Continued from June 2024
LINK to Opening Page with background and history of this nest and relevant links
This season so far
31 March Blue LJ2 returns
1 April Blue 372 briefly visits, 6 April Blue 372 returns and stays
Sadly, Blue LM6 has not returned
Eggs laid
#1 April 23 - 17.40, #2 April 26 - 19.28, #3 April 29 - 15.46
Hatched
June 2 - 00.52, June 4 - 09.48? It is not known for certain which eggs these are. My thoughts are these are eggs 2 and 3 and egg number 1 did not hatch. (Left unattended on a frosty night)
However, the consensus among the volunteers is that it is eggs 1 & 2 which have hatched. Llyn Benig is around 1000 feet above sea level so the ambient temperature is around 2 degrees Celsius lower than at sea level which might account for longer hatching times. It has certainly been a cold hatching period. (AG)
Chicks ringed 08/07/24 - (Second hatched) 8B8 (M) 1500g 265mm - (First hatched) 8B9 (F) 1620g 291mm
Chicks named 18/07/24 8B8 EMRYS - 8B9 BETHAN
Chicks fledged 28/07/24 (54 days old) - 27/07/24 (55days old)
All captures and videos ©️NWWT, Welsh Water, Brenig Osprey Project
RESUMÉ for JUNE 2024
This has been a month of fast change. Two chicks were born at the beginning of the month. On chick 1’s day of hatching, someone was flying a drone in the area and it spooked 372. She alarm called and quickly left the nest with the little chick being thrown to the nest edge as she left. Somehow that wee one had the instinct and strength to move back to the nest cup and safety again. 372 has proven to be a great first time mother. She has gently fed the chicks, given them warmth and shelter and LJ2 has provided well with a variety of daily fish. There have been the usual intruders which has distracted LJ2 at times from bringing in fish but he would always bring some later on. The chicks are now 4 weeks old and developing very well. There is a hierarchy between the chicks with #1 being dominant over #2, mostly at feeding times. #2 knows to allow #1 to feed first then it’ll get its turn. Gelert KA9(22) son of LJ2 and LM6, was photographed at Dyfi 3 weeks after his visit here on 25 May.
08.15 372 spent some time on the tower perch.
08.19
09.49
09.54 LJ2 was here too.
10.10
10.32
©️NWWT, WW, BOP
It’s Bethan’s turn on the tower perch now.
She arrived at 11.51
12.26
14.09
14.24 a yoga stretch
14.28 and she’s off.
14.51 LJ2 paid a short visit to the tower perch.
14.54 Bethan to the nest
15.0016.05 LJ2 to the tower perch
Bethan to the nest again.
16.34
17.07 The clean up crew get to work.17.26
18.36 Bethan is back. I’ve not seen any fish delivered today.
18.41 She’s quietly mantling and looking upwards.
18.49
Off she goes.
19.38 Bethan returns for one more asking for fish.
19.40
19.57
And she leaves for the night.
So it looks like Emrys has left on his migration. I’ve not seen 372 since this morning.
Has LJ2 stopped fishing today to encourage Bethan to go as well?
We’ll see what tomorrow brings.
Recent post from Brenig FB
5 September
Good morning. Today Bethan is 95 days old and Emrys 93.
Bethan slept overnight on the nest perch. She started her own dawn chorus at 06.09.
06.14 After 4 or 5 minutes, her wings could be seen flapping and she flew down and off to the right.she then returned to the nest, announcing her arrival as she landed.
Quiet chirps could be heard in the background - LJ2? stopping after a few seconds.
06.15 Bethan looked around, the nest was eerily quiet, just the soft rumble of the wind on the mic.
06.18 LJ2? appeared flying upwards over the water. His flight trajectory could be seen in the misty sky.
Bethan watched as he flew inland to the right.
She briefly vocalised
06.21 06.27 She looked in this direction a lot.
06.28
06.30 she vocalised loudly then left.
08.07 Bethan returned to the nest an hour and a half later.
She called and flapped for a few seconds
08.08
08.09 She didn’t stay long.
08.14 She landed on the tower perch for the briefest of appearances.
I’ve not seen any other Osprey visits to the tower perch so far.
08.16 The neighbours arrived for a nest clean up
They stayed for around 5 minutes.©️NWWT, WW, BOP
Well who’s a lucky girl then! Bethan got a fish from daddy.
09.33 She arrives back at the nest.
09.41
09.45 She’s fish calling
09.46 Here comes LJ2 with a large fish.
Looks like a brown trout. He’s had a little himself before delivery.
Bethan quickly takes the fish.
LJ2 leaves
09.48 Bethan looks around for a few minutes
She vocalises
then leaves with her fish.
09.53 Bethan returned to the nest three minutes later.
09.55 She took her fish to the other side of the nest to eat.
10.09
10.16 she’s finished for now, vocalises
and departs with her fish.
09.47 LJ2 has been on the tower perch a few times.
10.12
13.06 He brought a half eaten fish.
13.23
13.39 Still there now
13.55 LJ2 left with his fish.
Nobody has been back to the nest or perch since.
15.55 The PTZ cam went looking in the area and found someone, I think it’s LJ2.
A zoom in reveals an Osprey on the tall post. Looks like it’s eating.