Nora's First Egg
The weather throughout Wednesday 18th April had been pretty average. Overcast, windy, and rather cold. Monty and Nora got on with everyday life but from around 4pm Nora really had the fidgets. Restless, agitated, moving from one side of the nest cup to the next - her feathers were ruffled, one of them was anyway. She paid scant attention, clearly something else was on her mind.
Brilliant sunshine for the first time in the day just after 7pm
At 7.03pm Nora sat down on the floor of the nest cup and started swaying from side to side. She was looking around as if she was looking for something, it can't have been food - she had just eaten the best part of a medium sized sea trout. Monty was on the ash tree perch 10m away, he knew something was afoot and was not getting involved. Then at 7.06 Nora stood up, just for a few seconds, and looked underneath her..
We had the quickest of glimpses of a shiny, crimson red egg. After being with Monty for 16 days, exactly the same time period as in 2011, Nora had laid an egg. It is also exactly a week earlier than last year (April 25th).
So why did she not lay a little earlier? - as an osprey pair get established they tend to lay a bit quicker than their first year together, sometimes as early as 10 days. As soon as Monty arrived on April 2nd we noticed that he wasn't too keen to share his fish - he did look a little thin after his arrival back from Africa so maybe he had good reason not to give his food away, at least until he had a few day's worth of fish inside him. The weather has been unseasonably cold as well since Monty's return plus the mobbing by carrion crows seemed greater this year. Maybe all or none of these factors had an effect?
Nora has had her fair share of grief from corvids since her return on March 24th
Not that anyone was panicking at the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust (yeah right!), but we think even Monty was starting to get a little nervous. On several occasions over the last couple of days we had seen him crouch down in the nest and lay flat in the nest cup, exactly as he would do if he was incubating - a bit like Dads practising holding the baby before the actual birth!.
Monty is already incubating - two days before Nora lays an egg!
Here's the moment then at 7.06pm, April 18th when Nora laid her first egg of the 2012 season - it's nothing too egg-citing - blink and you'll miss it..
Truly beautifull.Well done guys xx
Great news about the first egg. Great documentary Ems - informative, enlighting and well presented. Great footage and stills from the 'new kit ' . Looking forward to the next egg or eggs and spending some time to help with the protection. Da iawn i pawb. Hwyl am nawr.
Thanks Emyr. It's just great to know that the first egg has arrived. The pictures on here are stunning - many thanks. Best Wishes and hope to be down to visit later in the season.
Well done Nora. I can't wait until I can get up to Dyfi again to see them.
Great News - Congratuations.
The pictures are totally stunning. All that hassle and hard work has really paid off!!
Fantastic news, we are at Plas Talgarth next week and can`t wait to see everyone.
Well done Nora. Keep them coming.
Amazing images and video of a lovely moment at Dyfi.
Congratulations all round :))))
You can see it happening second by second. Amazing.
Brilliant news, well done Nora.
Bendigedig, da iawn Nora.
Just wondering, did Nora sit on her egg overnight this time, I remember last year there were concerns because she left the egg for long periods.
The Dyfi osprey project never ceases to amaze. They got wonderful birds, wonderful equipment, the knowledge how to get the best out of it and most of all wonderful people who understand how to make everyone welcome and accepted.
To do that in these difficult times is nothing short of miraculous.
As Frank Borman the famous Apollo VIII astronaut said at the end of his audio from National Geographic in December 1969. "Tomorow together just where might we go?"
Well wherever we go Dyfi now has a very special place in our hearts.
What a wonderful piece of footage - amazing birds
Well done Nora and Monty! Thanks to all at Dyfi for the fantastic footage and captures of this great event.
A wonderful Blog. Positively eggcellent in fact.
Congrats to Nora and Monty.
Wonderful footage. Just like being at a live birth! Well done Nora & Monty. Thanks to all at Cors Dyfi.
Brilliant news, Well done Nora, save an egg to lay when we come on Sunday
Fantastic news and fantastic coverage of event. Quality of pics etc is truly amazing. Well done to all at Dyfi.
Am really hoping to visit during the season.
Lovely footage - as you say 'blink and you miss it' - all completed beautifully smoothly! Thanks for the posting.
well done hope she will have more
Delightful news, superb footage and still images, very well done MWT.
Great news!! hoping for another egg now!! Well done Nora.
thrilled at the pics wondering about leri? hope to volunteer how can i get. involved?
j.gould.
Great images, how many eggs to date?
When do you expect nestcam to be online?
Cheers, Ian Prior.