Llyn Brenig ospreys ‘unlikely’ to breed in North Wales this year after chainsaw incident

A pair of ospreys are said to be “unlikely” to breed in North Wales this year following an incident which saw their nesting platform cut down with a chainsaw.

The attack on the platform at Llyn Brenig occurred at the end of last month, shortly after the female osprey had laid an egg.

Hopes had been raised that the pair would still breed at the site, which is located on the border between Denbighshire and Conwy, despite the incident.

However, the team which looks after the area said it now looked doubtful that they would, although both birds have stayed nearby.

Posting on Facebook, staff from the Brenig Osprey Project said: “It is clear that they are still in the local area – they continue to be seen visiting Llyn Brenig and even the various nests and perches available to them here – but the general consensus now is that they are unlikely to breed at Llyn Brenig this year.

“Whilst this is obviously not what we had hoped for, the birds’ wellbeing is ultimately far more important than how/whether they choose to use our site, and we’ll be moving ahead to plan for 2022 as soon as we’re able to – watch this space for updates!

“Even though the ospreys will probably be less visible at Llyn Brenig than we had hoped, please do continue to visit us this summer.

“The birds will still be spottable (just a bit more mobile!); you can still visit the osprey exhibition; we’re hoping to have ‘goose cam’ up and running as soon as we can restore some fried circuitry (thanks, lighting storm …); Wildlife Trust staff will continue to be on site for several days a week to chat through all things osprey and more besides; and Welsh Water’s Visitor Centre and café are really looking forward to welcoming back guests after such a long, enforced break.

“There’s still plenty of wildlife to see and things to do, and we’d love to see and talk to you.”