From Opus

Current revision

Photo by oncebittern
The Marsh Nest, with the first 2013 pair mating on an adjacent branch, April 2013

England, Cumbria

[edit] Overview

Bassenthwaite Lake is a National Nature Reserve, in the Lake District, located in the county of Cumbria in northwest England. It is owned and managed by the Lake District National Park Authority. The area became famous in 2001, when a pair of wild Ospreys nested there, this being the first time in over 150 years that Ospreys had bred in the Lake District.

[edit] 2013 Ospreywatch News

• The Lake District Osprey Project at Dodd Wood opens for the 2013 season, at Easter ~ 29th March, 2013
• All 3 previously used nests have been fitted with cameras. Hopefully the incoming pair will return to the nest on Dodd Wood, which is only 400 metres from the Upper Viewpoint.
• 4th April: an Osprey has been seen on the marsh nest twice this week, but it cannot be confirmed definitely that it is "Mrs". No sign of YV yet.
• 15th April: There is now a pair of Ospreys and they have been seen mating, so there may be eggs soon. They are located on the Marsh Nest. Neither bird is ringed, so YV has not returned to Bassenthwaite this year.
• 24th April: Terrible weather has downed power and phone lines, so no camera feed at the moment. The young male is bringing in lots of fish, more than the female can eat! She should be coming into good breeding condition and hopefully the first egg will be laid soon.
• 26th April: Exciting news - a new female arrived on 25th April and chased off the resident female. She has been seen mating with the resident male. This new bird is ringed - white KL on the left leg, which indicates she is a Scottish Osprey, ringed as an adult.
• 28th April: More news on the new female - she was ringed in June 2009, near Inverness, Scotland, and has been wintering in Senegal, having been seen there in 2011 and 2012. She's 4 years old and thought not to have bred before. It's not clear whether she has paired up with the resident male, or whether both the resident pair were chased off, as she had a male partner when she arrived.
• 8th May: The female, KL, has laid her first egg and is already incubating, while her mate catches fish for her. Incubation usually takes 35-40 days, so let's hope the Lake District gets a better summer than last year!
• 23rd May: After some problems, the webcam is up and running again. You can view the regularly updated photos here: [1]. The team think that there are 2 eggs, possibly 3, from the behaviour of the birds, but it has not been possible to see into the nest cup to verify this. Incubation is now at 17 days, and the first chick is expected to hatch from 10th June onwards, as incubation takes 35-40 days.

Photo by HelenB
View of southern end of Bassenthwaite Lake from the Upper Viewpoint, May 2009.
Click on image to see a larger version

[edit] Birds

[edit] Notable Species

Osprey, Red Kite (28 April, 2010), Barnacle Goose (These are most probably birds from a resident flock on nearby Derwentwater), Eurasian Oystercatcher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Tawny Owl, Common Dipper, Common Redstart, European Pied Flycatcher, Eurasian Treecreeper.

Photo by HelenB
Southern end of Bassenthwaite Lake from the Lower Viewpoint, May 09. In 2011, the Ospreys built a new nest in a marshy area there.

Photo by HelenB
View of Bassenthwaite Lake looking from the lay-by on the B5292 up to Whinlatter Pass, April 2012. The Ospreys built a new nest in 2011, in the flat marshy area on the south side of the lake ~ the area on the middle right of the photo.

[edit] Rarities

Red Kite ~ 60 young Red Kites were released in Grizedale Forest, near Windermere, in the summers of 2010 and 2011. This is the 9th reintroduction and part of the final phase of Red Kite reintroductions in different parts of the UK. 30 more were released in the summer of 2012. It is very likely that these wing-tagged kites will be seen over Bassenthwaite Lake as they explore the Lake District.

[edit] Check-list

Birds you can see here include:

Great Crested Grebe, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Barnacle Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Eurasian Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Goosander, Osprey, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Common Pheasant, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Common Coot, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Woodpigeon, Tawny Owl, Common Swift, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Northern House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Eurasian Wren, Dunnock, European Robin, Common Redstart, Eurasian Blackbird, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Wood Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, European Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Treecreeper, Eurasian Magpie, Eurasian Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Common Raven, Eurasian Jay, Common Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, Common Crossbill, Eurasian Bullfinch

[edit] Other Wildlife

Red Squirrel, Badger, Roe Deer, Otter, Pipistrelle bat, Weasel, Stoat

[edit] Site Information

[edit] History and Use

In 2001 it was announced that a pair of Ospreys had nested in the woods above Bassenthwaite Lake. This was the first time in 150 years that a wild pair of the birds had bred in the Lake District. The Forestry Commission and the Lake District National Park Authority had provided a nesting platform in the hope that the Ospreys, they had been seeing during the summer for the last few years, would stay and breed there. Once the eggs were laid, wardens kept a 24 hour watch on the nest to protect the birds from any disturbance, such as illegal egg collecting. The RSPB is also involved in extra support for the Lake District Osprey Project.

