It’s been a milestone year for Kielder Forest’s ospreys, with five chicks successfully fledging and one becoming the 150th to fledge here since breeding began in 2009.
After months of waiting, there's always a special moment in the osprey season when tiny heads first appear above the edge of a nest. From then on, we watch the chicks grow, weather bad conditions and eventually take their first flights.
This year brought plenty to celebrate, from three chicks fledging at nest 1a to a significant milestone for osprey conservation at Kielder Forest.
Three osprey chicks fledge from nest 1a
At nest 1a, osprey pair W6 and KF13 (the unique identification codes they were given when ringed as chicks) returned for another breeding season and soon settled down to nesting. Before long, three chicks had hatched.
As the weeks passed, supporters watched the youngsters grow from tiny chicks into increasingly confident young birds. They were later named Kilham, Knowesgate and Kyloe, continuing Kielder's tradition of naming chicks after places across Northumberland.
Raising three chicks kept their parents busy. They needed to catch enough fish to feed the family while keeping watch over the nest. All three juveniles went on to fledge successfully. They have now set off on one of the most remarkable journeys of their young lives: their first migration to Africa.
Kielder's 150th osprey chick fledges
A few miles away, nest 12, also known as the Lord Robinson Nest, reached an important milestone of its own.
Two chicks, Kielder and Kershope, hatched in June. Both grew well throughout the summer and went on to be ringed and fledge successfully.
When Kielder took his first flight, he became the 150th osprey chick to fledge at Kielder Forest since ospreys returned to breed in Northumberland in 2009.
It's a significant milestone for osprey conservation at Kielder and the result of many years of work to monitor and protect these special birds of prey.
The conservation work behind Kielder's ospreys
A successful osprey breeding season depends on work throughout the year. Teams maintain nest platforms, monitor the birds, help protect breeding sites and run the livestream cameras that give people a rare view into the nests.
That long-term conservation work is helping ospreys establish themselves again after being absent as a breeding bird from England.
This summer, Kilham, Knowesgate, Kyloe, Kielder and Kershope became the latest young ospreys to leave Kielder's nests. As they begin life away from Kielder, we'll be watching and hoping that some return in future years.
Help protect Kielder's ospreys
As this year's young ospreys begin their migration, our work to support Kielder's breeding population continues.
If you've followed the families on our livestream cameras or have been inspired by seeing ospreys return to Kielder, you can help support this vital conservation work.
Donate to our Kielder osprey Crowdfunder today. With match funding available, your donation can go even further towards supporting the future of ospreys at Kielder Forest.
