Loyal - the Cumbria ospreys have returned for a remarkable seventh year (photo: Cumbria Wildlife Trust) |
They are the same birds which successfully raised and fledged two chicks last year
The female returned on March 26, and her mate returned a day later.
The return has prompted this upbeat statement from Paul Waterhouse, reserves officer for Cumbria Wildlife Trust which manages the reserve.
He said: “We’re delighted to see them back.
"They are an incredibly successful breeding pair, raising 16 chicks so far since 2014.
"Fingers crossed that this year, their seventh at Foulshaw Moss, will be equally productive.
"Following the courtship behaviour we’ve seen already since their return, we can look forward to seeing eggs in the nest in April.”
The birds can be watched close-up on a live osprey webcam.
Continues Paul: "This presents an opportunity to study their behaviour all through the breeding season.
"A highlight will be when we see how many eggs there are and start wondering when they’ll hatch.
"We encourage everyone to follow all these milestone moments with us on our webcam.
"It is a great way for us all to keep connected to wildlife and see nature at very close quarters even if we are confined indoors.”
Under current coronavirus restrictions, the car park at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve is currently closed.
However, at least for the time being, the trust says visitors can only access the nature reserve by foot as part of their once-a-day exercise so as long as they adhere to social distancing rules.
The osprey webcam is at:
www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife/cams/osprey-cam
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