There's been some seriously wild weather in Wales over the last couple of weeks (shown rather well on Springwatch!) and unfortunately the weather has claimed some more victims. The two peregrine chicks that were the stars of the show at our Lake Vyrnwy date with nature unfortunately haven't survived.
They were spotted on their ledge on Friday 8 June, but there was no sign of life the following day. The team on the ground desperately tried to catch a glimpse of the chicks over the next few days, but couldn't quite get the perfect angle to see the whole ledge. However, on Tuesday 12 the warden managed to get a good look at the ledge and saw that the two chicks had died.
We're not 100% sure what happened, but we think it was a mixture of things - the chicks didn't appear to be getting enough food, the parents were both away from the nest for most of the day so not keeping the chicks warm and then the bad weather hit.
Due to this sad news, we've had to close our date with nature early this year. It's such a shame when chicks are lost, but it shows that even the most powerful predator is still incredibly fragile.
Ironically as I read this, I read that House Sparrows have bounced back despite the horrendous summer ... as always in nature there are winners and losers.
Ant