Easter Resurrects Blogging Axe Birders!

Greylag Geese ( Copyright T D Wright )

These two have been hanging around since before Easter. I wonder if they laid the two 'Golden Eggs' that turned up on Good Friday and Easter Sunday? On Friday, I was already having a good day with Wheatear (fem) and several Swallows and Willow Warblers at Seaton Marshes. I later had Sand Martin and 8 Ringed Plovers from Tower hide. In between all this, I arrived at Coronation Corner and checked my messages...Osprey Cory Corner! I transferred my gaze from my phone to the sky and this is what I saw...                                                                                                       

Osprey ( Copyright T D Wright )

Osprey ( Copyright T D Wright )

I watched it with Phil whose text it had been and it splashed down in front of Tower hide and caught a huge Mullet. To our surprise, it then settled on a rock in the middle of the estuary with its prize. I dashed around to the Seaton Cem carpark and was coted by Sue Smith who bombed past me on her bike like Laura Trott in a pursuit at the Olympics. By the time my Shanks's Pony had got me to the Tower the bird had flown, I was told. Blast, I thought. Then suddenly, all the gulls,godwits and Shelducks went up again.A second Osprey! This one tried to fish by the Tower too but ended up heading down to Axmouth harbour. Two minutes later, however, it came back to us with a freshly caught mullet...

Osprey ( Copyright T D Wright )

It then settled down just like its predecessor and proceeded to consume its quarry...         

Osprey ( Copyright T D Wright )

Osprey and Shelduck ( Copyright T D Wright )

It shifted its ground a couple of times but remained where we could see it. It went in through the mullet's eyes and had its brains first! Here, we can see the rear half of the fish in its talons, the forequarters having been completely demolished. The local corvids and gulls mostly kept their distance, except for one very brave or cunning Carrion Crow which scrounged a few morsels but had to take evasive action. I have some video footage of this which I will also post...