Osprey eggs laid at Kielder in Northumberland for the thirteenth year

All bar one of the osprey breeders from the seven successful nests last year are back and two ospreys that were born in Kielder are among them.

The Nest 7 female KX7 has laid three eggs, with the last egg laid toward the end of April.

Elsewhere throughout Kielder Forest 13 more eggs have been laid, including Nest 1A which has a full clutch of four eggs for the fifth time in six years.

Nests 2 and 8 don’t have any camera coverage so insight into the number of eggs laid is said to be sketchy.

Following the decision in 2017 to start an alphabetised naming scheme for ospreys that hatch at Kielder, the 2021 chicks will all be named after parts of Northumberland beginning with the letter F.

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.

The ospreys have become 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.

Each weekend, and every Wednesday until Saturday, August 14 between 10.30am and 4pm, Northumberland Wildlife Trust and its team of volunteers are running Osprey Watch from the cabin.

Live images from two nest cams are also being streamed to public screens at the mobile Street Diner at Kielder Castle.