2025 SEASON

Could there be a better start to the season, 22 years of age and still counting

Not sure what constitutes the start of the 2025 Season, However, on Saturday 1st of February Threave Castle carried out nest Inspection/Repairs to the two Nests in their Area. Over the next few weeks nest Maintenance was carried out across the Osprey estate, from Poole Harbour on the South Coast to Loch Garten in North East Scotland, with kielder Forest Osprey Project installing/replacing a couple of platforms.

The First known Birds to arrive back in the UK were Blue 25(10) in the morning of the 13th March, closely followed in the afternoon of the that same day by the long established Male from the Manton Bay Nest Blue 33(11). With their individual partners these two birds have added at. least 60 Fledged Offspring to the Rutland family upto this year. They went on to spend a some time in each others company whilst waiting for their partners.

Blue 25(10) and Blue 33(11) waiting patiently, 15/03/25.

INDIVIDUAL NESTS

SCOTTISH NESTS

ALYTH SUBSTATION

Harry and Flora (Blue HK0) have nested at Alyth since 2022. They were named by The Meigle Primary School Children. At the end of 2024 their nest was in a pretty sorry state, it was rebuilt by Jason from Wildlife Windows on the 20th of March 2025. The camera went live on the same day.

On 3rd of April, Harry arrived home at 17:36. This was considerably later than his arrival date in 2024 on the 29th of March. However there was still no sign of Flora. On the 5th of April an Un-ringed female landed on the nest and started to make herself at home. Initially it looked as if Harry was still waiting for Flora but as time went by he began to bond with the new female. Flora finally arrived on 9th April, landing at 08:04 (In 2024 she arrived on the 28th of March). She had been delayed by bad weather on the Iberian Peninsula. Flora immediately set about removing the intruding female from her nest. By 12:17 on the same day, Harry had delivered a fish for Flora and things were beginning to settle down to normal. They spent their time bonding, building the nest and fishing.

Unfortunately the camera went down on the 12th of April and didn’t re-start until the 19th of June. During that time, the nest was observed occasionally from the ground.

On the 2nd of June Flora was observed making feeding motions into the nest so a chick was thought to be present but the depth of the nest cup impaired the view from the ground so that it was impossible to be certain.

On the 18th of June Flora and Harry were seen feeding at the same time and it is thought that by this stage, there was more than one chick on the nest.

The camera returned on the 19th of June. There were three healthy looking chicks and Harry was seen making regular fish deliveries. However, at this stage, Bailer Twine was noted on the nest. One of the chicks became entangled in the twine and Flora was also seen to fly from the nest trailing twine that had become tangled around her talons. Unfortunately, it was still attached to her when she returned. Other human debris was also noted on the nest.

On the 24th of June the children of Meigle Primary School named the three chicks as follows: Forest, Marlow and Oakley.

On 28th of June an intruder landed briefly on the nest and was chased off by Flora. One of the chicks became very badly tangled up in the twine but managed to free itself.

On the 1st of July the camera was switched off for nest maintenance. When it re-started later in the day the twine and human debris had been removed from the nest and the chicks had been ringed. The primary objective of the work had been to remove the twine which posed a danger to the nest occupants. The ringing was an added bonus. The chicks are Forest (male: 7L0) , Marlow (female: 7L1) and Oakley (male: 7L2). This is the first time Alyth chicks have ever been ringed.

A spell of bad weather in early July affected the food supply with a reduction in fish delivered to the nest. This resulted in great competition between the chicks with the older and bigger chicks preventing Oakley from getting fish. Sadly on the 7th of July Oakley died. The weather improved and with a resumption of regular fish deliveries, Forest and Marlow continued to thrive. On the 14th of July Flora removed Oakley’s body from the nest.

On 19th July, Harry delivered a fish at 17:55 and Forest reached a huge milestone when he ate it entirely by himself. Harry wasn’t seen again until 21st July at 13:59 and Flora brought fish to the nest during his absence. Forest went onto fledge at 20:25. He spent the night away from the nest, returning at 04:55. but it was to be another four days before the fledging of his younger sister Marlow. She initially flew to the camera pole (a fludge) but her fledge was confirmed when she was seen flying back to the nest at 05:15

On the 29th July, Blue 527 intruded and landed on the nest. This sighting was reported to the Roy Dennis foundation. Blue 527 is from Errogie and was ringed on 25th June 2022. Intruders continued to visit the nest. An unringed male (thought to be Clyde) landed on the 9th of August. He had nested nearby last year with Darden (Blue 210), who also paid Alyth a visit on 7th July. It is widely thought that an unringed intruder on the 21st July was NC0.

On 4th August, Alyth experienced sustained winds of 60mph with driving rain as Storm Floris arrived. No damage resulted to the nest or its occupants.

Life continued with the youngsters competing for regular fish deliveries. They both became adept at dealing with Flounders. There is some incredible footage of Harry delivering a Flounder which fell off the nest. He was seen flying down to collect the fish from the ground and returning it to the nest moments later.

On Thursday the 14th August, more intruders were seen. Flora was on the nest alerting and mantling. An intruder was seen flying at 11:39 and Flora flew from the nest at 11:44. In the afternoon there was a severe thunderstorm with strong winds. At 13:00 the camera began to have issues and then failed. The following morning the camera was back and Forest arrived on the nest at 05:46. Later that morning Harry was seen delivering a fish and Marlow was also seen. However Flora has not been seen since the storm. She may have departed on her migration as the winds subsided. We wish her well.

Harry continued to deliver fish to the nest. On Sunday 17th August Marlow briefly touched down on the nest at 10:52 but left soon after. She has not been seen on camera since. We wish her a safe migration.

Harry continues to bring fish for Forest and currently the camera is still working but has been more temperamental since the storm. .

The season is drawing to a close. Harry was seen on the 29th of August delivering a flounder to Forest. Despite Forest being on the nest and fish calling very loudly the following day there was no sign of Harry. On the 31st of August Forest seen on the nest with a very healthy looking crop. Fish deliveries are obviously taking place off the nest. On the 31st of August at 09 13, Harry delivered a very fine headless trout for Forest. Currently they are both still at Alyth.

1st of September, the first day of metrological Autumn. Harry and Forest both at Alyth, Harry delivered a fine headless trout.

Forest looking out over the area, 31st August. It’s the meteorological autumn from the 1st September. He’ll be thinking of warmer places soon.

Forest appears quite content at Alyth and not in any particular hurry to leave. On the 2nd of September he is seen bringing nesting materials to the nest.

The 3rd of September Forest is still at Alyth. At the time of writing Harry hasn’t been seen today. In 23 and 24 he was the last Osprey to migrate. He has done an amazing job this year. Each Flounder he brought to the nest, involved a 30 mile round trip to The Tay estuary. Forest last seen on the 4th of September at 09.06. Things seem much quieter at Alyth.

Harry and Flora have worked very hard and they are a fabulous team.

We wish Harry Flora Forest and Marlow well. Hopefully they will all return safely. Oakley will always be at Alyth and remembered fondly.

Many thanks to everyone who gave time slots on the YouTube stream,to Bart for Osprey Cam and to SSEN and Wildlife Windows for the camera.

ALYTH SUBSTATION CHICK DETAILS
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
7L0 FOREST	M	INFORMATION NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO CAMERA MALFUNCTION		21/07/25 20:25	04/09/25 09:06
7L1 MARLOW	F			25/07/25 05:15	17/08/25
7L2 OAKLEY	M			07/07/25 Perished due to Siblicide
Chicks ringed on 01/07/25. Named Forest, Marlow and Oakley by local school children

ARGATY

We have a minimal amount of information about this nest. What we know:-

BOTH BIRDS REPORTED AS RETURNED 07/04/25

Male Blue 326 (Hatched Lake of Menteith 2019)

Female NF3 (Hatched 2016)

3 CHICKS RINGED 02/05/25

BLUE 2S7 Female, 2S8 Female and 2S9 Male.

BALGAVIES LOCH

Male:- KR3(16), Returned 06/04/25

Female:- KU5(19), Arrived 12/04/25

The season started on a bit of a low when the resident female Unringed Mrs BF failed to return.( She has bred at Balgavies 2017-2024 Raising 14 Chicks)

However it soon picked up with the Arrival of Blue KU5. Things then appeared to go quite smoothly, on 11/07/25 Two chicks were Ringed Blue 4L1 Male and Blue 4L2 Female.

21/07/25

Saw the 2025 version of the 2022 incident, where the nest collapsed and the chick was rescued and put back into a make shift nest. This years incident as reported via Social Media.

On 23/07/25 it was reported that 4L2 had fledged, so a HAPPY ENDING.

Blue 717 Hatched 2022 the Daughter of Balgavies 2012 Fledgling Blue YD is currently breeding at Foulshaw Moss nest 2 in Cumbria, one chick Ringed 9K4 has been raised this year.

Blue 718(hatched Balgavies Loch 2023) has been photographed several times this summer in the Netherlands. Interestingly Blue 718 was seen in the UK at HornSea Mere 06/08/25 (link Below), Update 01/09/25 Blue 718 continues to be photographed in the netherlands. Obviously prefers to go Dutch.

Merebirders

BORDER OSPREYS

Male:- Unringed Samson, Returned 12/04/25 Last seen around 15th/09/25

Female:- Blue 500(20) Augusta, Returned 08/04/25

Generally speaking by recent standards an uneventful season, albeit a positive one, Link below to BORDER OSPREYS BLOG which reviews the season far better than I can, Rosie Shields does a great job looking after Border Ospreys and keeping us up to date with her blog.

