Lakeland Ospreys: update 2002

Following the first known successful breeding of Ospreys in Lakeland in 2001 the partnership of Lake District National Park Authority, Forestry Commission and RSPB, working together under the umbrella banner of the Lake District Osprey Project, had to work throughout the winter on the uncertain assumption that the birds would return once again to the Bassenthwaite nest site and repeat their previous success.

Following a successful first nesting attempt, one might have expected the pair - if they had survived the rigours of migration - to arrive back earlier the next year. The male did not disappoint, and arrived more or less on cue on 3rd April, following various false alarms when migrating birds passed through the area in late March. Not ringed, but immediately familiar with the nest, and usual perching places for feeding, we were certain that it was ‘our’ male. He sat on the nest for long periods and displayed above the site and defended the air space vigorously against Ravens and Buzzards. Hopes were once again raised on 11th April when a pair flew through the valley and the male even alighted briefly on the nest. The resident male was soon back in control and sat on the nest for four hours before feeding on the lake shore and being visibly ‘spooked’ by a low flying jet, a constant issue for the birds in the area. He was becoming a forlorn figure waiting for his mate: even Willow Warblers and Common Sandpipers were arriving in the valley, and local Tawny Owls had three-week-old chicks.

At about 2pm on 18th April an Osprey was seen fishing in Borrowdale and by 3pm, following a flight over my head, the female was back on the nest and mating commenced immediately. She moved sticks about on the nest for five minutes whilst he caught a fish and brought it to the nest. Old habits die hard, however, and he ‘mantled’ it at first, but eventually left the fish for his mate.

Many migrants were held up in central/southern Europe this year by low pressure in early April and it is just possible that she got caught up in this block to migration: better late than never was the relieved feeling!

Many mating attempts and nest defences later, the first egg was laid on 10th May at about 2pm.

The ins and outs of Osprey life were well followed from the Dodd Wood viewpoint, before being augmented by CCTV pictures which were beamed to Whinlatter Centre, courtesy of a substantial donation from English Nature. By the time the birds had left in September, the two sites had attracted an incredible 107,000 visitors, not to mention the thousands of ‘hits’ on the website. I will be the first to confess that I personally had not envisaged the vast public interest in these spectacular birds when efforts were made to attract Ospreys to stay and breed at Bassenthwaite in the late 1990s. The project team genuinely hope that the many visitors to the Ospreys will become imbued with a greater interest in the welfare of birds and wildlife in our country, and a greater interest and profile can only help many of our present countryside problems.

Hatching probably occurred on 17th June, an incubation period of 38 days (recorded average 37 days) and two chicks were definitely seen on the nest on the 19th.

Growing up was well documented from both sites, but for the purposes of this article the nest milestone was the ringing of the young on 24th July at 5 weeks old. For the record, the young pair was a male and a female, but a broken egg was found on the nest, possibly trampled during one of the frantic nest defences earlier in the summer, so evidently a full clutch had been laid. Vital statistics were weights of 1325g, wing 275mm for the female, and 1225g and 243mm respectively for the male. Both were BTO ringed and colour-ringed. The 2002 colour, for future reference, was right leg Black 8N (female) and Black 8S (male). After our visit to the nest the adults were back in attendance quickly.

A very poor summer, weather-wise, did not seem to hamper the growth of the birds, unlike at Rutland where bad weather caused the death of the one chick born, within the first few days. This male is an excellent fisherman and the lake has an ample supply of fish, and bad weather has not noticeably caused provisioning problems. All dates were approximately a week later this year, with the female fledgling leaving the nest on the morning of 17th August followed by a (reluctant) male on the afternoon of the 19th. The male was noticeably a better flier than the female on fledging.

The young continued to be provisioned at times by the male, with fish brought to the nest, after the departure of the female on 24th August. The male juvenile may have caught a fish on 28th August, following an observed thirty attempts at fishing but they continue to try. Time is tight for learning, and by the time you read this the birds will be into migration, with the very harsh statistic of only a 40% survival chance over their first winter. If they do survive, we may expect to see the male Black 8S back in Cumbria in a few years time. Until then planning for next year has already started; wish someone would suggest a trip to the Gambia to check out the other end!

Peter Barron