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
17.14 Dilys flew to the nest fish calling
17.15 Mari joined her (right)
17.15 LJ2 flew in with a lovely fish
Both juvies went for it. Surely it’s Mari’s with Dilys having had 2 already today!
Mari managed to get the fish and is now mantling
17.16
Looks like a mullet for Mari
17.26 She ate some on the nest then took it away.
17.26 Mari took her fish to the preening perch to finish eating.
17.28
18.04
19.00 Meanwhile on the nest, Dilys was having her evening meal dropped off by LM6
19.01
LM6 stepped off the headless fish for Dilys to take
Dilys moves in
LM6 finds a scrap to eat
19.02 Mari with her dimishing fish19.04 Dilys with her fish to eat
19.03 LM6 joined Mari after dropping off the fish for Dilys.
19.29 Mari finished her fish and joined Dilys on the nest
19.56 Dilys still eating
19.59 Dilys stepped off the fish watched by Mari
19.59 She flew off20.00 Mari walked over to the half fish
And picked it up with her beak
She then gripped it with her talons
20.02 And took it off nest to eat.
These two juvies have been well catered for today.
20.35 LJ2 goes to the preening perch for his night’s sleep.
21.12
Saturday 26 August
Good morning Today Dilys is 91 days and Mari 89 days old.
Last year the last sightings on the nest were:-
KA9, Gelert (M) 27 August aged 86 days
X6, Olwen (F) 30 August aged 90 days
LM6 30 August aged 4 years
LJ2 30 August aged 4 years but then he was seen again on 7 September.
The first egg was laid 5 days earlier this year compared to 2022. One chick died on the day the 3rd hatched. Initially it was thought it was chick 3 so I’ve aged Olwen and Gelert as being chicks 1 and 2. There was then confusion as to which chick died so Olwen and Gelerts’ ages might be out by a day or two…………………….or maybe not!
07.41 Mari has been chilling on the preening perch with LM6.
09.30 She had a good preening session
07.03 Dilys was first to visit the nest this morning
LJ2 was on the nest at 07.44 shifting sticks
Both juvies could be heard calling to him. Dilys flew onto the nest perch still calling
09.21 Dilys back on the nest fish calling.
09.50 Away and back again
09.50 This time LJ2 arrives with a fish
Dilys goes for it straight away.09.51
09.54 she took the fish to the nest edge
09.55 off she flew to have breakfast.
A quiet day on the nest after Dilys left.
10.53 LJ2 visited the preening perch
12.28 The crows visited the nest a few times. There was an Osprey on the tall tree but it didn’t respond as they had a good rake around.
13.53
13.21 Mari landed on the preening perch
13.2213.32 Isn’t she lovely!
Haven’t seen any more fish deliveries yet today. Also haven’t seen LM6 since she left the preening perch this morning.
15.37 Dilys joined LJ2 on the preening perch.
15.40
Dilys is calling to LJ2
15.48
17.10 LJ2 is gone but she’s still calling
A nice leg and wing stretch
18.45 Off she goes
She chased the crow off the nest
18.45 still calling for fish. Is anyone up there?
She flies down to the perch.
At last LJ2 brings another fish to the nest.
19.36 Dilys got to the nest first, calling for fish
19.36 LJ2 arrives with a whole fish
Dilys took the fish
For a moment they both stopped, still and silent. There was no Mari calling in the background. No LM6 to be seen.
19,37 Dilys started calling.
19.38 then got on with tackling her fish.
19.59
20.1120.19 she took it to the nest edge
20.20 and flew off round the nest and across to the top right
20.21 LJ2 landed on the preening perch
He looked around
Dilys brought her half eaten fish to join LJ2
20.44 She continued to eat on the perch.
20.57 As Dilys got to the end of the fish, it was always going to fall wasn’t it!
20.57 She looks down to see where it went.
Aww that face
Both birds left the preening perch.
LJ2 first at 21.01
21.03 Then Dilys
Dilys arrived at her favoured roost, the nest perch. The two camera clocks must be out of sinc by a few minutes.
I don’t know where LJ2 will be sleeping as he’s used the preening perch the last few nights.