A high definition camera is providing the best-ever views of a newly-hatched Osprey chick at Rutland Water.
The tiny chick hatched in a nest in Manton Bay at Rutland Water Nature Reserve this morning. Since then, staff and volunteers from the project, a partnership between Anglian Water and the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, have been able to enjoy remarkable, close-up views of the new arrival.
Tim Mackrill from the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust said, “Although we have had a camera on the nest before, the new high-definition images are stunning and have given us an incredible insight into the first few hours of the young Osprey’s life. It was especially exciting to see it being fed by its mother for the first time.”
The live images are being shown on a big screen at the Lyndon Visitor Centre and streamed live onto the project’s website, www.ospreys.org.uk.
Centre Manager, Paul Stammers said, “People have been logging on to the website from all over the world this morning and have been just as delighted as us to see the chick. We’ve received lots of tweets and Facebook messages congratulating us on the hatching!”
A second egg is expected to hatch in the next few days.
Chicks have also hatched in two nests on private land in recent days, including the nest of 09(98). The fourteen-year-old Osprey made headlines in March when the team at Rutland Water satellite-tracked him as he migrated back to his nest from his wintering grounds in West Africa. Tim Mackrill said, “Having followed 09’s amazing 3000 mile journey from Senegal to Rutland, it is doubly exciting to see a chick in his nest – especially as this is the first time that he is rearing young.09’s satellite tracking is giving us lots of valuable information on his fishing habits and it will be really interesting to see how these change now his has hungry chicks to feed.”
A team of over 160 volunteers have helped to monitor the nests during the five-and-a-half week incubation period. Helen Hall who regularly made an 85 mile round-trip from Warwickshire for a weekly Sunday night-shift said, “Seeing chicks hatching in the nests makes all the hard work worthwhile. I don’t mind giving up the comfort of my bed if I know it is for such a good cause!”
The young Ospreys will remain in the nests for about two months before making their first flights in mid-July. The Lyndon Visitor Centre is open daily from 9am-5pm. For all the latest news and live webcam log on to www.ospreys.org.uk