At last a beautiful sunny morning at Lowes with the ospreys finally drying out and basking in the sun.
Talking to some of our very long term volunteers has brought up interesting questions of how the females behaviour has differed this year with a new partner, to her behaviour with her previous mate of 15years.
Those who know this female well have commented on how quiet she is this year. Of course this is all relative as different ospreys do seem to have different characters and each nesting ‘relationship’ is also different. Some osprey females do seem to be real nagging wives, and some very quiet.
Our female had a bit of a reputation as the former and she was constantly shouting at her mate- probably trying to encourage him to provide ever more food!
Interestingly in the early part of the season this year, during incubation, she also was very vocal. However, no she must be said to be remarkably quiet since the chicks have hatched- which must be a credit to her new mates dedication and constant fish supply.
This makes me wonder what other variations in her behaviour our deicated watchers have observed. Let us know what you think!
Emma Rawling
Perthshire Ranger