A pair of ospreys who returned to an eyrie they built last year on top of a Scots pine at Balgavies Loch, east of Forfar, found they had been gazumped by a family of greylag geese.
The ospreys dive bombed the greylags who refused to move and settled down to hatch out their eggs.
Bob McCurley of the Dundee and Angus Bird Club watched the stand-off throughout March as the geese refused to budge under repeated attacks from the ospreys.
“The goslings were due to hatch out in 27 or 28 days from March 27,” said Bob.
On April 30, Bob saw the osprey attack again and this time the two geese fled the eyrie and moved to the east side of the loch.
Soon after, crows visited the deserted eyrie and Bob feared they had attacked the vulnerable goslings.
Bob checked the side of the loch and to his great surprise found the two adult greylags with three newly fledged goslings.
“The family had survived intact,” he said. “It remains to be seen whether the osprey will use the eyrie.
“If not, then it is hoped they will return next year and the reception the greylags received this spring will deter them using it again.”
Greylags have been known to use a Scots pine before to produce young, especially in Norway and Sweden, but it is a very rare occurrence in the UK.
Pictures used courtesy of Clair Trethowan, from Forfar, and Bob McCurley.