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 gestation)
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
08.23 Dilys came to the nest announcing her arrival
08.29 She only stayed for a few minutes then left.
08.50 The PTZ cam found an Osprey sitting on a branch along from the nest.
08.51 It then found Dilys sitting on a tree post.
I can only find crows on the nest for the rest of the day. Has Dilys started her journey?
09.43. The bird on the tree looks like another crow (magnified)
16.50 It’s so quiet
Dilys is 95 days old today.
Still no sign of either Osprey since this morning.
19.37 Just the crow in attendance.
19.40
20.35 Empty nest
Thursday 31 August
Good morning It is all quiet here this morning, the only sound is of the gentle wind around the nest. Both of our birds were last seen yesterday morning and I’m sure Dilys is well on her way into her maiden migration. LJ2 May still be around as last year he appeared around a week after his last sighting.
A lovely dawn sky from the PTZ camera.
05.57
The early morning sun lights up the nest.
06.45
Not even a crow has been around yet.
Nothing to report. Only bird in the area has been a crow who visited the nest twice.
11.33
14.09
The PTZ had a look around the area.
11.35 Found the crow in the nest
11.36
Friday 1 September
Good morning
No ospreys but beautiful reflections on the water this morning from the PTZ camera.
07.11
07.50
Saturday 2 September
Good morning I was looking for confirmation of everyone leaving from Brenig FB or NWWT but haven’t found a post yet. These are my observations:-
Our adult birds, LJ2 and LM6 arrived a few days earlier this year compared to last, hence the eggs were laid earlier and chicks hatched earlier.
LJ2 and LM6 were very dutiful, working as a team looking after their eggs. Two healthy chicks emerged then a third. Unfortunately this coincided with LJ2 getting a mild leg injury which stopped him fishing at the time of the third chick’s arrival. LJ2 did manage to catch fish again after recovery but even although the third chick got a few pieces, it sadly passed away.
After this sadness, the parents continued to provide for their two remaining chicks, LJ2 supplied their food and LM6 gave great shelter and warmth in the most unpleasant of weathers at times. Even when off nest, the adults were in close vicinity, being watchful of intruders and other dangers.
As the chicks grew into young birds, they were ringed 7B5 (Dilys) and 7B6 (Mari) and thought to be both female. There were very few disagreements on the nest. They usually both attended feeds together as LM6 shared the fish. LM6 caught and provided many large fish and this year LJ2 took a bigger interest in feeding the chicks, sometimes to the frustration of LM6 as he wouldn’t hand the fish over to her, insisting he controlled the feed! LM6 would usually get the fish in the end as she was far more proficient in this task!
Mari was the first to start taking fish from the adults to try and feed herself. She was the first to fly off the nest with her fish too. It was no surprise to me that she fledged 4 minutes in front of big sister Dilys and left on her migration first as well.
It was the morning of Saturday 26 August we last saw Mari (89 days) and LM6 (5 years).
Dilys (95 days) and LJ2 (5 years) stayed together for another 4 days and were last seen on the morning of Wednesday 30 August.
The addition of the PTZ camera this year has been immense. There has been so much footage caught off nest because of this second camera and I’m very grateful for that. As am I for the addition of a time clock to the screen halfway through the season! That made my life so much easier!
What a fantastic year this has been for Brenig. LJ2 and LM6 in their third year together, producing 4 beautiful, healthy young ospreys despite losing their first egg and nest in year 1 (2021). I can see how they have grown as partners and parents and are proving to be a formidable couple and I wish them, Mari and Dilys a safe migration and look forward to seeing their return next year and in the coming years.
LM6 and Mari hanging out together on the morning of their departure 26 Aug.
Dilys on the morning of her departure - 30 Aug
LJ2’s last sighting just as he was leaving the perch - 30 Aug
Family of ‘23
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr