It’s been a double celebration at Glaslyn Ospreys in recent weeks - the 55th chick has just hatched on the nest which was first discovered 20 years ago on 19 May 2004.
There has been a breeding pair on the Glaslyn Valley nest near Porthmadog every year since.
A local man first spotted an osprey flying up the valley in 2004. He found a nest and a temporary viewing area and protection scheme was quickly organised.
The RSPB ran a project from 2005 until a group of local wildlife enthusiasts took over in 2013. Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife became a community interest group to protect the ospreys and highlight the wealth of other wildlife in the area.
Work started on a new visitor centre in 2014, opened officially the following year by naturalist Iolo Williams.
Charitable status was gained in 2017 and the project continues to go from strength to strength. A fundraising appeal to replace the ageing hide in 2021 received incredible support from the public and sponsors and a new facility was built the following year. Iolo Williams returned to open it.
Glaslyn Ospreys attracts thousands of visitors every year from all over the UK. They see live images from high-definition cameras of the magnificent birds on the nest, and followers around the world can also watch what them on the project’s YouTube channel.
None of this would be possible without the support of followers and generous supporters, and the work of volunteers and trustees who run the project. Volunteers regularly give their time to meet and greet visitors and share fascinating stories about the resident ospreys. Others spend hours at the protection site keeping a watchful eye on the osprey family.
The project has one paid staff member. Heather Corfield manages the centre. She has a wealth of osprey knowledge having volunteered for some years before she was appointed seven years ago. She organises the volunteer rotas, ensures the shop and café are well stocked and operates the six high tech cameras that bring stunning images of the birds to the screens.
The first male osprey was a Scottish bird born in 1998. Ochre 11(98). His partner was the iconic Mrs G, who remarkably returned to the nest for the next 19 years and became Wales’ oldest female breeding osprey.
In 2004 the nest blew down in a storm killing two chicks. It was repaired over winter and, happily, the pair returned the following year and bred until 2014. Their dynasty has since spread far and wide.
The success story of Glaslyn’s ospreys took a new turn in 2015 when 11(98), Mrs G’s partner of 11 years, failed to return.
Various potential suitors appeared, and after some uncertain weeks, an unringed male, thought to be around three years old, later named Aran, arrived. He bred successfully with Mrs G, producing two chicks that year. They went on to raise a further 16 chicks, some of which have since been sighted in the UK and Africa. One is breeding in Yorkshire.
In spring 2021 the Glaslyn pair returned and three eggs were laid. Unfortunately, this coincided with a storm during which Aran injured his wing and could not fish. Sadly, the chicks died, the first time since 2005 that none had fledged from the Glaslyn nest. It was a tremendous blow for the project, but gradually Aran made a full recovery, fishing and re-enforcing his bonds to Mrs G and the nest. He returned in perfect condition from his winter migration in 2022 and the pair had three more chicks, bringing the number of the female’s offspring to 52. A chick from Mrs G’s final brood, Blue 498, returned to his natal nest for a visit in May, showing that the dynasty lives on.
By 2022, 44 of Mrs G’s chicks with her two partners had fledged and five of them were continuing to breed in the UK. Three grand chicks were also known to be breeding in Northumberland and Scotland. In total the project knows of 142 grand chicks and 16 great grand chicks.
Sadly, it was the last year Mrs G sat on the Glaslyn nest - she failed to return in 2023. Aran paired up with a new mate Elen, They had two healthy chicks. This year they have three eggs and hatching is underway.
The centre is open daily 10.30am-4.30pm until the birds migrate in September. In August it will stage the Gwyl y Gweilch Osprey Festival with keynote speakers on the ospreys and local wildlife.
