Ospreys breed in Northumberland for first time in over two centuries

11/06/2009 17:27:06 The ospreys have landed!
June 2009. The Kielder Partnership has revealed that for the first time in at least 200 years ospreys are nesting and are believed to have hatched chicks in Northumberland.

A long-term project to encourage the iconic species to return to the region has struck gold with a pair of birds nesting on a platform specially erected for the purpose in the 62,000-hectare Kielder Water & Forest Park. The development is being hailed as a major breakthrough by conservationists.

Europe's largest man-made lake
Kielder Water & Forest Park boasts England's largest woodland on the Forestry Commission estate and Europe's biggest man-made lake, managed by Northumbrian Water, making it ideal territory for ospreys, which feed on fish and build their nests, or eyries, high in the tree tops. And now the mix of forest and water, together the erection of four wooden artificial nesting platforms by tree climbing wildlife rangers from the Forestry Commission, has lured the ospreys to join the forest park's vibrant wildlife.

Elisabeth Rowark, Director of the Kielder Partnership, said: "It's hard to overstate the significance of this development. Seeing ospreys nesting in Kielder Water & Forest Park is absolutely thrilling. Now its fingers' crossed that the nest is a success and a brood of healthy chicks take to the wing next month."

The ospreys are being constantly monitored by ornithologists and wildlife rangers.

Behavioural change signals chicks have hatched
Experts believe that a change in the behaviour of the adult birds in recent days signals that eggs have hatched. The female was spending long periods on the nest, presumably incubating eggs, but now she is much more active. Frequent swoops are also being made by the male over Kielder Water to hunt for plentiful brown and rainbow trout before taking food to the nest to feed both mother and offspring.

If the ospreys do successfully rear chicks, they will almost certainly return next year, potentially helping to establish a population in Kielder Water & Forest Park. Tom Dearnley, Forestry Commission Ecologist, said: "Kielder Water & Forest Park has been on the flight path of migrating ospreys for some time. But in recent years birds have been seen more frequently, prompting us to erect the nesting platforms. Our chief goal now is to help the birds rear their family as they are probably first time parents. Many factors are outside our control, such as the weather, and the ospreys' parenting skills. But it is crucial we do all in our power to prevent disturbance and monitor their progress, especially during this critical early period. It will be a tremendous feeling if the young ospreys make it - the first born in Northumberland for centuries."

2,400 acre lake
Northumbrian Water's Leisure Manager, Kevin Hudson, added: "Breeding ospreys have been the missing piece in the natural history jigsaw of northern Europe's largest man-made lake. The wide expanse of Kielder Water's 2,400 acres and 200,000 million litres is ideal territory for the ospreys which are the expert fishers of the bird world. There is a natural population of native brown trout in the reservoir and our additional regular stockings of rainbow trout throughout the fishing season, which coincides with the ospreys breeding season, has persuaded the birds to stay. I'm sure our anglers are delighted to share the plentiful supply of trout with these majestic fish hawks."

Public viewing
The osprey is one of the stars of the animal kingdom, so public interest in the birds will be high. Therefore the Kielder Partnership in association with Northumberland Wildlife Trust and the RSPB has set up a viewing point at the Mounces Forestry Commission car park, off the C200 just west of Leaplish Waterside Park, open daily from Friday 12 June. However, to protect the ospreys, the vantage point has been established two miles distance from the nest - binoculars will be needed to pin-point the general area. But please note, close up views will not be possible.

At weekends and other times volunteers will be on hand to explain more about this magnificent bird. They will also bring along powerful telescopes, provided by Northumbrian Water, to provide better views of the nesting site. For further information please go to http://www.visitkielder.com/ or check times with the RSPB on 0191 2568200.

To avoid congestion at weekends, people are asked to park at Leaplish Waterside Park and take the guided Osprey shuttle bus to and from the viewing point. Public viewing arrangements have been part
funded by Northumberland National Park.

Kielder Water & Forest Park was recently voted the most tranquil place in England by the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

Ospreys in Northumberland Historically, ospreys probably lived in Northumberland, hunting on the once extensive network of marshes. Accounts written in the 1700s refer to the presence of `fish eating hawks' locally. However, there are no records of the bird breeding in the county for well over two centuries. The Kielder Water & Forest Park ospreys are thought to originate from the expanding Scottish population. Ospreys were once distributed widely, 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 by 2001 there were nearly 160 breeding pairs (today about 200). The same year saw the first successful osprey nests in England for 160 years by re-colonising birds in the Lake District and re-introduced ones at Rutland Water in the East Midlands.

Osprey Fact File: Ospreys are migratory and arrive in late March and April and leave again for Africa in August and September. The bird of prey is an Amber List species because of its historical decline (due to illegal killing and egg theft) and low breeding numbers.  Ospreys normally breed for the first time when they are aged between 3 and 5 years old. They are largely monogamous and strongly faithful both to nest and mate. The nest is generally built on the top of a large tree, usually a conifer. Females lay two or three eggs at 1-3 day intervals which are incubated for 37 days per egg. Like most other birds of prey, ospreys divide the nesting duties between the pair. The female does most of the incubating, brooding and direct feeding of the young. She guards them throughout the nesting period and will share the hunting at later stages when the chicks are larger. The male is the major provider of fish for the female and chicks. Chicks fledge about seven weeks after hatching.