First osprey chick hatches out

The osprey chick will learn to fly and hunt in around two months

The first osprey chick of a nest being watched via a web camera has hatched.

It began chipping its way through the shell at around 0645 BST and had fully emerged by 0800 on Friday.

Described as bald, wet and pink, RSPB staff expect the second egg to hatch over the weekend, with the third expected to emerge early next week.

It is the fifth year running the birds have flown in from Africa to raise chicks in the Glaslyn Valley near Porthmadog, Gwynedd.

Emyr Evans from the RSPB watched the hatching live via the "nest cam".

"The new arrival is completely bald, still wet and absolutely tiny, as you would expect from a chick that is just a few hours old," he said.

Fly and hunt

"Later today, its eyes will open properly and it will have a first feed, which should be great to watch.

"Visitors over the next few days are really in for a treat," Mr Evans added.

There is a camera located above the nest which looks down on the birds. The chicks will be dependent on the adult birds for food until mid July when they will learn to fly and hunt.

They are expected to use the nest as a base until the end of August before they migrate to Africa in early September.

The RSPB said they migrated alone - as individuals - with the adult female leaving first.

The charity said round 10,000 people have already visited the site since it opened at Easter to see, the only known nesting pair in Wales.

The RSPB Cymru viewing centre is open to the public every day from 1000 to 1800 BST until the end of August.