Today was a special day as it was the day our fourth and final Osprey chick ‘5H6’ properly fledged. This signals the beginning of the end of the 2024 Osprey breeding season, with the grand total of ZERO chicks roosting/sleeping on the nest tonight. Although they’ll be back a fourth for food over the coming weeks, we’ll now see less and less of the quartet as they start taking food off to various trees to eat, rather than on the nest. The season won’t be considered a total success until each of the family of six all migrate away safely towards the back end of August and early September, so until then, we’ll carry on enjoying their presence on the nest cam while we can, before loud begging calls get exchanged for autumn gales!

In Brands Bay this evening it was much of the same in terms of local waders with 14 Whimbrel, 107 Curlew, 49 Black-tailed Godwit, 47 Redshank, 11 Dunlin, 11 Med Gull and 3 Common Gull. Likewise in Holes Bay NW where there were 124 Black-tailed Godwit, c50 Redshank, 6 Oystercatcher and 6 Curlew which were joined by single Whimbrel, Dunlin and Turnstone in the morning. Also a Common Tern was flying around the NW sector and a total of 68 Little Egret were across the whole of Holes Bay. Last night there were 2 Nightjar and a single Barn Owl in the Upton CP SANG area.

Osprey chick ‘5H6’ listing off for his first proper flight

Up, Up and away Osprey chick 5H6 fly’s off over the woodland on his maiden flight