BORDER OSPREYS

BORDER OSPREYSCHICK DETAILS
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
UNRINGED	NOT KNOWN	30/04/2	05/06/25	28/07/25 13:48	13/09/25
UNRINGED	NOT KNOWN	03/05/25	DNH	N/A	N/A
UNRINGED	NOT KNOWN	06/05/25	10/06/25	02/08/25 09:46	15/09/25

LOCH GARTEN

The photo above was chosen to reflect the season overall at Loch Garten, yet another unsuccessful season at this most predigious nest. The season appeared initially to be heading in the right direction with the return of Asha on the 6th April, she was joined on the 7th April by a Blue ringed Male 047 (Hatched 2021, in the Moray Area), then started what was to be the routine for the season, with intruders on the 12th and the 13th, this one being Blue AX6 (Hatched Glen Affric Area 2016). Brodie Returned on the 14th April. Between 14th and the 19th there were virtually daily intrusions before Blue KL5 (Hatched Loch Ness Area 2020), last year’s nemesis returned on the 19th, almost immediately Divebombing the nest. Thereafter there have been squabbles over the nest with daily intruders, some ringed (list below). Brodie was last seen around the 2nd May, there is some confusion in my mind when Asha was last seen, due to being unringed, however, It is thought that Asha remained around the nest site until early May. Thereafter there appears to have been a fairly regular Female on the nest, whom people who regularly follow the live chat have named Betty. Early August and Loch Garten staff report that the Unringed Female and KL5 appear to have settled into a routine and showing bonding behaviours and nest defence, so possibly looking favourable for next season.

RINGED INTRUDERS at LOCH GARTEN

DATE	DARVIC NUMBER	SEX	DETAILS
07/04	047	?	HATCHED MORAY AREA 2021
13/04	AX6	M	HATCHED GLEN AFFRIC AREA 2016
19/04	KL5	M	BTO RINGED ONLY
04/05	616	?	NO INFORMATION
09/05	NS3	?	NO INFORMATION
15/06	743	F	HATCHED ARGATY 2023
20/06	PF4	F	HATCHED LOCH of the LOWES 2023

There have been frequent Unringed Intruders throughout June/July/August.

LOCH of the LOWES

A complicated and unsuccessful season. The resident female (Blue NC0, minus her Darvic ring lost last year) returned early on the 17th March. Thereafter the confusion starts with up to 5 other birds vying for the nest, both females and males.

Last year’s Male contender, the Dark intruder, named in the LotL custom LM24, arrived around the 2nd of April. NC0 was not seen at Loch of the Lowes after 4th April.

Thereafter there were several combinations of pairings.

The final pairing at this stage of the season was LM24 and a female named LF25. They went on to lay 2 eggs on 4th and 7th May. Unfortunately egg 2 was damaged accidentally when stood on. Thereafter incubation of the second egg continued until around early June when LF25 started to leave the egg unattended for extended periods, the egg was finally predated by a crow on 08/06/25. LM24 and LF25 continued to occupy the nest and pair bond, but Mid July sees the arrival of Blue 210 Darden (hatched Kielder Forest Nest 4 in 2020). Darden had bred previously in the area, but her nest had failed this year due to disturbance by other Ospreys.

FOR A FULL RUN DOWN OF EVENTS, Read the Scottish Wildlife Trusts Blogs.

SWT, Loch of the Lowes Blogs

LM24 and LF25

BLUE 210, DARDEN

LOCH ARKAIG

Nest 2

Male:- Unringed Louis, Returned 02/04/25. Last seen 21/08/25

Female:- Unringed Dorcha, Returned 02/04/25, Last seen 07/08/25

After the sadness & uncertainty of last season when Louis appeared to be unwell, the Loch Arkaig followers waited nervously to see if he would return. His return date from last season passed, as did that of Dorcha’s, & anxiety levels rose that little bit higher.

On 2nd April at 10.35 the first osprey of the season arrived. Excitement amongst the followers “is it Louis, is it Dorcha?” Unfortunately it was neither, the visitor was an unringed bird, a very dark female who’d briefly visited the nest in previous seasons. Back to the nervous wait.

At 14.04 on the same day Dorcha arrived for her fifth season, she only stayed for a couple of minutes but it was enough to raise the followers spirits.

The buzz, which had continued into the evening following Dorcha’s arrival, reached a crescendo just before 19.44 when what many of the followers thought wouldn’t happen did, Louis arrived. He left after a few minutes but returned seconds later. He only had to wait a few more minutes before Dorcha arrived at 20.12. The Loch Arkaig nest 2 breeding couple were reunited for 2025.

Mating & nest restoration continued over the following weeks.

On the 16th April Dorcha laid the first egg, followed by two others, one on the 19th & another on the 22nd.

Over at nest 1 an unringed bird was seen for approximately 10 minutes on the 6th April.

On 8th April, blue 152 Affric & her unringed mate known as Prince, breeders from the Bunarkaig nest, were on nest 1 for just over 10 minutes.

The next day, 9th April, saw the arrival of blue LV0 Garry to nest 1. LV0 had been a regular visitor to the nest in previous seasons but never managed to attract a mate. Could this be his season.

Following LV0’s return, Affric paid a few visits mainly when LV0 had a fish which she was happy to take from him.

The 18th April saw blue 536, later named Aurora by the followers, arrive at nest 1 for the first time. Following the report of 536’s sighting to the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation it was discovered that she fledged from a nest at Loch Fleet in 2022. Prior to receiving this information it was thought likely that she was a young bird due to her reluctance to mate with LV0. As the season progressed the pair continued to spend time together on nest 1 & Aurora became more receptive to LV0’s mating attempts but it was too late for eggs. A bond appeared to have been firmly made boding well for next season.

At nest 2 Dorcha successfully incubated the 3 eggs even though she was subjected to several nighttime tawny owl attacks. The days had been very warm & sunny.

On 24th May the first egg hatched, the second was on the 25th & the third the 27th.

Most days Louis delivered an average of 4 to 5 fish, of varying sizes. All the chicks ate well & there was minimal bullying.

Sadly on 8th June chick 3 passed away. It was a big shock to the followers as there had been no indication on previous days that it wasn’t well.

The weather in June was more unsettled with heavy rain & strong winds. Louis continued to deliver to the nest but his average dropped to 3 to 4 fish.

The chicks were ringed on 2nd July. Both chicks were thought to be male. The eldest weighed 1.32kg, ringed 7P0 & later named Darach by the followers. The second 1.27kg, ringed 7P7 & named Breac.

7P7 was the first to fledge on 18th July, he was 54 days old. 7P0 fledged the following day, he was 56 days old.

The season continued as was seen on many nests, desperate fish drop offs by dads to screaming chicks whose only mission was to eat as much as they could.

Storm Floris passed through the nest area on 4th August. Dorcha had been seen briefly the day before but not on the day of the storm. She had been visiting the nest less in the previous week & on occasions taking fish for herself from Louis rather than feeding it to the chicks.

There was some concern for Dorcha, that she’d been injured in the storm, when she didn’t visit the nest on Monday evening & the following two days.

An unringed bird visited the nest very briefly on 7th August, the consensus amongst the followers was that it was Dorcha. This was the last sighting of her.

Breac was last seen on the nest on 15th August at 09.12. ( Editor Note:- Breac was seen in Spain on 31/08/25 and again on 01/09/25, See sighting link below)

Darach last seen on 21st August at 13.22 leaving the nest with a fish. He appeared to have injured his left leg/foot the previous day as he was limping when on the nest, hopefully it was a temporary problem & didn’t affect his migration.

Louis was last seen on the nest at 12.35 on the same day, 21st August.

Last sightings of the nest 1 birds, for 536 Aurora it was 28th July but she was photographed 3 weeks later on the south coast of the UK at Poole Harbour.

LV0 Garry’s last visit to nest 1 was 16th August, just 1 day after 152 Affric’s last visit there. She’d spent quite a lot of time with LV0 after 536 had left, there were no further sightings of Prince since the beginning of the season. It was thought that there had been one chick at the Bunarkaig nest but for whatever reason it did not survive.

Credit:- M. Cheadle

LOCH ARKAIG NEST 2 CHICK DETAILS
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
7P0 DARACH	M	16/04/25 17:53	24/05/2507:34	19/07/25	21/08/25
7P7 BREAC	M	19/04/25 12:52	25/05/2503:00	18/07/25	15/08/25
		22/04/25 10:30	27/04/25 06:46	DECEASED 08/06/25

LOCH DOON

Ospreys have been visiting Loch Doon in East Ayrshire since 2012, first successfully breeding in 2014 since then rearing 18 chicks. The first Osprey to return to the nest was Unringed Angel on the 19th March this year, a week earlier than expected followed by Frankie Blue FK4 who turned up on the 24th March.

There was an unfortunate incident on the 26th May when one of the chicks became separated from its siblings and isolated on the outer edge of the nest, it quickly succumbed to the bad weather and perished, very difficult to be sure which of the three chicks it was.

LOCH DOON CHICK DETAILS 2025
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
4B0 BONNIE	F	09/04/25	16/05/25	07/07/25	22/08/25
5B1 GIZMO	F	12/04/25	17/05/25	09/07/25	03/09/25 12:56
N/A		15/04/25	20/05/25	1 Chick died 26/05/25
Chicks ringed on 23/06/25. Named Bonnie and Gizmo by local school children

TWEED VALLEY

What a Complicated Season, with, with some birds not returning, some moving nests and a Polygamous nest involving the long established Mrs O, a second Female and a young Male. 4 eggs were laid: three by Mrs O and the fourth by Female 2, all seemed to be going reasonably well, with the females appearing to share the incubation duties, and the male provisioning the nest. Four chicks hatched, then the Male went AWOL, the genetic drivers meant that both females wanted to remain with the chicks, neither taking up the mantle of food provider, as a result all four chicks perished.

