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 Two osprey chicks hatched in the Lake District have flown south and are now in Portugal and Spain.
For the first time we are able to follow the progress of these magnificent birds of prey thanks to satellite tracking technology that has been fitted to the two chicks.
The first bird – which is ringed as number 11 – left the family nest, overlooking Bassenthwaite Lake, near Keswick, on August 24.
He has undertaken a remarkable journey since leaving his Cumbrian home. He first headed to the Midlands – flying 130 miles in one day. From there he began flying south west to Cornwall. Then he made a daring flight away from land, crossing the Bay of Biscay, to arrive in northern Spain. His most recent location was recorded as being just south of the city of Porto in Portugal.
His brother – ringed as bird number 12 – left the nest a few days later, on August 27. He headed to Dorset before crossing the English Channel and then following a more inland route through France. He was located near La Rochelle, on France’s west coast but has since crossed the Pyrenees to northern Spain.
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Wildlife rangers believe they are heading for the west coast of Africa, but exactly where they will end up is anyone’s guess.
Nathan Fox, of the Forestry Commission’s Whinlatter Forest, said: “This is the first time we have tracked birds from the Lake District. We have never known where they have gone and which route they have taken. However, the vast majority of ospreys migrate to west Africa where there are enormous estuaries.
“I think it is a tremendous achievement for birds that have never left the nest before. It just shows how powerful the instinct to migrate is. Hopefully we will see these birds return in a few years and raise their own young here in the Lake District.”
Ospreys, which can live up to 25 years, tend to stay in Africa for three years to mature and hone their fish hunting skills. Thenwhen they reach adulthood they are ready to return north to mate and raise their own young.
The Bassenthwaite birds have been kitted out with GPS technology which is accurate to a distance of 18 metres. The solar-powered transmitters , which should last three years, are fitted to the chicks with a harness like a mini rucksack. The funding for the trackers came from the Bassenthwaite Reflections project.
The osprey chicks are the tenth successive brood to have been reared at Bassenthwaite. A pair of ospreys first nested in the Lake District in 2001, the first ospreys to do so in at least 150 years, and raised a single chick. Since then there has been a successful nest there every year with a total of 21 chicks fledging.
The birds can be followed by clicking on the ‘daily diary entry’ section of the www.ospreywatch.co.uk website.
The viewpoints at Whinlatter Forest and Dodd Wood are now closed for the winter but should reopen in April next year.
The Lake District Osprey Project is a partnership between the Forestry Commission, the RSPB and the Lake District National Park Authority.
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