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Great news from north Wales.  The Glaslyn osprey pair has returned safe and well, looking fit, refreshed and ready to go after a nice long winter break in west Africa.  This will be their fifth season raising a family at the Welsh nest site, so fingers crossed for another cracking few months.

The male's body clock is awesomely accurate.  He was the first to show up, as always, arriving on the nest at 1pm on Wednesday 26 March - exactly the same day, and very nearly the same time, as he returned last year - we should set our watches by him! 

He spent the first few hours pottering around, a typical unsupervised male with no watchful female to answer to.  His pleasures involved exploring his old stomping ground, doing a spot of fishing and perching on a feeding tree to eat his first Glaslyn catch of the season.  When he did settle in for a little nest-rest, we took the opportunity to focus the nest camera on his BTO leg ring and double check his identity.  It proved without doubt that this is the regular male - stage one complete.  Now we just had to settle back and wait for his missus to catch up.

We didn't have to wait long.  At 7am the next morning we arrived at the site to see the pair of them sat chummily together in the nest.  No doubt they had a lot to catch up on after a winter apart.  As always with the female, it is impossible to say with 100% certainty that she is the same bird returning year after year.  She has no ID rings on her legs that would confirm this.  But, after many seasons of watching her on a daily basis, we are all pretty familiar with her markings and behaviour patterns.  The dark, speckly chest feathers are particularly distinctive, plus she obviously knows the nest and the area very well, she is visibly comfortable in the surroundings. 

True to form, the birds were mating almost straight away on Thursday morning, and have been ever since, despite the gusty winds and rain we had over the weekend - aah I expect they've missed this bleak Welsh weather!  Both birds have been adding twigs and sticks to the nest to build it up ready for eggs and the male has been standing in the middle and scooping backwards with his talons to make a cup shape in the bottom of the nest that the eggs will sit in.  This will protect them from the elements, making them more secure in there.

As for a laying date, 'Mystic egg' predicts that Monday 7 April could be the magic date.  Keep checking the blog to find out.  This year we are super-interactive too and are inviting you to share your comments and thoughts on the Glaslyn ospreys with us and other blog users.  Happy writing!

As the start of the Glalsyn Osprey Project looms closer, what lies ahead for 2008?  Eggs? chicks? A third osprey arriving on the scene to mix things up mid-season? Who knows. 

What we do know is we are raring to go and ready to show you some of the finest close-up nest footage of the ospreys that you could hope for.  We unveiled our new cameras last year, and captured some breathtaking footage of the osprey family.  We are able to zoom in so close that every feather of the birds, every scale of the fish they bring, and every drop of rain (and last year there was a lot of rain!) is pin-sharp.

It's been six months or so since we were last here, and if you're memories of last season are a little spongy then here's a quick recap to help bring you up to speed...

The male came back in March minus the orange ID ring on his right leg.  All of us were convinced this was the usual male.  His markings and mannerisms were identical to previous years and he settled in so quickly with the female.  This is where the super-dooper new camera's came into their own.  As he sat on the nest we could zoom in closely on the metal BTO ring on his left leg and read the ID number, confirming that this was indeed our regular male.  Brilliant!

With the Easter hols came three eggs - of the non-chocolate variety! - from which, emerged three lovely chicks.  Sadly, one of them didn't survive, but the other two went from strength to strength and fledged successfully in the middle of July.  All in all, a fabulous season.

Now, all eyes are turned skywards, as we anticipate once more the return of the adult birds.  Every gull, buzzard and even crow that flies nearby is being scrutinised more closely than usual - just in case it turns our to be Mr or Mrs osprey!  We will open the viewing site on Thursday 20 March, so do come along and see us over the Easter bank holiday weekend - you may be the one to catch that first glimpse of the birds.  We will also be showing last year's highlights from the nest-cams in the visitor centre.
 
It's great to be back!  Hope to see you all very soon. 

On Sunday evening, five months after opening, the gates of the Glaslyn osprey site closed behind the last visitor of the season. All four birds have left on migration.

The female has been gone for over five weeks and is probably arriving at her winter home in west Africa around now. The last confirmed sighting of an osprey around the viewing site was on Wednesday 29 August.

