First chick lands in Tweed Valley

Watchers believe an osprey chick has hatched

Osprey Watch volunteers in the Tweed Valley believe the first new chick of the year has finally arrived.

Viewing centre staff near Peebles said they were tipped off to the arrival by some "weird and wonderful behaviour" of the adult birds.

The nest is built too high for watchers to see inside but the ospreys have been regularly leaning into it with fish.

That has prompted volunteers to celebrate the first of what they hope will be many more arrivals.

Sarah Oakley, of Forestry Commission Scotland, has been working with the volunteers at the centre at Glentress and at Kailzie Gardens.

"We've been keeping a close watch on the ospreys and yesterday in particular we noticed a dramatic change in behaviour," she said.

We still don't know how many eggs or chicks are in the nest in total but we are thrilled to bits and very excited at the latest developments Sarah Oakley Forestry Commission Scotland

"All of a sudden the adult birds were flapping around and getting very twitchy as if they knew something was about to happen.

"This morning we saw something quite different as they were continually leaning into the nest with fish."

Ms Oakley said the ospreys had built up the nest so high that staff could not see the chick, but they were very confident that it was there taking the fish from the adults.

She added: "We still don't know how many eggs or chicks are in the nest in total but we are thrilled to bits and very excited at the latest developments.

"We hope that we are in for another bumper osprey season."

The Tweed Valley Osprey Project is part of the Ospreys' 50th initiative - a three-year celebration of the 50th anniversary of the return of ospreys to breed in Scotland in 1954 after an absence of 38 years.