Link to first page opener - here
Link to July 2023 - here
Recap:-
LJ2 returned 31 March 2023
LM6 returned 4 April 2023
Egg No.1 laid 20 April - Hatched 27 May (37 days)
Egg No. 2 laid 23 April - Hatched 29 May (36 days)
Egg No. 3 laid 26 April - Hatched 1 June (37 days) Sadly, passed away on 3rd June.
Chicks ringed 7 July
No. 1 - 7B5 42 days old (Female) 1755g
No. 2 - 7B6 40 days old (Female) 1730g
Chicks named 17 July after Brenig FB vote
7B5 - Dilys ( Meaning perfect, true, reliable)
7B6 - Mari (Meaning Star of the Sea) (Thank you Sandra for finding out the meanings of these beautiful Welsh names)
Chicks fledged 23 July
Mari first, (16.22) followed by big sister, Dilys 4 minutes later. (16.26) (55 and 57 days old respectively)
Today 1 August - Dilys is 66 days old and Mari is 64 days old.
It has been a wonderful month for this family. A plentiful supply of fish saw the chicks grow quickly into juvenile ospreys. As did the youngsters of last year, these two took turns to feed and with LM6 fishing as well now, they have often had a fish each at the same time. Mari, has turned out to be the faster developer of the two, practising fishing off various perches on 30 July (aged 63 days old) and on 31 July she started taking the fish off the nest to eat.
The next few weeks will see Dilys and Mari practise and hone their skills in preparation for becoming independent birds and tackling their long migration ahead of them.
Dilys and Mari at the beginning of the month
and now
LM6 and LJ2 getting some chill time together.
All captures and videos ©️ NWWT, Welsh Water, Brenig Osprey Project
18.58 Dilys joins Mari again.
19.08 They relax in the evening’s late sun.
20.08 A late fish from LM6. She’s had the head first.
20.08 Dilys scrambles up from the perch
20.09 She does plenty of shouting but doesn’t go for the fish.20.11 LM6 steps off the fish and walks away. Dilys then takes it.
20.11 LM6 leaves Dilys with her supper.
20.37 20.41 She stopped eating a few minutes ago.
20.42 She leaves for the night.
21.05 The fish is left behind.
I wonder who’ll be first on the nest in the morning?!
Looks like the 3 females are roosting together on the preening perch tonight.
20.11 LM6 arrived first after dropping off the fish to Dilys.
20.38 Mari arrived.Then some time after 21.00 Dilys flew in between LM6 and Mari. (I can’t read the clock!)
Thursday 10 August
Good morning 05.24 It was LM6 who arrived first on the nest to claim last night’s fish.
05.25 She was followed by a very vocal Dilys
Then Mari arrived at 05.26
05.27 LM6 was eating the fish herself initially
05.30 Then Mari started asking for some. It was Dilys who fed from it last night so Mari would be the hungrier.
05.33 Mari then approached LM6 to take the fish
05.37 She ate a little on the nest with her (noisy) sister by her side
05.41 Mari took the fish to eat in the lower trees in front of Dilys.
06.23 LJ2 brings a feather to the nest.
He starts shifting some sticks. Dilys comes to supervise.
He shifts the feather too but doesn’t like it in his mouth and quickly drops it!
06.27 Dilys looking beautiful in the morning light.
11.07 LJ2 caught a fish and took it to the preening perch to eat.
11.25 He ate half of it then LM6 after watching her partner eat on the perch, flew to the nest asking for fish.
11.2611.2611.2611.26 LM6 took the fish11.27 LM6 then flew off with it to eat off nest.
11.27 LM6 took the piece of fish back to the preening perch to eat. 11.28 LJ2 joined her
LM6 flew off and returned. 11.32
11.45
The nest has been most of the afternoon. The juveniles spent some time here on the perch. 14.50 What are they looking at?!18.06 After both juveniles came to the nest a few times later in the afternoon, a fish was finally delivered to Dilys from LM6
19.12 Dilys still eating, Mari still waiting.
This was on Brenig FB earlier.
Roli stole the fish from the Clywedog nest!
19.16 Mari tried a few times to take the fish from Dilys but Dilys wouldn’t let her.
19.1919.22 Choosing her moment, Dilys stepped off the fish so then Mari was able to take it.19.23 LJ2 flew in with a fresher fish. The photos are very blurry due to rain on the camera lens.19.23 Mari immediately dropped her fish to collect the new one.19,23 LJ2 spied the fish on the nest and went straight for it!19.24 He arrived with one fish and left with another!