The birds all make separate journeys rather than travelling in one family group. It's our estimate that the two juveniles and adult male will still be around northern europe at the moment, as they've only been gone a couple of weeks.

The only task that remains is to thank everyone involved in making it another great season. Glaslyn osprey staff and volunteers have been wonderful, as ever.  Since the site opened in April 47,000 visits have been made here and hundreds of people have kept up with the news on the blog, so thanks for all your support. Here's wishing the Glaslyn ospreys a safe trip! In six months or so, we will hope to getting our first sightings of the adults back in Wales ready to do it all again!

RSPB Cymru is grateful for the support of the local community, landowners, North Wales Police, the Countryside Council for Wales, Gwynedd County Council, Snowdonia National Park Authority, the CAE Fund (Welsh Assembly Government Sustainable Development Fund), Tourism Partnership North Wales, Environment Wales on behalf of Welsh Assembly Government, the National Trust and unnamed charitable trusts.

The Glaslyn Osprey project is part of Aren’t Welsh Birds Brilliant!’ a partnership between RSPB Cymru, Forestry Commission Wales and the Countryside Council for Wales. It is funded by the European Union’s Objective One programme through the Welsh Assembly Government (European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund) and Enfys, funded by the Big Lottery Fund and administered by the Wales Council for Voluntary Action.

Sightings of the ospreys are becoming less frequent now. The adult female has been gone for weeks and, for a few days this week, we began to think the others had done the same. On Saturday we saw just a single osprey, a couple of miles away fishing on the estuary.

That was the last sighting for a while and we were beginning to think the whole family had migrated.

Sunday - nothing, Monday - nothing, Tuesday - nothing, and then on Wednesday, a breakthrough - one of the males appeared at 11:25 am on the feeding tree high up towards the left hand side of the nest. He had a fish that he was tackling. We think it was the adult male, but it could have been YA, the youngest chick.

We've had some lovely views of an otter in the river just outside the viewing hide. On Monday 20th August it was basking in our attention at around 11am! We've seen it before, very early in the morning, but never in the middle of the day like this, so our visitors at the time were thrilled. It spent some time peering into the hide, curious to see what we were all up to I expect.

Though the ospreys are showing themselves less, we are still able to show magnificent footage of the ospreys that was recorded earlier in the season. The project has benefited from a wonderful new camera system this year, kindly funded by Environment Wales, charitable trust support (you know who you are), and installed by Criccieth TV.

The new camera system has given lots of pleasure to many people, providing breathtaking close-up footage of the osprey family, both at the visitor centre and via the webcam. Next year, we hope to have a microphone on the nest, so that we can hear the birds as well as see them.

We have been lucky enough to get some great views of other birds at the site, including two red kites in the field on the opposite side of the road circling around looking for food. They were around for the whole afternoon on Sunday.

Visitors who took part in the bird safari sessions over the weekend saw a real mix of birds including a great crested grebe, herons, kingfishers, canada geese, a sparrowhawk and our regular troop of garden birds that visit the feeders - goldfinches, chaffinches and blue tits.

By the way, thanks to everyone who attended the community weekend over the bank holiday. It was a great event with a wonderful atmosphere as always.

We are coming into the last ten days or so of the season for the Glaslyn Osprey Project, so make the most of the final weekend of school holidays and pay us a visit if you can!

Now there are just three ospreys left at the Glaslyn site, as the adult female has not been seen since last Thursday and has more than likely set off on her migration to west Africa.

Well, with the weather we've had this week who can blame her?! It's been blustery, wet and generally not very August-like. This was about the time we would expect her to go anyway. After five months in the nest, she has spent the last few weeks eatling lots and flying lots, building up her strength ready for the long journey ahead.

The adult male seems a little lost without the missus. On Sunday, an adult male osprey - we are pretty certain it was the Glaslyn male but couldn't be 100% sure - landed in a tree next to the nest tree and began bringing sticks and nesting material to it.

