Two osprey chicks hatch
Exciting news just in from the RSPB:
The Glaslyn osprey pair's first chick hatched on Saturday 15 May at 11.27am, watched by a crowd of eager onlookers in the visitor centre.
The second egg hatched this morning at 8.05am, this time with just Project Officer, Geraint Williams and volunteer Margaret Williams as an audience.
On Saturday the mother osprey was very agitated a minute before the egg hatched and then the egg literally split in two and the chick emerged.
When the second chick hatched, the mother was seen looking down and appeared to be listening to the egg beforehand.
While she was feeding the first chick the second head appeared. Visitors to the viewing site at Pont Croesor near Porthmadog today will be among the first to see the new arrivals.
Geraint Williams said: "The remaining egg continues to be incubated by the adult birds and if everything goes to plan we hope the third egg will hatch on Wednesday. We will not know if they are male or female until they are ringed at four weeks old."
Margaret Williams, who was on protection duty this morning, said: "The new arrivals are both completely bald and very tiny, as you would expect from chicks just a few hours old. Their eyes have opened fully and they are feeding well, and the father osprey is catching fish locally and bringing them back to the nest."
This is the seventh successful breeding season for the Glaslyn ospreys in Wales. Since 2004 12 chicks have fledged from the double bed sized nest.
When the third chick hatches, all three will remain in the nest until the second week in July - when they will stretch their wings and learn to fly.
2010 on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Local North West
The Glaslyn osprey pair's first chick hatched on Saturday 15 May at 11.27am, watched by a crowd of eager onlookers in the visitor centre.
The second egg hatched this morning at 8.05am, this time with just Project Officer, Geraint Williams and volunteer Margaret Williams as an audience.
On Saturday the mother osprey was very agitated a minute before the egg hatched and then the egg literally split in two and the chick emerged.
When the second chick hatched, the mother was seen looking down and appeared to be listening to the egg beforehand.
While she was feeding the first chick the second head appeared. Visitors to the viewing site at Pont Croesor near Porthmadog today will be among the first to see the new arrivals.
Geraint Williams said: "The remaining egg continues to be incubated by the adult birds and if everything goes to plan we hope the third egg will hatch on Wednesday. We will not know if they are male or female until they are ringed at four weeks old."
Margaret Williams, who was on protection duty this morning, said: "The new arrivals are both completely bald and very tiny, as you would expect from chicks just a few hours old. Their eyes have opened fully and they are feeding well, and the father osprey is catching fish locally and bringing them back to the nest."
This is the seventh successful breeding season for the Glaslyn ospreys in Wales. Since 2004 12 chicks have fledged from the double bed sized nest.
When the third chick hatches, all three will remain in the nest until the second week in July - when they will stretch their wings and learn to fly.
2010 on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Local North West
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