April 3rd: an update

There has been an absolute surge of activity on the reserve in the last few days; our male (frustratingly still unconfirmed) stepping up nest-building activities with the fervour of someone frantically tidying up before the visit of somebody he wishes to impress. Sure enough, reports of a female osprey's arrival on the scene have proved to be true and both were showing extremely well throughout Tuesday, adding considerable amounts of wood to the nest, fishing, perching and posturing for long periods. The photo below (courtesy of L. Phelps) shows just how much the nest has been built up over the last few days:

Following these initial activities, the interaction of the two ospreys culminated with four attempts at mating, which several members of the public were lucky to witness. The viewpoint down on the reserve really does provide fantastic views of the birds, and things are getting ever more exciting as the new month commences.

Elsewhere on the estate there have been good numbers of snipe seeking refuge in the small drainage ditches while the wetland has been frozen over, long-eared owl in the woodlands and the blue-winged teal that has frequented the Lamb Island vicinity of late. Despite the weather, we should soon see the return of some spring migrants to Threave - keep us updated with your sightings either here, on Twitter (@ThreaveOspreys) or on Facebook (NTS Threave Ospreys).