A little update as we approach fledging 2018

Today our chicks are 46, 45 and 44 days old and we are seeing a lot more pre-fledging behaviour from them all. Wing stretching and flapping are the first stages of this strength building programme.

Wing stretching in the nest

We often see a chick stretch out one wing while it is lying in the nest. This initial wing extension practice then becomes wing flapping and eventually helicoptering. We haven't seen any helicoptering from the chicks yet this year but they are certainly getting the hang of flapping. 

Helyg shows off her flapping skills

We would expect to see some fledging over the coming weekend as the chicks approach 51 days old. Although Alys is the oldest chick she may not fledge first. Being a female osprey means she is bigger and heavier than her little brother Dinas. It will be interesting to see who goes first!

Alys achieves a little bit of lift off!

The table below gives the fledging data for our chicks from previous seasons. You can see that the average age for fledging in male chicks is 51.5 days and for female chicks is 52 days. Given the closeness in age of our chicks this year it will be very interesting to see how close they come to these averages. Dinas has certainly been flapping for extended periods to strengthen his flight muscles.

Dinas flaps for longer and longer

Once the chicks fledge they will continue to spend a lot of time on and around the nest. This is generally where Monty will bring their fish to. However, they may start to take it elsewhere to eat. We would expect them to remain here until the end of August. But the big question is, what will Telyn do once her first brood fledge? Glesni typically left around the middle of August, Telyn may do the same or she could stick around and continue to bring fish to the chicks with Monty.

What ever happens you can be sure we will be watching closely!