ON THE SHORES of Llyn Brenig in North Wales, conservation work is being undertaken by Welsh Water’s Brenig Osprey Project in collaboration with the North Wales Wildlife Trust.
In the past year, volunteers have made remarkable and indispensable contributions to the scheme, dedicating more than 2,700 hours of their time.
Ospreys are protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Conservation Act 1981. To help boost osprey numbers, the team at Llyn Brenig have worked hard for the last ten years to provide a suitable nesting site for the birds. In 2022, two chicks (named Olwen and Gelert) were reared and fledged successfully.
A volunteer group monitors the live webcam feeds from the osprey nest and nearby perch. Their contributions are a vital part of the security measures undertaken at the site. They also contribute to sharing key moments of the breeding season with the osprey-cam’s many viewers.
With the help of volunteers at the Osprey Lookout and Hide, visitors to Llyn Brenig are able to watch, and learn about, these magnificent birds.
Dave Wittrick is a volunteer at the Brenig Osprey Project who has contributed more than six hundred hours of his time in the past two years to volunteering.
He said: “I have a passion for birds of prey and experience in display falconry and captive breeding and so, after retiring in 2019, I became a member of the North Wales Wildlife Trust.
“At the beginning of 2022, the Trust launched the new remote Osprey Watch. I signed up for that and I was hooked! I volunteered to help at the Osprey Lookout as well.
“It is such a privilege to be able to watch and study wildlife in the company of like-minded people. And I take pleasure in sharing our wildlife stories with members of the public and enthuse in them an interest in wildlife.
“Thank you to both Dwr Cymru Welsh Water and North Wales Wildlife trust for running these projects and offering opportunities for people like me to contribute.”
The Lookout is open daily 10am to 5pm during the breeding season and is a popular destination for visitors keen to find out more about the breeding raptors on the opposite shore of the lake. The hide is open from May to September; it is situated about 150 metres from the osprey nest and provides fantastic views for watching or photographing these birds in action.
Groups, organisations or individuals that would like to volunteer with Brenig Osprey Project should contact Sarah Callon at [email protected].
Llyn Brenig website – osprey information
