Second osprey chick takes flight

The osprey chicks have been ringed

The second of two osprey chicks has taken its first flight from its pine tree nest in the Lake District.

A big cheer went up from visitors at the Osprey Viewpoint at Dodd Wood, near Keswick, as the male chick flew off on Wednesday towards Bassenthwaite Lake.

The chick had been flapping its wings and had a couple of short test flights over the nest before taking off.

His sister, a few days older, took her first flight on Friday and is being fed by her parents away from the nest.

The adult pair of ospreys first nested at Bassenthwaite Lake in 2001.

'Hard work'

The birds have become a star tourist attraction in Cumbria with thousands of people visiting the two public viewing sites provided by the Lake District Osprey Project.

The pair nested as the result of a natural recolonisation of England and they were the first recorded pair to breed in Lakeland for at least 150 years.

Graeme Prest of the Lake District Osprey Project said on Wednesday: "We're obviously delighted that both the chicks have now taken their first flights.

"It is a tribute not only to the hard work of their parents but also the dedication of all the volunteers and staff involved in this project."