The first osprey chicks to be born in Northumberland for at least two hundred years are fighting fit and getting ready for take-off!

Martin Davison with Osprey Chicks

A team of experts from the Forestry Commission paid an early morning visit to the remote nest in 62,000-hectare (155,000-acre) Kielder Water & Forest Park to ring the youngsters and take down their vital statistics.

The historic mission involved tree climbing wildlife ranger Paul Pickett, from Kielder, who scaled a tree to reach the nest, built on an artificial platform erected last year. He carefully lowered the birds down to the ground in bags to enable rings to be fitted by ornithologist Martin Davison, aided by ecologist Tom Dearnley.

Placid throughout and with the mother circling overhead, the chicks weighed in at around 1700 grammes each, with their feathers now almost fully developed. Their wingspan was measured at three feet (that of fully grown male is five foot) and only a couple of weeks now separates them from their date with destiny when they take to the air for the first time. They were reported to be in excellent condition.

Elisabeth Rowark, Director of the Kielder Partnership, said: “Things have gone brilliantly so far and it’s incredibly reassuring to learn that the birds are in such fantastic health. Hopefully they will soon earn their wings and then visitors to Kielder Water & Forest Park can look forward to seeing them being taught to fish by mum and dad on northern Europe’s biggest man-made lake.”

“You probably have to go back to the early 1700s for the last ospreys to be born in Northumberland. They were also absent from England as a breeding bird for the entire 20th century. So to see three calmly sat on the grass without a care in the world was pretty mind-blowing. The ringing only took twenty minutes or so and the mother soon perched herself on a nearby branch when the chicks were put back on the nest. Their development has been rapid thanks to the exemplary care of the adult birds, who are almost certainly first time parents.”

Rings fitted to the chicks include one with a unique number on the left leg and another white coloured tag on the right with large letters indicating the birds identity. The colour denotes the birds were born in England and will help in identify them in future years using binoculars.

Kielder Water & Forest Park was recently voted the most tranquil place in England by the Campaign to Protect Rural England.