An Osprey day

Showers till mid morning then dry but overcast. A fresher SW wind.

South shore (Malcolm)

A quick check of Red Nab on the rising tide this morning found only 11 Mediterranean gulls. 5 adult, 1 second calendar year and 5 juvenile.

Six of the Meds with Black-Headed gulls in the foreground 

A check of the beach by the wooden jetty this afternoon saw only 3 adult and a juvenile.

Juvenile Med

The juvenile bird wasn't making any friends.

Adult Mediterranean gull

Cormorant numbers increasing again on the wooden jetty

Peregrine Falcon 1

Osprey 1 - it was feeding between the outflows just after 16:00. It caught a Bass at 16:10 and flew off NW across the bay with it. I managed to film its successful dive, although I did overshoot a bit.

I've been thinking about the timings of the recent sightings of an (this) Osprey feeding here, and perhaps more tellingly, when it hasn't shown up. I've come to the conclusion that Bass are not its food of choice. Bass are heavily defended with strong sharp spines in the dorsal fin on the back, plus sharp spines on their other fins too. These have evolved specifically to deter attacks as the one above. The Osprey will have to take great care to time its grab perfectly and risks serious injury to itself if it gets it wrong. Also Bass are covered with coarse scales and have a very tough skin. On the recent calm days, when the Osprey didn't show, large flatfish would be available in multiple areas of the bay. Flatfish have no defence against aerial attack and have a soft smooth skin. Only a theory for the time being, more observations will be required to support or dispel it. But if correct it predicts that the Osprey is unlikely to feed here when calmer conditions allow safer fishing elsewhere, and possibly north in the wind will make this location more attractive, as it is sheltered by the sea wall from north winds. (Malcolm)