For the first time, there are two pairs of ospreys breeding at a South Lakes nature reserve.
Osprey chicks have hatched at two nests at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve near Witherslack.
The long-standing breeding pair, White YW and Blue 35, returned to the nest in March and laid three eggs, which hatched in May.
Soon after, a second pair of ospreys, Blue 476 and Blue 717, set up home at another nest on the nature reserve and laid three eggs.
Three chicks hatched this week, but one was lost.
Osprey volunteers think there was a chance one was accidentally carried off the nest by the male, Blue 476.
The camera showed he had a clump of nesting material caught in his talons. However, the two remaining chicks are looking strong and seem to be doing well.
Paul Waterhouse, reserves officer for Cumbria Wildlife Trust, said: “It’s great news to have not just one but two families of osprey chicks at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve! Blue 35 and White YW, our ‘regulars’, are quite mature now, so it’s good to have another younger pair starting to breed here – let’s hope they return in the future.”
Paul said that the second nest was quite close to the boardwalk and is vulnerable to disturbance, so asks visitors to be aware of this when they visit.
Cumbria Wildlife Trust has built a hide nearby to view the new nest from and asks everyone to use this hide respectfully, taking other visitors’ experiences into account.
The car park at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve is quite small and gets full quickly.
People are asked to visit using public transport if they can.
More information is available at https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/foulshaw-moss. There are also bike racks available.
If people arrive in a car and find that the car park is full, they are asked to return at a later time or date.
The access road to the nature reserve is narrow and does not have passing places, so please drive carefully and expect that you may need to reverse to help others pass.
Blue 35 and White YW first came to Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve after it was transformed by a large-scale habitat restoration programme. Over a decade or so, the 900-acre site, which had been drained and used for commercial forestry, was returned to the healthy wetland you see now, which is teeming with wildlife.
Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve is off the A590 near Witherslack and is open daily. It is free.
To view the ospreys close up, watch the 24-hour live streaming osprey cam at https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/osprey-cam.
