Ospreys put on dazzling display
ONE of the most amazing sights in Britain’s natural world is watching an osprey hunting for food.
This wonderful bird of prey spots a fish in a lake, dives towards the waters, stretches out its talons and snatches food, scooping it out of the water.
You will hear people who have holidayed in Scotland and the Lake District telling incredible stories of the osprey displays. Yet, at this time of year, you will see ospreys in our region. In recent years they have been seen on the mosslands in Salford, at Dover Lock in Wigan and at Sale Water Park.
Late last year a juvenile was spotted over a number of days at our Brockholes nature reserve in Preston. Then it set off for its winter holidays.
We have built an osprey platform there in case the birds decide to nest in the coming years. That would be a bit exciting wouldn’t it?
The nearest nesting point is Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Foulshaw Moss, just up the road. Turn left at the A590 and it’s about a quarter of the way to Barrow.
A two-year-old osprey may pair up with a bird of a similar age and build trial nests. Normally they breed from three to five years old. Pairs stick together and return to nests year on year – nests have been used for 20 years in some recorded cases. Nests are made from an intricate mix of branches, moss and grass. It’s worth the trip to see these dramatic birds, after all they do fly thousands of miles each spring to see us and the same distance back to Africa in autumn.
An osprey hunting is a fairly obvious spot but in parts of Scotland they are quite difficult to make out if there are seagulls around – from a distance. »●The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside is dedicated to the protection and promotion of the wildlife in Lancashire, seven boroughs of Greater Manchester and four of Merseyside, all lying north of the River Mersey. It manages around 40 nature reserves and 20 Local Nature Reserves covering acres of woodland, wetland, upland and meadow. The Trust has 27,000 members and over 1,200 volunteers. To become a member go to the website at www. lancswt.org.uk or call 01772 324129. For more information about Cheshire Wildlife Trust call 01948 820728 or go to cheshirewildlifetrust. org.uk.