The RSPB Glaslyn Osprey Project is located at at Pont Croesor near Porthmadog

Porthmadog

Porthmadog , known locally as "Port", and historically rendered into English as Portmadoc, is a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, in Wales. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 it was in the administrative county of Caernarfonshire. The town lies east of...

 in Gwynedd

Gwynedd

Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...

, north-west Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 within the Snowdonia National Park.

History and background

Since their disappearance in 1916 from Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

, the first pair of Osprey

Osprey

The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...

s (Pandion haliaetus) breeding in Wales were found in 2004 near Porthmadog.

In 2004, due to bad weather and rot in the upper branches of the tree, the nest

Eyrie

Eyrie may refer to:*Bird nest of raptors*The Eyrie Vineyards, an American winery in Oregon*Eyrie Bay, a bay in Antarctica*The Eyrie, a stronghold in the A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novel series*Eyrie, a Neopet.-See also:...

 collapsed. Before the next season in 2005, a platform was constructed with help from local school children. In 2005 the Osprey pair returned, took up residence on the specially made platform, and raised the first known welsh brood

Avian incubation

Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...

. The nest is being monitored via nestcam

Webcam

A webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network, often via USB, ethernet, or Wi-Fi.Their most popular use is the establishment of video links, permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations. This common use as a video camera...

 online here.

The pair have returned every year and by season 6 in 2009 had raised a total of 12 osprey fledglings

Fledge

Fledge is the stage in a young bird's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. It also describes the act of a chick's parents raising it to a fully grown state...

 since their known arrival in 2004.

The RSPB Date with Nature site at Pont Croesor aims to introduce people to the wildlife

Wildlife

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....

 in the area, inform the public on conservation projects done by the RSPB

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...

 and ensures 24 hour protection of the eggs in the nest.

The three fledglings of 2009 were named Glaslyn, Glesni and Glaslyn by children from the local Ysgol Rhosgadfan School.

Thanks to a ringing

Bird ringing

Bird ringing or bird banding is a technique used in the study of wild birds, by attaching a small, individually numbered, metal or plastic tag to their legs or wings, so that various aspects of the bird's life can be studied by the ability to re-find the same individual later...

 scheme of the chicks the progress of these birds has been recorded. A chick ringed in 2006 was discovered in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 in 2009 and had raised its own family.

Pont Croesor Station

In 2010 the Pont Croesor railway station

Pont Croesor railway station

Pont Croesor is a railway station in Wales, on the Welsh Highland Railway, which runs through the Snowdonia National Park from Caernarfon to Porthmadog. It is located on the section between the stations of and ....

 of the Welsh Highland Railway

Welsh Highland Railway

The Welsh Highland Railway is a long restored narrow gauge heritage railway in North Wales, operating from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, and passing through a number of popular tourist destinations including Beddgelert and the Aberglaslyn Pass. At Porthmadog it connects with the Ffestiniog Railway...

was built near the site.

External links

• Glaslyn Osprey Project