Duration
Three nights
When
August 2023
Why?
Excellent walking in fabulous scenery
“Have a look at this,” the bird expert said, beckoning to me with commendable understatement. “Not many people see it live, so you’re extremely lucky.”
So I was – borrowing his binoculars, I could see a splendid adult male osprey sitting in a tree, with a huge trout thrashing about in his talons.
“He’s waiting for it to die,” the expert added, while I watched nature taking its course. It was so mesmerising, I found it hard to step back and let someone else view a scene that could have been vintage David Attenborough footage.
But that wasn’t the only thing I learned about ospreys during our visit to Rutland Water Nature Reserve, a 10-minute stroll from our campsite, The Paddock. This magnificent species was first introduced there from 1996 onwards, with chicks from Scotland, and since 2001, more than 200 young ospreys have fledged.
Adults tend to pair for life, and one avian couple has successfully raised 20 chicks together since 2013. I was
