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Pine marten poaches Loch Garten osprey's rotten eggs | Pine marten poaches Loch Garten osprey's rotten eggs |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Three eggs laid by a Highlands nature reserve's most successful breeding female osprey have been taken by a hungry pine marten. | Three eggs laid by a Highlands nature reserve's most successful breeding female osprey have been taken by a hungry pine marten. |
Laid by the bird known to conservationists as EJ, they had failed to hatch at the RSPB's Loch Garten reserve near Grantown on Spey. | Laid by the bird known to conservationists as EJ, they had failed to hatch at the RSPB's Loch Garten reserve near Grantown on Spey. |
The clutch has been in the nest for several weeks. | The clutch has been in the nest for several weeks. |
Staff at the site have suggested that the pine marten's meal would have made for "a rancid midnight feast". | Staff at the site have suggested that the pine marten's meal would have made for "a rancid midnight feast". |
After stealing the eggs, the marten sprayed its scent in the nest. | After stealing the eggs, the marten sprayed its scent in the nest. |
Pine martens are opportunists and the animal that visited EJ's nest saw the eggs as an easy meal. | |
Ospreys migrate from west Africa to Scotland to breed and can be seen hunting for fish from rivers and lochs. | Ospreys migrate from west Africa to Scotland to breed and can be seen hunting for fish from rivers and lochs. |
Twenty-one-year-old EJ remains Loch Garten's most successful breeding female osprey. | Twenty-one-year-old EJ remains Loch Garten's most successful breeding female osprey. |
Earlier in the season, she defended her nest against a pine marten. She is still visiting the nest and defending it against other birds looking to take it over. | Earlier in the season, she defended her nest against a pine marten. She is still visiting the nest and defending it against other birds looking to take it over. |
The reserve in the Cairngorms is home to other ospreys and a wide range of bird species as well as red squirrels. | The reserve in the Cairngorms is home to other ospreys and a wide range of bird species as well as red squirrels. |