A Flying Tutorial of Excellence
It's been the windiest week of the summer here on the Dyfi; Aeron, Menai and Eitha's flying skills have been put to test and they have all passed with flying colours.
Just like a youngster having only recently acquired their Private Pilots License however, if you look close enough, you can see the odd rookie mistake.
Winds gusting to 50mph are a challenge to the best aviators, have a look at this short video... seeing her Mother inbound with a mullet, Menai is too high for a landing and overshoots the nest for a second attempt with a tail-wind, landing into the wind. Meantime Glesni arrives with seven year's aeronautical experience under her belt and demonstrates perfectly how to land in these gusty conditions with wind-shear.
All three youngsters have been flying for around two weeks now, they will stay in and around the nest for another month or so, perfecting their flying skills before their long journey south. They will probably not catch their first fish in that time, preferring to take advantage of the free meals on offer from Glesni and Monty. Most young ospreys catch their first fish once they've started their migration, unaided, having received little or no 'tuition' from their parents.
All five of the family are in this 4K video - can you see them all?