Rare Osprey Chicks Hatch at Cumbria Nesting Site After Decades

In a significant conservation achievement, Britain's rarest birds of prey have successfully reared three chicks at a previously unused nesting site near Bassenthwaite Lake in Cumbria. The osprey chicks hatched on a nesting pole and are the first to be born at this location since monitoring began 12 years ago.

Ospreys were driven to extinction in England and Scotland in the 20th century, but their numbers have slowly recovered due to ongoing conservation efforts. Forestry England reports that osprey populations are still relatively low, but the use of this new nesting pole indicates the species is "expanding its range across the north of the country."

The newly hatched chicks were raised by a pair of first-time breeders, a male from Kielder Forest and a female from Scotland. The birds have now begun their first migration to West Africa for the winter, while two of the three chicks have been fitted with identification rings to track their progress. It is hoped the ospreys will return to the Bassenthwaite site in two to three years to breed again, further solidifying the species' comeback in the region.