 The egg hatched in the early hours of Saturday |
Birdwatchers are celebrating the new arrival of one of the UK's rarest birds of prey. The osprey egg, one of three in the nest at Bassenthwaite Lake in Cumbria, hatched early on Saturday.
Thousands of people worldwide have monitored the ospreys' progress since 2003 when a webcam was installed near the nest.
The successful re-introduction of the birds into Cumbria has been managed by the Lake District Osprey Project.
About 25,000 visits have already been made to the special osprey viewpoints which have been installed near the site.
Project member Nathan Fox said: "It has been an exciting and nail-biting season so far and we are absolutely delighted that at least one of the osprey eggs has successfully hatched.
"The many fans of the Lake District's famous ospreys will be thrilled to hear the news. We are hopeful that more eggs will hatch in the next few days.
"It is a major undertaking to run the project each year and we rely on a huge team of volunteers to help make it a success.
"The news that an egg has successfully hatched is a testament to all their enthusiasm, dedication and sheer hard work."
More than 70 dedicated volunteers have clocked up almost 2,000 hours of keeping watch over the birds.
The project is a partnership between the Forestry Commission and the RSPB, with the support of the Lake District National Park Authority.
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The news that an egg has successfully hatched is a testament to our volunteers' enthusiasm, dedication and sheer hard work
