Success for ospreys bus service

Thousands of people visit the viewpoints each year

More than 3,000 people have used a dedicated bus service to visit the Lake District's ospreys, say organisers.

Service 74, dubbed the "budgie bus", links Keswick with the viewpoints at Whinlatter and Dodd Wood in four circuits of Bassenthwaite Lake.

Compared to last year, it carried about 10 extra passengers a day between April and September.

Three chicks hatched this year - the ninth brood for the male bird which arrived at the lake in 2001.

However, one is feared dead after it failed to return to the lakeside nest in heavy rain.

The female osprey is thought to have already migrated to Africa for the winter, and the others are expected to soon follow.

The birds attract thousands of people to the area each year, providing a boost to the Lake District's economy.

The service was first introduced last year by community organisation Bassenthwaite Reflections, in partnership with the Lake District Osprey Project, Heritage Lottery Fund and Stagecoach.