RSPB announces historic osprey hatching
"Osprey parents are surprisingly tender despite their large size and sharp talons." - Mhairi Maclauchlan.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has welcomed three baby ospreys at RSPB Campfield Marsh – the first ospreys to hatch at an RSPB reserve since the Victorian era.
The three chicks successfully hatched in June, and have since been ringed to monitor their movements.
Ospreys are amber-listed in the UK, having been persecuted to extinction in the early 1900s. Despite low breeding numbers, the population is now steadily increasing in locations such as Scotland.
They have continued to recolonise across the UK, with an estimated 316 breeding pairs.
The pair at RSPB Campfield Marsh in Cumbria are believed to be first-time parents. The male (Blue 571) was ringed in Dumfries in 2021, while the un-ringed female is of unknown age or origin.
The birds paired up shortly after arriving at the nature reserve in April, before settling onto RSPB’s dedicated osprey platform. The eggs were laid between 30 April and 6 May, and hatched between 7 and 14 June.
A local primary school helped name the chicks once they had hatched: Ash (unknown sex), Bowness Bobbi (female) and Beau (male).
The newborn birds were fitted with rings in July, allowing sightings of the birds to be recorded after they have fledged. They are expected to fledge in August, although the trio will likely remain in the local area while they learn to fish and fend for themselves.
They will start making their way to Africa from September, with the migration taking approximately four to six weeks.
Mhairi Maclauchlan, site manager at RSPB Campfield Marsh, said: “We are incredibly excited to be the first RSPB reserve in England to host a pair of breeding Ospreys. After last year’s shenanigans we had high hopes that one of the birds we’d seen hanging around last year would drop back in and pick up a mate. We were on tenterhooks after the eggs were laid and throughout the incubation period until they hatched. There was huge collective sigh of relief when they did.”
She added: “Osprey parents are surprisingly tender despite their large size and sharp talons. They can also offer good comedic value with nest tidying exploits and antics. Ospreys are frequently site and partner faithful, so we’re hoping to see more of them and their offspring in the future.
“It will be exciting to know when and where the chicks are next seen and find out where they choose to breed in a few years’ time.”
Image © Jeff Teasdale
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