A second egg was laid in Nest 4 on Wednesday 19^th April and a first egg was laid at 7:00am at Nest 7 on Monday 17^th March.

With osprey pairs on Nests 2, 4, 5A and 7, and empty nests for pairs to occupy, it is envisaged more eggs will be following quite soon.

Whilst everybody is complaining about the temperamental weather so far this April, spare a thought for the females, who will have to do nearly all the incubation in chilly weather - a far cry from the hot weather which most will be used to.

The season is currently far from smooth, with the long-term breeding male named 37 failing to return to Nest 2, nor the female at Nest 6.

The female from Nest 1A is also looking for a partner following the loss of YA last year.

Following the decision in 2017 to start an alphabetized naming scheme for ospreys that hatch at Kielder, the 2023 chicks will all be named after parts of Northumberland beginning with the letter G.

Breeding pairs of ospreys have nested in Kielder between March and September since 2009, with activity on the nests tending to be mainly throughout May to August as the chicks hatch, are fed and then take to the wing and practice hunting. 

Ospreys have been soaring the skies of Northumberland since they first returned and recolonized in 2009. With their fair share of births, deaths, reunions, breakups, hatchings and philandering, they trounce the antics on Love Island hands-down and are now a big hit with the public who are able to watch their lives unfold via locally-streamed nest cams and from a new cabin at Tower Knowe.

In 2022, all the ringed chicks were named using the initial F. Two of the ringed ones were seen on migration in the UK with one spending several weeks in Devon honing her fishing skills. A third bird was seen on the river that runs through Barcelona.   

Now that the birds are returning, Osprey Watch is back in full swing from the cabin at Tower Knowe.

For the fifteenth year running, from Saturday 8^th April to Sunday 13^th August between 11:00am - 4:30pm, visitors will be offered views of the activity on the nest via scopes, and a high quality 4K close up on nest 7, via the nest cam in the cabin.

There will also be screens in Kielder Castle showing activity on Nests 1A and Nest 6.

Northumbrian Water’s aptly named Osprey Ferry is now operating its popular sailings programme. They have partnered with local CIC Wild Intrigue to deliver a unique Osprey Watching Tour where they set sail in the search of fishing ospreys. Bookings can be made via bookwhen.com/KielderWatersideFerry

Joanna Dailey from Forestry England says:

“It’s wonderful to see eggs being laid again. The absence of several breeding birds is an opportunity for prospecting ospreys to take a vacancy. A couple of females have taken an interest in Nest 6, so we hope the male W6 will be able to settle soon.”

The Kielder Osprey Project is a partnership between Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust, Forestry England, Northumberland Wildlife Trust and Northumbrian Water. The partners are working hard to ensure that the ospreys are here to stay by maintaining a high-quality habitat in Kielder Water & Forest Park and safeguarding and monitoring the nest sites.

To find out more, visit www.visitkielder.com

To post osprey sightings got to the Visit Kielder Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kielder or the Visit Kielder twitter feed at www.twitter.com/visitkielder

Keep up to date with the ospreys at www.kielderospreys.wordpress.com

For ferry bookings: www.bookwhen.com/KielderWatersideFerry