Within around ten minutes he had brought six big sticks to the tree and we could definitely see the outline of a very rustic nest in the making. It's likely that this is the Glaslyn male and that he is engaging in displacement activity. He must be a little out of sorts since his mate left and knows things aren't quite as they were so he's busying himself with something that feels safe and familiar. This new 'nest' is unlikely to get much further and the loose structure won't last long in this unseasonable weather.

He is certainly milking plenty of sympathy - sitting solo for hours on end in his favourite feeding tree, which is up on the left as we look from viewing site, about three quarters of a mile away from us. He spent around three-and-a-half hours just sat there yesterday before going fishing and is back there again today.

It appeals to him because he can see all around for potential threats, keep an eye on what the juveniles are up to and look into the nest. Not that there has been much nest activity for a few weeks now. The birds are barely using the nest, if at all.

When the chicks first began to experiment with fishing, they would often go off with the adult male to learn together. Now, however, each bird is more likely to go off on its own. In fact, the older of the two juveniles was seen fishing at Porthmadog Cob at around 10:15 am today.

Whether she caught anything or not we don't know as, just at that moment, the train went rattling past and blocked the view of the keen-eyed osprey watcher who made the sighting.

We are now into the last few weeks of the osprey season. Soon the adult male will head off to Africa, followed by each chick. But, there are still some great weeks ahead of us watching the ospreys around the Glaslyn as they prepare themselves for migration.

Plus we can still enjoy the last community weekend of the season, due to take place over the August bank holiday weekend (25 - 27 August). We will have lots of extra things to do at the viewing site over that weekend - local produce on sale, displays by local artists and photographers, face painting, bird safari sessions and refreshments - as well as osprey watching of course! It's all completely free of charge as always and we are open from 10 am until 6 pm. Come along and see us if you can.

Sightings of several different ospreys on the Dyfi estuary over the last week have prompted a flurry of excitement. Some have wondered whether these were the Glaslyn birds on migration already. They're not. The Glaslyn family are all present and correct, and though we are seeing less of them around the nest site now, all four of them are still being seen daily.

The Dyfi sightings are more likely to be of other ospreys that didn't manage to pair up this season and are making an early start to Africa. The great news is that the youngsters are finally fishing for themselves! Over the last few days, we have seen the youngest chick - YA - with a whole, live fish, and are fairly certain that he caught this himself.

One good sized fish each a day would be sufficient for them at the moment. The youngsters have also begun finding their own favourite feeding trees and roosting trees - they are no longer spending nights in the nest. From now on, it is pretty difficult to keep track of them, as they are so independent.

Migration is getting closer and we expect the adult female will be the first to leave in about a week to ten days time. The male can be expected to head off toward the end of august, whilst the youngsters will be the last to leave at the very start of September. These are just approximate timings of course, based on their season so far and their departure last year.

Their migration path is quite a journey. It will probably take them down the west coast of Wales, then through France, Spain and Portugal to West Africa, where they will stay over the winter. Actually, the youngsters will stay there for several years, until they are ready to return to the UK (hopefully even to the Glaslyn!) and breed.

But, for now, they're all still here and there's a lovely holiday spirit at the viewing site. It actually feels like summer here today - glorious sunshine, clear blue sky and a perfect view of Snowdon from the viewing site.

Since the summer break began we have had lots of families stopping by as part of their holidays and it's been great to see the reaction of children when they spot the ospreys - sometimes it's the first glimpse of an osprey they have ever had. Even the birds are taking a lazy holiday approach to life at the moment, often spending hours just perched in the trees, soaking up the sun. This is the life!

Lately, we have trained the telescopes on a tree at Moel Ddu, which is between the viewing site and the nest, so we are getting great views of the ospreys as they increasingly use this as a perch.

A few days ago, one of the chicks spotted 'Dad' trying to sneak into this tree with a tasty little meal he had caught for himself. No sooner had he settled down to enjoy the snack than junior had joined him and blagged the meal for itself - what a cheek! 'Dad' was left with nothing more than empty talons and a rumbling belly.

He does have the skills to get more where that came from though, which is more than can be said for the youngsters so far. They haven't quite got the hang of fishing yet. They are trying their best and seem keen enough to master it but each dive results in a miss and we have yet to see either of them bring their own catch back. It will happen in time though, they just need practice.

