Millionth visitor flies in for osprey project (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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Millionth visitor flies in for osprey project
12:24pm Thursday 30th August 2012 in News
By Scott Kirk, Reporter
Millionth visitor John Smallman (centre) at the Lake District osprey viewpoint with Ella Dixon (left) and John Fleet (right) from the Lake District Osprey Project. Picture by John Gravett.
A MILLION visitors have looked at the Lake District osprey viewpoint after John Smallman from Oldbury, West Midlands decided to pop into Bassenthwaite to look at the famous birds.
To mark the occasion, he was presented with a framed print of an osprey and a goody bag including locally made fudge and a voucher for a cream tea at the Old Sawmill Tearoom in Dodd Wood.
Since opening in 2001, visitors have experienced the charismatic ospreys raise chicks in treetop nests and hunt for fish in the lake.
At the viewpoint, Mr Smallman saw the adult male and female but their sole offspring, Lucky 13, has already left the Lake District. This is quite unusual as it is normally the adult female that departs first. Fitted with a satellite tag, Lucky 13’s movements are being followed by the Lake District Osprey Project team. His last known location, recorded on August 29, was the south coast between Eastbourne and Hastings.
