The first chick hatched today at 11:06. The incubation time was 37 days and 47 minutes.

We spotted the first crack in the egg at around lunchtime yesterday, so just less than 24 hours to fully hatch. Let’s hope the second egg, which was laid more than 4½ days after the first, and with Monty and Glesni not mating during this time, hatches out alright.

Many congratulations to Alan Alpin and Marion Leslie-Smith for winning first prize with the same guess of 11am on June 8th. Just six minutes out! We’ll send a first prize to you both.

Glesni sees her newly hatched chick for the first time

Here is an amazing video of some of the highlights of the hatching. The video is dedicated to all those volunteers everywhere that help keep these nests safe and protect them from those that want to do harm. Each year your task is thankless and without pay, your rewards are seen in this video and also come with no monetary value. They are priceless.