June, 2007

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.