LATEST NEWS-

28th July

The three chicks at Manton Bay and Site B are growing in confidence all the time.The latest news and photos can be found in the Reserve and Site B diaries.

26th July

Yesterday afternoon 29 made her first flight at Manton Bay, meaning all three chicks are now airborne. Meanwhile at Site B, 28 eventually plucked up the courage to take to the air for the first time too. For more on what was a really exciting day at Rutland Water, check out the Reserve Diary and Site B diary.

22nd July

Yesterday was an incredibly exciting day. 30 and 31 made their maiden flights at Manton Bay and 27 took to the air at Site B for the first time. For more check out the Reserve and Site B diaries. The chicks are also flying at Site N -click here for the latest news on their progress.

Due to popular demand we will be holding an extra early morning cruise on the Rutland Belle. This will take place on Saturday 21st August, starting at 6:30am. For more details, check out the events page.

20th July

The Manton Bay chicks continue to 'helicopter' above the nest, but we're still waiting for them to make their first flights. At Site B, 26 is enjoying her new found freedom, but her siblings seem more reluctant to leave the nest. There are new photos in the Reserve Diary and Site B Diary.

You can get great views of the Manton Bay nest from Waderscrape and Shallow Water hides on the Lyndon reserve. For visiting details, click here.

19th July

Now more than seven weeks old, the Manton Bay chicks are very close to making their first flights. For more, check out the Reserve Diary. Meanwhile at Site B, 26(10) has already taken to the air for the first time. There's more about her maiden flight in the Site B diary.

Elsewhere, 08(97)'s two chicks have made their first flights at Site N. More news from there later in the week.

8th July

The roach just keep on coming in Manton Bay and 5R's chicks are thriving as a result. For the latest news and photos from the Manton Bay nest, click here. Meanwhile at Site B, it is not just 03 who is providing the fish. For more check out the Site B diary.

2nd July

If you have been a passenger on any of our recent Osprey Cruises, you will know that both 5R and 03(97) have been catching plenty of roach. This is just as well, because with three hungry chicks to feed, both males are are being made to work very hard. For more, check out the Reserve Diary.

For details of how you can book your place on an Osprey Cruise, click here.

24th June

The chicks at Site B and Manton Bay are growing fast. For the latest photos and news from the two nests, check out the Reserve Diary and Site B diary.

14th June

If you've been watching the webcam over the past few days you'll kow the Manton Bay chicks are thriving. For the lastest video highlights from the nest camera, check out the Reserve Diary.

On Sunday morning we are running the first ever Osprey sunrise cruise - starting at 6am. There are still places on what is sure to be a fantastic trip - for more details, click here.

9th June

Despite spells of torrential rain and thunder, the three Manton Bay chicks appear to be thriving. For more, click here.

Elsewhere, we now know that there are also three chicks at Site B.

4th June

The three chicks in the Manton Bay nest are now a few days old and proving compulsive viewing in the Lyndon Centre and on the webcam. 5R is certainly having to work hard to keep up with demand for fish. For more check out the Reserve Diary.

Elsewhere we now know there are at leats two chicks at Site B and two at Site N.

2nd June 4pm

Just when we thought things couldn't get any better, they have. At around 2pm the remaining egg in the Manton bay nest began to rock gently back and forth. Shortly afterwards a tiny head appeared, and within half an hour the chick was completely out of its shell. There's more in the Reserve Diary.

The streaming from the Manton Bay nest is also now back up and running. Click here to watch the live images. We are very grateful to talkwildlife for sponsorship of the live streaming.

2nd June 10am

The two chicks in the Manton Bay nest continue to be fed at regular intervals by their mother. They are certainly creating quite a stir in the Lyndon Centre where live images are on show. We've added clips of the first chick to hatch to the Reserve Diary.

1st June

There was a surprise for the whole team this morning when a second chick was seen in the Manton Bay nest via the live nest camera! We had not expected another chick until tomorrow at the earliest and this sudden hatching raises hopes that there may still a be a third chick left to hatch. More about our new arrival in the Manton Bay Diary

31st May

The first chick has now hatched in Manton Bay! The chick hatched in the very early hours of the the morning and was first visible moving in the nest at about 4.10a.m. Click here for more.

Unfortunately we are having some problems with the live streaming webcam, however our still-picture webcam is working as normal and of course the best way to get a view of the new chick is to come to the Lyndon reserve and see the live nest camera on our giant screen and then take a walk down to the hide to see the new parents.

We think this may be the second egg, so hopefully there may still be one more chick to hatch in the coming days. The latest updates will be posted on our Twitter page at www.twitter.com/rutlandospreys .

29th May

There were the first signs of hatching at Site B yesterday- read more in the Site B Diary.

