Delight as Kielder ospreys produce three eggs
May 12 2010 The Journal
A PAIR of ospreys which made history by being the first to colonise a remote corner of England for the first time in more than 200 years have produced three eggs, conservationists in Northumberland have said.
The birds of prey – some of England’s rarest – were encouraged a year ago to settle on a specially-built platform at the 155,000-acre Kielder Water and Forest Park in Northumberland.
They reared three chicks last summer, and could do the same again if the eggs hatch successfully, to the delight of the Forestry Commission and the RSPB.
Accounts from the 18th century refer to “fish-eating hawks” in Northumberland, which were probably ospreys, but there have been no records of the bird breeding in the county for well over 200 years.
The Kielder pair were thought to originate from the expanding Scottish population.
Ospreys were once widespread, but persecution resulted in the species becoming extinct in England as a breeding bird in 1840 and in Scotland in 1916. Some birds re-colonised Scotland in the 1950s and now there are about 200 pairs.
The three eggs were laid over six days, and since then the mother has been seen turning over the eggs and ensuring they are kept warm. Meanwhile, the expectant father is feeding her, bringing back fresh trout plucked from Northumbrian Water’s Kielder Water, which is the country’s largest man-made lake.
Amanda Miller, RSPB conservation manager for the North East, Yorkshire and Humber, said: “Having another clutch of three eggs is fabulous news and we have our fingers crossed that they produce healthy chicks.
“Every young osprey reared in Kielder strengthens the prospects for the return of this once extinct bird to former haunts. This nest is only the second in England where ospreys have re-colonised naturally, so it really is critical for the future.”
A viewing area for visitors will be staffed with experts at weekends from the end of the month.
Duncan Hutt, from the Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said: “Last year we had nature lovers coming to Kielder from as far afield as Hong Kong. We’ll use powerful telescopes to pick out the distant nest and explain about osprey family life.”
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