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Osprey chicks tagged in Tweed Valley

One of the ringed Osprey chicks Credit: ITV News Border

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.

An osprey chick Credit: ITV News Border
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Three osprey chicks tagged in Tweed Valley

Osprey chicks ringed in Borders forest park

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.

"Every year, we ring the new osprey chicks so that we can track them for years to come and this helps us monitor the success of the project. We can get an insight of where they travel to and where they nest back in the UK.

"During the ringing process, Forestry Commission Scotland's conservation managers also take the time to give them a thorough health check, making sure they are a good weight and show no signs of ill health.

"The Tweed Valley Osprey Project is proving a great success and we are thrilled also that members of the public can watch the birds closely at our two live viewing centres at Glentress forest and Kailzie Gardens, near Peebles.

"It's a great advert for the Year of Natural Scotland."

– Diane Bennett, Osprey Information Officer
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Three osprey chicks tagged in Tweed Valley

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Experts hopeful for new ospreys in Cumbria

A large osprey tracked in the Scottish Borders Credit: ITV News Border

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.

First osprey egg is laid in Scotland

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.

"It's been another year of pretty bad weather for them but it seems that the ospreys are getting used to dealing with the cold and snow when they first return.

"This is the tenth season where they've come back to a sturdy nest, thanks to the work of Forestry Commission Scotland's conservation rangers, and with this first egg, things are looking promising.

"As you'd expect, the mother osprey has been fussing over it and has made sure that she's found the best position for incubation. Hopefully there will be more eggs to come - but for now it's all good news."

– Osprey information officer Daine Bennett

Osprey chicks tracked

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.

Ospreys tagged in Scottish Borders

Ospreys tracked in Scottish Borders Credit: ITV

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.

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Border's Osprey Eggs

Last years Ospreys Credit: Forestry Commission

Organisers for the Tweed Valley Osprey project are hoping for a busy viewing season now that they have spotted two eggs in the next.

The first egg was laid around the 9th of April which means hatching could be as early as mid May, possibly making the chick the first to hatch in Scotland.

The organisers for the project have spotted two eggs to date but because the nest is piled high there could be more just out of sight

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Border's Osprey season