The Arrival of Blue 372 - 24^th March 2025

After a morning spent gathering footage from trail cams and enjoying the antics of an otter family and a polecat, we went for a walk to the Brenig visitor centre for a cuppa and a cake. It was late afternoon so we sat in the Osprey room and looked at an empty nest on the live stream TVs, when all of a sudden in the corner of my eye I saw a wing and then there she was! 372 came gliding in onto the PTZ perch.  She ruffled her feathers and flew to the nest, then flew off. It was so pleasing to know that she has arrived safely from wherever she has spent the winter and come back to the glorious sunshine of North Wales. We then waited in anticipation of LJ2, our resident male.

However, six days later an interloper - 416 - arrived, and set to tidying the nest and scraping the cup. 372 didn't seem to mind and, with that, a new pairing began. Although we were still hoping for LJ2 to arrive, his usual arrival date (31st March in previous years) came and went. 

This is not the first time that 372 and 416 have met. In 2023 they paired on a private nest but 372 was two years old and not yet ready to breed. Now they are a pair again, and with multiple matings and 416 wooing 372 with fish, we think he is a keeper!

If you watch closely on our cameras, you may notice that 416 has damage to his left wing. We think it happened on the morning of 31^st March, we do no not know how, but he is fine and is flying, fishing and mating with no problem. His feathers will grow back during moulting when he returns to his wintering grounds.

The arrival of LJ2

As I write this my phone is pinging away with messages from Sarah, Brenig Osprey Project Officer, to say LJ2 has arrived! And so (thanks to a great tip-off from the friends of Brenig osprey Facebook page) the drama continues, much to everyone’s delight. LJ2 returned on 10^th April at approximately 5.30pm, however he now has the task of reclaiming the nest if he can, and was last seen we think being chased away by 416.  372 was getting a little pushy when LJ2 arrived, giving him a couple of short wing clips - and then he was off.

416 has invested a lot of time and energy in the Brenig nest and with 372 he has had a good 10/11 days of bonding. We will have to see over the next couple of days what happens next, but with multiple matings it's possible that 372 could have eggs soon and then 416 will really need to be on guard.

Sophia Evans (Lead Volunteer NWWT Brenig Osprey Project)

** UPDATE ** - On 15th April 372 laid her first egg of the season. More on this in the next blog!