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)
MIGRATIONS
8B8 Emrys - 03/09/24 (92days old) / 372 03/09/24 (3years old)
8B9 Bethan 06/09/24 (96 days old) / LJ2 last seen on the evening of 06/09/24 so probably left 07/09/24 (6 years 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.
18.06 Bethan paid a brief visit to the nest.
18.07
then she left.18.08 She came to the tower perch.
A quick look behind18.34 and off she goes.
©️NWWT, WW, BOP
19.02 Bethan arrives on the nest. She flew up from the nest perch.
19.20 She flies up to the tower perch.
She just stayed for a minute.
19.25 Again, Bethan flew up from the nest perch and landed on the nest.
19.26 She was a bit more noisy this time.
19.28
19.31
And she leaves.
6 September
Good morning. Today Bethan is 96 days old and Emrys 94.
Bethan slept on the nest perch and flew up to visit the nest at 06.05
She left after a minute.
07.03 Another visit
She left in under a minute.
07.11 A Corvid had a quick visit.
08.12 Bethan returned for a mere 28 seconds.
Each visit, she has announced that she’s here.
08.44 The tower perch has been unused so far this morning. 08.45 The PTZ cam went for walkabouts.
All the usual Osprey haunts
and here is one of the ospreys on the perch to the right.After a few minutes, it flew off over the lake.
09.31 Later, another look around revealed an Osprey eating on a post. Is it LJ2 with breakfast for Bethan?The cam is unable to zoom in any closer here.
After spotting the Osprey eating on the perch, the PTZ cam looked around the area again. When it returned 5 minutes later, the Osprey was gone.
09.35 Last sight of the Osprey eating.
09.40 Next view of the area - empty post.
The cam has further searched the area but I’ve not seen any ospreys.
14.13 Current scenes
It looks like Bethan’s gone. The last I saw her was at 08.12 when she left the nest this morning. LJ2 came to the tower perch with a fish for her mid afternoon but she was nowhere to be seen. We’ll see what Brenig says on FB when they next post.
14.43 Here comes LJ2 flying in from over the water.
He flies past the nest to land on the tower perch.
He makes a contact chirp on landing.
He looks around in all directions.
then leaves with his fish.
16.32 The PTZ cam found an Osprey sitting on a thin branch of a tall post to the right of the tree.
I presume this is LJ2.
That’s Brenig FB confirming that Bethan hasn’t been seen since early this morning.
LJ2 left the branch he was on and came to the nest. He had some fish left which he carried in his right talons.
16.39
He made a contact call on arrival.
He shook the fish off his talons to leave on the nest. The neighbours will be delighted!
Just a 38 second visit.