A REMOTE forest park in the North-East has seen its first osprey chicks of the season hatch.

Delighted wildlife rangers at Kielder Water and Forest, in Northumberland, reported the first osprey chick hatching on Friday May 24, followed swiftly by 10 more.

The partners at Kielder are now waiting for around six more eggs to hatch.

Tom Dearnley, Forestry England Ecologist, said: “It’s an exciting time, and the continued success of the ospreys is a joy to see.

"We are rooting for all the chicks, and we hope that the four in nest 1A grow into healthy young ospreys which successfully fledge.

"It’s fantastic that four nests have chicks hatched, and it’s just a short wait until we find out about the final two nests.”

This year the chicks will all have names starting with the letter C, and these will be revealed once the chicks have their leg-rings.

Many visitors to Kielder have enjoyed views of the ospreys hunting over the water.

Live nest cams can be viewed at Kielder Castle Café and Northumbrian Water’s Landal Kielder Waterside.

Visitors to Kielder Waterside can also join Osprey Watch every weekend (and Wednesdays in July and August) between 10.30am - 5.00pm until August 18.

Follow the osprey blog for regular updates and more great videos to see the chicks’ progress: kielderospreys.wordpress.com/