A record number of osprey chicks have delighted birdwatchers at a nature reserve.
Five chicks have been given leg rings and tags after their birth at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve in Cumbria.
Cumbria Wildlife Trust said the increase was down to a new breeding pair joining the longstanding pair known as Blue 35 and White TW last year.
The charity’s reserve’s officer Paul Waterhouse explained the new pair, Blue 717 and her mate Blue 476, had only fledged one chick last year, which was normal among less-experienced ospreys.
“It’s wonderful to see this pair return, and with three healthy chicks this year,” he said.
“And we’re so pleased that our long-standing pair, Blue 35 and White YW, are still breeding successfully.”
He added the trust estimated the long-standing pair to be about 18 years old, with life expectancy for the birds being about 25 years.
“Every year they breed feels like a real bonus now,” Waterhouse said.
Cumbria Wildlife Trust said the area’s previous record was three chicks in a season.
Blue 35 and White YW first came to Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve in 2013 after it was transformed by a large-scale habitat restoration programme, the charity said.
It warned the second nest, established last year, was “quite close to the boardwalk and is vulnerable to disturbance”.
The charity is asking visitors to be mindful of the nest and to use the nearby hide “responsibly”.
The birds are ringed and tagged to allow conservationists to track their movements and understand their life history.
They are expected to leave the South Lakeland nature reserve in September and migrate to the Iberian Peninsula or West Africa.
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