Isn't it funny how things pan out sometimes? At 7am Sunday morning, I wrote a daily update on our Dyfi Osprey Project Facebook page saying that many ospreys had been held up due to the unseasonal weather. Several ospreys had still, on the 7th of April, not returned to some of the most well-known UK nests. Loch Garten, Kielder, and Dyfi were all missing breeding males. I dared to issue a few words of reassurance saying that we will soon get a 'spurt' of ospreys coming through, now that the weather had started to yield up a little on those bitter temperatures and biting easterlies.

Then, two hours later at 9am, this happened..

Ospreys can make you look particularly stupid sometimes, especially if you go down that sticky road of starting to predict events happening. It doesn't happen often, but how utterly wonderful to get one right for once!

Monty looked in good condition too. He was back for his sixth year (at least) and the first thing we were all glued on were those eyes. Just look at those deep orange eyes.

By the time all the excitement had died down, just a little, and Monty had gone fishing at around 10:30, I was speaking to Alwyn about how well Monty looked and remembering the last time we saw him. It was, in fact, Alwyn that saw him last on September 5th last year. Ceulan, Monty's only offspring from the deluge that was 2012, had departed early on September 3rd for Senegal. Monty, being the good father that he is, waited for another two days, mullet in talon, just in case his son came back. He didn't, and on the 5th, while I was visiting an old friend I hadn't seen for years in Scotland, Alwyn saw Monty lift off and head south.

As people got wind of Monty's return yesterday, people were flocking through the gates as we opened at 10am. Many were saying the same thing, volunteers too, doesn't Monty look better with age? His feathers, his eyes, his overall condition. Was this simply a case of 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', or does Monty actually look better than ever?

Looking good Monty..

Monty returned from his fishing trip an hour or so later with a good-sized mullet. He hung on to his prey for most of the day until finally struggling through the last few bones and tail just before dark. All day, he was peering around the Dyfi valley, looking for one bird in particular.

Nora is now over two weeks behind her arrival date of March 24th last year. Is she caught up in the bad weather that most of western Europe has endured too? Let's hope so. After all, it's not just ospreys that are late this year - everything is. Swallows, martins, warblers, wheatears, they are all stuck in that huge toothpaste squeezer somewhere over France and Spain. Someone must have given it a bit of a squeeze yesterday, not only did Monty arrive back, but within the next few hours, the Glaslyn-bred male White YA (more about him in another blog) was back at Kielder Water and Odin was back at Loch Garten. That must have been some squeeze, another one today please would be nice..

Monty tucks in to his first Dyfi mullet of the year (press HD, it's better)

The Dyfi Osprey Project is not just about the arrival of one bird back from Africa. It's also about connecting people, wherever they are in the world, with wildlife and osprey conservation. As I write, almost 2,000 people have 'liked' the Monty Returns post on Facebook from yesterday, hundreds have commented and over 42,000 have read it. Unreal. Thousands more have rung, texted, emailed, and Tweeted (including Derek the weatherman!).

It's also about seeing and engaging with people that come to the project. The excitement on people's faces yesterday as they walked through the visitor centre door was tangible, you could almost hold it. Young people, old people, and everybody in the middle. I've not had time to decide yet which was the most memorable moment from yesterday. Monty arriving completely unannounced at 09:01, Joanna ringing me from Kielder Water at 13:35 saying, screaming, that White YA had just landed on his nest, or that seven or eight year old child that ran in mid afternoon shouting "MONTY, MONTY" - he was holding his new Monty pin badge in both hands as he kept comparing it with the osprey he could see on the big screen.

I think I know.

Whoever stood on that great toothpaste squeezer in France yesterday, give it another good stamping today please. Nora is not far behind, she's just making Monty wait a bit. After all, Monty kept her waiting nine days last year. Never a good thing to keep a woman waiting. I know.

Keep Calm and Look Up.

You may have noticed that this year we have sound also. Two professional mics at the nest provide that extra dimension to viewing the ospreys. We've had some technical issues to overcome trying to get sound over the Live Streaming, but we're almost there. This week hopefully. Soon, we will also have a real time comments box and a live weather widget on the Live Streaming page - straight from the nest.

If you enjoy watching the Live Streaming, or would just like to help Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust pay for these things, you can donate on the Live Streaming page itself. We've just passed the £2,000 mark in our appeal to get to £10,000. Every little helps.

Thank you - Diolch yn Fawr