Difference between revisions of "Bassenthwaite Lake" - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 20:39, 19 April 2018

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

England, Cumbria

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. Since then there have been breeding Ospreys every summer and hundreds of people have visited the viewpoints and visitor centre, to see these wonderful birds of prey.

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

2018 Ospreywatch News

The 2018 Ospreywatch season opens on Good Friday, 30th March. Bassenthwaite's No. 14's tracker is still sending back information and shows that he is well on his way north across the Sahara Desert having left the island of Bioko, south of Nigeria a few days ago. Hopefully, KL and her mate Unring, will have a safe journey back from West Africa. Check the LDOP website for updates and their Facebook page
31st March: A male Osprey, possibly Unring has been sighted on the nest, busy adding new nesting materials to it.
4th April: A female Osprey has arrived and they have been observed mating. Visibility is very poor due to the weather, so the Project Team have not been able to determine if the female is KL.
5th April: A 2nd unringed female has appeared at the nest and a fight between the 2 females broke out! Still no sign of KL, who was Unring's partner for 5 years. More details on the LDOP Facebook page, link above.
8th April: There is now only one female, first seen on 3rd April.
9th April: There was another Osprey visitor to the nest and this one had a blue ring on the left leg, indicating that it was a Scottish bird. The Osprey team were unable to read the letters/numbers on the ring while this bird explored the nest, then flew off heading north. Latest news of No 14 - he has reached Le Toquet, in northern France, ready to cross The Channel.
15th April: No 14 has crossed the English Channel near its narrowest point, crossed Kent, the Thames and continued northwest into Leicestershire. When he reached Leicester, he turned and headed southwest to the Cotswolds! At Bassenthwaite there is still no sign of KL and the other affair between Unring and the new female is still more off than on!
19th April: Still no sign of KL arriving, but from Unring’s behavior he is still on the lookout for her. He’s been tidying up the nest and spending time on a high branch looking for her to arrive. The OspreyWatch team have said that about 25% of Ospreys returning to UK nests have not turned up this year. The average is 8-10%. The weather has not been very cooperative for northbound migrants! In their first year at Bassenthwaite, they both arrived on 24th April. There has been no mention of the unringed female that was at the nest about 10 days ago, so she may have continued on with her migration.

Birds

Notable Species

Osprey, Eurasian Marsh-Harrier (a pair nested successfully in the reed bed below the viewpoints in 2017), 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

Rarities

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

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 Marsh-Harrier, 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, Common Cuckoo, 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, Redwing, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Wood Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, European Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Treecreeper, Common Starling, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Eurasian Jackdaw, Common Raven, Carrion Crow, Rook, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Eurasian Siskin, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, Lesser Redpoll, Common Crossbill

Photo by HelenB
Whinlatter Visitor Centre, located in Whinlatter Forest Park, on the B5292, west of Bassenthwaite Lake, April 2012

Other Wildlife

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

Site Information

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.

Photo by HelenB
Bassenthwaite Lake, looking across to Dodd Wood and Skiddaw, from Blackstock Point, July 2015

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]

Access and Facilities

The viewpoints will be open and staffed from early April to the end of August (Late Summer Bank Holiday), 2017. 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 there is Pay & Display Parking at the car park by the Old Sawmill Tearoom. Please note that NO CHANGE IS GIVEN.
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 are the same as Dodd Wood.

Contact Details

Whinlatter Visitor Centre phone: 017687 78469

Gallery

Click on images to see a larger version:

Photo by HelenB
Osprey information display at Whinlatter Visitor Centre, April 2012
Photo by HelenB
Osprey webcam display, Whinlatter Visitor Centre, April 2012
Photo by HelenB
Satellite tracked 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
The Old Sawmill Tearoom at Dodd Wood, August 2013
Photo by HelenB
Bassenthwaite Lake looking northwest, July 2010
Photo by HelenB
Approaching the Upper Osprey Viewpoint, May 2009
Photo by HelenB
The 2nd Osprey nest (centre) was only 400m from the Upper Viewpoint. Derwentwater in the background, May 2009
Photo by charlierocky
The pair of Ospreys using the second nest for a second year, April 2009
Photo by HelenB
The second Osprey nest, May 2009
Photo by Mad_BMS
Bassenthwaite Lake, looking towards Skiddaw, May 2005
Photo by oncebittern
Male Osprey fishing on Bassenthwaite Lake, June 2010

Content and images originally posted by HelenB

External Links

Search for photos of Bassenthwaite Lake in the gallery

Search for videos of Bassenthwaite Lake on BirdForum TV

Retrieved from ‘https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/index.php?title=Bassenthwaite_Lake&oldid=230666’