This is how the Project summed up the 2025 season.

“The minimum number of young osprey fledged within the Tweed Valley Osprey project area this year is 28 from 12 productive nest sites.

Five nest sites were visited for ringing the chicks and at the remaining sites the chicks were not ringed but fledging was observed and sites monitored for activity.

This brings the minimum total number of osprey chicks raised in the Tweed Valley Project area to 413 since the start of the project. (The actual number will be higher with the addition from any

unaccounted-for sites).

There are 22 nest sites in total and we are still waiting for news regarding three of the sites.

A strange season with lots of upsets and break ups of partnerships and sites abandoned which have previously been very productive.

Birds are occupying new territory and dispersing further down the valley which is encouraging for the future growth of the osprey population in the Scottish Borders”.

TWEED VALLEY NEST 2 CHICK DETAILS
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
Laid by Mrs O		18/04/25	28/05/25	Perished 03/06/25
Laid by Mrs O		21/04/25	29/05/25	Perished 03/06/25
Laid by Mrs O		24/04/25	30/05/25	Perished 03/06/25
Laid by Second Female		24/04/25	31/05/25	Perished 03/06/25
Nest occupied by Mrs O and a second BTO Ringed Female and a young Male. Male went missing around the end of May and beginning of June.

NEWS OF TVOP BIRDS BREEDING OFF-SITE

330:- Breeding at Kielder Forest Nest 10 with Blue PY0

PY0:- See Above

699:- Breeding in the Kielder Forest Area with an Unringed Male for the second year

LL5:- Breeding in Dumfriesshire since 2023. ( Failed to return this Year, Has been replaced by Blue W4)

685:- Breeding at Private nest in North Wales, seen fishing on Anglesey has raised at least 2 chicks this year (see Below).

LATE NEWS

09/09/25, Blue 8J2 (Hatched 2025 to Unringed Parents) Photographed at the Otter Estuary in devon.

THREAVE CASTLE

NEST 1

Male:- Black 80, returned 19/03/25, Last seen week ending 07/09/25.

Female:- Blue KC, Returned 21/03/25. Blue KC not seen since Mid April

Female 2:- following some disruption on the nest it appears a new female took over Mid April, she is ringed on the right leg, however, yet to be identified. Last seen week ending 07/09/25

Initially Blue KC was reported as incubating in early April, thereafter incubation stopped whilst the disruption carried on. the new female was reported to be incubating from Mid April, which suggests the possibility that Blue KC eggs were abandoned/destroyed as the single chick raised this year hatched reportedly around 31/05/25.

The single chick was ringed on 11/07/25 Blue 5B2.

This is the 42nd Chick that Black 80 has raised to fledging.

BLACK 80

NEST 2

Two Unringed birds have occupied this nest most of the season, time spent building the nest and pair bonding, suggests every possibility for a successful next season.

08/09/25 Update. Both birds last seen at nest 2 week ending 12/09/25.

The photos below show the work done this year.

Blue 041, Hatched Threave Castle 2022, seen in the area. There is some thought that he might be breeding in the surrounding area, Not Confirmed.

OTHER SCOTTISH NEWS.

We have been informed of a nest in North east Fife where the chicks were ringed Blue 4L3,4L4 and 4L5, all have subsequently fledged, 4L3 was photographed still at this nest 07/09/25.

07/09/25 Blue 4L3 with lunch.

Two chicks were raised at Lochter, however, these were not ringed.

Isle of Bute reported that a least 3 successful nests, female at one of the nests being Blue 467 (Hatched Esthwaite 2021). One chick at Nest 1 was ringed Blue 6L7. It is not known what the ring numbers, if any, were at other nests.

BUTE BIRD GROUP

The story at a lot of the Scottish nests we have received updates about is that a lot of the nests have suffered disturbance from intruding birds resulting in nest failures.

During July there were a spate of fires, one of which caused the need for three Osprey Chicks to be rescued, these chicks were Translocated to Spain as part of an ongoing programme managed by the RDWF.

Link below to BBC Scotland Out of doors, programme reporting this incident.

BBC SCOTLAND Out of Doors

TRANSLOCATION

A further Cohort of chicks including the ones reported above, were translocated to Spain under the previously agreed programme.

ENGLISH NESTS

BASSENTHWAITE

We know thanks to an update from the Landowner that this nest has been sucessful again this year, however, once again the 2 Chicks have not been ringed, which is a real shame, given its place in the history of the area, it no longer contributes to the ongoing story. Ringing contributes so much more than just identifying individuals, the information generated through knowledge of sightings,etc, is lost and the the engagement it generates diluted. The ongoing conservation of these magnificent birds relies on public support, Public support increases with engagement, Being able to identify individual birds, find their history and discover the life story is what as allowed the top projects to survive and grow.

WEST MIDLANDS RESERVIOR

Both of the previous years pair were reported to have returned, the Male Blue 2AM on 27/03 and the Female Blue KA6 on 08/04. It was reported that the Birds were incubating and subsequently that 3 Chicks could be seen on the nest. Throughout the season several photographs were posted of the 2AM fishing at the reservoir.

28/07/25 The West Midlands Ringing Group posted the news that the three chicks had been ringed and had subsequently Fledged, giving a total of 7 chicks fledging from this nest since this pair’s first year together in 2023.

Ringing Details: Although West Midlands Ringing Group advise caution at this point they believe all three are Female going by weight.

Ring Numbers:- Blue 4R3, 4R4 and 4R5.

BLUE 2AM Details

Hatched Manton Bay 2017, one of a brood of two that year, Parents are Blue 33 and Unringed Maya. (both continue as breeding pair on the Manton Bay nest)

BLUE KA6 DETAILS

Hatched Llyn Clywdog Nest 1, 2019, one of a brood of three that year, Parents are Unringed Dylan (currently remains the breeding male on this nest) and Unringed Delyth (failed to return in 2020, Breeding female 2016-2019)

2AM KA6

4R3 4R4 4R5

All Photos thanks to (C) Phil Cooper.

BOLTON CASTLE

MALE:- Unringed

FEMALE:- Blue KS1(18) Hatched Glaslyn 2018, parents being Unringed Aran and Unringed Mrs G

3 eggs were seen in the nest 02/05/25 ad 3 chicks were ringed in July.

DARVIC RING NUMBERS USED

3K9, 4K0 and 4K1, Sex of chicks unknown at this point. As Can be seen in The Pictures below all the chicks fledged successfully.

ESTHWAITE

MALE:- Blue 7A, Returned 24/03/25

FEMALE:- Unringed, Returned 27/03/25

It was reported that a chick had hatched on 24/05/25, 1 chick was subsequently ringed in July Using Blue 7K3, thought to be Male at ringing.

NOTE.

Osprey Safari, who for many years ran the Business on Esthwaite changed hands, with the new proprietors not taking charge until after the birds had returned. We thank them very much for sharing what information they have, and look forward to their information sharing in the future, we wish them every success.

FOULSHAW MOSS

Foulshaw Moss Nest 1

Male:- White YW, Returned 24/03/25, Last seen 13/09/25

Female:- Blue 35,Returned 29/03/25. Last seen on the nest 05/08/25

This pair have been together since their first breeding season together in 2014, they have raised 32 chicks. to the fledging stage at a rate of 2.66 chicks/ year which puts them right up there with the top breeding birds at monitored nests.

This has been a very positive year raising 3 chicks to fledging, with little or no problems, weather has been fairly kind and fishing regular.

Interestingly during the later part of August an unringed Chick has spent a lot of time on the nest and has been provided with fish by White YW (This has continued well into September), it is thought that this chick has come from a local failed nest where the chicks are unringed, it was suggested by one person on CWT Chat it is from a nest in the Duddon Estuary, although this is not confirmed.

14/09/25 Unringed juvenile still present on the nest, White yw not seen since 13/09/25.

FOULSHAW MOSS NEST 1 CHICK DETAILS 2025
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
7K0	M	16/04/25	22/05/25	19/07/25	13/08/25
7K1	F	13/04/25	19/05/25	12/07/25	14/08/25
7K2	M	10/04/25	18/05/25	09/07/25	14/08/25

Foulshaw Moss nest 2

Male:- BLUE 476, arrived 30/03/25, Last seen after 12/09/25

Female:- Blue 717, Arrived ??/??/??, last seen 02/09/25

Brilliant News with a second nest at Foulshaw Moss. This is the first year breeding for this pair. Managing to successfully raise on chick, as is not unusual with first time breeders, some negatives are unavoidable, chick number 2 died on the nest, whilst chick number 3 was accidently carried off the nest by the Male parent as he left the nest. However, It can only be seen as a positive step a New Nest, a New pair and successfully raising one chick.

PARENTS DETAILS.

Blue 476, Hatched at a Private Nest in Cumbria 2021. Returned as a 2 year old in 2023 and was seen both in Ireland and at Leighton Moss.

Blue 717, Hatched at nest in Fife in 2022, Father was Blue YD and an Unringed Mother.

FOULSHAW MOSS NEST 2 CHICK DETAILS 2025
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
9K4	??	??	12/06/25		not before 12/09/25
N/A			13/06/25	17/06/25 Chick Dies
N/A			15/06/25	01/07/25 chick accidentally carried off nest by male parent

OTHER LAKE DISTRICT NEWS

The Lake District is a bit like a Black Hole when it comes to sharing information. A conservative estimate would be around 12 nests in the area, in line with both Rutland Water and Kielder Forest, although could easily be nearer to twenty. There are regular updates from Cumbria Wildlife Trust on 2 of those nests, a recent change of ownership at the Esthwaite Cafe/ Boat Hire has continued to update about the nesting Ospreys on the local nest, also the Landowner of Blackwood Farm where the Basenthwaite pair nest has confirmed both the return of the pair and the existence of a minimum of two chicks, there are regular sightings of birds fishing at Cogra Moss, and reports of 7 or 8 Birds over Esthwaite. Interestingly there have been over 50 reported sightings of Osprey in Lancashire but only 2 in Cumbria. If anyone has any Non-Sensitive information that can be shared it would be appreciated, it is a shame that those enthusiasts interested in these birds loose out on information which would enhance the experience without putting the birds at any risk.

