Mrs Osprey returns at last

Mrs Osprey returns at last

The ospreys have produced three chicks at the nest

A female osprey has joined her mate at a nest they have used in the Lake District for the last two years.

Birdwatchers had an anxious wait this week to see if the female would join the male at the nest, near Bassenthwaite Lake.

He arrived last week after a hazardous 3,000 mile return journey from Africa.

Both birds were spotted on Thursday morning carrying new sticks and fresh moss to the nest.

Nest protection

Bill Kenmir, of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), said she had turned up last year on 18 April and the year before on 17 April.

The birds have produced three chicks at the nest in the past two years.

If they breed again, a 24-hour guard will be put in place to stop the eggs being stolen.

Thousands of visitors are expected to visit the specially-created viewing points at Dodd Wood and the Whinlatter Visitors' Centre, near Keswick.