Ospreys raised three chicks in Herefordshire
A pair that settled in the county in 2025 returned and fledged three young from an oak near the River Wye. The nest site is not being published.
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A pair of ospreys raised three chicks to fledging in Herefordshire, in what local conservationists describe as the county's first breeding in at least about 200 years. The BBC reported on October 10, 2026, that the pair settled in the county in 2025 and returned this year. The nest was in an oak near the River Wye, close to the Powys border. Toby Fountain, nature recovery officer at Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, said the birds are thought to have come from the Welsh population. Britain has about 300 breeding pairs, and Wales about 20. Ospreys are amber-listed, and the nest site is not being published.
The adults are thought to have left for western Africa, a journey of about 3,000 miles. Photographers Victor Talmaciu and Jip Darke saw fishing ospreys at Bodenham Lake, including in early September, where crows harassed them. That lake is a stopover. It is not the nest.
For the classroom
Ospreys are fish-eating birds of prey. A pair in Herefordshire, England, raised three chicks that learned to fly. People are keeping the nest location private so the birds are left alone. The adults are believed to be on their way to western Africa for the winter.
- How many chicks did the osprey pair raise?
- Why is the nest location being kept private?
- Where do the adults go after the breeding season?
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