just trying out new folder looks like you had another brill day lets hope it lasts into the weekend

Having viewed the Ospreys last year, from both sides of the Lake, I was keen to see the webcam this year. I do hope it will improve because it seems very poor? I realise that it was necessary to set everything up again for Dodd side of Lake, but hope there are plans to improve picture?

Unfortunately we are not able to position the camera any closer as there is a significant risk that if we did we would disturb the birds. Given the location of the new nest and our desire to ensure the ospreys successfully hatch their eggs there are no better locations for a camera than we currently have. We would like to have the same camera positions as on the original (previous years) nest but these are erected before the birds arrive, the nest camera is attached to the very edge of the nest so it is only 2m away from the eggs at the most. Since we did not expect the birds to use the Dodd nest we had no cameras postioned on the nest before they switched nests.

I hope this explains are situation and hope you will continue to enjoy the birds. We will try and bring new pictures of the nest as the opportunities arise.

I will keep my eyes peeled this weekend for new strangers in our midst and hope they dont feel bashful

So where are the offspring from No-Ring and his previous missus?
How old are Ospreys when they are likely to find a partner and mate?

Unfortunately only one offspring has been sighted since leaving Cumbria. Why none of the others have returned to Cumbria is unknown, perhaps they have an simply not been identified.

Ospreys generally spend 3 years in Africa before returning to the UK to breed. So to answre your question they will usually be around 3 to 4 years old when they first find a partner.

I have finally noticed under the ' Bio' drop-down, the item 'Osprey info' !!!
Its brilliant - what amazing details are recorded there.
Everything you ever wanted to know. A must read piece.....

How can people complain about the picture, when nature i.e the birds decide to move house. It was the birds that moved not the camera, so lets not complain anymore about it and wait patiently for the time when the team can do something more about it. I enjoy the blog and I suppose so does a lot of other people. Thank you to the Team for all your efforts.

I agree with sandra,on tues 27th May we were priviliged enough to go to winlatter and dodd to see our exstended family pets as my young son tells me, this is our fourth year in the following of these fantastic birds, oh and fantastic enthusiastic staff too who keep us informed of every move, keep up the great work from you all.

Thanks for the great diary updates really paint the picture for us all enjoyed a bit of local viewing last weekend even good weather.Also following Springwatch Ospreys so can have extra fix

Don't be cruel - you have to be suggesting the first has hatched.
A day earlier than predicted - I'm impressed with your accuracy.

How exciting - lets hope its proven shortly.

An Osprey appears on the webcam still frame today, Tuesday..... high to right of nest.

Look at image timed 10.00 / 10.10 / 13.00.

BRILLIANT.

For those that missed them. The Osprey has adopted the same perch today, Thursday. see 11.40, 11.50 or 12.10.

Thank you for the description of the Opreys comings and goings it is fantastic. I watch the Webcams for Loch of the Lowes and also Loch Garten Ospreys and you are describing the scenes in the nest at Bassenthwaithe exactly as it is happening up in Scotland. Keep up the good work to all the team. From Sandra in ~Darlington.

could the 2 birds in the area be our previos years youngsters?,could the behaviour of the one landing on the new nest show a degree of familiarity with no ring and the territory? young chicks in collonies do nest hop to be fed are we seeing behaviour linked to collonial ties? exciting!!

What a wicked thought to leave us pondering saw lots of other wildlife at the weekend but not our Ospreys its great reading the diary cheers

What terrific webcam pictures of an Osprey for most of the day, today ! I assume the camera has been adjusted slightly to show more of the tree, and to focus more clearly? It bodes well for when the youngsters start moving around at the top of the nest. Thanks for the effort I believe has been made for our benefit. Only 1 week more and we will be onsite after our 300 mile trip to see them at close quarters.

sadly some people always seem to have their gless half empty ! amazing that our birds manage to go backwards and forwards to Gambia without signs.
if only everyone was aware of how much hard work all involved with the project did, paid and unpaid , they would be amazed.
it is so easy to critisise........but even easier to praise.
keep up all the hard work it is appreciated by many

I now look at the still pictures and every day you can find some of them have one or the other of the parent birds sitting on the top of a tree to the right of the picture.

Sandra

Just in case you didn't realise - the webcam stills many of us look forward to, has stopped today ( Wednesday).
I hope the weather has not put the techie equipment out of action.