The last couple of days have given us some wonderful views of both adults over the viewing site. On Sunday, the female flew over heading for the cob at Porthmadog, where she indulged in a spot of fishing herself and yesterday the male came in overhead grasping a fish he had just caught. The family have several fish whilst visitors are here between 10am and 6pm, but we know they start much earlier than that and probably go fishing soon after it gets light.

The ospreys have not been the only birds to enthrall our visitors with their breeding success this season. A pair of swallows chose the viewing hide as their nest site and built their home on a ledge inside the hide just below the roof.

On the face of it, the ledge made an ideal location, just the kind of spot that swallows love to nest in, and the pair probably chose it on a nice peaceful evening when no-one was around. The next day, however, they must have wondered what on earth they had let themselves in for as visitors began to arrive for a day of osprey-watching. They were not perturbed though and stuck with their choice. We were sensitive to the little birds' need for privacy and cordoned off a section of the hide so that they could nest undisturbed.

Visitors were very supportive of the pair and it was a real treat to see the female peeking shyly over the top of the nest or flitting back and forth with food for the chicks.

It was a proud moment when all four of the chicks were ringed a few weeks ago - just like the ospreys, ringing was carried out to allow study into the ecology of the species - and an even prouder one when the last of the four chicks fledged on Sunday. They have joined the many other swallows that are flitting around the osprey site, preparing themselves for the long migration ahead of them in a month or so. They too will head for Africa, but will go to the south of the continent, unlike the ospreys, who will head west.

Since taking their first flights more than two weeks ago, both youngsters have been growing in confidence and are now very strong flyers.

They have begun experimenting with longer and longer flights and, a week after they fledged, spent more than half an hour in the air with 'Dad' flying around and travelling extremely high. They will need this strength and confidence for when they migrate to Africa in weeks to come.

Not content with merely taking pleasure flights, YB decided to try and earn her keep and has had her first attempts at fishing - with little success. Around a week ago, she flew 200 yards down the river and dived three times into the water trying, and failing, to catch a fish.

Disheartened, she went back to the nest with empty talons. However, she will certainly keep trying and we expect to see one of the young bring back their own fish within the next week or so. When they do, their independence will really be established.

For now though, they are still relying on the fishing skills of 'Dad' and 'Mum' - yes, the adult female has been fishing herself, something we have not seen her do all season. Yesterday she came back with a flat fish - we think it was a flounder. She had disappeared a very long way down the estuary, almost to the sea, before she came back with the fish. It was the juveniles' first experience of a flat fish and they weren't too sure how to handle it.

They are still eating in the nest most of the time. YA has had an attempt at eating in one of the nearby trees, but instead of choosing one of the trees favoured by his parents, he picked a a very flimsy branch on a different tree, which proved to be his downfall. He had the fish grasped in his talons, and everytime he bent his head to pick at it, the branch would wobble and he lost balance. This happened over and over again for five frustrating minutes, until finally he conceded defeat and went to one of the trees he has seen his parents use - he got his meal eventually.

The birds are still using the nest to roost in at nights, though throughout the season the adult male as been roosting in a separate tree close to the nest - possibly to allow him to snooze and perform as a night watchman over his family. Once the youngsters are catching fish for themselves, they will use the nest less and less.

As for life beyond the ospreys, we have been treated to great views of a grey seal in the water just outside the viewing hide over the last few weeks. It has made several appearances, coming right up the estuary, and seems as fascinated by us staring down at it as we are with it. Obviously giving the osprey project the 'seal' of approval! (sorry).

Both young birds have taken their first flights this week and are now fully mobile! The first one to take the plunge was YB, the older chick and the one we think likely to be a female. Her first foray into the World beyond the nest was not quite aviation at its finest and was mostly caused by the interference of her clumsy mum.

It was Sunday afternoon and YB was flapping in earnest, as we have seen her doing more and more over the last week or so. There was a good foot of space between her and the nest and she was watched all the while by her doting mum, who was looking down from her perch on top of the camera pole above the nest.