Categories:

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Image:Bass Lk Osprey Viewpoint BF.jpg|thumb|600px|right|Photo by {{user|HelenB|HelenB}}<br/>View of southern end of Bassenthwaite Lake from the Upper Viewpoint, May 2009.<br>Click on image to see a larger version]]
+[[Image:Bass Lk Osprey Viewpoint BF.jpg|thumb|650px|right|Photo by {{user|HelenB|HelenB}}<br/>View of southern end of Bassenthwaite Lake from the Upper Viewpoint, May 2009.<br>Click on image to see a larger version]]
 '''[[England]], [[Cumbria]]'''
@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 [[Image:Bass Lake from Whinlatter.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo by {{user|HelenB|HelenB}}<br/>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]]
-===2016 Ospreywatch News===
+===2018 Ospreywatch News===
-*The 2016 Ospreywatch season opens on Saturday, 26th March
+*The 2018 Ospreywatch season opens on '''Good Friday, 30th March.''' Bassenthwaite's No. 14's tracker is still sending back information and shows that he is well on his way north across the Sahara Desert having left the island of Bioko, south of Nigeria a few days ago. Hopefully, KL and her mate Unring, will have a safe journey back from West Africa. [http://www.ospreywatch.co.uk/wordpress/?page_id=60 Check the LDOP website for updates] and [http://www.facebook.com/ospreywatch their Facebook page]
-*On '''26th March,''' an Osprey was sighted on a branch, via the live CCTV at Whinlatter and it was later confirmed as KL, the female. Last year she arrived on 7th April. A second Osprey (not ringed) was sighted on 27th March and is presumed to be Unring. The pair have been mating and are holding territory over their nest. Although they can't be 100% sure, the Ospreywatch team are pretty sure that the male is KL's mate from last year. When Ospreys migrate, they do not spend the winter together. See the [http://www.ospreywatch.co.uk/wordpress/?page_id=60 LDOP website] for up to date information.
+*'''31st March:''' A male Osprey, possibly Unring has been sighted on the nest, busy adding new nesting materials to it.
-*'''13th April:''' KL and her mate Unring have bonded again this year and KL laid her first egg on 12th April.
+*'''4th April:''' A female Osprey has arrived and they have been observed mating. Visibility is very poor due to the weather, so the Project Team have not been able to determine if the female is KL.
-*'''14th April:''' The Ospreywatch team have been tracking KL's son White 14, from the 2013 nest. He's on his way north, presently crossing the Sahara Desert and heading for Algeria. It will be interesting to see if he takes a similar route to last year across the Mediterranean, which took him over Italy. Last year he eventually found his way back to the north of England, via a roundabout route into southern Sweden!
+*'''5th April:''' A 2nd unringed female has appeared at the nest and a fight between the 2 females broke out! Still no sign of KL, who was Unring's partner for 5 years. More details on the LDOP Facebook page, link above.
-*'''16th April:''' KL has laid her second egg and White 14 is now crossing Italy having made landfall near Genoa.
+*'''8th April:''' There is now only one female, first seen on 3rd April.
-*'''17th April:''' 3rd egg laid at 11.25am this morning!
+*'''9th April:''' There was another Osprey visitor to the nest and this one had a blue ring on the left leg, indicating that it was a Scottish bird. The Osprey team were unable to read the letters/numbers on the ring while this bird explored the nest, then flew off heading north. Latest news of No 14 - he has reached Le Toquet, in northern France, ready to cross The Channel.
-*'''2nd May:''' KL and Unring are still awaiting the first egg to hatch, but meanwhile No 14 has arrived in the UK after spending a few days exploring the French Alps and their lakes. On 1st May his tracker indicated he was heading towards Penrith and he roosted that night a few miles to the east at Whins Pond. On 3rd May, No 14 went exploring and visited the Osprey nest at Foulshaw Moss in south Cumbria, later returning to the River Eden via the River Lune.
+*'''15th April:''' No 14 has crossed the English Channel near its narrowest point, crossed Kent, the Thames and continued northwest into Leicestershire. When he reached Leicester, he turned and headed southwest to the Cotswolds! At Bassenthwaite there is still no sign of KL and the other affair between Unring and the new female is still more off than on!