Thanks to Joanna Dailey/Kielder Forest Osprey Project we now know of a Nest in the north of the District, Adults being Blue 207 Cawfields and Blue NT9, they raised 3 chicks to fledging.

NEWS FROM NORTHERN ENGLAND

Exciting Developments for breeding Ospreys in Northern England: A Look at the 2025 Season

KIELDER FOREST

Kielder Forest is a vast remote area, we are reliant upon Joanna Dailey and the team at Kielder Forest Osprey Project for information, They Produce Regular Blogs and Annual Data Sheets, for which we are extremely grateful.

KIELDER FOREST

NEST 1A

Male:- Blue W6, Returned 02/04/25

Female:- Unringed KF13 (Mrs YA), Returned 27/03/25

CHICK DETAILS

Chick was ringed 03/07/25

KIELDER FOREST NEST 1A CHICK DETAILS
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
3B5 IRTHING	F	17/04/2513:01	27/05/25C 17:50	24/07/25 14:30
??		20/04/25	28/05/25	PREDATED BY GOSHAWK 29/06/25
??		23/04/25	29/05/25	PREDATED BY GOSHAWK 25/06/25

NEST 2

Last years unringed Male Failed to Return

Male:- Blue 280, arrived early June (Blue 280 Hatched Roudsea Wood, his Father is White YC son of Mrs G)

Female:- Blue PC8, Returned 05/04/25

Nest Unsuccessful as too late to breed

NEST 3

NEST NOT USED FOR SEVERAL YEARS

NEST 4

Male:- Blue Y1, seen on the nest 08/04/25

Female:- Blue 386, seen on the nest 29/04/25

Pair appear to be bonding, however no eggs laid.

NEST 5A

Male:- Blue UV, returned 07/04/25

Female:- Blue 643, seen on nest 15/04/25 (Previous years Female Mrs UV failed to return)

2 Eggs laid on 11th and 14th May.

Camera stopped working in June. Monitoring of the Nest showed both parents away from the nest, suggesting that the nest had failed, reason unknown.

NEST 6

Not used this season, despite having had a new platform installed.

NEST 7

Male:- Unringed KM18, returned 05/04/25

Female:- Blue KX7, returned 21/03/25.

CHICKS WERE RINGED 26/06/25

KIELDER FOREST NEST 7 CHICK DETAILS
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
3B3 INGRAM	F	12/04/25	23/05/25	12/07/25 14:00	22/08/25
N/A	N/A	15/04/25	23/05/25	DIED 20/06/25
3B4 INGOE	F	18/04/25	25/05/25	26/07/25 09:53	08/09/25

NEST 8

Not used this year

NEST 9

Information about this Nest is limited, it is situated outside Kielder Forest, but within the Ringing area. We do know that this pair (same as last year) raised two chicks to fledging.

NEST 10

Male:- Blue PY0, Returned 10/04/25

Female:- Blue 330, Returned 13/04/25

We understand that 3 eggs were laid all of which hatched, confirmed during monitoring on 15/06/25. However at a later monitoring visit mid July there was only 1 surviving chick, which was reported as fledged by 26/07/25.

Kielder Ospreys’ offspring breeding elsewhere

It is noteworthy that the Nest 7 male, KM18, formerly at Nest 3, has reared four of the successful breeders elsewhere.

2020 Nest 4 210/Darden failed to breed in Perthshire where she had 2 chicks in 2024. Latterly she has been at Loch of the Lowes bonding with the unringed male LM24 whose nest failed and whose partner wasn’t seen after mid July.

RUTLAND WATER

MANTON BAY

Male:-Blue 33, Returned 13/03/25, Last seen 09/09/25

Female:- Unringed MAYA, returned 17/03/25, Last seen 05/09/25.

THIS PAIR HAVE BEEN TOGETHER SINCE 2015, BETWEEN THEM THEY HAVE RAISED 31 CHICKS. at a rate of 2.8/Annum

11 are known to have returned a rate of 35.5%

As an individual Maya has been breeding at Manton Bay since 2010, she has raised:-

42 CHICKS. at a rate of 2.63/Annum

17 are known to have returned at a rate of 40%

This has been another very successful season, raising 4 chicks to fledging. Details Below

MANTON BAY CHICK DETAILS
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
3R5	F	02/04/25	05/05/25	02/07/25 12:12	20/08/25 10:49 105 Days Old
3R6	M	05/05/25	11/05/25	03/07/25 11:38	DIED ON 06/07/25 DROWNED
3R7	F	08/04/25	14/05/25	03/07/25 07:44	30/08/25 111 Days Old
3R8	M	11/04/25	17/05/25	08/07/25 10:42	05/08/25 11 Days Old

06/07/25. 5R6

As reported By LRWT Osprey Project

“Sadly, however, we experienced a tragic event just a few days later. On the evening of the 6th July, during wet and stormy weather, 3R6 was seen leaving the nest at 21:31. Shortly afterwards, a splash was heard from the live camera, and at 21:41 Maya was observed flying from the nest while 3R6 could be seen swimming towards the shoreline. At that time, 3R8 had not yet fledged, and any attempt to intervene risked prematurely flushing him from the nest before he was strong enough to fly. With the wet conditions ongoing, an immediate response was not possible without potentially endangering the other chicks.

At first light the following morning, Tim Mackrill searched the area and sadly found 3R6 dead on the shoreline, with a wound on the left side of his neck. Thanks to the support of Oakham Veterinary Hospital, we’ve been able to rule out any foul play, and we are now awaiting results from a post-mortem examination for further insight. Fledging is a critical and often perilous stage in an osprey’s life, and unfortunately, complications can occur despite our best efforts.

We’re incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support and kind messages we’ve received during this difficult time. Your encouragement means a great deal to the entire team.”

12/09/25 LATEST UPDATE. RE:- 3R6

Update on 3R6 from Dr Tim Mackrill

Fledging is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous periods of a young Osprey’s life and sadly this proved to be the case in Manton Bay on 6th July when 3R6 died after crash landing in the water, close to the nest. We have now received the final post-mortem report, which has enabled us to piece together what happened that evening.

3R6 had made his first flight three days earlier, on 3rd July. Like all young Ospreys during their early days on the wing, he was making frequent short flights to and from the nest, and seemingly gaining in confidence by the hour.

At 21:31 on the evening of 6th July 3R6 took off from the nest and shortly afterwards there was a splash in the water and Maya and 3R8, who had yet to fledge, could be seen looking intently in the direction of the splash. Nothing was visible on the nest camera, but ten minutes later 3R6 could be seen in the water below the nest, attempting to make his way to the shore. A decision was made not to intervene at the time due to the risk of 3R8 fledge prematurely in poor weather. Instead, I checked soon after first light the next morning, and sadly found 3R6 dead on the shoreline.

Having recovered the body of 3R6 we received valuable assistance from Oakham Veterinary Practice. Vet Chris Booth kindly organised for a post-mortem at the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science. Chris also x-rayed the bird, which confirmed no foul play was involved in the death of the young Osprey.

We have now received the full post-mortem, including histophalogy, which reports drowning as the cause of death. When I recovered the body of 3R6 there was an obvious wound on the left pectoral muscle. The histopathology testing has now confirmed our suspicion that this wound occurred pre-mortem (i.e. before the bird died). The report states that the cause of this wound was trauma as a result of a ‘talon or beak injury from another raptor, or from a sharp object’. This indicates that, as we suspected at the time, 3R6 had some kind of collision close to the nest, and this led to him crash landing in the water. Under normal circumstances a juvenile Osprey would have been able to get to the shoreline and dry off, but it seems that 3R6 was severely hampered by the injury, and drowned as a result. The report states that ‘the animal likely died very quickly after the wound occurred’, indicating that even if we had gone down to the shoreline on that evening, we would have found 3R6 dead.

We are extremely grateful to both Oakham Veterinary Practice and the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science for their valuable assistance, and for enabling us to understand what happened with 3R6. Thank you also to everyone who sent good wishes following the sad events in early July.

The fact 3R6 died as a result of a fledging accident really emphasises what a hazardous period this is for juvenile Ospreys. It is very pleasing, therefore, that all of 3R6’s siblings have now set-off on migration after lengthy stays in Manton Bay. 3R5 left seven weeks after fledging, while 3R7 and 3R8 had been flying for more than eight weeks when they set off on their first migration. This will have helped to ensure that all three youngsters were in excellent condition when they set off and this gives them the best possible chance as they travel south for the first time. Let’s hope we see one or more of them back in two years’ time. The excellent return rate of juveniles from the Manton Bay nest suggests there’s a good chance we will.

CREDIT:- Dr TIM MACKRILL AND RUTLAND OSPREY PROJECT.

Interestingly all 3 chicks from the Manton Bay Nest in 2023 have returned this year.

MANTON BAY INFORMATION

Bart Molenaar, moderates the Live Chat on the Manton Bay Youtube Cameras, He also owns and runs Ospreycam.net. an unparalleled site for data and information about Manton Bay and some other nests, Link Below.

Ospreycam.net

SITE B

Information about Site B Rutland has become much more publicly available this year, with Wild Rutland conducting Tours of the site and onformation being posted on Social Media.

https://www.wildrutland.com/first-osprey-nest-location-in-central-england/)

Resident pair information is based on Historical Breeding Information for the site, this pair have bred at this site since 2017.

