At 07:17 this morning, Glesni laid an Easter Egg

This is the first time we've had an Easter egg at the Dyfi, here's a quick video:

The maculation (pigmentation on the egg shell) seems pretty average for an osprey egg - they can be highly varied. Glesni's first egg of 2017, and her 11th in all, has an abundance of crimson on one side, whiter on the thin end, and mottled all the way around. Its function is, as it is probably for all species' eggs that are not mono-coloured, for camouflage.

Lovely spot of maculation there, Gles

We take advantage of the variability between egg maculation of the same clutch as identification markers, so that we can attempt to keep track of which egg is which. They generally hatch in the order they are laid, but not always (Einion, who was the first to hatch way back in 2011, actually hatched from the second egg laid).

Glesni laid her egg 13 days after first mating with Monty on 1st April, the earliest we've seen at the Dyfi and matches the same mating-to-egg period of 2015.

Dyfi Egg Data 2011 - 2017

Let's hope that the success of 2015 can be replicated this year and that Monty and Glesni have three eggs/chicks/fledglings. The second egg will be due early Monday (17th) morning and the third next Thursday (20th) morning.

Clarach is Back

Our friend John Wright at Rutland Water contacted us last night - he'd seen Blue 2R yesterday evening 'advertising' herself to non-breeding males there.

Clarach (Blue 2R) is Glesni's first ever offspring (2013) and showed up as an adult last year at several nest sites in England and Wales. We're hoping Clarach stays at Rutland Water and manages to seduce one of their males and produce grandkids for Monty and Glesni. After all, we owe them a few birds by now!

Clarach shortly before migrating from the Dyfi in August 2013