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
18.47 Two minutes later Dilys announced her arrival
She fish called intermittently and LJ2 returned with the fish at 19.06.
20.02 Last couple of bitesShe walked away at 20.04 to feak her beak.20.05 Then left the nest.
20.15 LJ2 arrived to secure the left over fish.
Dilys arrived and landed beside him
but LJ2 was on his way off with the fish.
20.24 Dilys lay down for a bit
20.37 Mari joined Dilys
20.38 LJ2 arrived with the remainder of the fish.and Mari took it.
20.50 still eatingMari flew up with the skin to another part of the nest.
She managed to shake it off then flew over the nest before leaving to land on the cam pole.
Dilys lay down with the remaining end of the fish under her tail feathers.
21.04 LM6 flew up from the perch to land on the nest.
21.11 She dotted about the nest and pulled out a buried fish skin
As she made a start to eating it, Dilys gave a few cheeps then LM6 let go and flew off.
21.13 Dilys picked up the piece of fish that was under her tail and started eating that.
21.25 Dilys stopped eating.She left to roost elsewhere at 21.28.
Thursday 3 August
Good morning Some PTZ camera shots from yesterday. I was unable to access this site later last night, got an Unavailable Error message. All seems fine this morning.
13.16 LJ2 at the front with LM6 behind having a quiet moment together.
16.24 Mari with a fish she took from the nest.
16.5716.5919.27
19.28 the last wee piece got dropped20.14 Three heads but I couldn’t get them all looking at the same time!20.15
20.59 LJ2
21.38 LJ2
No one roosted on this perch overnight.
There was a wee head on the nest perch this morning so someone roosted there.
05.12
05.44 LJ2 came to collect one of the fish skins still on the nest. Dilys flew on from the nest perch to greet him.LJ2 flew off with the skin and Dilys found the other one.
05.45 LJ2 returned with the fish skin and they both ate together
05.46 However, Dilys was less successful and ended up dropping her skin in favour of asking her dad for some of his.
05.47 LJ2 obliged and gave her some of the meatier pieces left
06.05 He finished off the ribbon of skin himself, showing Dilys how it was done.
06.15 LJ2 returned to the nest with a stick.
After placing it, he looked up whilst chipping
06.16 It came to nothing and he started tidying the nest
06.18 He found the piece of fish skin that Dilys had discarded earlier.
06.24 As he was eating, a begging voice could be heard from nearby.
06.28 The voice then arrived in body form. I think it’s Mari this time.
06.29 She was too late to get anything as LJ2 was downing the straggly piece of skin.
Gone!
No fish deliveries yet today.
09.45 LJ2 brought another stick. His daughter told him she’d prefer a fish.
Dilys came to the nest at 10.52
She decided to have a sit in. There was another Osprey on the perch.
She got up at 13.08, leaving a few minutes after.
13.19
The two youngsters are in the nest waiting on LM6’s arrival.
She brings in a large flapping fish.
Dilys takes itShe has to hold on tight as the fish struggles.
13.45 As Dilys eats the fish, Mari leaves.
Looks like Mari went to the perch.
Mari returns to the nest at 14.27
Mari has to wait. She tells Dilys (right) she would like some fish.
14.56 LM6 arrives on the nest
14.56 Mari sees this as her cue to take the fish. Dilys then steps off.
14.57 At last, Mari gets to eat.