NEWS ON MIGRATION

(All photos: courtesy of A Copland)

We had some exciting news that 9J7 (chick 2) was spotted fishing in Poole Harbour yesterday, having sneaked off when we weren’t looking. I was notified this morning and have been given permission by Alison Copland to use her wonderful photos, taken during yesterday’s osprey cruise, in the blog. They don’t show the ring but it has been confirmed by other watchers and I recognise 9J7 too. I know I’m a little biased in this respect, but doesn’t she look absolutely wonderful? Hopefully, she’ll stop off there for a while until she is fully proficient at fishing before setting off across the Channel and beyond. She isn’t the only juvenile osprey using Poole Harbour at the moment as 2B9 from Kielder has been there for a week and, having started her week struggling (as 9J7 will) to catch anything, she landed a huge bass this morning which will do wonders for her confidence!

We haven’t confirmed Augusta at Lanton since last Monday (17th), so unless anyone else knows differently, I think we can assume that she has left on migration. A grainy photo, taken today of one of the perches by the river, looks to show 9J6 (chick 3) eating her way solidly through a large fish, so we know that she is still here and Samson was no doubt the provider. I would expect 9J8 to have gone, if her younger sister is already away, but chick 2 was always the precocious one of the brood, so perhaps chick 1 may still be around. I’ll be down tomorrow to check.

I’ve had to turn the camera off for the season as it refused to work for me, so my apologies for the sudden termination of this season’s pictures but I nevertheless hope that you enjoyed seeing the birds live for yourselves on the feed. I thought it made a big difference to see what I was telling you, as I’m sure some of you thought I had been very anthropomorphic, but now you have all been able to see their characters develop and all the domestics going on in and around the nest. They really are very different individuals in so many ways and I’m very glad to have been able to bring that to you.

My next blog will probably be my last of the season (unless we get further reports of sightings, of course) and I will report on when the nest area appears to be empty. Until that time, I would ask for visitors to please keep to the riverside path or the car park to avoid disturbing the birds. They need all the energy they can acquire to start their migration and not waste any of it flying off because someone has got too enthusiastic and has strayed too close to the nest.