osprey love

[ewein2412]

The osprey's mate arrived this morning. They have been at it all day. We stopped at the osprey hides again on our way back from ringing and everyone there was beside themselves with excitement. He doesn't stay in the nest the way she does, and I got a great view of him swooping over the loch.

that nest again

She is 23 or 24 years old. Ospreys are thought to have a lifespan of about 20 years, so when she turns up, year after year, having found her way back again god-knows-how from North Africa, and lays more eggs and raises another chick, it's just... Oh. It makes me cry.

Comments

[hirnverbrannt.livejournal.com]

God that's incredible! The video of the nest shows how beautiful she is. I can't believe they come all the way from Africa. It almost makes one ashamed to see the feats that some animals accomplish yearly, just to survive, while we all sit here and stare...

[jeanhuets.livejournal.com]

Here's a cam on an eagle in Virginia, USA.
eagle cam (http://www.wvec.com/cams/eagle.html)
With time zone differences, this'll give you 24/7 coverage. "D

[ewein2412]

You know, the wildlife centre people don't know from one year to the next if she'll come back--they just wait and hope.

And the other thing that blows my mind is that the osprey couple don't travel together. They go off in the autumn and spend the winter apart, and then they come back here within a week of each other for the summer and for raising children.

[ewein2412]

wow, thanks for that! feeding my obsession!