Bird Watching: Osprey season 2011. Guess what we've got!, 1 by MargaretK

MargaretK wrote:

This is from yesterday. One one chick is visible, but I love the way the parents are gazing at it.

Both Pete and I have been scouring the nest for signs of the third egg and our collective imaginations have been in overdrive. We both thought we could see things that might have been a discoloured or discarded egg, but it's just that bit too far to be able to see in that detail.

One thing Pete and I witnessed yesterday was Dad going after a Cormorant that was innocently flying below the nest, just above the water. Nothing unusual in that - Cormorants and Gulls fly underneath constantly. Well, who knows what it was about this one that Dad took a disliking to, but he plunged down from his perch on the pole branch in pursuit. We both heard an almighty splash (couldn't see the event because of vegetation). Dad came back up within just a few moments and we waited and waited to see if the Cormorant would re-emerge. It did, probably after a full minute, and flew, seemingly uninjured, southwards.