Monday 7 June 2010

Deer and Ospreys






The Osprey has been nesting in woodlands around Bassenthwaite Lake in The English Lake District since 2001. I had never visited the site until the weekend when Kath and I decided on a visit. The forecast was not good with rain promised. The cloud was well down on local hills as we left but began to lift as we headed north and we were to be lucky as it did indeed remain dry during our visit to the osprey site . The location of the site is in Forestry Commission woodland at Dodd Wood overlooking Bassenthwaite Lake and commands wonderful views of the valley and surrounding mountains.
Not long after arriving at the Upper Viewpoint we saw the male osprey arriving with a fish for the two young chicks. The viewpoint is about five to six hundred yards away from the nest and high powered optics are required for reasonable views of the birds. Excellent telescopes are provided by the Osprey Project Team and all those present enjoyed some good views. The nest was too far away for good images with the camera and the murky conditions didn't help but I did manage some record shots of the male delivering a fish to the waiting female
We stayed at the viewpoint for about ninety minutes or so and then made the return back to the car park and cafe where we enjoyed a very welcome cuppa just as the promised rain arrived. It became heavier and heavier as we made a dash for the car and the long journey back home. I have posted some of images of the ospreys at their Bassenthwaite Eyrie and also some images from last week of red and roe deer I was fortunate to see at Leighton Moss and in the  Forest Of Bowland.  

1 comment:

  1. Great shot of thr roe deer amongst the buttercup meadows Brian!Good shots of the Osprey returning to the nest with food too!!

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