Rutland Ospreys

A first early morning swim for more than a week, glad to be back in the pool, particularly after the steamiest night so far.

I'd decided to head over to Rutland Water to view the ospreys that have been nesting in the area. I was already aware that the pair had a clutch of four eggs and that the Leicestershire Wildlife Trust had recently ringed the resultant chicks as they were nearing the time of fledging, so I had to be quick.

The hide across Manton Bay was perfectly positioned for a view of the nest, you even get the imposing facade of Burley House as a background. The main shot is one of the chicks practising its take off and landing, something the volunteers told us was 'helicoptering'. It only rose a foot or so from the nest before dropping back down amongst its siblings. We were lucky to see this a couple of times.

The parents were quite happy to perch most of the time.The female, seen on the perch above the nest, did fly off on a couple of occasions, bringing back branches to reinforce the next, rather than food for the offspring. She was required to intercept another osprey from a different pairing while we were watching (see extra), but that was the extent of flying we saw.