Male:- Blue 30(10), Returned

Female:- Blue HJ8, Returned.

A successful season with 3 chicks raised to Fledging, Ring Numbers allocated Blue 6R0, Blue 6R2, Both have been reported, so assume the third ring used is 6R1

WILD RUTLAND SITE B

OTHER RUTLAND SITES

We understand from information recieved at the Lyndon Centre that 11 out of 12 nest have been successful this year raising 31 chicks to fledging, this will include:- 4 chicks at Manton Bay, 3 at Site B and 3 Chicks raised at the new East Midlands Site (see below).

RUTLAND BIRDS KNNOWN TO HAVE RETURNED

RUTLAND WATER BIRDS SEEN AT RUTLAND WATER 2025 Download

RUTLAND BIRDS SEEN AWAY FROM RUTLAND WATER

RUTLAND WATER BIRDS SEEN OUTSIDE OF RUTLAND WATER 2025 Download

RUTLAND PROGENY BREEDING OUTSIDE OF RUTLAND WATER

RUTLAND PROGENY KNOWN TO BREED OUTSIDE OF RUTLAND WATER 2025 Download

POOLE HARBOUR

Poole Harbour Nest 1

Nest 1

The resident pair returned for their 4th breeding season, Male Blue 022(19) {Hatched at Nest B01 Moray, Scotland, translocated to Poole Harbour} and Female Blue CJ7(15) {Hatched in Rutland Water Site K (parents are Blue 06(09) and Blue 00(09)}.

022 returned 22/03/25 and CJ7 returned 25/03/25. They managed to fledge another 4 strong juveniles this year (2nd year running): 5R3 (F) 5R4 (M) 5R5 (M) and 5R6 (M), ringed on 29th June.

Last seen dates: 5R5 10/8/25, 5R6 22/8/25, CJ7 22/8/25, 5R4 26/8/25, 5R3 28/8/25, 022 29/8/25

There have been more intruders this year, definitely getting a busier area, and they have also had to lose fish to the resident White Tailed Eagle pair G466 (F) & G463 (M) who have successfully bred a chick in our area this year, despite the male having only one foot.

Nest 2

Our new pair, consisting of translocated male Blue 374(21) and Rutland female Blue 1H1(22) {Rutland MB Site, (Parents Maya (unringed) and Blue 33(11)}, have also had a very successful season for first time breeders, fledging two strong chicks (from 3 eggs laid), 5R7 and 5R8 (both undetermined sex), ringed 9th July.They spent much of the summer together in Poole Harbour last year but 022 was very dominant at keeping them out.

Poole Harbour Nest Watch Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTq7sfWtsSFb4eaFHXvlQanbab9Bg8b6H9li9pSO5eK6pr9GLU0GCGTqH-kEk99LQ-s0Sj6ngfdzCTf/pub

Other News 1:

First Poole Harbour Osprey chick ‘Blue 5H1(22)’ now breeding with 3AY(19), in Rutland and have produced chicks 8R3, 8R1 & 8R2 (undetermined sexes etc). CJ7 and 022 are now officially grandparents!!

Other News 2:

First Poole Harbour Osprey chick of 2023 season Blue 5H3 (23) male has also returned to the Poole Harbour area in June, and has re-appeared in August, so hopefully we’ll be seeing him again next year too!!

J. Moore, JB Co Editor and Hawk Willow (Fish Chart)

CHICK DETAILS BELOW.

POOLE HARBOUR NEST 1 CHICK DETAILS
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
5R3	F	13/04/25	22/05/25	13/07/25 10:29	28/08/25
5R5	M	16/04/25	22/05/25	12/05/25 19:38	10/08/25 09:37
5R4	M	19/04/25	24/05/25	13/07/25 10:20	16/09/25
5R6	M	22/04/25	28/05/25	20/07/25 12:37	22/08/25

Osprey Diary 2025

UPDATE, BLUE 5R4 SEEN IN THE POOLE HARBOUR AREA 16/09/25, AFTER NOT BEING SEEN FOR SEVERAL WEEKS.

Poole Harbour Nest 2

Male:- Blue 374, Arrived 05/04/25

Female:- Blue 1H1, Arrived 24/03/25. Last seen 07/09/25

2 Chicks ringed 09/07/25 Blue 5R7 and Blue 5R8, sex of the chicks was undetermined at time of ringing. 5R8 Last seen 05/09/25

INFORMATION REGARDING NEST 2.

NEST 2 INFORMATION

RANWORTH BROAD

There was much to look forward to at Ranworth Broad at the beginning of the 2025 Osprey season. A male has been in residence there for a couple of years and last year saw the arrival of a female in May who paired up with the male for the season. They initially used the osprey platform which had been erected for them 3 years ago and had begun building a new wild nest to the west of the platform. They displayed a lot of typical pair bonding behaviour, and it was all very encouraging for a successful season in 2025. So much so that Norfolk Wildlife Trust (which manages the site) erected a camera on the side of the visitor centre to view the ospreys online.

This season began when the male was confirmed as having arrived on 4th April, with the female on 8^th. The nest is too far away to confirm the details, but their behaviour and dates suggested this was last year’s pair. NWT confirmed both birds were unringed.

Initially it was thought they were building another wild nest which was just out of public view, however they moved back to the nest they had begun building last year (the platform they abandoned last year was now home to a brood of greylag geese). Lots of pair bonding behaviour and mating was observed. Towards the end of April, they were believed to be on eggs. The camera cannot see into the nest, so this was presumed by their behaviour. At least one chick was apparent by early June as the female was seen to be dipping down as if feeding a chick. NWT subsequently confirmed the presence of two chicks on 20^th June.

In the 3^rd week in June a blue darvic was photographed on the right leg of the female, along with a silver BTO ring on the left. It took the best part of a month for the ring to be identified as Blue 2H7, a bird who was ringed at Belvoir Castle in 2022. She was the daughter of Blue 4K, who is the subject of a book written by Simon Curtin, who, along with his family, have visited Ranworth to see her.

Around the same time, it also became apparent that the birds are not on a wild nest. They in fact are on an Osprey platform that was erected in 2013 after a bird had spent most of the previous summer in the area.

Neither of the chicks were ringed. They both fledged successfully on 24 July and spent the rest of the summer flying around the area, occasionally observed trying to catch fish. Ospreys were seen locally in Hoveton and South Walsham Broads and it is thought they were our birds.

It has been difficult to establish last seen dates for the birds. After the youngsters fledged the family was seen less and less around the nest and spent much of their time out of public view. It is not possible to see past the other side of the nest to see what activity is taking place there, so we do not have exact dates for migration.

Blue 2H7 was thought to have left by 11 August but its possible she was still around. She certainly had left by 2^nd September. One of the youngsters had left by the end of August whilst its sibling had gone by 6^th September. The adult male was last positively identified on 6^th September and was possibly still in the area on 8^th September, but it is not known if the bird which was seen was him.

This concludes a successful first year of breeding and the first Ospreys born in East Anglia in over 200 years! Going forward there are plans to install a nest cam and there is talk of ringing next year’s chicks. Wishing everyone at Ranworth all the luck for a successful 2026.

SAM WALSHE

First ospreys breed in East Anglia for centuries

RANWORTH BROAD NEWS LINKS

OTHER ENGLISH NEWS

NEW NEST

Another New Nest in the East Midlands (Falls under the Rutland Water Umbrella). Pair are Blue 3AY ( Hatched Rutland Water 2019 Parents are Blue 03(09) and BTO Ringed Female From Argyll) and Blue 5H1 ( Hatched Poole Harbour, 2022 parents are Blue 022 and Blue CJ7) They successfully raised 3 Chicks which were ringed Using Blue 8R1, 8R2 and 8R3.

Devon Partnership have been busy throughout the year erecting platforms across the South West,

DEVON OSPREY PARTNERSHIP

In April a bird was photographed on the Somerset Levels carrying nest lining material, which at least suggests that some nest building was happening, with a young male setting up home and trying to attract a mate and at best potentially a new nest, we will have to bide our time .

WELSH NESTS

DYFI

Male:-Unringed IDRIS, Returned 21/03/25 @18:44, Last seen 07/09/25 @ 19:40

Female:-Blue 3J TELYN, Returned 27/03/25 @ 12:41. Last Seen 23/08/25 @ 07:52

The regular breeding male, Idris (unringed), arrived on his earliest date yet, 21st March. He immediately set about building up the nest and waiting for the regular breeding female Telyn (Blue 3J, 2013 Manton Bay) to return. She did so a week later on 27th March and this pair, now established for their sixth breeding season together, soon settled into a regular pattern. The first egg was laid on 9th April, the earliest yet seen at this nest, followed by two more on 12th and 15th April. This year Telyn did not leave the first two eggs partially incubated (she has done this in previous years) and this resulted in a wider hatching date range than is usual at Dyfi of four days. This however did not seem to result in much more sibling fighting than is usual at this nest, as Idris kept the nest well supplied with plenty of his signature enormous fish!

The three chicks were ringed on 20th June and found to be a female and two males. Unfortunately, due to the heat and concerns to ensure the birds were stressed and disturbed for as short a time as possible, a mistake was made and the Darvic rings were placed on the left leg not the right as is usual for Wales. As is customary at DOP, the chicks also were named Brianne, Cwellyn and Honddu after Welsh rivers and lakes.

Cwellyn (6B5) fledged first, on 8th July at 51 days old, followed by Brianne on 10th July at just under 54 days and Honddu on 12th July at 52 days. All three continued to develop their flying skills until Fri 16th August when Brianne was not seen for over a day. It was initially thought she may have migrated but she returned on 19th August, very hungry!

