Motivation was so high for this year’s second Osprey morning on 23 June that several of the 51 participants arrived before dawn. And the Osprey were soon to follow, with the first one (most probably Olympe) already fishing at the Grande Cariçaie at 05:23, then lost from sight before being spotted again with a fish at 06:00. At Hagneck Arthur had his breakfast even earlier, showing up calling in flight at 05:30 with a fish in his talons, which he promptly devoured, finishing at 06:06. A third Osprey (most probably Racine) was spotted at Fanel from 5:47, quietly perched most of the time on a dead tree until 8:27. He then flew north-east towards the Thielle canal where another team saw him, circling with a Black Kite from 8:34 to 8:40, before disappearing, apparently towards the Lake of Bienne. So already before 6:00, three different Osprey had been spotted, likely our three known males – although too far away to see or read their rings.
At Hagneck, Arthur was observed several times carrying branches (photo above) until 8:21, after which he disappeared, possibly behind the wooded island where we know he is trying to build a nest – for the third year in a row – on a fragile dead tree. Then just before the “official” end of the watch at 10:00, the surprise of the day was when two Osprey were seen from Lüscherz, circling together over Hagneck with at least one calling. One was clearly Arthur, and the other which then flew off towards Twann also had a blue ring, thus was most likely Racine.
One of the valuable results from this Osprey Morning is the confirmation that Olympe (who had been regularly seen bringing branches to two nest platforms built almost 2.5 km distance apart), is also building a new, natural nest nearly 2 kms further away. This means that his territory spans more than 5 km along the Grande Cariçaie. With a choice now of three possible nests with which to woo a passing female, it shows just how motivated Olympe is!
Other teams were posted at various spots along the Doubs River (difficult to survey due to relief and its many meanders) and in the Drugeon basin, both places where Flamme (which had lost his blue ring) was seen in past years. However, no Osprey were spotted there on 23 June, despite one (possibly ringed) being seen from June 11-12. So the question of whether Flamme has returned this year remains open.
Many thanks once again to the wonderful team who got up very early to take part in the 23 June survey. Whether they saw an Osprey or not, all of their observations were very useful, and we still have the rest of the summer to perhaps clarify some other mysteries.
