In March, the osprey season at Llyn Brenig started off fairly routine.  Our male (LJ2) returned to his nest and promptly began work getting the nest ready for his female.  Little did we know the drama that would unfold in those first few weeks.  The female osprey (LM6) who had occupied the nest for the last 3 years sadly did not arrive back from migration and another female took an interest in the Llyn Brenig nest. 

During 2023, a two year old female osprey visited the Llyn Brenig nest several times but was chased off by the resident female; the visitor was ringed blue 372.  372 had an interesting history already; born in Scotland in 2021, 372 was part of the Poole Harbour translocation project.  She was translocated with a number of other ospreys to re-introduce ospreys to the Poole Harbour area.  She migrated from Poole Harbour in the autumn of 2021, survived her migration and returned to the UK in 2023, and was spotted intruding at our nest on Llyn Brenig on the 18 June 2023.  That was just the beginning, 372 visited the Brenig nest a number of times in 2023. 

Fast forward to 2024 and on the 1 April, 372 made her first visit to our nest.  The problem was LJ2 was waiting for his female, LM6, to return from migration and promptly chased off 372.  372 had obviously taken a liking to the Brenig nest and was persistent.  She visited the Brenig nest each day and as LJ2 began to accept the fact that LM6 may not return, he then turned his attentions to 372.  However, the drama continued; another male osprey ringed 416 from a private nest nearby, whom 372 had paired with the previous year, had other ideas.  Several times 416 chased 372 back to his nest, even taking the drastic action of knocking her off the Brenig nest.  But she wasn’t intimidated or interested in 416 and each time returned to the Brenig nest.  It was like a good TV drama!

Finally, LJ2 and 372 settled into the rhythm of the breeding season doing the normal things an osprey couple do, fishing, nest building, mating.  This was 372’s first breeding season, being a three- year-old there were so many unknowns.Would she mate successfully? Would she lay any eggs? Would she know what to do with the eggs? Was she going to become a good mum?  We were all watching in anticipation.  We were very happy to see three eggs in the nest by the end of April.  This was the first breeding season for 372 so the laying of three eggs was amazing.  But the drama was not over!

On  9 May, while 372 was incubating her eggs, a new intruder osprey paid a visit to the nest.  A 3-year-old female, ringed 432 from Kielder Forest  was a feisty female landing several times on the nest and once on the back of 372!  432 wanted this nest to be hers and the consequences if she succeeded in taking the nest would be devastating to the already laid eggs of 372.  An epic battle ensued for the Llyn Brenig nest between the two very large and feisty females.  372 protected her nest and her eggs with a force to  match the ferociousness of 432.  All we could do was watch. We were all very worried that one or all of the eggs would be damaged or ejected from the nest.  After two hours of 432 intruding on the nest, 372 cleverly chased 432 away from the nest therefore taking the danger away from the eggs but the two females battled for a further two hours.  We had no idea who would return to the nest victorious.  At 10:30pm 372 landed back on her nest the victor; we were all very relieved and 372 had undoubtedly claimed the Llyn Brenig nest as hers.

Again, peace descended on the Llyn Brenig nest.  372 however liked to do things a little differently.  The osprey books state that once a female osprey had laid eggs she would stay on the nest to incubate the eggs and the male would provide fish for the female.  Well, 372 had not read the manuals and often would call to LJ2.  He would come to the nest and take over incubation of the eggs and 372 would go fishing.  She would return with a fish, eat half on a tree stump, leave the remaining half on the stump, fly back to the nest, take over incubation of the eggs after having a good feed and LJ2 would go the stump and finish off the remaining half of the fish.  372 and LJ2 sharing the fishing and incubation responsibilities, a very modern couple indeed!

In early June, two of the eggs hatched, and 372 and LJ2 returned to a more traditional osprey family dynamic of LJ2 fishing and 372 staying on the nest with the chicks.  Both parents devoting their time to the raising and protection of their two chicks.  Throughout June and July, the osprey family fell into a natural rhythm: fishing, feeding, growing, resting and protecting.  One of the chicks in particular was showing a feistiness inherited from mum, pecking the smaller chick’s head and neck, developing the “pecking order”.  Sometimes particularly brutal pecking that made for uncomfortable watching, but all perfectly normal osprey chick behaviour.  As the chicks grew, tug of wars started to develop between the chicks when a fish was brought to the nest - the larger chick usually winning but the smaller chick becoming more and more confident and standing up to the larger chick.

The chicks were ringed on 8  July and we found we had a male and female chick.  The male was ringed 8B8 and the female 8B9.  Unsurprisingly 8B9 was the larger chick and 8B8 the smaller chick.  Names were chosen for them through the Brenig Osprey ProjectFacebook poll, names from Ac Yna Clywodd Sŵn Y Môr by Alun Jones, 8B8 became Emrys and 8B9 Bethan.

Mid-July saw both Bethan and Emrys getting ready to take flight, they had grown so much and were almost fully grown.  They had begun practising their takeoff and landing by helicoptering above the nest.  We watched on, anxiously hoping a rogue gust of wind didn’t cause early fledging.  On 27  July Bethan fledged and, on the 28 July Emrys fledged, both safely returning to the nest after their maiden flight.

The Brenig nest had a number of 2-year-old visitors during 2024, including our own 2022 Brenig chick, KA9 Gelert; fantastic to see a Llyn Brenig chick survive migration and return to Llyn Brenig.  The only other Llyn Brenig chick to return previously was Roli KA5, born 2019.  These 2-year-olds are looking for their own nest site and  return to their natal nest to see if the nest is vacant.  The Brenig nest is not vacant and so the prospecting 2-year-olds get chased off.

The next few weeks were spent feeding up and getting stronger for the ospreys’ migration.  The whole family stayed around the Brenig nest site for the next five weeks.  Until the urge to migrate separates the family and takes each osprey on a 3,000 mile journey to the west coast of Africa.  372 and Emrys 8B8 were last seen around the osprey peninsula on 4 September.  LJ2 and Bethan 8B9 were last seen on the 6 September.  The Brenig Osprey Project will not know if the chicks survive this gruelling migration until they return to Wales in two years’ time or if the adults survive until their return next year.

The Brenig Osprey Project team is a wonderful partnership between North Wales Wildlife Trust and Dwr Cymru Welsh Water.  In 2024, the project has grown to a team of one dedicated project staff member, seven lead volunteers, 22 support volunteers onsite at Llyn Brenig and 90 online volunteers as part of Osprey Watch. 

The Brenig Wind Farm fund granted £10k towards the improvement of the osprey lookout, purchasing new Hawke optical equipment, building a new veranda and uniform for the new volunteers.  This funding has enabled the upgrading of our visitor experience.  Visitors to the Lookout and Hide can now view the ospreys on their nest and surrounding peninsular through brand new, high strength telescopes and binoculars.  The live streams can be viewed inside the lookout in conjunction with informative osprey engagement materials.  There is a new veranda which provides improved disabled access into the lookout and a viewing platform.  The Osprey Lookout has had approximately 4,500 visitors in the 2024 season, enabling the team to generate cash/card donations, new Trust memberships and new volunteers to the project. 

The Brenig Osprey Project would like to thank all our supporters, funders, friends of BOP who gave their time to host events on our behalf, all our visitors and volunteers without you we cannot protect our osprey family.  See you in 2025!!!!