It is hoped all three eggs will successfully hatch

The arrival of the osprey pair in the Lake District in 2001 marked the natural re-colonisation of England by the species after 150 years.

A 24-hour surveillance operation has been carried out by 70 Lake District Osprey Project volunteers since 2003.

The team operates from a secret location near Bassenthwaite Lake.

On 11 May, the team were delighted when a third egg was spotted in the ospreys' nest.

Public viewpoint

The eggs are due to hatch later in May, by which time the team will have spent more than 2,000 hours observing the nest in 2005.

Volunteer Patti Thoumine said: "I just love being a volunteer on the Osprey Project. When you are there at four in the morning and you are the only people that can see these beautiful birds you feel really privileged."

In December, the Lake District Osprey Project volunteers won the Tourism Team of the Year in the Cumbria Tourism Skills Awards.

A public viewpoint is now open at the Forestry Commission's Dodd Wood near Keswick where staff have set up telescopes for visitors to watch the action.