You will recall from my last blog how the bad weather meant that we lost the camera as the solar panels couldn’t charge and the battery went flat. We therefore couldn’t monitor fish deliveries but we knew they would be difficult in the pouring rain and flooded areas. We hadn’t seen a fish delivery on camera or by active monitoring for several days. On Tuesday, there was the incident I recounted whereby I’d hoped that there had been an off camera fish exchange. However, as soon as she returned to the nest, Augusta was immediately fish soliciting again. Samson went off fishing at about 0930 and wasn’t seen on camera again for 48 hours. When he returned, he went straight onto the nest and started incubating the eggs; there was no fish. Eventually she drove him off again and we didn’t see him on camera from another 24 hours (Friday) when he returned, again without a fish. In the meantime, Augusta was getting more and more anxious throughout Thursday morning (30th). She left for about 10 minutes and came back wet but, at 1158, after standing at the side of the nest looking at the eggs for several minutes (that broke my heart), she took off and we haven’t seen her since. The camera went off at 1800 and came on again at 0500 and the eggs had not been moved, suggesting that had been exposed the whole time. When he returned on Friday, they had probably not been covered for 21 hours and were therefore cold and unviable. He incubated them all day until just before the camera went off before departing. He was back again on Saturday and again incubated during the day but without any chance of success.
Augusta has not been seen at any of the other nests so far with cameras. I thought she would go to Kielder where she knows the fish supplies are good. She might come back to Samson; she might not. However, the 2024 breeding season came to a sudden end on Thursday. It just shows what a knife edge breeding is for these birds, especially when the weather turns.
I hope Samson is ok and has managed to find himself something now the weather has improved. He looked very unlike himself on Tuesday and Thursday but better on Friday. I feel desperately sorry for Augusta as she was so keen to breed and that picture of her looking at the eggs just before she flew will live in my mind for a long time.
I’ll let you know of any developments.
Post script. Augusta (500) is back and caught a fish for herself this morning (Sunday 2 June). They are both still incubating and turning the eggs.
Border Ospreys 
Hi Rosie
Very sad to read what has happened to the Osprey’s nest, ornithology has been a passion of mine for a long time. I don’t know much about the incident but I am very familiar with Ospreys in England, Wales and Scotland, Loch Garton, Loch of Lowes, Rutland Water, Leicestershire, Dyfi, Wales and others.
I have spent many hours volunteering in visitor centres, in public engagement and carried out fundraising & marketing for projects for various wildlife projects both as a volunteer or member of staff. Most of my field work has been either at Loch Garton with the RSPB and Hothwell Common, Kent with the Kent Wildlife Trust where I lived prior to moving to the Scottish Borders in 2019.
My reasons for contacting you is to find out if I can be of any help to you and to find out more about what happened to the Born in the Borders project at Lanton.
I have not been able to find any other way of contacting other than through your blogs
Kind regards
Neill
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Hi Neill. Thank you for your response. If you are on Facebook/Messenger you can pm me (my avatar is a puffin). I do have an email address but it is used very infrequently and so I cannot guarantee its reliability.
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very sorry to hear of this tragedy Rosie and that there will no osprey chicks at The Borders this year – and I feel for that image etched in your mind. As you say it is such a fine line, the conditions have been so atrocious, and I hope they pick up successfully again next year.
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Such a sad outcome Rosie, and they came so close to hatching 🥺🦅
I’m gutted but will keep everything crossed their return in 2025.
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very sad news Rosie, so sorry to hear this.
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Thank you, Ingrid.
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Oh this is a sad story. I suppose it will be made sadder since the birds will go on incubating the eggs for many weeks.
This season is turning out to be a very variable one.
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Oh Rosie what terrible news, not what we wanted to hear, you must be devastated. Hope Samson recovers and Augusta has found some where safe xx
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Augusta is now back but too late for the viability of the eggs, I fear.
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At least she is ok. How is Samson, is he managing to fish now?
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We think he might have brought one in and shared it later on today but I’ve not downloaded that yet.
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Fingers crossed xx
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So very sad 😢
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Oh that’s so so sad Rosie. I just hope both adults are ok. So awful for you to watch.
Catherine
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I was so sad to read this Rosie and so sorry for your loss. Poor Samson and Ursula too after they settled so well together. I hope they find each other again and eventually have a happy ever after one day. xx
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