There we were in the middle of the day looking out across Bassenthwaite Lake wondering what to put on today’s blog when a brilliant idea fell out of the sky. In fact it was in the form of a big white bird – no not that one, the Ospreys are fine – this one had a human attached to it. It’s called a Hang Glider. The visitors, staff and volunteers were agog with what was going on below the lower viewpoint on the marsh, close to the scrape. What do you do if you land in the wrong place in the middle of a National Nature Reserve? Well he did the right thing; you stand still, next to your glider and assess the situation. Then you get on to your mobile phone – right. Then you apparently take your boots off. Then you pack your kit in a very nice purple bag and then wait. Curious that, what was he waiting for? Bus, air/sea rescue?  Then you wait again. Meanwhile a large Buzzard passes overhead, not much meat on a hang-glider, a Heron passes nearby, then the male Osprey. In fact the hang glider pilot had the best ever view of a male Osprey fishing on the lake right in front of the lower viewpoint. The Osprey went into the water four times just like on Spring Watch (Richard Nankivell from Radio Cumbria eat your heart out!) and on the final dive came up with a fish, which he took back to the nest passing a stricken hang glider on the way. Did the pilot see all this?????

The hang glider pilot prepares for warmer work. He takes his shirt off. Female volunteers, staff and visitors cheer – you know there’s a lot of things around here that we just don’t understand! As the Osprey makes his way to the nest, the hang glider pilot heads for the road carrying his former aerial glory on his back – there’s a moral there somewhere.

Just one serious request to those who use this land for any kind of leisure pursuit, please remember that at the southern end of Bassenthwaite Lake there are  an awful  lot of newly hatched baby birds just leaving their nests. You can choose your ground they cannot. Hang glider pilot thanks for the story.