5R and the unringed female continue to incubate in Manton Bay. Today is day 37 of incubation, the usual due date, so we would hope to see the first egg hatching very soon. However, pairs breeding for the first time as these two are often don't hatch all three eggs, so we may have to wait for the second egg which is due to to hatch sometime on Monday. The latest updates will be posted on our Twitter page at www.twitter.com/rutlandospreys .

22nd May

The lack of updates on the website over the past week reflects the fact that we have had a quiet few days. Incubation is continuing at Manton Bay, Site B and Site N and we are now counting down to expected hatching. 5R and his mate are now on day 31 of incubation at the Manton Bay nest and so we are hopeful that the first chick may hatch on Thursday or Friday - so be sure to check the live streaming for the first signs! With any luck there should be chicks at Site B and Site N around a similar time. We will, of course, update the website as soon as anything happens.

14th May

On Tuesday Val and Alan Brown had an exciting few hours at Wadersrape hide. To read their report of an enthralling volunteer shift, check out the Osprey Observer.

13th May

Click here for a video of 05(08)'s latest intrusion at Manton Bay.

12th May

05(08) again intruded at the Manton Bay nest yesterday afternoon - at one point he landed on the nest with 5R and the female. Report to follow.

11th May

05(08) has made two more visits to the Manton Bay nest in recent days. To read more, check out the reserve diary.

The live streaming from the Manton Bay nest is now running throughout the day.

Away from the reserve, incubation is continuing at Site B and Site N. More news as it happens.

7th May

Thanks to sponsorship from talkwildlife.com, we now have live streaming from the Manton Bay camera. At present the camera transmits live images between 6am and 5:15pm each day. To watch the live feed, click here.

05(08) visited Manton Bay again yesterday - story and photos to follow.

5th May

Following the excitement of 05(08)'s return on Thursday, things are more settled again in Manton Bay. Mind you, a cold north easterly wind has made life uncomfortable for the incubating birds. For more, click here. We've had no further sightings of 05 since he returned last week, but to read Brian Nicholls' account of his brief appearance in Manton Bay, check out the Osprey Observer.

There is still no news of either 32(05) or 06(00) and unfortunately we are still no closer to determining what happened to them.

30th April

A third egg was laid in the Manton Bay nest on 27th/28th April and both birds continue to incuabte. Our first new 2 year old bird of the season has returned to Rutland, 05(08)- born at Site B in 2008 was seen on the reserve on Thursday. More details on both stories in the Reserve Diary.

Incubation continues at both Site B and Site N. There will be more updates from Site B and Site N as hatching gets closer.

26th April

The Manton Bay webcam is now back online - click here to see the latest image. There are still two eggs in the nest - could a third be on the way?

25th April

The second egg was laid at Manton Bay early this morning - again it was laid early in the morning and was in the nest when we turned on the nest camera. The female is continuing to do the majority of the incubation, although 5R is taking his turn as well. More in the Reserve Diary.

Incubation continues at Site B, with no camera on the Site B nest we will have to wait until hatching to know how many chicks they will rear this season.

22nd April

Great news - first egg laid at Manton Bay nest this morning - click here for more.

21st April

Incubation began at Site B today and we're hoping that the Manton Bay pair won't be far behind. For more, click here.

20th April

5R and his mate continue to look very settled in Manton Bay. The female is now spending most of her time on the nest, and may be close to laying the first egg. Unfortunately the webcam is still down, but we hope to have that up and running very soon. In the meantime, look out for an update to the reserve diary tomorrow, or even better why not come and visit us at Lyndon? Live images from the nest are shown in the Visitor Centre and you can get great views of the nest from Waderscrape and Shallow Water hides. For visiting details, click here.

Elsewhere there is still no sign of 06(00) or 32(05). The one bit of good news though, is that in 32's absence, 09(98) has been spending time on the Lagoon 4 nest - particularly during the afternoon. 09 was translocated to Rutland Water in 1998 and has still never bred. Perhaps he now thinks Lagoon 4 could be his best bet? Of course, the continuing absence of the other two males, does make it less and less likely that we'll see them again.

15th April

A lot has happened at Rutland in the two weeks that the website has been away, both Site B and Reserve Diaries have now been updated with the latest news and photos from the past two weeks including some incredible images of 5N and the unringed female battling over the Manton Bay nest. See the Reserve Diary for more

We have still had no confirmed sightings of 32(05) since 4th April or of 06(00) since 11th April. If you see an osprey with a coloured leg ring (32 has a yellow ring with the inscription 32 on his right leg, and 06 a green ring with the inscription 06 on his right leg) please report it by phone to (01572) 737378 or by e-mail.

