Kielder ospreys: Record number of birds fledge

Record numbers of ospreys have fledged in a Northumberland forest after a similarly record-breaking number of adult birds returned to breed.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust said 18 osprey eggs had been laid on monitored nests at Kielder Water and Forest Park, with 11 chicks surviving.

Five more were born on "wild" nests.

Kielder osprey expert Joanna Dailey said it was "wonderful", especially given the tough weather conditions prior to hatching.

The female ospreys are expected to migrate to Africa or Iberia by the middle of August, with the males and juveniles following individually at the end of the month.

Ospreys were reintroduced to the area in 2009, after an absence of almost 200 years

It is the first time chicks have been born to osprey fathers who themselves fledged in Northumberland, with six more surviving than the previous record.

Forestry England ornithologist Martin Davison said it was a "big step forward" for the site.

"Kielder Water and Forest Park is now an osprey stronghold and a crucial staging post in what we hope is the natural recolonisation of northern England," he said.

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