning was the first to see the two little beaks begging for food. The adult birds have stepped up their activities to bring in enough food, and can be seen flying frantically in and out of the shed doors opposite the centre.

The nuthatch chicks at Kailzie are also doing well, growing fast and finally feathering up. They were ringed on Tuesday so we can hopefully follow their progress after fledging- look out for young nuthatches on the feeders wearing tiny metal leg rings.

Hopefully there are many more baby birds yet to come this year!