Tag Archives: nature

Scottish invaders force ospreys out of Bassenthwaite nest

By Victoria Brenan

The Scottish have invaded Cumbria – and they’ve ruffled a few feathers. A new pair of breeding ospreys have flown into Bassenthwaite, near Keswick, and forced the previous pair out of the nest.

Bird watchers at the Lake District site said the new female, which is ringed, has been traced to Inverness, where she hatched four years ago.

“The two extra ospreys were seen flying over the nest and our [original] young couple last Wednesday,” a spokesman for the Lake District Osprey Project said.

“This upset them tremendously and the female spent a lot of the day jumping off and on the nest, screaming and dancing. It was difficult to see what her partner was doing – chasing or flying with the other pair.

“At one point there was a merry-go-round of ospreys whirring in dizzying circles around the tree and over the adjoining field.”

He said the Scottish invasion appeared to have been successful and forced the first pair of birds – which arrived last month – out of the nest.

The new birds have now been seen for several days in the nest, with the male bringing the female fish. The original birds tried a few ‘dive bomb’ raids on them, he said, “raking at them with talons out”. But it failed to dislodge them.

Because the female bird is ringed she has been traced to Inverness, where she was born in 2009 and named White KL. She has also been seen in Senegal, in 2011 and 2012, by the Rutland osprey team. The male bird is smaller and has similar markings to the original male.

The Lake District Osprey Project is now in its 12th year, after being launched in 2001 when conservationists noticed that ospreys were using what they called a ‘service station’ at Dodd Wood and decided to encourage them to breed.

Supported by the RSPB, the National Park and the Forestry Commission, the project was a success from the start.

More than 100 volunteers monitor the birds 24 hours a day, keeping them safe from egg thieves, vandals and disruption.

Thousands of people visit the viewing points each year, boosting the local economy by £3 million.

via News & Star | News | Scottish invaders force ospreys out of Bassenthwaite nest.

This is a great face! by Bear Nibbles

Family bath time!!

Let’s see who can come up with the best caption?

Travel tips: swimming in the Lake District, and celebrating Jane Austen | Travel | The Observer

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Travel tips: swimming in the Lake District, and celebrating Jane Austen

Advice for thrill seekers in Cumbria, fun for fans of Pride and Prejudice, and the best deals of the week

Lake Windermere – big swim in this lake

Take Me There: Big Chill Swim, Cumbria

If plunging into the freezing waters of Lake Windermere in the middle of February is your idea of fun, there’s still time to sign up for the Big Chill Swim, a new winter swimming event in Cumbria. Open-water swimming is one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK but with water temperatures below 5C and no wetsuits allowed, this is not for the faint-hearted. There are races for all levels, from a 30m penguin dip for novices (£12) to a 450m endurance swim (£25). The event will take place on 2 February at the Low Wood Bay Resort Hotel and Marina. Register before 30 January (chillswim.com).

It’s a good time to… go in search of Mr Darcy

The mini tourism industry that has grown up around Jane Austen steps up a gear this year as the nation celebrates the 200th anniversary of one of its best-loved novels. Pride and Prejudice was published on 28 January 1813 and the bicentenary will be marked with a host of special events, from readathons to Regency balls.

The focal point will be the Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton, Hampshire, where the writer spent the last years of her life (jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk). An exhibition will tell the story of the book and there will be re-enactments of key scenes (1 April) and writing workshops for budding Austens (2 March). You can also follow a trail around the author’s home county, from her birthplace in Steventon to her final resting place in Winchester cathedral (visit-hampshire.co.uk/ideas-and-inspiration/famous-faces/jane-austen).

Not to be outdone, Bath, where Austen lived for five years, has its own series of events including a 24-hour Pride and Prejudice readathon (28 January) and a costumed Regency Ball (22 June), organised by the Jane Austen Centre (janeausten.co.uk). You can even sign up for Regency dance classes – just in case you get an invitation to the ball at Netherfield (janeaustendancersbath.co.uk).

via Travel tips: swimming in the Lake District, and celebrating Jane Austen | Travel | The Observer.