We're delighted to announce that there are now four osprey nests at Foulshaw Moss, our wetland nature reserve near Witherslack. We discovered two new nests this summer, both with a pair of ospreys on them, and one of these pairs has raised a chick. 

Paul Waterhouse, Reserves Officer at Cumbria Wildlife Trust said: “We’re very excited to confirm there are now four ospreys nests at Foulshaw Moss! This is double what we’ve had previously, which is great news.

“We were naturally intrigued to find out more about the two new pairs of ospreys. A licenced bird-ringer has managed to access one of the nests, the one with a chick. The female isn’t ringed so we don’t know her identity. The male has a ring number, though we’re not sure of it yet. He has a blue ring on his right leg which would indicate he’s from England or Wales. Their chick was ringed with the number 8K9, so we’ll be able to track its progress in the coming years.”

For years, there was just one osprey nest at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve. A single pair, Blue 35 and White YW, started breeding here in 2014. They were joined by a second breeding pair in 2025. With the discovery of the two new osprey nests this summer, the number of nests has doubled.

The total number of osprey chicks raised at Foulshaw Moss this season is now six, a new record for us!

Paul explains why Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve has become so popular with these charismatic birds of prey:

“The discovery of two new nests this year, one with a chick that’s now fledged, is testament to the hard work that’s gone into improving this important wetland habitat.

“Over a decade or so, we transformed Foulshaw Moss with a large-scale habitat restoration programme. We returned the land, which had been drained and used for commercial forestry, to a healthy wetland, which is now teeming with wildlife. As well as ospreys, it’s home to dragonflies and damselflies, reptiles, and other raptors including marsh and hen harrier.

“In the past, ospreys became extinct in the UK due to persecution and habitat loss, but thanks to conservation projects, their populations have increased and they’re now thriving again in Cumbria. These four nests show how when we work with nature to restore precious habitats, our wildlife will thrive.” 

Could Paul envisage a time when there are even more osprey nests at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve? 

“It’s one of our largest nature reserves – 900-acres - so it’s big enough to support all four nests currently, but I’m unsure whether it will support any more. I’m happy to be proved wrong though! There’s enough food in the surrounding lakes and estuaries to satisfy these fish-eating raptors and their chicks. As ospreys tend to return to the same breeding site every year, we hope to see all four pairs return next year.”

The two newly-discovered nests are on the far south end of the nature reserve and not visible to the general public (it’s a very large nature reserve and much of it is inaccessible). However, you can still come and visit the nature reserve to see the two closer nests.

The ospreys and their chicks are now starting their long migration to their wintering grounds, probably to West Africa or Southern Europe, but some of them can still be seen on the nests and flying above the nature reserve. 

Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve is open daily, free of charge. It’s located off the A590 near Witherslack.

If you’re visiting the nature reserve, please note the car park is quite small and gets full quickly. Find out about travelling by public transport. There are also bike racks available.  

If you do arrive by car and find that the car park is full, please return at a later time or date. The access road to the nature reserve is narrow and doesn’t have passing places, so please drive carefully and expect that you may need to reverse to help others pass.  

Use #FoulshawOspreys to join the osprey conversation on social.