17/03/2018
A pair of Western
Ospreys has returned to their breeding quarters at Manton Bay,
Rutland Water nature reserve, at a record-breaking early date, the
Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust has announced.
The female, ‘Maya’, was back at
the reserve on 12 March 2018, a full 10 days earlier than last year and five
days earlier than the previous record. The male, ‘33(11)’, joined her three
days later, seven days earlier than he arrived last year.
The birds are part of the Rutland
Osprey Project, a reintroduction programme that started in 1996, bringing
ospreys from Scotland to England. Prior to that the species hadn’t bred in
England for 150 years and Rutland remains one of the few places in the country
where ospreys nest.
A spokesperson for the project
commented: “We can now confirm the earliest-ever return of our male and female
ospreys from Africa, to Manton Bay, Rutland. Both birds have come back early
this year, arriving five days ahead of the previous record. This is a very
exciting time and we hope that the pair, who have already been mating, will
have another successful breeding season here at Rutland Water.”
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