Maya returns to her Rutland Water nest, only to find her mate and another female osprey already present.
Maya arrived at Rutland Water’s Manton Bay nest on March 17th after spending the winter in Africa. Maya is thought to be at least 18 years old and has been in Rutland since 2009, nesting there since 2010. She has raised 38 chicks at that nest, making her a successful osprey; twenty-seven chicks were with her mate, 33(11).
Osprey 25(10) caused trouble by arriving at Rutland Water first and claiming the nest. Maya’s mate, 33(11), returned soon after last Thursday.
This isn’t the first time this has happened. In 2023, 25(10) landed there before Maya and mated with 33(11). Then, Maya kicked her off the nest.
The Rutland Osprey Project, which started in 1996, helps ospreys. Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust work with Anglian Water, aiming to bring ospreys back to England for breeding.
The project has seen success, with osprey numbers in central England on the rise. Tim Mackrill, who managed the project for years, said seeing an osprey catch fish is amazing. The first successful ospreys bred in 2001. Since then, 278 chicks have flown from local nests. Last year, they had a record 25 chicks.
They hope for the 300th chick this year. Joe Davis, who works for the Wildlife Trust, believes conservation helps endangered species a lot. Rutland’s ospreys are thriving.