New male at Abernethy nest looks the part already
The famous osprey nest at RSPB Scotland's Loch Garten reserve looks to have a bright future, with a brand new male - dubbed Odin - making all the right moves with regular female EJ.
The new bird was first spotted on Friday afternoon, and seems to have settled into the nest incredibly quickly. With no identifying leg ring to offer a clue as to his origins, the Osprey Centre staff chose to name him Odin - the chief God of Norse mythology - due to a possible Scandinavian connection.
Richard Thaxton, RSPB Scotland Osprey Centre Manager said:
"We were delighted when EJ came back once again, and then waited excitedly for a male bird to appear. Would it be VS, who has been around for the last few years, or would her regular mate Henry put in an appearance again after last year's no-show? But we were surprised when an entirely different bird arrived - and something of an enigmatic stranger given his lack of identification!"
There are two possible explanations for Odin's lack of an identifying leg ring, which are generally attached to osprey chicks before they leave their nests in August. The first is that, due to the osprey's continuing strong recovery in Scotland, the birds nest was 'missed' or inaccessible to humans. The second is that he could be a bird from Scandinavia, where ringing is less common, who was just passing through on his way home and had his head turned by EJ and the famous nest.
"Due to the possible Scandinavian connection, we've decided to call our new male Odin." Said Richard Thaxton. "He may have been headed home when he chanced upon EJ waiting patiently for a mate, and thought 'that'll do nicely'! So far, he's been brilliant, mating regularly and keeping EJ supplied with huge fish. If all goes well, this could be the start of an exciting new chapter in the Loch Garten Osprey Centre saga, and all being well we'll have healthy chicks this summer."
For more information/interviews/images, please contact RSPB Scotland’s National Media Officer Davey Fitch on 0131 311 6500/07894 173 116, or Richard Thaxton directly on 07793 170 656. The best way of getting a fresh picture of Odin and EJ is to take a screen grab from the webcam at
www.rspb.org.uk/lochgartenlive
as I can only supply stock osprey shots.
Notes:
· Female ospreys spend 40 days on the nest being provisioned with fish by their partners. Once widespread, ospreys became extinct in Scotland in 1916, In 1954 a pair nested at Loch Garten. Since 1959, ospreys have arrived every year – raising more than 80 young.
· More than two million people have visited RSPB Scotland’s Loch Garten Osprey Centre over a period of 50 years, including almost 36,000 last year. The Osprey Centre is open daily from 10am to 6pm from April 1st until the end of August.