Morven reared one young with her usual mate and has now left on migration

Last year Morven hatched two late young – both were rather below weight due to the poor summer weather. One chick was collected under licence for the Swiss reintroduction project which allowed the remaining young to thrive and fledge successfully. Morven is back breeding with the same mate in the same nest as last summer.

Morven is back at last year’s nest with last year’s mate

Morven did not breed this summer with her new mate – after the fighting at her original nest she moved to an unused eyrie but failed to adjust and lay eggs. She departed in late July.

After arriving early, Morven’s mate from last year did not arrive until 2 weeks later, by which time she had paired up with a new 6-year-old male. When yellow HA returned there was obviously a very big fight on 15th April which resulted in him being chased away and probably injured by the new male.  Morven and her new mate then left this nest and went off elsewhere – I now think I know where but still need to be certain. Her nest was then taken over during the melee by a new young pair which are using it on and off, but are not going to breed this year.

I visited Morven’s nest before dusk and found Morven perched on the old dead Scots pine – she was looking great and soon flew down onto the nest and started re-arranging sticks. I could see the white color ring and during the past winter she has shed her transmitter, as originally planned at the end of its useful life. Her plumage was in excellent newly moulted condition. Great to see her back – my first osprey in Scotland for 2014

Adolfo Villavere has again identified Morven at her favoured estuary on the north coast of Spain. He saw her on the afternoon of 20th March – he reports bad weather along the Spanish coast so may be she will spend a few days in the estuary before heading on north.

Morven had three chicks this summer with her mate Yellow HA, one of her brood was translocated to the Basque country reintroduction project. She left the area in August, while her mate remained until 26th September.  He transmitter is no longer active.

Morven departed in mid August after a successful breeding season – her transmitter is now past its operating life so we have no migration data. I expect she will head again for the Mauritanian coast and the next report hopefully will either be on the Villaviciosa estuary next March or at her nest in April 2014