Not content with just watching though, mum flew down to join her young and collided with YB, pushing her out and off the nest, and so, at 3.02 pm, the first flight was had. Though taken by surprise, YB kept it together and flew to a perch about seven feet below the nest, where she stayed for the next three hours (possibly wondering how on earth she was meant to get back up again!)

She continued flapping her wings down there and practising as she had done in the nest. Mum flew past just to check on her and see where she was. At 6 pm she flew up to a camera tree about 50 yards from the nest, before returning home again to join her brother at about 7.15 pm.

After that, she did a few more practices over the nest. On one practice she got about five feet above the nest before crash-landing directly on top of her brother, squashing him flat! He looked a little peeved, but unhurt.

Well, the gauntlet had been thrown. YA had seen his big sis' take a flight and it was a matter of honour that he do the same, and soon! The following day (Monday) he was very active and flying four or five feet in the air for 20 or 30 seconds at a time. It looked so promising but by the time we had all gone home at 7 pm, he still hadn't flown off the nest. However, when we arrived at 8 am on Tuesday morning, the nest was completely empty - we haven't been greeted with that sight since the season began!

It wasn't empty for long and about 10 minutes later YB came back follwed quickly by YA.

So, the chicks have successfully fledged and we couldn't be happier. They are still eating their meals in the nest and plenty of them. At the moment, the youngsters are actually heavier than their parents but they will lose a lot of this fat now that they are exercising and they will start to gain muscle.

YB's first flight was wonderfully timed, as it was during our community weekend, which 1,200 people turned out for over Saturday and Sunday. As always, we had a fantastic time with stalls and activities on site. If you missed it, don't worry, we have one more lined up for this season over the August bank holiday weekend.

If you would like to provide vital support for the Glaslyn Osprey Project by joining the RSPB, please contact Ellen Perry on 029 2035 3000 or e-mail: ellen.perry@rspb.org.uk - it can cost as little as £2.67 each month. Alternatively, you can join online at: http://www.rspb.org.uk/join

Remember to enter the promotional code GOS when asked as this will ensure the Glalsyn Osprey Project benefits from your membership. To find out how to help the RSPB fundraise in Wales to support this and many other important projects, please contact Nick Bates on 029 2035 3009, e-mail: nick.bates@rspb.org.uk

They may still be around a week or so from fledging, but that hasn't stopped the two Glaslyn youngsters from been getting their first tastes of being airborne over the last week - albeit for just a few seconds. Their frenzied flapping has been rewarded with a few moments of mid-air suspension over the nest, before flopping back down again.

It's a very exciting time in the visitor centre. Quite often, the visitors watching the screens are out of their seats and squealing 'it's going to go!' Not quite yet, but this behaviour is a good start and an important phase to go through whilst they prepare for the big take off. We are expecting to see a first flight from one of them fairly soon, maybe over the coming weekend. The youngsters have also been feeding themselves straight from the fish, not every time but quite regularly. Again, this is consistent with the behaviour of chicks that are very close to fledging.

Wind is a problem at the moment - no, not a bad case of the burps! - The blustery weather that has been up here of late means that the chicks are more inclined to snuggle down into the nest in search of shelter than bounce around on the edge preparing for flight - and quite right too! No doubt, when the time comes there will be no stopping them, wind or no wind. In fact, all four birds have been coping admirably with some of the worst weather they have had to experience.

Though we have no way of conclusively telling the sex of the chicks, we have reason to believe that there may be one boy and one girl. They are both full size now and we can get a fantastic view of them on the nest-cam so it's possible to see that one chick (with the YB ring) is clearly bigger with more brown markings, and was heavier when the pair were weighed at the ringing session.

This suggests the chick is a female. The other (with the YA ring) is smaller, lighter and much paler, which is more typical of a male. At this stage in their development, the fact that one is a couple of days older than the other would not explain such clear size differences, so we are confident, but not sure, that a boy and girl is what we have up there.

Over the weekend, we saw the female regurgitate a pellet. Pellets are made up of the indigestible bits of the meal. This would be the bones from the fish in the osprey's case, but in other birds of prey it would include fur and feathers etc. It is not unknown for ospreys to do this but it is quite rare so we were quite lucky to see it.

