'Dad' can't hide from keen-eyed young

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.