Glaslyn Ospreys

I think the scariest thing was seeing someone go up a tree to inspect a Harpy eagle nest and ring the young, it involved wearing Kevlar body armour and even then the talons found a way through. You must be slightly insane to volunteer for that.
 
Dyfi
What a drama!
'Waaaah! Pointy perch!'
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Then missed landing on the branch sticking out of the nest - with a twang but landed with a bump out of the blue back in the nest when a fish was delivered.
Priceless! :)

Its a dangerous time isn't it - just realised he wasn't trying to land on the nest perch, he nearly crashed!
 
This morning Aeron, the male at Dyfi pictured above was flitting between two perches within sight of the nest almost as though he was teasing his two sisters to take the plunge. Menai has been helicoptering but Eitha is still doing little more than jumping but she seemed to be looking straight at him as though she was going to take off and fly to him. Both are settled down for a nap now and he' still on the low perch. (10.45 am)
 
Couldn't agree more, real life and animals much more exciting than TV
 
Well I don't have one and never have had. There are the odd things that I miss - but four webcams of Ospreys? No contest.
 
Not sure what just happened - Mrs G was there in the nest and ten took off, there were shadows passing over the nest and the two youngest got down to lie still. Then suddenly Z6 flew off the edge and returned on the other side after about 30 seconds.
Seems like a bit of a 'flying' start if his first go was chasing crows with mum!
...This evening on iPlayer there was a documentary about a Trinidad artist that designed a tapestry for the National Gallery. The theme was the little birds that the guys there keep in cages and have singing competitions together. Totally different thing to watching ospreys of course but I wish I had discovered birds sooner - gonna miss these bundles of avian loveliness (especially 'little one') when they finally abandon the nest.
 
He's the only one to fledge so far.
At Dyfi, Menai missed the nest perch and fell last night, but she's OK. Looks like Eitha will be flying any time now, and the Aberfoyle chicks have been ringed - both male.
 
Z8 is back on the nest with his brothers having a fish. Obviously quite capable of getting air under his wings when the lunch bell rings! Too nerve-wracking!
 
Awww - Mrs G! It's like nothing happened (except the nest is probably a super whiffy by now.) Well done both!
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Sorry about somewhat hogging this thread folks. I feel a bit of a cheat (along with probably thousands of other casual web-watchers) to be able to see this osprey family go from eggs to leaving the nest when I know in the past it would have required fortitude, stamina and a raincoat!
Though they have been back to the nest from time to time, the view today of it empty in the drizzle is kind of sad. Caught the bug for keeping an eye out though (we only have buzzards near us but watching them and all the wild birds with new interest) and to see or hear of these 5 again will be thrilling!
Would love to see them catch their first fish but that - like the revolution - will not be televised!
 
They are back on the nest quite often to feed on fish caught by Dad as the juveniles aren't catching their own fish. Apparently they are unlikely to do that until they are on the migratory flight. According to the website (go to top of page and click on "Home" then scroll right down) they spend a lot of time sheltering from the rain in tree below the nest. The nest is so exposed, there's no shelter at all and do you blame them for not sitting there?
 
I did, although I think you can see stuff without an account you just can't comment.

Z6 is on the nest right now eating a fish.
 
I also watch the DyfiOspreyproject.com and Aeron and Menai (Z2 and Z3) are on the nest and were briefly visited by dad Monty (he isn't ringed).
 
Its good to know they will have support all the way up to migrating. They are eating for England (or Wales maybe) at the moment aren't they - hungry teenagers! Its a much bigger investment of work and time than I would have imagined from the parents.
 
There is the Rutland site to, once you discover Ospreys you are hooked. Come migration time (Sept ish) it's amazing what can pass over your house on a warm autumn afternoon if you have the time to sit and look up "eyes to the skies" or go to a suitable open space, we have had "kettles" of 18 Buzzard go through together, Montagu's and Hen Harrier, Rough legged Buzzard, Goshawk, Marsh Harrier, Red Kites, Hobby, Peregrine, but no Osprey as yet in spite of a fishery down the road and a lake in the garden, perhaps this autumn. Warm spring afternoons you can try seeing them arrive to. Our biggest haul one afternoon was a total of 34 Buzzards heading south in 2 hours.
Friday evening we had roughly 16,000 swifts heading south in an hour
 
Great to hear of their breeding success. Just hope that their wintering grounds remain osprey friendly. Though their are no hen harriers here because there are no voles they are abundant on our nearest neighbours, the Orkneys, because they do have voles.
Infact none of the raptors really live here apart from the odd passage migrant. I hope to see the Sea Eagle return before I shuffle off this mortal coil, as the man said :D .
The drumming of snipe, the piercing call of oyster catchers and the haunting call of curlews thrills me though.
 
With you on that one Hen-Gen love the sound of Curlew, for us it is the winter sound of the estuaries along with the Brent Geese. Snipe drumming a spring sound on the fens.
For spring, the song of a Willow Warbler, and then Garden Warbler. The sound of Divers on the Lochs takes some beating to
 
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