Drone suspected of disturbing osprey nest

The chick, like this osprey pictured with its mother, managed to roll back to the nest cup

People are being warned against using drones at a lake after a one-day-old osprey chick was almost knocked from its nest.

The bird's mother may have been spooked by a drone flying close to the nest at Llyn Brenig, on the border between Denbighshire and Conwy.

The baby bird, which has been named Little Bob by the Brenig Osprey Project, hatched on Sunday and is the first of the 2024 season to arrive.

The incident was detailed on the project's social media accounts, which described how Little Bob had an "unexpected and nearly disastrous experience".

"Mum was disturbed and flew off the nest flicking Little Bob to the other side of the nest," the post read.

"Luckily the little one managed to roll or crawl back to the nest cup."

The parent ospreys still have two eggs that have not yet hatched

The Brenig Osprey Project's post went on to say it was not 100% sure the drone was responsible for what happened, but added that North Wales Police Rural Crime Team had seen two people flying a drone in the area.

A spokesman for the rural crime team said: "This is a reminder that the flying of drones at Brenig is not permitted without authority from management.

"Clearly the use of drones at this sensitive time could have a detrimental affect upon the birds."

The osprey breeding support project, a collaboration between Welsh Water and North Wales Wildlife Trust, began at Llyn Brenig in 2013.

Extra security was introduced at the site after a nest was cut down with a chainsaw in April 2021, causing an egg to fall into the water.

But 2022 an 2023 were both successful years, with two chicks being raised in each of the seasons.