Second brood of osprey chicks hatch at reserve
Cumbria Wildlife TrustA second brood of ospreys have hatched at a wetland nature reserve.
Cumbria Wildlife Trust said that for the first time it had two breeding pairs at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve, near Witherslack.
The long-standing breeding pair, White YW and Blue 35, returned to the nest in March and laid three eggs, which hatched in May.
Now, a recently arrived second pair of ospreys have produced two chicks, which the trust said were "looking strong and doing well".
Ospreys, which have a 5ft (1.5m) wingspan, became extinct in England in 1840 but were reintroduced in the 1990s.
They migrate each year to Africa or Europe before returning to breed.
Blue 35 and White YW first nested at Foulshaw Moss in 2013.
The new parents, Blue 476 and Blue 717, are nesting near to the reserve's boardwalk and the trust is asking visitors to be cautious because they were "vulnerable to disturbance".
Reserves officer Paul Waterhouse said: "It's great news to have not just one but two families of osprey chicks.
"Blue 35 and White YW, our regulars, are quite mature now, so it's good to have another younger pair starting to breed here - let's hope they return in the future."
The ospreys can be viewed via the trust's nest webcam.