14th April

After being off-line for two weeks we have finally resolved the technical problems with the website and normal service can, at last, be resumed!

If you have been following our twitter feed, you will know that the unringed female is looking very settled in Manton Bay; having been present for ten days it now seems very likely that she will breed there with 5R. Live images from the nest are now being shown in the Lyndon Visitor Centre and we hope to have the webcam up and running tomorrow (Thursday 15th). We'll also have more news and photos in the Reserve Diary over the next few days.

The pairs at Site B and Site N (nests on private land) are also looking very settled - more news from each site in the next week.

Elsewhere there is not such good news - both 32(05) and 06(00) have disappeared. After arriving in Rutland on 21st March, 32 visited various vacant nest sites, including Lagoon 4 (where he held territory in 2009). He was seen on a daily basis but disappeared on 4th April - and there has been no sign since. We are very surprised that he has not returned to Lagoon 4, given that the female who spent three months with him there last summer, has returned and paired up with 5R in Manton Bay. More recently, 06(00), who returned to Rutland in early April, has also disappeared. It is highly unusual for birds to disappear in this fashion at this time of year and so we are very concerned for both of them. With this in mind please report sightings of either bird (32 has a yellow ring with the inscription 32 on his right leg, and 06 a green ring with the inscription 06 on his right leg) by phone to (01572) 737378 or by e-mail. We will, of course, report any further news here.

2nd April

It is remarkable that a bird that migrates over 3000 miles often returns on the same day each spring. That though is exactly what 08(97) did on Wednesday; returning to Site N on the same day as 2009. 5N has joined him at the site (on private land) where they raised two chicks last year. For more, click here.

Meanwhile 5R(04) continues to hold territory on the Manton Bay nest, providing great views for visitors to the Lyndon reserve. If you have been checking the webcam you will know that 32(05) has been much less reliable on Lagoon 4. He has spent very little time at the nest, instead visiting various other vacant territories away from the reserve. This means that if you are planning to come and see Ospreys at Rutland Water over the Easter weekend, then Lyndon is definitely your best bet. Osprey volunteers will be manning Waderscrape hide all weekend, so please come and say hello. Among the volunteers will be Ken Davies - to read about his first shift of the year last weekend, check out the Osprey Observer.

Elsewhere, 03 has been joined by a female at his nest on private land. For more, click here.

30th March

5N again spent most of the day in Manton Bay with 5R. To read more, click here.

29th March

5R(04) returned to Manton Bay on Saturday 26th and has been giving great views from Waderscrape Hide and from the Lyndon Centre throughout the weekend. Today he was then joined by a female osprey, although perhaps not the one we would have wanted... To read more click here.

32(05) remains on Lagoon 4 with occasional good views from Dunlin hide, although he is currently less reliable than 5R.

26th March

If you are planning to visit Rutland Water this weekend then there is every chance of seeing an Osprey. Project volunteers will be manning Dunlin hide over-looking Lagoon 4 at Egleton and Waderscrape hide at Lyndon. 32 has continued to visit Lagoon 4 sporadically, but is also taking advantage of being one of the first birds back. To read more click here.

Meanwhile 03 continues to make running repairs to the Site B nest (on private land). For more check out the Site B diary.

23rd March

03(97) and 32(05) are still the only Ospreys to have returned to Rutland. To read more about their respective arrivals, check out the Site B diary and reserve diary.

22nd March

32(05) is back at the Lagoon 4 nest. To view the latest webcam image from there, click here. More news to follow soon.

19th March

The first Osprey of 2010 has returned to Rutland Water. An Osprey was spotted on the Site B nest early this morning, it was quickly identified as 03(97) the regular Site B breeding male. More photos and a web update will follow soon, meanwhile keep checking our Twitter Page for all the very latest news.

The Lyndon Centre reopens tomorrow and will now be open 7 days a week, 9am-5pm until September. Osprey staff will be in the centre with all the latest news on 03 or any other returning birds, you can also visit Waderscrape or Dunlin Hides to see if either of our resident males return to their nests this weekend.

5th March

This year you will be able to get even more up-to-date news from the Rutland Osprey Project by checking our new Twitter page at www.twitter.com/rutlandospreys This page will let us post brief updates from the Visitor Centres and directly from the nest sites, so you will know all the news as soon as possible. You do not need to join Twitter to read the updates although you do need a Twitter account if you want to send us messages or post replies.

Twitter only allows us to post very short (140 character) updates so keep checking the website for full reports from the nest sites, news from the reserve and for John Wright's latest photos.

Whole site ©2010 Rutland Osprey Project
The project is a partnership between the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust and Anglian Water, with additional funding support from the Peter De Haan Charitable Trust