Staff and volunteers from the Rutland Osprey Project, a partnership between Anglian Water and the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, are celebrating after osprey chicks hatched at two nests close to Rutland Water.
After returning to Rutland from their West African wintering grounds at the end of March, both pairs began incubating in late April. A team of more than 150 volunteers held a round-the-clock vigil at the nests, amounting to some 3000 hours of watching, to ensure the eggs were safe.
Project Officer, Tim Mackrill, said: “Unfortunately osprey nests are still targeted by egg collectors and we felt it was important to guard the nests while the birds were sitting on eggs. We’re absolutely thrilled that the dedication of our large team of volunteers has been rewarded.
“Initially the chicks were too small to be seen over the edge of the nest, but in recent days we have been able to confirm that there are three chicks in one nest and two in the other. Ospreys generally raise one to three chicks each year so it’s great to have five chicks in the two nests”.
Volunteer Mick Ward spent 14 nights helping to monitor the birds. He said: “It’s a real privilege to be involved with such an exciting project and extremely rewarding to feel that you have made a contribution to the protection of these fantastic birds. I certainly don’t mind sacrificing a few nights’ sleep to do it”.
The chicks will grow incredibly quickly and the project team expects them to make their first flights in late July.
The two nests are situated on private land, but visitors have been flocking in their thousands to the nature reserve at Rutland Water where two young male ospreys have recently established territories. More than 13,000 people have visited the Lyndon Visitor Centre since late March, where one of the males can be seen.
Tim Mackrill said: “People have been travelling from all over the country to see the birds and although we haven’t got a pair breeding actually at the reserve, the two lone males have certainly become stars in their own right!
“The two males are currently vying for the attention of a female who arrived at the end of last week. She is probably a youngster who has stopped off as she flies north to Scotland. We’re hoping that if she remains for the summer, she will return to breed next spring.”
For all the latest news from the project please visit
www.ospreys.org.uk.