Today is a momentous day for ospreys in Wales. At 10.42 this morning the third chick threw herself off the nest and embarked on her maiden flight, circling for around 40 seconds before alighting on the nest tree about half way up. Here she stayed (we think she's a female) for just over an hour until her father returned to the nest with a large trout in talon; the decision then became clear, stay where she was, out of reach of food, or undertake her second flight back to the nest. Hunger soon got the better of her and she decided to return at 11.45.Here's that historical moment when, for the first time, a third osprey fledged out of a Welsh nest.
The ring number is YE; her sibling YC (male we think) fledged on Monday. Here he is taking off for the first time.
This is the fifth year that the Glaslyn ospreys have been nesting in Wales and still remain our only pair and officially our rarest breeding species. In 2004 a storm blew the nest down containing two young chicks, they perished immediately. In 2005, two chicks hatched and subsequently fledged, a third egg failed to hatch. In both 2006 and 2007 three chicks hatched only for one chick to die in the nest both years. So these are ospreys number seven, eight and nine to successfully fledge from our Glaslyn pair, not bad in five years and well above the UK breeding rate.The Glaslyn Osprey Project will remain open until 7 September by which time hopefully all five ospreys will have started their long migration to west Africa, three of them for the first time of course. These ospreys will still be seen live in and around the nest on our large screens for several weeks yet, so do come and join in the fun if you possibly can (and bring some sunshine with you)Not been a bad year for Wales has it? Swansea promoted, Cardiff in the FA cup final, Wales - Grand Slam winners (no that's not a misprint) and three ospreys fledging for the first time ever. Da iawn.