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Edinburgh Reporter

All osprey chicks perish at Borders site

An osprey nest in the Tweed Valley that attracted UK-wide attention after one male and two female birds set up home together as a trio has ended in tragedy after all four of their chicks have died. The avian love triangle developed after a male known as Newboy mated with two females on the same nest. Rather than attempt to oust each other, the resident female known as Mrs O accepted the younger bird dubbed F2. They took turns incubating their four eggs while Newboy provided fish for the nest in behaviour never before captured on camera. All four chicks hatched successfully, but the saga took a twist as Newboy abandoned the nest, with the drama being live-streamed to the Glentress Visitor Centre near Peebles via a camera positioned over the nest. Although F2 brought a small number of fish back to the nest she was unable to prevent all four chicks from starving. Diane Bennett, project officer for the Tweed Valley Osprey Project, which monitors the raptors, said: 'It's so sad. There's been a lot of tears shed. 'When the first two chicks came along F2 brought a fish in and we hoped that she would step up as a provider in the absence of Newboy. 'But by the time the next two chicks hatched the first two were already starving. 'We watched in hope and we were delighted when F2 came back with one more fish but it just wasn't enough. 'The females are wired to stay and look after the young and I think it proved too difficult for them to go against that instinct and go and fish and all four chicks starved. 'When Mrs O stepped off she was clearly distressed and calling and F2 just looked bewildered.' Mrs O, the resident female for several years, returned to the nest on March 30 and welcomed the new male suitor after her previous partner FK0 failed to return from migration. Another mystery female, F2, later appeared and the male, who became known as Newboy, began mating with both. When Mrs O laid her first egg on April 18, it was thought she might settle with the male and chase the younger female away. But onlookers were stunned as the two females were 'surprisingly tolerant' of each other, laying four eggs between them and sharing incubation duties and fish delivered by Newboy. However, the male abandoned the nest amid fears he had been denied his share in parenting and been made 'redundant'. Under normal circumstances, this can prove fatal for chicks whose mother is then forced to abandon them to hunt. Hopes for their survival were raised as the two females appeared to adapt to the situation. F2 assumed the role of provider in Newboy's absence, but deliveries were insufficient. Bennett added: 'Everyone is so heartbroken that the female ospreys have not managed to make this situation work. 'It has been very upsetting and sad to watch this family drama turn to tragedy and it brings home just how vulnerable and fragile the whole breeding cycle can be for ospreys. 'For their very brief lives these chicks touched many hearts of people who dearly wanted them to survive. 'Nature is raw and can be seen as cruel at times but it is part of the natural cycle of life. 'We do not know if Mrs O and F2 will return and both claim the territory again next season. 'Hopefully, Mrs O will return and a new male will come that will provide for her, and F2 will move on to territory of her own.' Too late to breed again this year, it is thought both females will depart on migration early and return next spring. Male osprey bringing fish for two female birds and their offspring. Photo Saltire News and Sport Ltd Osprey in the nest in the Scottish Borders. PHOTO Saltire News and Sport Ltd Osprey in the nest in the Scottish Borders. PHOTO Saltire News and Sport Ltd Osprey in the nest in the Scottish Borders. PHOTO Saltire News and Sport Ltd Female osprey Mrs O moments after a third chick hatched PHOTO Saltire News and Sport Ltd Female osprey Mrs O moments after a third chick hatched PHOTO Saltire News and Sport Ltd Like this: Like Related