Some of you keen bloggers have been asking a few questions over the last few weeks about the ospreys, and so I’ve managed to get the grey cells working a bit more and thought I’d share my knowledge with you…
I don’t think we can specifically say that our chicks here in Glaslyn were the first to hatch this year in the UK. Its unclear whether other ospreys in projects / nests across the country have hatched, but we were very early – the chicks on our reserve in Abernethy in Loch Garten are due to hatch at the end of this week, you can keep up to date with their activities on their blog – although we can safely say we were the first and only ones in Wales to hatch!
We don’t think there is any link between the Glaslyn osprey nest and the osprey nest that was near the Dyfi Estuary being located next to railway lines – this is a mere coincidence. The railway line near the Dyfi Estuary is a mainland railway however the railway near the Porthmadog site is the Welsh Highland railway – this track wasn’t completed until 2007 and therefore didn’t exist when the ospreys arrived in 2004.
Glaslyn is an excellent breeding ground for ospreys, and the success of the breeding pair is because of various factors. The pine trees at this site grow high at around 100 ft. The tree which is home to the Glaslyn ospreys was one of the highest trees in the valley in 2004, however due to the collapse of the nest in that year, (it was found that the tree top was rotten), it was cut back to around 80ft – the new platform was then secured at the top of the tree, and the ospreys returned again in 2005 to a new home.
The three rivers which run close to the site – Glalsyn, Dylif and Nanmor – are an excellent food source for the birds, and with the estuary also a short distance away there is an abundance of food available for the birds themselves and their chicks.
Keep your interesting comments coming; we’re always keen to know more about the birds from our visitors.