The third osprey has been around over the last three days or so and a couple of buzzards have seen flying over the nest too. Now that the chicks are at such an advanced stage in their development, the parent birds will often both go up off the nest to see off other birds.  They are not so anxious about leaving their young alone for a short while now.

The coming weekend promises to be a great one for two reasons. Firstly, visitors are in with a very good chance of seeing the first flights of the chicks! And, secondly, we have another community weekend with stalls of local produce for sale, displays of photographs and artwork by local people, bird safari sessions, refreshments, face painting and much more. It's all completely free of charge and open to all from 10 am until 6 pm on Saturday and Sunday, so please come along and say hello, we will be delighted to see you.

Wet, wet, wet...that's the only way to describe north Wales these last few days. It's been just horrible weather over the weekend and was especially bad yesterday when it rained almost non-stop and the two Glaslyn chicks looked thoroughly fed-up throughout.

They are way too big to fit under 'Mum' now, but that didn't stop her from spreading her wings out umberella-style and trying to wedge both huge bodies underneath her. They seem to feel that if their heads are tucked underneath then they are keeping dry, despite the bottom two-thirds of their bodies poking out into the splattering rain.

They were absolutely drenched yesterday. Their feathers are water-resistant to an extent but can't stand up to a pounding from such relentless rain so they all just got completely sodden through.

Thankfully, the rain and wind has not impaired the male's fishing ability and he brought back fish after fish yesterday, helping them to keep their energy levels up and stay warm. Good chap!

Luckily, the weather forecast for this week looks better and this is a great time to come and watch the chicks as they spend much more time on their feet now and are taking an active interest in things beyond the nest.

The two youngsters have been starting to exercise their wings more and more, and often spend a few moments just vigorously flapping. They are getting used to their wings and are developing their muscles ready for the big fledge in a few weeks time. In around a week or so, the flapping will become more productive and we will see them hover for a few moments above the nest. This is a kind of fly dry-run before taking off for real.

The two osprey chicks are now sporting their latest glamorous accessories - brand new identification rings. On Tuesday morning three licensed BTO ringers and Emyr Evans, our Glaslyn Osprey Officer, went along to the nest.

The time was right for ringing as both chicks have been developing so well and are very healthy and strong right now, plus we had to ring them both before they fledge in a few weeks time. The ringers have done this many times before of course and know exactly how to conduct a smooth and sensitive ringing session.

As the nest was approached, the adult birds flew off, calling to the chicks to play dead - this is the young birds defence strategy and works extremely well. They are camouflaged wonderfully against the nest and can hardly be seen at all when they lay completely still.

During the ringing, a metal BTO ring was placed on their left legs and a plastic darvic ring on their right legs. These plastic rings are brightly coloured with large lettering on them - one Glaslyn chick has the letters YA and the other YB. They are easily spotted through binoculars and telescopes so they can be used to identify ospreys in the field and, if spotted in future years, they will allow us to tell instantly that the wearer is a Glaslyn chick from 2007.

It is extremely useful to ring these birds as it is a great research tool, allowing us to find out more about osprey lifespans, migration patterns and breeding habits etc. Both chicks were also weighed and their wingspans measured - these details will be analysed and will help determine the sex of the birds as it is impossible to tell this just by looking at juvenile birds.

That was all two days ago and they are behaving no differently now that they have their rings on. They are still eating well and growing extraordinarily fast.

The third osprey made a dramatic entrance this morning. At around 9:30am it launched an attack on the nest, missing it only by inches.

The Glaslyn pair were both on the nest at the time and protected the chicks, shielding them from harm. The Glaslyn male then flew up and began chasing the attacker off, screaming threateningly all the while. It was quite a show for five minutes or so with both birds screaming and flying so close to each other.

It disappeared as suddenly as it had arrived but had certainly succeeded in shaking things up and both Glaslyn adults have been agitated all day. The female particularly has been restless and fidgety, going to and fro between nest and perch.

This third bird is still a bit of a mystery. There has been some hopeful speculation that maybe it is one of the Glaslyn chicks raised in 2005, returning to scout out its own nest site for when it is ready to breed. Both the 2005 chicks were ringed before they fledged - each had a yellow ring placed on their right leg (the eldest had the number 37 on and the youngest was 39).

