A pair of breeding ospreys has returned to Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve, raising hopes that this will be the landmark 10^th year running for osprey chicks at our stunning wetland nature reserve near Witherslack. The pair first nested at Foulshaw Moss in 2013 and a year later raised their first chicks here.

The male White YW arrived on Monday 27 March but on his own. Over the coming days, two unfamiliar female ospreys arrived on the nest but neither stayed long. There were some nail-biting days to follow for osprey watchers, who were wondering where the female was and whether a rival would usurp the place of his long-term mate, Blue 35. Finally, much to everyone’s relief, Blue 35 arrived on Friday 31 March.

Paul Waterhouse, Reserves Officer for Cumbria Wildlife Trust, said: “This is always an incredibly exciting time of year, when after weeks of anticipation, the pair of ospreys return to Foulshaw Moss. We can predict their arrival to within a few days, even though it follows a 4,000-mile-long migration. They often return to their familiar breeding grounds within hours or days of each other - always an awe-inspiring achievement! This year we had a few nerve-wracking days till Blue 35 came, but thankfully she’s here now!”

“We hope that this will be a landmark year for the pair. If they breed successfully, as we hope they will, it will be the 10^th consecutive year that they’ve raised chicks at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve – a total of 24 of them so far! Two years ago we reached another milestone, when the 100^th chick in Cumbria (a Foulshaw chick) was ringed, since 2001. These amazing birds of prey had been wiped out in the early 1900s by persecution, but since then, thanks to brilliant conservation efforts, their population has slowly grown. It’s fantastic to see the year-on-year breeding success of the Foulshaw pair playing a key part in this recovery.”

To view the ospreys close up, watch the 24-hour live streaming osprey cam 

Paul said: “You’ll be able to study their behaviour all through the breeding season. A highlight will be when we see how many eggs there are (hopefully in April) and start wondering when they’ll hatch. We encourage everyone to follow all these milestones with us on the webcam - and to tell us about what they see on social media too!”

Visitors are welcome at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve, which is open daily and located near Witherslack, off the A590. Staff will be on hand throughout the season to ensure you get the most out of your visit, including helping you use telescopes to see the osprey nest from one of the viewing platforms.

Ospreys Blue 35 and White YW started nesting at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve in 2014, following major habitat restoration. This large-scale conservation success story saw a 900-acre site, previously drained and used for commercial forestry and farming, being transformed back into a healthy wetland, teeming with wildlife.

The nature reserve is now home not only to migrating ospreys, but other birds of prey including peregrine and marsh harrier. In the summer months, it’s alive with dragonflies and butterflies, wetland-loving plants such as Sphagnum moss and bog rosemary, and adders and lizards can be seen basking in the sun. 

Cumbria Wildlife Trust is offering special half-day Wildlife Experiences at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve throughout spring and summer, to showcase the wealth of wildlife found there. You’ll have exclusive access to parts of the nature reserve not normally open to the public. Click here for more details and to book

We hope you enjoy watching this family of ospreys through the webcam for the whole season. It costs us around £12,000 to get and keep the osprey web cam running for the season. If you can, please donate to help with the costs to keep this broadcasting for you.

Use #FoulshawOspreys to join the osprey conversation on social.