Another two-year-old visitor
These two year old ospreys certainly get about! This evening, Friday 14th June at 18:53 another one paid us a visit.
This time it was a large and magnificent Female, Blue 441, “Fenham”. She hatched at Kielder on nest 1A in 2022
Just as our previous visitor, 698, had shown us, these youngsters can really put in the miles while prospecting for their own nest and a mate. 441 has already been sighted this year at Loch Garten in Scotland on the 9th June and a mere 5 days later she was here in the Usk Valley.
These young birds often spend their 2nd year wandering and exploring during the first visit back to the UK, making a mental map of where other ospreys are and where the best fishing spots can be found. It’s nothing unusual - if you’ve flown 3,000 miles already, a couple of hundred more shouldn’t make a great deal of difference. What a marvel migratory birds are!
Blue 441 “Fenham” hid her rings from view for what seemed an eternity….
…and then she flew, revealing her identity.
Congratulations to all at Kielder Ospreys on the safe return of their youngster.
AND congratulations to Glaslyn Wildlife too. 441 is a granddaughter of the late "Mrs G”.
We were fortunate to have watchers on the towpath observing the arrival of 441 at the nest 14.6.24. Their recordings provide a delightful and colourful addition to the camera observations and too good not to share :-
"Blue 441 circled low around back of nest tree, came back up above nest in display flight, extending legs before dropping down in front of nest tree and flying right.”
"Circling again around the back of the nest tree with display flight above the nest. Turning left behind nest cam and circling again.”
"Returning above the nest in display flight for a 3rd and final time before banking left behind nest cam and heading to perch on dead tree 2 fields left of nest tree.”