The first birds to migrate were the two males, Cwellyn and Honddu, who were both last seen on 21st August, followed by Telyn who was last seen on 23rd August. After going missing for nearly four days, Brianne then remained on the nest being fed by Idris until Saturday 6th September, breaking the record for the longest staying juvenile at Dyfi at 112 days. She left the nest perch at 08:49 on that day and was not seen since. Idris remains at Dyfi as of the time of writing (Sunday 7th September) and was seen on the nest perch around 5pm.

The Dyfi nest always attracts a lot of intruders and 2025 was no exception, but they are generally kept at a distance by Idris and Telyn so many were not identified. 10 ringed intruders were identified during the season, interestingly all but two were three year olds and only two were two year olds, Blue 3H3 (one of a brood of three, all of which have been seen in 2025 as adults, from Manton Bay in 2023) and LX0, a male thought to be from one of the private nests near Glaslyn where a number of birds hatched at Dyfi breed, although sadly it is not known which nest it was from.

Dyfi nest Intruder list © Dyfi Osprey Project, Observation Log 2025

DYFI OBSERVATION BOARD

DYFI CHICK DETAILS
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
6B6 BRIANNE	F	09/04/25 13:48	17/05/25 16:22	10/07/25 11:48	06/09/25 08:49
6B5 CWELLYN	M	12/04/25 13:37	18/05/25 13:15	08/07/25 16:12	21/08/25 11:00
6B4 HONDDU	M	15/04/25 @ 13:52	21/05/25 15:29	12/07/25 19:37	21/08/25 11:20

Information (C) Dyfi Observation Log.

BRIANNE SETS NEW DYFI RECORD

DYFI OSPREY PROJECT, END OF SEASON BLOG

THE PERFECT SEASON

CLYWEDOG

Clywedog nest 1

Male:- Unringed DYLAN, Returned 25/03/25, Last seen 28/08/25

Female:- Blue 5F, Returned 30/03/25, Last seen 23/08/25

.Blue 5f(12) details, Hatched Rutland Water Site K in 2012, Parents:- Red 08(01) and Yellow 30(05). Yellow 30(05) returned to Rutland Water again this year but was unsuccessful this year.

This pair have been together since 2020, raising 14 chicks to fledging, of which 12 are males and 2 female.

This year despite some bad weather and several intruding Ospreys they have managed to raise 2 chicks, a third egg was laid but failed to hatch. Dylan has again done a good job of provisioning the nest, whilst also defending it against the multiple intruders. Unfortunately there were camera issues earlier in the season, despite this Llyn Clywedog is a must watch nest, great scenery and superb birdsong, and of course a super pair of Ospreys.

Titbit,

On 20/05/25 when 5F was eating a Perch delivered by Dylan, she pulled a live Newt out of the fish’s mouth by its tail, The Newt escaped into the nest, Only to go overboard at a later point when it caught her eye once more.

LLYN CLYWEDOG NEST 1 CHICK DETAILS
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
7M2	F	12/04/25	19/05/25	11/07/25	28/08/25
7M3	M	15/04/25	22/05/25	16/07/25	29/08/25
		18/04/25	DNH

Clywedog Nest 2

Male:- Unringed, Returned

Female:- Blue Z5, Returned

Established pair from last season both returned in 2025, and have had to rebuild the nest, which was destroyed during a storm in the winter, this is a natural nest. One chick hatched, which was ringed on 12-Jul-2025.

LLYN CLYWEDOG NEST 2 CHICK DETAILS
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
7M6	M	??	??

Clywedog nest 3

Male:- X6, Llyn Brenig 2022. Named Olwen at ringing and thought female, now renamed Owain) Returned/arrived 01/05/25

Female:- Unringed, Returned/arrived 01/05/25, Last seen before 02/09/25

This is a new nest this year with a pair of first time breeders, given that 2025 must be considered a brilliant season.

Chicks ringed on July 23rd.

LLYN CLYWEDOG NEST 3 CHICK DETAILS
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
7M7	M	Approx 14/05/25	20/06/25		Before 02/09/25
7M8	M

In lots of ways this is a relatively small project, however, huge credit should be given to John Williams and his team for the work done, there are now 3 nests in the area, 2 birds from previous broods are breeding elsewhere one in south Wales and another establishing a presence in the west midlands, So, Llyn Clywedog nests and Progeny have added a further 11 chicks to the increasing UK population this year. Other excellent news this year the return as a 2 year old of Blue 8B2 the sole surviving chick from 2023 after its sibling was predated by a Goshawk, also the return of a Llyn Clywedog Grandchick 2 year old Blue 5H9 who returned to his Natal area of the West Midlands.

GLASLYN

Male:- Teifi (Blue KC6, 2020, Dyfi), returned 02/04/25, Last Seen 07/09/25

Male:- Unringed ARAN, returned 12/04/25, Last reported as seen 05/09/25

Female:- Unringed ELEN, returned 22/03/25, Last seen 28/08/25

Teifi (Blue KC6) arrived on the nest in early April, and initially bonded with Elen in the absence of Aran. Aran returned two days before Elen laid the first egg on 14th April, which Aran subsequently attempted to destroy. Two further eggs were laid (paternity uncertain) on the 16th and 19th April, both of which were destroyed by Teifi/KC6. Territorial battles continued in April between Teifi/KC6, Aran and a third male Blue 685. Elen laid a fourth egg on 23rd April. Aran was mostly on the nest in late April, but only Teifi/KC6 was present after 2nd May. The fourth egg was buried under nesting materials and Elen lost interest. Aran has not been seen on the nest since 2nd May, since which time Teifi/KC6 and Elen have been regularly seen together on the nest. The nest ultimately failed and there were no chicks hatched in 2025, the first time this has happened in the history of the Glaslyn nest.

Teifi/KC6 and Elen continued to bond during the remainder of the season, and have defended the nest as a pair, although a number of other birds have been seen intruding on the nest. In July and August, female Blue 019 (noted as the mate of Dinas/KS6 on a local private nest in 2024) was a notable intruder, being seen several times on or around the nest.

Meanwhile, whilst Aran was not seen on the Glaslyn nest after 2nd May, it is good news that he is safe and well, has been seen regularly and is apparently holding territory in another area not too far from the Glaslyn nest. It is also thought he was present near the Glaslyn nest at times, although not seen on the live stream, and was observed intruding at the Pont Croesor nest several times. It is not known whether he has paired with a female in his new area, although he has been seen with other birds at times, and it remains to be seen whether he will attempt to reclaim the Glaslyn nest in 2026 or stay to breed in his new territory.

A short update on 28th August confirmed that both Elen and Teifi were still in the area, but this was the last sighting of her. Teifi was not seen on the nest for a week between 1st and 7th September, and was thought to have migrated, before surprising everyone and returning to the nest on the evening of 7th September.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EyWcyzkX3/?mibextid=wwXIfr

A number of updates on Glaslyn chat have since been made, including that six ospreys were still in the Glaslyn Valley at private nests on 6th September, and Aran is still thought to be in the area as of the time of writing (7th September), although he has not come to the Glaslyn nest at all.

26/07/25 it was noted on the live stream chat that Friends of the Ospreys have erected a new nest platform in the area. It will be interesting to see if this impacts the nesting pairs in the Glaslyn Valley next season. Could this be Aran’s new home, will any of the other local pairs up sticks and move? We shall have to wait and see.

FoTo NESTS

We invited Welsh Osprey to contribute to this section. He responded, explaining due to work commitments and a preference not to comment and have that information on unofficial websites, he declined. We respect his position and preference, therefore information in this section is limited and restricted to such information available from public sources/forums. Please note that, apart from where it is explicitly stated that updates have been given with permission of Friends of the Ospreys, information in this section has not been officially endorsed or verified by Friends of the Ospreys.

PC Nest

Male: Aeron (Blue Z2, 2017, Dyfi)

Female: Blue 014 (Poole Harbour translocation, 2018)

This nest is visible from the Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife visitor centre, however as it is not managed by them, and Friends of the Ospreys do not release any information about it publicly, information about it is limited to public updates by BGGW (including updates from staff and volunteers on Glaslyn live stream chat) and from comments by local observers and Glaslyn visitors on the chat.

Both breeding birds were confirmed back on 24th March 2025 on the Glaslyn live stream chat, which was still showing the Pont Croesor bridge at this point due to camera issues at the main nest, and where sounds of a fish delivery to the nest could be heard.

Two chicks were raised in 2025. A short update was posted on the Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife website, with permission from Friends of the Ospreys, in late June:

https://www.glaslynwildlife.co.uk/pont-croesor-nest-update/

The policy of Friends of the Ospreys is not to disclose chick gender information or ring numbers on its nests, so these are not known, although it is assumed that the chicks were ringed. It was however confirmed on live stream chat by the end of July that both chicks had fledged successfully, and a short update on the BGGW public Facebook page on August 28th also revealed that the two chicks at Pont Croesor were both females. It also confirmed that as of that date, only Aeron/Z2 and the two juveniles were still at the nest, implying that Blue 014 had already left on migration.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19cBPdyont/?mibextid=wwXIfr

A further update from BGGW on 3rd September gave Sunday 31st August as the last seen date for Aeron/Z2 and one of the juveniles, although one juvenile was still present on 3rd September.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EyWcyzkX3/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The last seen date for Aeron/Z2 was subsequently stated in the chat to 1st September and three ospreys were still in the area as of 7th September, although only Aran was identified.
More generally, it is thought that at least six ospreys remained on the private nests (all run by Friends of the Ospreys) as of 6th September.

RG Nest

No information has been released by Friends of the Ospreys about this nest.

