[T]he three chicks of the popular Bassenthwaite osprey pair have taken their first flights from the nest and visitors are being encouraged to watch them in action.
All three chicks have a unique leg ring number, making them easy to identify on the nest camera. A bird’s first flight from the nest is known as ‘fledging’ and both male chicks got a head start with the first male, ring number U8, fledging on Tuesday 11 July and the second male, U6, fledging on Friday 14 July. The female chick, U7 was the last to fledge on Saturday 15 July.
Cath Johnson, of the Lake District Osprey Project said: “Now is the perfect time for visitors to come and see the ospreys taking to the air. They are learning to use their powerful wings and will be making lots of short flights around the area to build up their strength, ready to make their incredible migration in just a few weeks time.”
At the end of the summer, it is expected the youngsters will migrate to Africa, where ospreys spend the winter months.
To watch the ospreys, visitors can join a dedicated team of staff and volunteers at the viewpoint at Dodd Wood every day from 10 am- 5 pm until the end of August, and at Whinlatter Visitor Centre every day from 10 am -5 pm, where visitors can watch live nest cam images on flat screen televisions.
This is the 17th year of successful hatching for the Bassenthwaite ospreys, with more than 30 chicks raised since the project began. It is also the fifth year of raising chicks for ringed female KL and the unringed male, believed to be the same male which has returned to Bassenthwaite with KL for the fifth year running.
Osprey fans around the world can keep an eye on the action from the nest by following the webcam on the LDOP homepage ospreywatch.co.uk and get the latest news at facebook.com/ospreywatch, or by following on Twitter @lakelandosprey.
To help support the project, which has attracted more than 1.5 million visitors since it started, people can also donate at justgiving.com/lakesospreys
The Lake District Osprey Project is a partnership between The Forestry Commission, the RSPB and the Lake District National Park.
