Bird saga more Bauer than Humble

By Steven McKenzie
Highlands and Islands reporter, BBC Scotland news website

EJ and her young on the nest at Loch Garten

Life at Loch Garten is more like a series of 24 than Springwatch.

The twists that have become a hallmark of the osprey reserve in Badenoch and Strathspey would even challenge Kiefer Sutherland's Agent Jack Bauer.

Recent seasons have seen a bird kick the eggs fathered by a rival from the nest before his own clutch failed.

Last year's young perished - one after dying following a "navigational error" - and now the future of three new chicks hangs by a fishing line.

EJ - a regular female visitor to the reserve - and a previously unknown male nicknamed Odin have hatched three chicks at the nest.

Everything was going brilliantly, but unfortunately this has the real potential to ruin this year's osprey season Richard Thaxton RSPB

On Thursday, Odin was seen trailing more than 40ft of fishing line from his feet while the female, EJ had some line stuck in her beak.

It is feared the line could affect their ability to catch fish and the amount they feed to their young.

The RSPB's Richard Thaxton said: "Everything was going brilliantly, but unfortunately this has the real potential to ruin this year's osprey season."

Almost 40 messages have been posted by the public on a website dedicated to monitoring the birds' progress.

They include prayers that the ospreys will manage to rid themselves of the line.

Until now, the messages applauded the impressive number and size of fish Odin - the Norse god of war, wisdom, poetry and magic - has brought to the nest for EJ and their young.

Bad boy

But trouble and strife is nothing new at Loch Garten - which has featured in previous seasons of BBC Springwatch, now hosted by Kate Humble, Simon King and Chris Packham.

Earlier this year, Nethy a female young osprey, raised and satellite tagged at the reserve near Aviemore, was thought to have died after migrating to Africa.

Her brother Deshar died last October after making a "navigational error" and missed landfall in the Azores.

But 2007 was a breeding season of Shakespearean proportions.

EJ incubated two separate clutches to rival males but they all perished.

The feathers-and-talons drama began when EJ mated with a male called VS - regarded by reserve staff as a bad boy - and not her long-term partner Henry, who arrived at Loch Garten from wintering in west Africa later than expected.

Jealous Henry destroyed VS's before he went on to father a fresh three eggs with EJ.

It was thought he accidently trampled on one of his three offspring while trying to free himself from a piece of fishing line.

Days later the two remaining chicks also died.

Like an episode of 24, the clock is ticking to see whether this year's young survive.