From 2023, the breeding pair were Tegid (Blue Z1, Dyfi, 2016) and an unringed female that formerly bred at the FotO BM nest since 2012. There have been no confirmed sightings of either bird by BGGW staff or local observers this year, and it is not known whether these birds returned or if they are still the breeding pair at this nest.

However it has been stated unofficially on the Glaslyn live stream chat that all three private nests in the Glaslyn valley have been successful this season. It is assumed that this nest is one of them, although this has not been confirmed by Friends of the Ospreys.

CW (Chris Wood) Nest

In May 2025, Brenig Osprey Project posted the following news on Facebook, with the permission of Friends of the Ospreys, about Brenig-hatched male Roli (Blue KA5, 2019) forming a pair with Blue 7C1 (a 2022 female hatched at a private nest in the Lake District) on this nest.

No other information has so far been made public either by Brenig Osprey Project or Friends of the Ospreys. However a comment later posted by the partner of the late Chris Wood, after whom the nest was named, in a thread by Rutland Osprey Project (linked below) stated unofficially that a chick had been raised at this nest in 2025.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JUWT9v8pM/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Blue 7C1 is a granddaughter of Mrs G (Glaslyn 2004-2022), hatched at a private nest in the Lake District to Blue 9C (2014, Glaslyn) and White DP (2016, Lake of Menteith area).

Roli is the son of Blue HR7 (2014, Lake of Menteith area) and Blue 24 (2010, Rutland Site O), birds that that were both well known in Wales before settling to breed at Llyn Brenig in 2018.

Fron Nest

No information has been released by Friends of the Ospreys about this nest.

The breeding pair in 2024 were male Dinas (Blue KS6, Dyfi, 2018) and female Blue 019 (2019, Poole Translocation), and both these birds have been seen intruding at the Glaslyn nest in 2025 so are confirmed as returned. Comments on the Glaslyn live stream chat suggest that this pair has bred successfully, with unofficial reports from observers in the local area suggesting that they have raised three chicks.

However this information has not been confirmed officially by Friends of the Ospreys, nor have they confirmed officially that it is the same pair at this nest as it was in 2024.

Blue 019 was seen on the Glaslyn nest on 31st August, and Dinas/KS6 on 13th September, but these are not official last seen dates. A comment on chat suggests that Dinas was thought still to be in the area at the time of writing (7th September).

10/09/25 On the Glaslyn live chat it was confirmed that there were 3 Chicks fledged this year and as of this date at least 2 chicks and Blue Dinas/KS6 were still present in the Valley.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1J58wYysxY/?mibextid=wwXIfr

BM Nest

No information has been released by Friends of the Ospreys about this nest, although we do know that it was unused in 2023 and probably also 2024.

However, some exciting news, a female bird from this nest, Blue W4 (2015) was found to be breeding in Dumfriesshire in 2025. This is the first time she has been reported as seen since migration in 2015. Her brood brother Blue W6 is a breeding Male at nest 1A in Kielder Forest. This news was reported by Tweed Valley Osprey Project with permission of Friends of the Ospreys, and reproduced in the link below:

https://www.bordertelegraph.com/news/25300211.tweed-valley-ospreys-first-chick-ringed-season/

OTHER FoTo NEWS

We understand from information shared by Tweed Valley Osprey Project, with permission from Friends of the Ospreys, that Blue 685 (hatched TVOP 2021) has paired with an unringed female at a nest managed by Friends of the Ospreys for the second year running, producing 2 chicks this year to add to the one that fledged last year. As with other FotO nests the chicks were ringed but genders and ring numbers were not disclosed. Apparently this is a nest which was used by Blue HR7 (breeding male at Llyn Brenig 2018-2020) in 2017.

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=727870020227260&id=100090128064391&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=oGxVEwY7FbEZn2hQ

Also stated unofficially on the Glaslyn live chat, Friends of the Ospreys have erected another platform in the Glaslyn Valley near to the Glaslyn nest. It will be very interesting to see if this has any effect on the dynamics within the Glaslyn valley in 2026.

Since 1999 Friends of the Ospreys have erected 40 nesting platforms in Mid and North Wales of which 10 are occupied. This information was shared by TVOP.

LLYN BRENIG

Male:- Blue LJ2, Returned 10/04/25, Last seen 04/09/25

Male 2:-Blue 416, Arrived 30/03/25, Last seen at Brenig 19/04/25

Female:- Blue 372, returned 24/03/25, Last seen 04/09/25

It’s been an unusual season for LJ2 especially. He was late in arriving and had to fight to get his nest. He then left early before one of his chicks.

372 arrived first and was alone for 6 days until 416 joined her. She knew 416 well as she intruded here with him in 2023. In 2024 when 372 had a chance of being the breeding female with LM6 not returning, 416 tried to chase her off the nest back to join him but she’d made her choice to be LJ2’s mate. So it was role reversal this year and it looked like 372 and 416 would be the breeding pair.

However LJ2 returned on 10 April, believed to have been held up by storms in Europe. He landed on the nest beside 372 and took a leftover fish scrap away to eat! He was treated as an intruder and rested well before seriously challenging for the nest.
It wasn’t until 18 April that LJ2 made his big attempt to retake his nest. 372 was on an egg at this point. She laid another that night. LJ2 finally saw off 416 early on 19 April then had to “persuade” 372 to accept him. It was a struggle and they had a few fierce encounters before LJ2 won her over again. 372 laid a 3rd egg which would still be 416’s and LJ2 subsequently kicked all eggs out of the nest. After mating with LJ2, a few days later 372 laid the first of 2 eggs. LJ2 accepted them and keenly shared incubation.

The rest of the season continued with this bonded pair, 416 wasn’t seen again and the 2 chicks grew into our splendid young ospreys Ceridwen and Gwion.

It was an unusual ending to the season with LJ2 last seen on 4 September, the same day as 372. He normally remained until the last chick was gone. Gwion was left alone, staying for 3 more days before leaving.

I wish all the birds a safe flight south and hope to see our returning adults LJ2 and 372 next year and Ceridwen 7M4 and Gwion 7M5 returning as 2 or 3 year olds.

Ceridwen and Gwion. Brenig Family 2025. LJ2 and 372

CREDIT:- GLIDER

LLYN BRENIG CHICK DETAILS 2025
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
		15/04/2523:13	DNH	EVICTED BY BLUE LJ2
		18/05/2123:16	DNH	EVICTED BY BLUE LJ2
		21/04/2522:17	DNH	EVICTED BY BLUE LJ2
7M4	F	26/04/2522:29	02/06/2503:26	24/07/25	04/09/25
7M5	M	30/04/2521:20	05/06/2520:38	31/07/25	07/09/25
CHICKS NAMED 7M4:- CERIDWEN and 7M5:- GWION on 28/07/25
The first 3 eggs were parented by 372 and 416, The last 2 successful eggs were parented by LJ2 and 372.

EXCITING BRENIG NEWS

Some off-site news, 2 chicks from previous years have successfully bred for the first time this season.

Blue KA5 Roli Hatched in 2019 Parents being Blue HR7 and Blue 24, has bred at a private nest in Wales managed by Friends of the Osprey.

Blue X6 Owain Hatched 2022 Parents being Blue LJ2 ( current breeding Male at Llyn Brenig) and LM6 (who failed to return in 2023) has bred successfully at a nest near Llyn Clywedog with an unringed Female, raising 2 chicks.

There are two other Brenig chicks that have been seen this year Gelert (Blue KA9) and Dilys (Blue 7B5), in so many ways a great season.

A little bit of Brenig History, Blue HR7(14), breeding male at Llyn Brenig 2018-2020, spent the summer of 2017 touring Wales in the company of Blue 3J Telyn, some of which was spent on a Private Nest Site managed by Friends of the Osprey, This site has been used for the last 2 years by a Tweed Valley Bird Blue 685.

USK VALLEY

USK VALLEY NEST 1

USK VALLEY NEWS

Male Returned – 14/04/25, See on 14/09/25

Female Returned – 17/04/25, Last seen 04/09/25 15:46

This is the First Breeding season for this pair, after a strong bonding season last year. The First egg and the only one to hatch was laid just 7 days after the Females return. Details below.

This young pair have done very well, consistent incubating, (although the Male wasn’t too keen) Regular food supply and admorable nest protection, with almost daily intruders around.

The Children at the Local School Named the Unringed parents, Male Syfaddan and the Female Clogwyn, full story in the UVO Blogs (link below). The chick ringed 9K5 has achieved all the key targets well within timescales, so all around a successful first breeding season.

The end of the season has been slightly marred by the failure of the Cameras, although we know all three birds continued to do well into September.

The Chick was ringed on 05/07/25, details below

USK VALLEY CHICK DETAILS
RING NUMBER	SEX	DATE LAID	HATCH DATE	FLEDGING DATE	LAST SEEN DATE
9K5	M	24/04/25	02/06/25	22/07/25	11/09/25 08:59
		27/04/25	DNH
		30/04/25	DNH

There has been virtually daily intruder activity around the nest site, Weekend of the 6th/7th September upto 3 additional Ospreys seen in the Valley.

Below is a list of Ringed Intruders that landed on the nest.

