On duty Osprey

Another overcast but just about dry day. A light wind from NE to NW.

South shore (Malcolm)

Osprey 1 was milling around some distance out from No.1 outflow at 09:30 this morning. Then it came in to rest on the same post, at the end of No.2 outflow, as yesterday.

No fish today, it was just waiting for the tide to ebb a little further. The gulls weren't so tolerant today.

At 09:50 it started fishing between the outflows. I filmed it dive four times without it catching anything, so I stopped filming and just watched. The very next dive it caught a Bass! So I've cheated a little bit and merged the last unsuccessful dive with the point when it does catch. A thing to bear in mind when watching this, is that Bass have long, strong and very sharp spines in their dorsal fin. The Osprey has to make sure that when it grabs one it misses this fin in the middle of the bass' back, possibly why some dives are aborted.

Unlike yesterday, after avoiding the gulls, the Osprey set off high and purposeful to the NW, where presumably young await.

The thought occurred, that if this is the same bird as yesterday, and it does appear to be, perhaps it had already taken one fish to its family then returned to catch another for itself to eat yesterday. It would explain why it just let what was still a sizeable fish drop into the sea. 

The blue ring on its right leg clearly visible, but illegible 

Although a sizeable fish, it is very thin for a Bass at this time of year.
By this time, the Osprey had pushed back the dorsal fin, flattening the spines.
It can now hold the bass safely in the middle of its back.

Mediterranean gull just 4 adults seen today.

This is yesterday's white ringed Med. Ringed as an adult 17/05/23
at Groningen Netherlands. It was in Germany by June then here in August
Since then it was seen in Dublin in March this year then later in March
Lagoon island, RSPB Hodbarrow, Millom, Cumbria.

Rock Pipit on Red Nab

Peregrine Falcon 2

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

A quick evening check of the two main pond, found the wildfowl unchanged other that the Tufted duck wasn't seen.

This is the female Gadwall with her two young having a dabble.

There were two lots of two Little Grebe chicks, and at least two adults bringing them food, despite the fact the chicks are capable of feeding themselves now. Whatever it was they were being given was tiny, perhaps it was just a lesson in alternative food items (Song Thrush and the other grebes in the background).