THE Dyfi Osprey Project has great eggspectations that the first chick of the 2021 season will hatch later this month.

The Machynlleth-based project, the brainchild of the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust, celebrated the arrival of its first egg last month, laid on the morning of April 12. And now, expectant parents Idris and Telyn are waiting for their offspring to arrive, which project organisers predict will be from May 18 onwards.

“Telyn and Idris are exactly halfway through incubation at the moment,” the Dyfi Osprey Project announced on its Facebook page on Monday.

“We're eggspecting the first chick to hatch sometime from May 18 onwards.”

There’s been plenty of comments from the public on the news, as well as praise for mum-to-be Telyn, with the Facebook page capturing some tense, heart-stopping footage of her braving bitter local gales of 70mph yesterday to keep the unhatched eggs incubated.

“Thanks to everyone that is helping us once again with the nest research: Telyn is doing around 80 per cent of the incubation whilst Idris is doing 100 per cent of the fishing – mostly mullet and flounder. Great teamwork,” the project added on their page.

“Thank you so much for your kind comments yesterday – it means the world to us being able to open again.

“We had an amazing day, which is more than can be said for stoic Telyn who braved it out in winds gusting 70mph.”

Telyn returned to the project's Machynlleth base nest with new mate Idris in March.

The Dyfi Osprey Project began in 2009 with the aim of supporting and conserving the osprey population in Wales and delivering an osprey project with communities at its heart.

More than 30,000 people visited the project base that year as ospreys began to circle overhead.