THE first osprey egg of the season has been laid in Kielder.

Following the return of the first osprey to Kielder Water and Forest Park on Friday, March 24, the season's first egg was laid on Sunday, April 16 in Nest 4.

A second egg was laid in Nest 4 on Wednesday, April 19 and the first egg was laid in Nest 7 on Monday, March 17.

With osprey pairs on Nests 2, 4, 5A and 7, and empty nests for pairs to occupy, it is expected more eggs will follow soon.

Following the decision in 2017 to start an alphabetized naming scheme for ospreys that hatch at Kielder, the 2023 chicks will be named after parts of Northumberland beginning with the letter G.

Breeding pairs of ospreys have nested in Kielder between March and September since 2009, with activity on the nests mainly throughout May to August as chicks hatch, are fed and then take to the wing and practice hunting. 

In 2022, all ringed chicks were named using the initial F.

Two of them were seen on migration in the UK, with one spending several weeks in Devon honing her fishing skills. Another was seen on the river that runs through Barcelona.   

Visitors can now view nest activity via scopes, and a high-quality 4K close-up on nest 7, via the nest cam in the cabin at Tower Knowe until August 13.