-*'''6th May:''' Back at the Bassenthwaite nest, KL and Unring had a visit from a ringed Osprey in the afternoon. It swooped down onto the nest and stole a fish that Unring had brought in for KL. The Ospreywatch staff were able to read the number on the blue ring: FF6, which indicates that this bird was ringed at Loch Doon in Galloway, Scotland in 2015.
+*'''19th April:''' Still no sign of KL arriving, but from Unring’s behavior he is still on the lookout for her. He’s been tidying up the nest and spending time on a high branch looking for her to arrive. The OspreyWatch team have said that about 25% of Ospreys returning to UK nests have not turned up this year. The average is 8-10%. The weather has not been very cooperative for northbound migrants! In their first year at Bassenthwaite, they both arrived on 24th April. There has been no mention of the unringed female that was at the nest about 10 days ago, so she may have continued on with her migration.
-*'''19th May:''' The OspreyWatch Team announced that the first egg is hatching and the chick did make it out successfully.
-*'''20th May:''' Second chick hatched today!
-*'''22nd May:''' Some awful news today. The 3rd chick hatched overnight but was snatched from the nest by a Magpie when both KL and Unring were away for a short time! Unfortunately the Magpies hung around all day harassing the parent Ospreys and also managed to take chick number 2 late in the afternoon.
-*'''25th May:''' The remaining chick (the oldest of the 3) was safe when the OpsreyWatch team turned on the camera this morning, but it will remain vulnerable for some time until it grows too big to be taken by a Magpie.
-*'''13th June:''' The chick is now almost 4 weeks old and doing very well as there is no competition for the fish being brought in. Another pair of Ospreys have been visiting Bassenthwaite along with a lone male, White 14, which is the satellite tagged Osprey, born there in 2013. He's been flying all over the Lakes and the Eden Valley since returning from Bioko in the Spring.
-*'''25th June:''' Ringing Day! The chick was found to be female and the heaviest one they've had at Bassenthwaite! She was fitted with a blue ring with the unique letter/number V5, issued by the British Trust for Ornithology. She was also fited with a satellite transmitter. A contest to name this year's chick has been held and V5 is now named "Bega," after the founder of the church at Bassenthwaite Lake.
-*'''8th August:''' Bega fledged on 14th July. She is now a strong flyer and is venturing out over the lake, but has not yet caught any fish for herself. Unring is continuing to bring fish to her on her favourite roost near the nest.
-*'''14th August:''' Bega has been exploring the area around the lake - she even visited the first Osprey nest built in 2001! Here's a link [http://www.ospreywatch.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/V5-11-aug-16.jpg                 to a map] showing her recent flights, though the OspreyWatch team mention that she has been over the lake, but these times didn't coincide with the satellite download times! The female adult, KL, has not been seen for several days, so it is presumed that she has left on her southbound migration already.
-*'''28th August:''' Monday, 29th August (the August Bank Holiday) is the last day that the viewpoints will be manned this season, but Bega and Unring are still there and visitors can still go up to the viewpoints with their binoculars and/or their own spotting scopes. Unring is still feeding Bega, however she is practicing jumping into the water from a snag by the mouth of the river. Bega's older brother, White 14, is still being tracked through his movements in the South Lakes area.
-*'''13th September:''' Bega left Bassenthwaite on Sunday, 4th September and moved down to the South Lakes area, where she stayed around the Millom area until the 7th, when she flew south over Morecambe Bay. On 8th September she passed over Manchester; Saturday, 10th she was west of Leicester and on Monday, 12th September, north of Southampton, before she flew across The Channel at 6pm. Big brother, White 14, is still in the South Lakes area.
-*'''17th September:''' White 14 left South Cumbria yesterday, so LDOP have posted 2 tracking maps on the [http://www.facebook.com/ospreywatch Facebook page]
-*'''14th October:''' Both our Ospreys have now reached their wintering grounds. Bega is exploring an area on the Guinea/Bissau-Guinea border in West Africa and White 14 has made his way back to the island of Bioko, south of Nigeria, where he has wintered since his first migration. Tracking maps are on the [http://www.facebook.com/ospreywatch Facebook page]
