IT seems that Lakeland's famous ospreys may have the 'seven year itch' this spring, as the birds have decided to relocate to a new nest site, the Lake District Osprey Project confirmed.
After seven successful breeding seasons at a nest in Wythop Woods on the shore of Bassenthwaite Lake, the ospreys have surprised the experts by switching to a new nest on the opposite side of the Lake. Experts say that it is unusual for a pair of os
preys to move in this way, as a well-established nest is often used by many generations of ospreys (with some nests known to have been in use for more than 100 years).
Graeme Prest of the Lake District Osprey Project said: "Over the years we have learnt to 'expect the unexpected' when it comes to our ospreys and clearly this year it's going to be no different with yet another twist to the tale. It looks like it's going to be business as usual for our ospreys but just at a different nest and it means that we'll need to alter our osprey viewing arrangements slightly."
It's probable that the arrival last year of a new female in the pair may have something to do with the change. Each osprey has its own 'personality' and the team felt that the new female never looked settled in the Wythop Woods nest.
The osprey watch team now thinks that the behaviour of the female last year probably hinted at the change of nest site.
The new nest is on an artificial platform, which was installed to encourage more ospreys to settle in the Lakes.
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