While ospreys have passed through Brockholes over the last couple of years, they have not nested in Lancashire since the mid-18th Century.
Is the osprey here to stay?
An osprey hunting on the River Ribble near Brockholes Nature Reserve is raising hopes of the birds nesting in Lancashire for the first time in more than a century.
Osprey by Darren Leen, Highways England
The bird of prey was photographed sitting on a bridge near the entrance to our Brockholes nature reserve near Preston by Darren Leen, who works for Highways England’s traffic officer service from an outstation next to the M6 and A59 at Samlesbury.
Traffic Officer Service Team Manager, Darren, said:
“I was on a break at the outstation when I saw the osprey on a motorway bridge. It had been scanning the River Ribble for its next meal, sitting unfazed by 44-tonne vehicles passing less than three metres away.”
Darren went on to say, “I recognised the features of the bird due to being a birdwatcher in my younger days. Seeing this beautiful bird so close to the motorway was very much unexpected but a great joy to see”.
The bird already has birders getting excited on social media, but no-one can get too close because it is in a restricted area.
Our Director of Conservation, Tim Mitcham, said:
“We had a juvenile male here late last summer, showing an interest in the osprey eyrie at the top of a telegraph pole, which we built with the help of Electricity North West in 2013. We were hoping it would return this year with a mate. So this is very exciting.
"Brockholes is closed in the lockdown so there is little disturbance, which will benefit this osprey, so there is a greater chance of it looking at the eyrie. We hope that people will adhere to the lockdown, allowing the birds an opportunity to settle and, when it ends and we open the reserve again, who knows, our wildlife cameras might be showing off osprey chicks?”
Osprey by Darren Leen
Ospreys nest in Scotland and Wales, and at Foulshaw Moss in Cumbria, which is as close as they get to Lancashire.
This large bird of prey with a 1.6 metre wingspan has a white head and underparts, and dark brown upper parts. Their wings show strong barring during flight and distinctively dark brown, angled 'wrists'.
The bird will have flown in from Africa to look for somewhere to nest. That trip from the south may have taken 20 days, with stops along the way to refuel. Normally Lancashire is just a refuelling spot.
Tim said: “Of course the bird may just be stopping over before moving on and could be gone by tomorrow.”
Brockholes is closed to the public during the lockdown and the bird’s perch is difficult to access. Please abide by social distancing rules and government guidelines and do not drive to visit Brockholes to see the osprey. Under lockdown regulations, photography and birdwatching are not 'essential travel'.