The osprey is a fish-eating bird of prey with a five-foot wingspan. There was no record of osprey nests in England since the1830s, until a pair arrived in the Lake District in 2001.

For the last six years, the birds have spent the winter in Africa and returned in the spring to nest and rear their chicks.

See them for yourself!

You can see the ospreys from viewpoints and in the Whinlatter Visitor Centre by Bassenthwaite Lake where a camera beams in life pictures from the osprey's nest

Latest osprey news

For the most up-to-date news check out Osprey Watch (opens in new window). you can also read the Osprey Project Case Study by Natural Economy Northwest (opens Document Library).

The partnership

The return of the ospreys was the result of several years work with our partners: the Forestry Commission and the RSPB. We erected artificial nest platforms at Dodd Wood near Bassenthwaite Lake - now a National Nature Reserve - and the ospreys chose to nest on one of them.