It seems like only yesterday we were eagerly anticipating the arrival of the first chick. The chicks are now coming up for five weeks old and it won’t be too long before we will all be gripping the sides of our chairs when they get ready to fledge.

When we ring the chicks, we fit them with a blue leg ring on their right leg and a metal ring on their left leg. Each ring has a unique number/letter combination, which will be how we go on to identify the three chicks. As well as fitting the chicks with their leg rings, we will also be taking various other measurements, such as weight, wing length, depth of bill and thickness of their lower leg, to help determine whether they are male or female – what do you all think they will be this year? As normal, we will be switching the live webcam off for the duration of the ringing, and this will be publicised once we have a date.

Some other exciting news we have recently had, is that Rutland male S2(15), which fledged from the Manton Bay nest in 2015, is once again breeding in the Netherlands at the Nationaal Park de Biesbosch. He has spent each spring and summer there for five years now, and in 2020, he paired up with a German ringed female and this was the first year he successfully bred. This year, we are happy to share that he and the German ringed female, is once again breeding and their chicks have hatched. I would like to say a big thank you to Rob Braat for sending us these amazing shots and also for allowing me to share them with you all.

We currently have 28 Ospreys back in the Rutland area, and we are always looking to the skies for any first-time returnees, which fledged in 2020. We have so far had one of the 2020 co-hort return, a male Osprey with the ring number 093, which fledged from an offsite nest. He actually was first sighted landing in what we call the Cormorant Tree – for good reason – just outside Waderscrape Hide in Manton Bay, on Saturday 28^th May. Incredibly, there was very little reaction of his presence from Maya or 33(11)!

On a more personal note from me, this will be my last blog entry for the Rutland Osprey Project as I am moving on to a new position elsewhere. I would just like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU for all your continued support for the Rutland Osprey Project, which wouldn't be what it is today without you.