It's been a rough old week..
Let's start with the good news:
All the cameras are up, working and tested. The images from the new 4K camera are breathtaking - one of those "have to see it to believe it" moments when you first see them.
Look out for some test images next week once the weather turns.
We were also able to fix CAM 1 following a bovine-cable issue!
CAM 1 re-installed, cleaned, serviced and tested
The not so good:
We bought second-hand tower scaffolding to do our camera work back in 2012. We had more or less promised ourselves that, due to its deteriorating condition, this would be the last year we could use it.
70mph winds this week put to rest any doubts of extending its lifespan.
TURN THE SOUND OFF!
Thankfully, all of the cameras and other techie bits had been installed and we were just waiting for a break in the weather to return to take the scaffolding down. It didn't come in time. It's still blowing a gale today.
Next to CAM 1 - a new Larch Perch camera with its own IR lamps
We've had problems testing the Live Streaming also. The new 4K cameras take an awful lot of processing - much more than we have at hand.
We'll need to build a new PC this coming week with more oomph - current i7 processors and graphic cards to match. I'm still optimistic that we'll get the Live Streaming operational by next Saturday; we'll borrow a few bits 'n pieces until the new PC is ready.
You never really know how much computer power you need with these new cameras until you install and test them. Now we do.
The Dyfi osprey nest will be the most technically advanced of any nest in the world most probably in 2017 - of any species, let alone ospreys. To think that we'd get an easy ride getting there was never a realistic proposition.
It will go live. Next Saturday. 10am.
Following a Facebook request yesterday for ideas on what to do with the now retired Boing Perch, I think it's fair to say that the option to sell it on Ebay to raise camera funds will not go ahead!
Far too many people wanted us to keep the Boing Perch and put it on display, preferably with some information panels, at DOP somewhere - the 360 Observatory if we can find some room. So that's exactly what we'll do. After all, it does have nostalgic and historic value in the development of DOP over five years - you can't really put a financial cost on that.
The camera appeal is nearly half way there - £9,876 to be precise as of midnight last night. A massive thank you to everyone that has kindly donated.
On Facebook last week we posted six beautiful images of various ospreys over the last five years that have used the Boing Perch. I know that not everybody follows DOP on Facebook, so here they are again:
Nora was the first osprey to ever land on the Boing Perch when she returned to the Dyfi on 24th March 2012. She had successfully raised three chicks with Monty the previous year during what was her first breeding season - Einion, Dulas, and Leri, all of whom successfully migrated to west Africa. She was an amazing mother.
Nora was the daughter of the famous 'Mr. Rutland' - 03(97). Sadly, this would be her last season.
Nora. © MWT
This young man touched the hearts of the nation back in 2012 with his steely determination, courage, and fight for life.
We promised five years ago that we would build a great three-story Observatory overlooking his nest and tell his stories to thousands of people every year - and we did.
Never forgotten, his name was Ceulan.
Ceulan. © MWT
Blue 24 was born in 2010 at Rutland Water, as was Glesni - just days apart. They are in fact cousins - Blue 24's father (AW, born 2006) is the brother of Glesni's mum, 5N (born 2004).
Blue 24 was first spotted on the Dyfi way back in 2013 and she's become a permanent fixture since, including on the Boing Perch, usually before Glesni returns and after she leaves in August. She wouldn't dare land this close to the nest when her breeding cousin is around!
We're in the process of taking the other platform nest down at Cors Dyfi, so we don't have the same situation happen as last year. A perch will be placed on the pole instead with a wireless trail cam attached so that we can see who's landing on it.
So Blue 24 will be seven years old this year - let's hope 2017 will be her year. There are plenty of other nests around and hopefully we'll see some more males arriving this year too - five of the 11 Welsh offspring in 2015 were male, including our very own Brenig.
Blue 24. © MWT
Next in our series of famous ospreys that have taken advantage of the Boing Perch is Deri.
She and her brother Gwynant were born in 2014 and we have high hopes of seeing her, and hopefully her brother, back this summer. Most ospreys return to the UK during their second year, but they don't arrive until May or June usually - sometimes even later.
There's a greater chance, statistically, of seeing returning birds once they are three-year-olds and older, just like we saw our first ever Dyfi-born chick return as an adult last year - Clarach (b. 2013).
We're reaching a critical mass of osprey productivity in Wales now whereby there's a very good chance of seeing returning birds on an annual basis. Ten fledglings in 2014 and 11 in 2015.
Soon be time to look up..
Deri. © MWT
Here's our penultimate Boing Perch Special this week - this is Celyn from 2015.
She was one of three chicks that year along with her sister Merin and brother Brenig. Only around one in three osprey chicks, maybe slightly better, make it back to the UK as adults, so there's a better than usual chance from the 2015 clutch of three that we'll see one of our birds again.
The Loch of the Lowes male returned Thursday - 9 days earlier than last year! A Rutland breeding female arrived the following day - they're starting to arrive.......
Celyn. © MWT
Monty and Glesni have never been great fans of the Boing Perch, preferring instead to use the tall larch perch 10m away.
Here's our last picture of the week then - Monty surveying his domain from the now retired Boing Perch.
Monty. © MWT
And Finally..
Our volunteers have done a wonderful job again this week.
We've cleaned the 360 Observatory, wiped down the signs and interpretation panels, fixed some chicken-wire, cleaned the boardwalk, fixed the toilet doors and floors that were sagging (!), installed over 20 nest boxes for various species, painted all the outside furniture, cleaned all the Ceri Hide and Obs windows, filled in the worst of the car-park holes and completely gutted the visitor centre, spring cleaned it, painted it, and put it back together. They'll be some new items in the DOP shop this year too - a bottle of Monty Beer anyone...?
More in the week...
Kim talks the vols through some of the things that need doing on Thursday's work party