RINGED INTRUDERS

ALL SIGHTINGS ARE REPORTED TO ROY DENNIS WILDLIFE FOUNDATION, INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS AND CONCERNED PARTIES
DATE	TIME	DARVIC NUMBER	GENDER	DETAILS


28/07/25	14:28			Photographs sent to RDWF, not able to Identify
20/07/25 07/08/25	14:07 19:17	8B2	M	Hatched Llyn Clywedog 2023 Parents are Unringed Dylan and Blue 5F. Sole Survivor from 2023 as sibling was predated by goshawk
15/05/25 17/06/25 02/07/25	07:58 08:41 10:20 09:53	0H2	Male	Hatched Glaslyn 2023, Parents being Unringed Aran and Unringed Elen
04/06/25 15/06/25	10:15	3H6	Female	Hatched Rutland Site B in 2023. Parents are Blue 30(10) and Blue HJ8(14)
27/05/25	13:46	2E9	FEMALE	Hatched in the Tweed Valley 2023, parents are BTO Ringed Oscar and Blue FS2. ! of a Brood of 3 Females
12/04/25	10:31	2H4	FEMALE	Hatched Rutland Water 2022, Parents are Blue T3(16) and Yellow 30(05)

OTHER WELSH NESTS/NEWS

MID WALES

A nest first used in 2024, The breeding Pair of Blue KA7 (Darvic Lost 2025, Damaged IN 2024) and Blue 469 both returned and have raised 3 chicks, the Chicks were ringed on 18/07/25 by the Llangorse Ringing Team, rings used were Blue 9K6, 9K7 and 9K8.

TEIFI VISITOR.

A juvenile ringed at Mecklenberg Germany this year, ring number CR52, has been in the Teifi area on and off since 17/08/25 and is still reported to be present Mid September.

WELSH NESTS/BIRDS 2025

INTRUDERS AT WELSH NESTS 2025 (2)Download

WELSH BIRDS BREEDING IN WALES 2025 (1)Download

WELSH BIRDS BREEDING OUTSIDE OF WALES 2025 Download

WELSH BIRDS SEEN BUT NOT SEEN IN WALES 2025 Download

IRELAND

PLEASE NOTE, THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY ABOUT RINGS USED IN IRELAND THIS YEAR, AT TIME OF WRITING WE UNDERSTAND THE FOLLOWING IS CORRECT, HOWEVER ITS IS BEING QUESTIONED, WE WILL UPDATE IF WE HEAR DIFFERENT.

At the beginning of August a further 10 Birds were Translocated from Central Norway to Ireland, the chicks were Ringed. with White Darvic Rings with Black Numerals, Ranging from 10 – 19 (14 not used), the tenth bird was not given a ring at the time of translocation as it was too young, having been rescued, unfortunately it didn’t survive, dying before leaving Norway. A second cohort of 10 young birds from South East Noway has been translocated in 2025, once again White rings with a Black alpha-numeric inscription has been used, numbers used 20 to 29.

There have been no reported sightings of the birds translocated in 2023. Equally there has been no updates of the Wild Nest reported in previous years. However:-

On 7th September:- One of the Birds translocated to Ireland from South East Norway, was photographed near the Tamar in Devon. Ring White 21

OTHER NEWS ITEMS

NOT REPORTED ABOVE

Blue S2 (Hatched Manton Bay 2015) who had been breeding in the Netherlands since 2020, raising 11 Chicks, Failed to return in 2025.

12th August, White EY (Hatched Dornoch Sutherland 2012) photographed near Barmouth on the river Bann Estuary. White EY was also seen in the area in 2024.

27th August:- Juvenile Osprey Blue 6A4 photographed on the Isle of Man. Currently we have no information on this bird. Photographed again on 10/09/25 still present on the Isle of Man.

Still around 14/09/25

7th September, Juvenile, Ringed Blue 5J1 Photographed in the New Forest.

RSPB FORUM-ARCHIVED

The RSPB made the decision earlier this year, primarily for financial reason to cease operating the Loch Garten Osprey Forum, much to the displeasure of many.

RSPB STATEMENT

There are the facts and then there is the emotion:-

Facts,

Began around 21st July 2009 and ended 1st July 2025. In between it amassed a huge amount of information, accumulated knowledge and insight. For me, someone late to the party, it was somewhere I visited to search for information and facts, it was searchable but at times difficult to follow and unwieldy (my Opinion), I did find the members approachable and willing to share their knowledge.

Emotion,

That is a story for others to tell, those who were involved from the start, helped shape it, contributed, felt safe to question and challenge the perceptions, of the time it was more than, it was the place to go to meet like minded people, discuss ideas and gain understanding.

We have to remember that this forum preceded most of the live chat options, FaceBook, etc. For those people closing the forum, is a loss, a significant loss.

The biggest loss in my opinion, is access to those people who shaped and informed that forum, years of acquired knowledge. Yes other options have been set up, other places to share knowledge, however, some of those original people have chosen not to embrace these other options, partly because they feel let down and disregarded. So I would say this, if any of those original people read this and haven’t joined the Discord Group (link Below) or one of the friendly FaceBook groups please do.

Fortunately all of the Forum has been archived (see Links Below) so the history isn’t lost, going forward information may be harder to find as it is recorded over a much wider interface.

ARCHIVED MATERIAL

Check out the OspreyWatchUK community on Discord.

OSPREYWATCHUK, Discord

We had hoped that someone who had been an integral part of this Forum throughout its life could be encouraged to share their views and memories, unfortunately this has not been possible to arrange. We will continue to try and set this up. If there is anyone out there who would like to take this up, we would be happy to add their words over the winter to a later Blog.

For reference.

Pete Dee’s United Kingdom Ospreys, Chloe and Tigers Imagicat and the RSPB Forum are the very foundation on which UKOI is built. Without these UKOI would have been an impossible task, We have also benefited from Tigers support and guidance.

IMAGICAT

SIGHTINGS

Overall reported sightings are down this year, we asked Birguides about their policy of reporting sightings in Scotland, This is the reply we received:-

“Thanks for your email. As you surmise, we do not routinely report Ospreys in Scotland owing to their status as a fairly widespread summer breeder. Likewise, we don’t report the species in or around breeding areas in England or Wales either, and aim to only report migrant birds”.

Below is the link to the sightings page on the Website.

SIGHTINGS

In line with fewer reported sightings this year, sightings of 2 year olds returning for the first time is also down on the last couple of year.

Below is the link to 2 Year old Returners on the Website.

2 YEAR OLD RETURNERS

SUMMING UP

Two sides of one coin:-

HEADS

So, A special season, with new nests springing up in the east midlands and Cumbria, a second nest at Poole and at Foulshaw Moss, two Brenig Chicks setting up new nests in Wales and being successful in their first breeding season, and Ospreys breeding in Norfolk, Ranworth Broad has succeeded this year. There are now over 20 nests in Wales and around 40 in England, not all have been successful this Season, we believe over 300 in Scotland although some will disagree, Maya and Black 80 both over the 40 offspring mark, must move them into the super Bird category, CJ7 and 022 can also be considered in that category from a different perspective, raising 13 chicks in 4 breeding seasons, at an average of 3.25 chicks/annum.

TAILS

A difficult season at many nests, Feuds, Fights and Aerial Battles, late returning males at Glaslyn and Llyn Brenig., possibly down to storms over Spain in March. Once again no Breeding at Loch Garten, joined this year by Loch of the Lowes. Unviable eggs and chicks losses across the estate ( See Table below). Several Nests have lost chicks to predation and weather. A shortage of registered Climbers in the Tweed Valley Area resulted in the majority of chicks in the area going unringed, whilst disapointing doesn’t stop it being a very good season for TVOP.

EGG_CHICK LOSSES 2025 Download

A BRIEF REVIEW OF UKOI

UKOI continues to go from strength to strength, The website has passed the 300K page views mark and the Facebook Group has 1.6K members. UKOI now has a presence on Bluesky, with many more people sharing information and photographs with us.

We have added an archive section to the Website which also has links to the old Rutland Pages via The Wayback Machine.

A Huge bonus this year was the addition of a countdown clock (Built by Caroline), This was the one thing missing since the closure of Pete Dee’s site, UNITED KINGDOM OSPREYS. Caroline assures me it will update on 01/01/26, fingers crossed.

COUNTDOWN

WINTER PROJECTS

LAST SEEN DATES

It was recently pointed out, that we do not have a record of last seen dates for monitored birds, so that task is underway. Anyone who has a record of last seen dates for known birds at monitored Nests going back to 2020 or beyond, it would be extremey helpful if could let us have them.

NORWEGIAN

Continuing with tracking the offspring of this bird and any of her partners. If anyone has any information about her or a photograph they can share with us that would be very useful.

NEWS ARTICLES/HISTORY

We will continue to collect old and new news articles, historical documents, anything that helps complete the jigsaw. Some years there appears to be far less news articles than in other years.

INDIVIDUAL BIRDS

We will be adding more individual profiles to the website, we will certainly be adding a couple of special Welsh Birds this winter, no prizes for guessing who, I think there might be an odd one or two from Rutland Water as well. Any suggestions most welcome.

SPECIAL PAIRS

There are some pairings, that have stood the test of time, we will be adding a section of pairings that have either lasted past 8 years together or produced over 16 chicks to fledging, these figures may change as we discover the pairs that qualify for listing. Any special pairings that spring to mind please let us know.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have contributed throughout the season and to this summary. If you would be interested in writing or contributing to a nest summary for your favourite nest in 2026 please get in touch.

Finally we would like to recognise all the individual projects, without their tireless work, UKOI would have nothing to report or share. Please if you are able to contribute to one or more of the projects either financially or with your time, PLEASE DO.

Promoting individual Projects and Osprey Conservation in general is one of the many ways we can support them, sharing knowledge with others increases awareness and understanding.

All information is gained from public sources as are the Photographs, (we have permission to use those photographs not from open sources) and verified to best of our ability, if you come across any errors please let us know, either by commenting on this blog or via the email address below, you can also contact us through the Facebook Group below.

jck@ukospreyinformation.co.uk

UKOsprey Information/FaceBook Group.

AUTHORS.

UKOI_CW

UKOI

September 15, 2025

2025 SEASON

Kielder Ospreys’ offspring breeding elsewhere

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