I think that children going to these places to see the wildlife and birds is fantastic. We go to Scotland regular and it is great if a child asks what a bird or even an animal is doing and why. I don't know a great deal but I try to help. So I can understand when a child writes in a visitor book you must feel great about it.

Sandra

I was wondering how you will know when to go and tag these beutiful birds? as you do not know exactlyhow old they are.

I unfortunately didn't get to the centre at the weekend, my first trip to Bassenthwait.

My friend and I had a nice (wet) walk to Force Crag mine. We sheltered to take our flask of tea and I couldn't believe my luck when first one, then another Osprey came and perched near us (within 20 feet). It was very unexpected and very uplifting.

I can't wait to get up to the lakes again to visit the centre and see if I can't see my little friends again. Was just chuffed to have had my camera handy. It made my whole weekend.

What do mother ospreys teach their young to say............?

thank you for the world so sweet,
thank you for the fish we eat,
thank you for the birds that sing,
thank you God for everything.

Well done them Ospreys and well done for guessing the right time to ring them. How nice to have three healthy chicks. Are you going to put any stills on the website of you ringing them.

The Press release mentions photos of the chicks but I cant find them on the site anywhere !

Images now available at http://www.ospreywatch.co.uk/images.htm , sorry for the delay.

What wonderful news, and what stunning images.
Having visited in the past, and again this year, we have watched this story unfold day by day.

Congratulations to everyone, Staff and Volunteers, licensed Tree Climbers, Ringers and Photographers!!

The osprey family will bring pleasure to thousands; I sent the relevant urls to our small Hotel at the north end of Bassenthwaite.
It's a hot topic of conversation, and seeing the ospreys is a goal for many visitors.

Greetings too, from the Northern Kites, where we are busy ringing and tagging our new chicks.

What great pictures of the babies. They look really healthy lets hope they have a very healthy life.

Would love to know why one chick has a yellow ring with a number and letter, and the other two have white rings with two letters.

Well spotted Ali. The rings that are used are quite brittle sometimes. The intention was to have used all white rings this year but when one of the rings was opened up ready to fit to the birds leg it snapped. As the chicks were already on the ground there was no time to waste so a solution had to be improvised. As it happened a spare ring was in the ringers box from a few years ago and this was used instead.

Thanks for that - I knew there must be a good reason!

The Osprey Bus

During our last visit, in early June, we used this service, and were able to take advantage of our Senior Citizen's cards.
We went round the Lake, not once, but twice, as the driver had to return to Keswick on both journeys. It's a very worthwhile service, offering freedom of stops all round the lake.
A more comfortable ride, however, would encourage us to use the bus in the future.

Just read the exciting news!! Two chicks successfully fledged, with the third about to launch himself skyward any time now!
We are coming from Ponteland tomorrow, and hope to visit both Dodd Wood and of course the Whinlatter Centre.
Congratulations to everyone concerned.

Collective noun for group of Ospreys - why a 'sprey'........of course!!

I can't claim the credit for this one - Alan F. Poole in his 'A Natural and Unnatural History of Ospreys' refers to, quote: eight or ten females sometimes beg at once, an orchestra of hungry Ospreys.

Lynda Berry - Osprey Volunteer at Rutland Water

I have not been to Bassenthwaite this year yet but I am hoping to get over in August sometime. I would just like to say thanks for the really good updates on the chicks so well done to the team.

I have just got home from Bassenthwaite and because I have two dogs we do not go to the veiw points because we do not like to disturb the other watchers. We go to the other side of the lake but we see quite a lot. Have we seen two Osprey depart from Bassenthwaite on route for Africa? ~The reason I ask is they seemed to circle Higher and higher and then when they were really high in the sky the seemed to disappear. This was at about 4p.m whereas earlier in the day we saw one fishing and then standing on a perch to eat. Can some-one help with this query.

As our chicks grow more confident they are exploring higher, our female bird regularly goes up to test the breezes, other ospreys starting their migration from Scotland are likely to be spotted far above, particularly if there is a tail wind. All 5 of our birds have been seen regularly this week though. We do welcome well-behaved dogs at the view-points, although preferably on a lead because of the red-squirrels.

Thank you for the reply to my query.My dogs are well behaved buit at the same time they like to splogg in the water and then they sometimes have a swin.