Saturday 19 July 2014

Something a bit fishy

Over the past few weeks it has been our privilege to visit three of the four known Welsh Osprey nests in order to ring and Darvic the chicks. First off I visited the well-known Glaslyn Osprey nest at the request of Adrienne Stratford and Kelvin Jones as they were short of a climber to go up the tree and send the young down for them to ring. This is consistently one of the earliest Osprey nests in the country and at the time of writing the three young are already well on the wing. More info on the history of the Glaslyn Ospreys can be found at  http://www.glaslynwildlife.co.uk/ospreys/glaslyn-osprey-history

Next, at the request of Steve Watson and Darren Moore of 'Friends of the Ospreys',  Dave, Jane and I visited a much less well known nest in North Wales and ringed a very healthy brood of three young. 


Dave in one of the most stressful moments of his life! 
As can be seen the Osprey wasn't too fussed at all!


Pressure off.! Well I know we aren't supposed to smile when we are ringing but hey, 
sometimes you just can't help yourselves!!!

This is the third year this pair have reared and they have progressed from a single chick in 2012 to two in 2013 and three in 2014. Hopefully they will manage three chicks most years from now on. More information on 'Friends of the Ospreys' can be found here 
http://www.friendsoftheospreys.co.uk/index.html

Most recently Andre, Sarah and I visited the Ospreys at the Dyfi Osprey Project for the fourth year running and ringed the two chicks in that nest. These are the latest of the four known broods in Wales and not due to fledge for another week or so yet. 


Dyfii Osprey 'Gwynant' ignoring the urge to play dead. Photo by Emyr Evans

A short video showing footage of the ringing at the Dyfi Osprey Centre can be viewed here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYlhgDAavmc&list=UUk70QelhKG9mVuj7jN4I5Cg and of course there is the Dyfi Osprey Project's Facebook page at 

The remaining nest, containing two chicks, was ringed and colour-ringed by NRW staff so in total 10 young Ospreys have been ringed and colour-ringed in Wales this year.  Hopefully we will be seeing some of them back in Wales in a few years time, helping to swell the increasing population of this amazing bird.

Many thanks indeed to all involved.

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