What a relief! All three chicks from this year's nest appear to have left Glaslyn for Africa along with their parents, all safe and sound.
Local school children were asked to suggest names for the fledglings, and project staff chose 'Glaslyn, Glesni and Gwenlli' suggested by Euon Parry, from Ysgol Rhos Gadfan. A further six schools enjoyed visits from project staff who gave talks about ospreys and the other wildlife found in the area. Following on from this, 200 school children visited the site to see the ospreys in the flesh, and to join in with the activities on offer.
The team of staff and forty volunteers welcomed over 30,000 visitors to the site, all of who enjoyed great views of these fascinating fish eating raptors, and heard about their ecology and behaviour during the regular talks given in the centre.
The following quote sums up the visitor experience nicely:
'We made two visits to the Osprey Project at Glaslyn … and got some great views of a male on his favourite tree …The volunteers were enthusiastic and very engaging! My kids enjoyed seeing the tiny swallows in the hide nest too! And I thought the treasure hunt was a great idea for bored kids waiting to spot an osprey!'
The project officer is now taking a well-earned rest for a couple of months, before starting back again in January to make further improvements to the site, with new trails and activities for visitors. Take a peek at the Glaslyn osprey blog to see what else has happened this year.
Looking forward to seeing you all in 2010!
.....and we've packed away our telescopes, as the Lake District ospreys that have kept us entertained over summer, have now left us.
The Lakes Osprey Project finished on 31 August. And, for the first time during the project, we had no ospreys to show anyone, which goes to show our project timings are spot on!
This year, the adult pair raised three chicks, although sadly, one was lost the day after its first flight. By now, the other two should be heading for African skies and we look forward to welcoming them back in a couple of years.
If you want to know more about what you missed this year, take a peek at the Lake District Osprey Project blog - you'll also find loads of ace photos from the project on there.
We look forward to seeing you, and the ospreys, in 2010 - though we're not too sure the fish will be so thrilled!
With cameras set up in the peregrine nestbox at Fort Dunlop, we all had high hopes of witnessing the female peregrine laying eggs, hatching chicks and to see those chicks fledge.....
Unfortunately, it was not to be for 2009 as our peregrine had other ideas, and she abandoned her nest. However, we still had a brilliant summer in Birmingham city centre, and thanks to everybody who came out to talk to us about wildlife in the city, signed pledges to stamp out illegal persecution of birds of prey and to those who (hopefully!) went away with some ideas for what they can do to help wildlife in their gardens.
Thanks, also, to all the walkers who joined us on our Wednesday lunchtime wanders - we hope to start those up again next year, as we hope that next year we'll have a peregrine family to show you!
We breath a sigh of relief at yet another successful season at Malham Cove - four peregrine chicks in the skies, and a host of special moments.
But, at the same time, there is sadness that we won't be in the stunning surroundings of the Cove talking to visitors, or seeing the owls, redstarts, flycatchers, wheatears and, of course, peregrines that have kept us company since Easter.
We had a rather wet end to the project, and mice have nibbled much of the equipment, but 20,000 visitors have enjoyed it all the same!
So, as we say goodbye to Malham Peregrines 2009, we will be keeping an eye on the birds through winter, and look forward to welcoming you all back in 2010.
It's time for us to leave the stars of the Cardiff Peregrines Date with Nature event. Although our pair failed to raise any chicks this year, that didn't stop them entertaining the crowds at City Hall Lawn and National Museum Cardiff with their aerial chases and general awe-inspiring feats.
Rebecca Clews, People Engagement Manager in Wales, takes up the story;
'14,000 visitors met with Sarah and Craig (our People Engagement Officers) who happily showed off the peregrines with the super duper pan and tilt camera set up by staff at the museum – it even had a screen wiper to beat the worst of this summers' elements!
Sarah and Craig enjoyed the amazed looks they got from visitors as they told them of the speeds these raptors can reach when giving chase to their prey, and also of the size difference between male and female birds using the 'Peregrine Prop' – a drinks bottle filled with water up to the weight of an average adult bird. It was great to see the look on the faces of young and old alike as they imagined that weight descending on them at over 100mph!
Fun for all
The staff and volunteer team enjoyed creating and performing their pantomime 'Fantastic Falcon Detectives' to an audience that booed and cheered in all the right places, while also learning about our Bird of Prey Campaign.
Our Springwatch weekend was a great success, with lots of fun had making peregrine masks to take home. Equally enjoyable were the one-hour adaptation workshops, held in the Science and Education Room of the museum, where participants played games to learn the different adaptations animals have for surviving in specific places. There was even a chance to have a go at designing their very own creature.
We hope to see you next year, along with some chicks - keep those fingers crossed!'