-*'''24th October:''' Some worrying news about Bega - the OspreyWatch team have had no signals from her satellite tracker since 18th October when she reached Guinea. White 14 has settled into his winter roost on the island of Bioko. [http://www.facebook.com/ospreywatch Check the Facebook page for updates]
 ==Birds==
 ===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]].
+[[Osprey]], [[Eurasian Marsh-Harrier]] (a pair nested successfully in the reed bed below the viewpoints in 2017), [[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]].
 [[Image:Bass from lower viewpoint.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo by {{user|HelenB|HelenB}}<br/>Southern end of Bassenthwaite Lake from the Lower Viewpoint, May 09. In 2011, the Ospreys built a new nest in a marshy area there]]
 ===Rarities===
@@ Line 39: / Line 26: @@
 ===Check-list===
-{{BirdsSee|[[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]], [[Common Cuckoo]], [[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]], [[Redwing]], [[Song Thrush]], [[Mistle Thrush]], [[Eurasian Reed Warbler]], [[Common Whitethroat]], [[Blackcap]], [[Wood Warbler]], [[Common Chiffchaff]], [[Willow Warbler]], [[Goldcrest]], [[European Pied Flycatcher]], [[Spotted Flycatcher]], [[Blue Tit]], [[Great Tit]], [[Coal Tit]], [[Long-tailed Tit]], [[Eurasian Nuthatch]], [[Eurasian Treecreeper]], [[Common Starling]], [[Eurasian Jay]], [[Eurasian Magpie]], [[Eurasian Jackdaw]], [[Common Raven]], [[Carrion Crow]], [[Rook]], [[House Sparrow]], [[Chaffinch]], [[Eurasian Siskin]], [[European Greenfinch]], [[European Goldfinch]], [[Eurasian Bullfinch]], [[Lesser Redpoll]], [[Common Crossbill]]}}
+{{BirdsSee|[[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 Marsh-Harrier]], [[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]], [[Common Cuckoo]], [[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]], [[Redwing]], [[Song Thrush]], [[Mistle Thrush]], [[Eurasian Reed Warbler]], [[Common Whitethroat]], [[Blackcap]], [[Wood Warbler]], [[Common Chiffchaff]], [[Willow Warbler]], [[Goldcrest]], [[European Pied Flycatcher]], [[Spotted Flycatcher]], [[Blue Tit]], [[Great Tit]], [[Coal Tit]], [[Long-tailed Tit]], [[Eurasian Nuthatch]], [[Eurasian Treecreeper]], [[Common Starling]], [[Eurasian Jay]], [[Eurasian Magpie]], [[Eurasian Jackdaw]], [[Common Raven]], [[Carrion Crow]], [[Rook]], [[House Sparrow]], [[Chaffinch]], [[Eurasian Siskin]], [[European Greenfinch]], [[European Goldfinch]], [[Eurasian Bullfinch]], [[Lesser Redpoll]], [[Common Crossbill]]}}
 [[Image:Whinlatter Visitor Centre.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Photo by {{user|HelenB|HelenB}}<br/>Whinlatter Visitor Centre, located in Whinlatter Forest Park, on the  B5292, west of Bassenthwaite Lake, April 2012]]
 ==Other Wildlife==
-[[Red Squirrel]], [[Badger]], [[Roe Deer]], [[Otter]], [[Pipistrelle bat]], [[Weasel]], [[Stoat]]
+Red Squirrel, Badger, Roe Deer, Otter, Pipistrelle bat, Weasel, Stoat
 ==Site Information==
@@ Line 59: / Line 46: @@
 ===Access and Facilities===
-* The viewpoints will be open and staffed from '''26th March to 29th August''' (Late Summer Bank Holiday), 2016. You may still visit the viewpoints outside of the Osprey season, for beautiful views of Bassenthwaite Lake and Derwentwater.
+* The viewpoints will be open and staffed from '''early April to the end of August''' (Late Summer Bank Holiday), 2017. 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.
@@ Line 67: / Line 54: @@
 * 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 are the 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.<sup>[[#External Links|'''[4]''']]</sup>
 ===Contact Details===
@@ Line 101: / Line 87: @@
 *[http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/171657/bassenthwaite_ouse_bridge_panel.pdf Bassenthwaite Lake National Nature Reserve - Ouse Bridge map and information (printable pdf)]
-#[http://www.flickr.com/photos/ospreywatch/ Flickr album of Osprey and Bassenthwaite  photos]
+#[http://www.flickr.com/photos/ospreywatch/ LDOP Flickr album of Osprey and Bassenthwaite  photos]
 #[http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=322397&y=526720&z=115&sv=322397,526720&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=733&ax=322397&ay=526720&lm=0 Location of hide near Powterhow Wood]
 #[http://www.dubwathsilvermeadows.org.uk/ Dubwath Silver Meadows Wetland Nature Reserve] plus [http://www.dubwathsilvermeadows.org.uk/images/stories/dubwath_map.gif Dubwath Silver Meadows map]
-#[http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/englandnweospreybustimetable.pdf/$FILE/englandnweospreybustimetable.pdf 2010 Osprey Bus timetable and map of Bassenthwaite area]
 <br />