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Rutland Water ospreys are stars of web as they raise chicks on camera in front of thousands of viewers during lockdown




While the nature reserve on the western shore of Rutland Water remains closed to visitors, there is one couple and their children who are happy spreading their wings.

During the height of the lockdown last month, osprey Maya and her partner - called 33(11) - hatched four chicks.

‘Nestcams’ have been capturing every moment and sharing it via the internet. Fortunately, unlike some more famous reality TV stars, they are proving to be a model family.

Ospreys Maya (right) and her partner, which is called 33 on the nest containing their chicks
Ospreys Maya (right) and her partner, which is called 33 on the nest containing their chicks

Lloyd Park, an officer for The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust at Rutland Water Nature Reserve, said: “The chicks are between three to four weeks old - they don’t all hatch on the same day - and so there is a size difference between them.

“Their mum feeds them at the moment, but dad does the fishing. Some osprey dads are good and some are not so good.

“These chicks are lucky because their dad did a lot of the incubation - in fact, Maya had to almost push him off the eggs on some occasions - and he’s also a good fisherman.

The dad osprey called 33 with his chicks on June 2
The dad osprey called 33 with his chicks on June 2

“We see ospreys typically catch two fish a day for their young, whereas this one is catching three or four.”

With their high-protein diet, the chicks grow rapidly and will soon start ‘helicoptering’ - using their wings to hover over the nest. They are expected to fledge in August or September.

Ospreys migrate to West Africa in winter, and the young tend to spend the first two years of their lives there. It can be a perilous trip for birds of any age, and many do not make it back.

The Rutland birds’ habits are tracked through coloured rings placed around their legs before they fledge. A couple of Rutland’s ospreys carry small satellite trackers, revealling exactly where they go.

Although 23 other ospreys returned, Maya and 33 (11) are the true stars - the pair have been returning to breed since 2015.

Having become extinct in England 150 years ago, ospreys were reintroduced at the nature reserve in 1996 and more than 150 young have since fledged.

The nest can be viewed at www.lrwt.org.uk/wildlife/rutland-ospreys

About 45,000 people logged on between May 14 and 20 - more than 10 times the total number of visitors who visited the reserve to see the birds last year - with 87 per cent of those visitors being new users.



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