If a ring like this was visible then we would know beyond doubt. Unfortunately, these frenzied scuffles in mid-air don't provide us with a clear enough view to make out a ring at all.

It would be wonderful to think that one of the 2005 chicks was now a healthy adult, back here in Wales and thinking about raising a family of its own. However, it does seem unlikely that a Glaslyn chick would be so threatening and be greeted with such aggression from the parent birds. It seems more likely (but not as romantic!) that this is another, unrelated, adult bird trying its luck.

Sometimes at this later stage of the season single ospreys will attack a nest to see if it is weak enough to be taken over and make it into their own territory, ready to return early next year and use the nest itself. Perhaps we will learn more with further sightings, it has certainly kept making an appearance here, so there's little doubt we will see it again.

Meanwhile, inside the nest we can just about tell our little ones apart at the moment. When younger the chicks had a white marking in a line along their spines, which eventually disappears after four or five weeks. One of the chicks still has this line, whilst the other doesn't. They are getting bigger by the day and are about three weeks or so from fledging. Exciting times indeed!

It has become evident that the adult birds run a very tight ship as far as housekeeping is concerned. Any crumbs from mealtimes that get dropped in the nest are picked up and swallowed quite quickly by one of the adults - and the chicks have started imitating this tidy-up ritual too.

As for other mess in the nest - namely poo - well, it just isn't tolerated and all the birds seem to have come to an arrangement about how and where they go.

The adult male most probably combines pooing with one of his fishing jaunts, whilst the female goes on what we have delicately called a 'poo flight' - flying a little circuit, stretching her wings and doing a little poo as she goes. The chicks, unable to fly off and poo discreetly away from the nest, have embraced the 'no-poo-in-the-nest' rule with enthusiasm and from the very early days learned to point their bottoms outwards and squirt dramatically over the edge - clever things. Luckily, we at the viewing site are not close enough to be used as target practice!

Both chicks continue to grow daily and are almost unrecognisable as the same little white fluffballs that emerged a few weeks ago. If you have been checking up on the webcam - which has had some stunning images over the last week or so - you will know what we mean.

Their colour has changed dramatically and their neck and chest feathers are much more developed. Despite their speedy growth, they still need lots of mummy-care and are still being sheltered by the female, particularly from the strong sun that we have had over the weekend - though they are almost too big to fit in the shadow of her now, even when she spreads herself out.

Female and male have been trimming up their beaks, grinding them on a sticky-out branch at the back of the nest. The female was giving it a good going over yesterday, really chewing vigorously. One of the chicks has been doing the same, imitating its mother - quite sweet.

We have seen a third osprey again on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Each time it was just gliding over heading northwards. On Friday both the Glaslyn adult birds came off the nest when they saw it appear. They didn't give chase but the male did follow this third bird, keeping a little distance between them, for a good five minutes before heading back to the nest. On Saturday and Sunday, both adults were on the nest when it appeared but didn't bother getting up, they just kept an eye on things.

The two osprey chicks are flourishing and getting bigger by the day. They really do like their big breakfasts and at 8am yesterday morning they were just polishing off the last of a sea mullet that had been brought to the nest early by the male.

They are showing signs of wanting to feed themselves - pecking little bits off the fish when they can sneak a cheeky nibble - though they are still fed by the parent birds in the main and will be for some weeks to come.

They are really starting to explore the nest and move around more now. One chick was sat near to the edge yesterday, peering around inquisitively. Thankfully, it wasn't near enough to the edge to topple over, which is just as well because they won't be ready to fly until early July. Their World at the moment only consists of their parents, the nest and, of course, FOOD - lots of it!  

They are certainly not babies anymore - their talons look much more developed, they are starting to grow proper feathers on their heads now and we can even see the vibrant orange of their eyes quite clearly on the viewing screen. The eyes will remain orange for some time before changing to the piercing yellow of adult ospreys.

The dead chick was ejected from the nest at the start of the week. It had been there late on Monday night, but was gone by 7am on Tuesday morning. The female is likely to have pushed it over the side during the night.