Border Ospreys

It has been the most successful year ever for four breeding osprey pairs on the Scottish Border.

Nine chicks have already fledged in their nests high up in the treetops at Kielder with two more due to fledge soon.

There are now hopes that the birds can one day re-colonise much of this part of the country.

Matthew Taylor reports:

Ospreys are returning to the Lake District after spending winter in warmer climates. The birds are fitted with tracking devices that monitor their migration patterns.

The Lake District Osprey Project says three birds have been seen so far, and one has even begun mating.

A bird of prey that was near extinction is being helped back to healthy numbers in the Scottish Borders.

The Tweed Valley Osprey conservation project looks after ten nests in secret locations near Innerleithen.

For the tenth year running a pair have returned to the same spot to breed.

Three chicks have been tagged this morning, to prepare for them flying the nest.

Three six-week-old osprey chicks are being ringed in the Tweed Valley Forest Park as part of a conservation project.

Around 160 chicks have been ringed since the Tweed Valley Osprey Project began in 1999.

Hopes are high that a new pair of ospreys in Cumbria will make it 13 years of successful breeding at a site near Bassenthwaite.

Both of the birds are unringed and experts believe they are new to the area.

The first osprey egg in Scotland was laid at the Tweed Valley Osprey Project near Peebles the Scottish Borders last week.

The first osprey egg in Scotland has been laid in the Borders. Staff at the Tweed Valley Osprey Project near Peebles say they are delighted. The birds only arrived back at their secret nest on April 3rd. Ospreys have been nesting in the Tweed Valley for more than 15 years.

Osprey chicks in the Scottish Borders are being ringed, to keep track of their movements. It allows conservationists to keep track of the bird's migration patterns. There are around 250 ospreys in the UK, mostly in Scotland. There are 9 known breeding pairs of ospreys in the Tweed Valley.

Osprey chicks in the Scottish Borders are being ringed, to keep track of their movements. It allows conservationists to keep track of the bird's migration patterns. There are only 250 ospreys in the UK, mostly in Scotland. There are 9 known breeding pairs of ospreys in the Tweed Valley.