| Osprey 2004 | |
| | | | SEE ALSO | | BBC News Online stories from 2004: Lakes osprey gets 'health check' Lake's ospreys hatch first chick Attack fear at osprey nest site
Birds reunited after winter apart Delight as osprey returns to nest Windfall for osprey project | | | WEB LINKS | | OspreyWatch
All the latest news from the Lake District Osprey Watch team. The Forestry Commission
Government agency responsible for the protection and expansion of Britain's forests and woodlands LDNPA
The Lake District NationalPark Authority's website. The RSPB
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. English Nature
Government agency for the conservation of nature and wildlife in England.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites. | | | FACTS | | Ospreys were once thought to have a mystical power that drew fishes to the surface of the water where they could be caught. King James I kept ospreys on the Thames, along with cormorants and otters. All were used to catch fish. Ospreys have been measured flying at speeds of 44km/h. The female osprey does most of the incubation with the male giving her breaks in the morning and evening of roughly half an hour. Statistics from 2001
Over the 98 days of the watch, observers saw the birds bring back 128 fish. Before the chick flew (42 days) 73 fish were caught i.e. 1.73 fish per day average. After the chick flew until end of watch (25 days) 55 fish were caught i.e. 2.2 fish per day average. An increase of 27%. | | | PRINT THIS PAGE | | | View a printable version of this page. | |  |
| | This is an old page from 2004 - catch up with the latest action on the osprey nest from 2007 »
Thousands of bird-watchers have added Whinlatter to the places to visit, as the ospreys set up home just outside of Keswick.The birds first reared a chick in 2001 and since then twitchers from all over the world have been following the progress via the BBC Webcam or by using the high-powered telescopes overlooking the nest. The birds are encouraged to stay with the help of a purpose-built nest provided by the Forestry Commission, the Lake District National Park Authority and the RSPB, the partners in the Lake District Osprey Project. Ospreys usually lay up to three eggs, so there were celebrations all round that two birds have hatched last year - the previous year just one egg was laid. The young stay in the nest for six or seven weeks.
In late summer, the adult female will migrate south, leaving the male to teach the youngsters the art of fishing. | | | |
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