[edit] Areas of Interest

• Osprey viewing from Dodd Wood viewpoints
• Whinlatter Visitor Centre in Whinlatter Forest Park, where there is a live video feed from the nest to a big screen. NB. Whinlatter is also a major mountain biking centre.
• Forest walks, provided by the Forestry Commission, starting from the Dodd Wood car park.
• Ivy Crag Wood - a small remnant of oak woodland on the slopes of Dodd below Skiddaw
• Powterhow Wood, with a hide (blind), on the south west edge of Bassenthwaite Lake. Access from the car park at Powter How, via a nice walk through the woods, where you might see Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Wood Warblers, and Great Spotted Woodpeckers. There's a tunnel under the A66, so no road crossings involved. Or you can park in the A66 layby at Blackstock Point, and take a walk along the lake side to get there. Location shown by arrow on map referenced in External Links, below.^[2]
• Dubwath Silver Meadows, a new wetland nature reserve about 17 acres in size, located at the north west end of Bassenthwaite Lake. 1.6 mile circuit of path and boardwalk, plus hides built in Celtic style.^[3]

[edit] Access and Facilities

• The viewpoints will be open and staffed from Easter 2013 (30th March). You may still visit the viewpoints outside of the Osprey season, for beautiful views of Bassenthwaite Lake and Derwentwater.
• Osprey watching viewpoints are in Dodd Wood, on the east side of the lake. It is 3 miles north of Keswick off the A591, follow signposts to Dodd Wood from the A66. The car park is opposite the entrance to Mirehouse.
• The Lower Viewpoint - open from 10am to 5pm daily and staffed by volunteers. Excellent views of the Ospreys fishing over the lake. There are feeders out for the local birds, and Red Squirrels sometimes stop by, too.
• The Upper Viewpoint - open from 10.30am to 5pm daily. It is about half a mile, a 30 minutes walk, up a steep incline, to this higher viewpoint. There are telescopes for viewing the nest which is down on the marsh about a mile away.
• There is no charge to use the viewpoint, but car parking charges are: £1.60 for 1 hour, £3.20 for 2 hours, £5.30 for 4 hours and £6.90 for all day (2012 rates).
• There are public toilets at the car park.
• The Old Sawmill Tearoom at Dodd Wood is open through the Osprey season and beyond, closing at the end of October.
• The Whinlatter Visitor Centre is located west of Braithwaite, on the B5292 between Braithwaite and Cockermouth - Grid Ref NY208245. It is open all year, and the Osprey Exhibition will be open from 10am until 5pm during the period that the ospreys are nesting. Parking charges same as Dodd Wood.
• There is no longer an Osprey Bus service, due to lack of funding, but a PDF brochure showing a useful map of the area is still available online - see external links.^[4]

[edit] Contact Details

Whinlatter Visitor Centre phone: 017687 78469

[edit] Gallery

Click on images to see a larger version:

Photo by HelenB Whinlatter Visitor Centre, April 2012	Photo by HelenB Osprey webcam display, Whinlatter Visitor Centre, April 2012	Photo by HelenB Osprey chick no. 11 died in West Africa, but its remains were found. Photo on display at Whinlatter Visitor Centre, April 2012	Photo by HelenB Osprey sculpture at Whinlatter Visitor Centre, April 2012
Photo by HelenB Bassenthwaite Lake looking north, May 09	Photo by HelenB Approaching the Upper Osprey Viewpoint, May 09	Photo by HelenB Osprey nest (centre) is only 400m from viewpoint. Derwentwater in the background, May 09	Photo by charlierocky The pair of Ospreys using the second nest for a second year, April 2009
Photo by HelenB Osprey nest, May 09.	Photo by Mad_BMS Bassenthwaite Lake, looking towards Skiddaw, May 05	Photo by oncebittern Male Osprey fishing on Bassenthwaite Lake, June 2010	Photo by charlierocky Common Dipper, photographed near Keswick

Content and images originally posted by HelenB

[edit] External Links

• Osprey Watch on Facebook for latest updates
• Lake District Osprey Project
• Ivy Crag Wood
• Bassenthwaite Lake on Streetmap
• Location of the Whinlatter Visitor Centre on Streetmap
• Bassenthwaite Lake National Nature Reserve - map and information (printable pdf)
• Bassenthwaite Lake National Nature Reserve - A lake users' guide (printable pdf)

1. Daily video diary of Osprey activities
2. Location of hide near Powterhow Wood
3. Dubwath Silver Meadows Wetland Nature Reserve plus Dubwath Silver Meadows info and map
4. 2010 Osprey Bus timetable and map of Bassenthwaite area