Good grief it’s been all go on the Osprey nest today with Blue 44 displaying more and more adult behaviour. This morning he fed himself from a fish that was left on the nest and he has being doing enormous vertical lifts taking him up past the camera so all we can see is an empty nest.

Everyone in the hides have been avidly watching him as he teeters on the nest stretching his wings wondering if today will be the day for fledging. We got action just not what we were expecting.

Our male, affectionately known as Laddie or Newman, brought a live Perch into the nest where it was writhing and thrashing about. Who steps forward to get it? We’re all thinking it will be our female but no it was Blue 44 who grabbed it with his talons and kept a tight hold. Dad was holding onto it tight so this fish was definitely not one that got away.

Then late this afternoon it all kicked off. Our male turned up with a fish but he barely landed when an intruder Osprey appeared overhead so he came off the nest to chase it away taking the fish with him. We then witnessed a fantastic aerial battle as our male, complete with fish in talons, chased the intruder around the loch and nest several times. Our female had obviously had enough of this by then and she came off the nest and saw the intruder off decisively. Our male took advantage of the intervention to land on a tree and start eating the fish – interesting priorities he’s got there! He’s since brought the fish for the rest of the family to eat.

Out on the loch we had a visit from 250 or so Canada Geese along with the two Greylag Geese that seem to live with them and the juvenile Goldeneye have been practising their diving.

Meanwhile over the feeders our Red Squirrel kits have been enjoying the sunshine and one of them has almost run my foot several times today in its quest for walnuts.

Lindsey