Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust welcomes 200th Osprey chick

A historic project set up in 1996 to reintroduce ospreys to England has celebrated the birth of its 200th chick in Rutland Water.

The breeding programme at Rutland Water was started by the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust more than a century-and-a-half after ospreys had become extinct in England and Wales, and has led to the spread of breeding pairs in both countries.

The Trust said the 200th chick, a female, fledged in July and was ringed with the number 360 to identify her.

The newest arrival and other ospreys hatched this year are likely to remain in Rutland until early September, before they begin a 3,000-mile migration journey south, to the west coast of Africa.

Experts expect the chicks will remain in their African wintering grounds for the first couple of years, so it will not be until at least 2023 before they are likely to return.

The Rutland Osprey Project started translocating birds from Scotland in 1996, carefully collecting 64 osprey chicks from Scottish nest sites and releasing them in Rutland between 1996 and 2001.

A further 11 female birds were translocated in 2005, the first breeding pair of ospreys successfully raised a single chick at Rutland in 2001, and there are now approximately 26 adults including up to 10 breeding pairs in the Rutland area.

The Leicestershire & Rutland Trust's osprey information officer says she's thrilled to welcome the brand new arrival.

It's the culmination of 25 years of work for the Wildlife Trusts, with projects like this set to continue.

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