THE first osprey chick to be hatched in northern England for 150 years is preparing to spread its wings and make its first flight from the nest.

Wildlife experts have visited the nest near Bassenthwaite Lake to carry out a quick health-check on the young bird, which hatched out in June.

They confirmed that there is one healthy chick in the nest, thought to be a male bird, which is expected to remain in the nest for another week or so until it makes its maiden flight around mid-August.

In the meantime, the adult ospreys are proving to be model parents, delivering regular supplies

of fresh fish for their hungry off-spring.

As part of a national monitoring programme to learn more about the life cycle of ospreys, the chick was fitted with a red ring on its right leg to aid its future identification on migration and on any return visit to the Lake District which could occur in two to three years' time.

The arrival of the Lakeland birds has been hailed as the start of an exciting new chapter in the story of the successful return of the osprey as a breeding bird in the UK.

The re-colonisation of the birds in England is a result of a population expansion in Scotland, following the return of the ospreys in the 1950s, where they had previously been extinct for more than 50 years.

The return of ospreys to the lakes had been kept a closely guarded secret since April when a pair of the birds arrived back at a special nest platform built by the Forestry Commission and the Lake District National Park Authority.

A round-the-clock watch was mounted to safe-guard the nest from egg collectors or being disturbed, which paid off when the chick hatched out in the middle of June.

Since news of the successful nesting was released last month, more than 7,000 people have visited a special viewpoint set up in Dodd Wood, near Keswick.

The viewpoint gives members of the public the chance to watch the nest through powerful telescopes and enjoy excellent views of the lakes where ospreys regularly catch fish.

Staff from the Forestry Commission, the LDNPA and the RSPB are also on hand to answer questions about the ospreys.

"Public reaction to the Forestry Commission's Dodd Wood viewpoint has been tremendous, with visitors spending many hours marvelling at this wildlife spectacular," said Graeme Prest, district manager for the Forestry Commission.

"This is proving to be a real boost to tourism in the Lakes."

The Osprey viewpoint in Dodd Wood is situated off the A591 north of Keswick and is open from 10am

to 5pm daily until the end of

August.

Regular updates on the ospreys can be found on the Forestry Com-mission's website www.nwefd.co.uk.

For a link to this and related sites, go to the Gazette's website www.thisisthelakedistrict.co.uk - LEISURE - places to go, things to do section.