Bassenthwaite Lake - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by HelenB
View of southern end of Bassenthwaite Lake from the Upper Viewpoint, May 2009.
Click on image to see a larger version

England, Cumbria

Overview

Bassenthwaite Lake is a National Nature Reserve, in the Lake District, located in the county of Cumbria in northwest England. It is owned and managed by the Lake District National Park Authority. The area became famous in 2001, when a pair of wild Ospreys nested there, this being the first time in over 150 years that Ospreys had bred in the Lake District. Since then there have been breeding Ospreys every summer and hundreds of people have visited the viewpoints and visitor centre, to see these wonderful birds of prey.

Photo © by HelenB
View of Bassenthwaite Lake looking from the lay-by on the B5292 up to Whinlatter Pass, April 2012. The Ospreys built a new nest in 2011, in the flat marshy area on the south side of the lake ~ the area on the middle right of the photo

2020 Ospreywatch News

The 2020 Ospreywatch team have just announced that with the current health emergency, and guidance from the Government, they must postpone the start of the LDOP indefinitely and monitor the situation moving forward. This means that the Dodd Wood viewpoints, car park, toilets and Old Sawmill Tearoom are closed. The Whinlatter VC, all of the car parks, Siskin cafe and Cyclewise are also closed. They will update their website and social media channels with Osprey news when they can and they urge all their followers and supporters to stay at home and wait for updates.
Some good news - number 14 began his long journey north on 17th March. He is making great progress across the Sahara Desert on his way back to the UK from his wintering grounds on the island of Bioko, south of Nigeria. This is now his 11th crossing of the Sahara.
7th April: our intrepid traveller, number 14, has been tracked over the Lake District, crossing Windermere and heading in a north-westerly direction. For the last two seasons, he has spent his summers in south Cumbria. The Osprey team are hoping he will find a mate this year.
A pair of Ospreys has been seen on various nest platforms around Bassenthwaite. They have been observed mating, so it's possible they are the pair who bred last year.
3rd June: the Ospreywatch team have reported seeing behaviour at the nest, which would indicate the feeding of young ospreys. They can’t yet see how many chicks there are.
3rd July: The Ospreywatch team are now back at Bassenthwaite, and are pleased to announce that there are 2 well grown chicks in the nest. They watched the male bring in a fish for the youngsters.
4th July: The forests, viewpoints and car parks are now open at Whinlatter and Dodd Wood, but the viewpoints are not staffed. You are welcome to visit the viewpoints to see what you can spot with your own optics.
15th August: The male Osprey, “Unring” is now in his 8th year at Bassenthwaite. It is thought that the female is probably the young inexperienced female who was there last year, but failed to breed with Unring. This year the 2 chicks show a considerable difference in size. The team are speculating that perhaps there was a middle egg which did not hatch, or that the first egg to hatch was a female, which are always bigger than the males. Both chicks fledged successfully in July.
5th September: As of 23rd August, the female has not been seen, so it is presumed she has left on her southbound migration. There has been no news posted about the male, Unring or the 2 youngsters, but it is assumed that they are all on their way south by now.
16th September: Number 14, who spent the summer in the South Lakes area of Cumbria, has left on his southbound migration. He zig-zagged his way south over the Irish Sea, coming in over the North Wales coast and finally landed in some woodland next to a river, near Wrexham. This would have been a 140 mile journey via the M6 motorway.
28th September: No 14 has now reached the Pyrenees, after flying south over the rest of England, crossing the English Channel, then Brittany and stopping over on the Gironde Estuary, a place with good fishing, in western France.
18th October: There is some very sad news about our Osprey, No 14 (aka White 14). Apparently he has died on his migration through Mali in West Africa. This news was reported by the British Trust for Ornithology and the Bassenthwaite team are waiting for more details.

Birds

Notable Species

Osprey, Eurasian Marsh-Harrier (a pair nested successfully in the reed bed below the viewpoints in 2017), Red Kite (28 April, 2010), Barnacle Goose (These are most probably birds from a resident flock on nearby Derwentwater), Eurasian Oystercatcher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Tawny Owl, Common Dipper, Common Redstart, European Pied Flycatcher, Eurasian Treecreeper.

Photo © by HelenB
Southern end of Bassenthwaite Lake from the Lower Viewpoint, May 09. In 2011, the Ospreys built a new nest in a marshy area there

Rarities

Red Kite ~ a total of 60 young Red Kites were released in Grizedale Forest, near Windermere, in the summers of 2010, 2011 and 2012. This is the 9th reintroduction and part of the final phase of Red Kite reintroductions in different parts of the UK. It is very likely that these wing-tagged kites will be seen over Bassenthwaite Lake as they explore the Lake District.

Check-list

Birds you can see here include:

Great Crested Grebe, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Barnacle Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Eurasian Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Goosander, Osprey, Eurasian Marsh-Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Common Pheasant, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Common Coot, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Woodpigeon, Common Cuckoo, Tawny Owl, Common Swift, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Northern House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Eurasian Wren, Dunnock, European Robin, Common Redstart, Eurasian Blackbird, Redwing, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Wood Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, European Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Treecreeper, Common Starling, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Eurasian Jackdaw, Common Raven, Carrion Crow, Rook, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Eurasian Siskin, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, Lesser Redpoll, Common Crossbill

Photo © by HelenB
Whinlatter Visitor Centre, located in Whinlatter Forest Park, on the B5292, west of Bassenthwaite Lake, April 2012

Other Wildlife

Red Squirrel, Badger, Roe Deer, Otter, Pipistrelle bat, Weasel, Stoat

Site Information

History and Use

In 2001 it was announced that a pair of Ospreys had nested in the woods above Bassenthwaite Lake. This was the first time in 150 years that a wild pair of the birds had bred in the Lake District. The Forestry Commission and the Lake District National Park Authority had provided a nesting platform in the hope that the Ospreys, they had been seeing during the summer for the last few years, would stay and breed there. Once the eggs were laid, wardens kept a 24 hour watch on the nest to protect the birds from any disturbance, such as illegal egg collecting. The RSPB is also involved in extra support for the Lake District Osprey Project.

Photo © by HelenB
Bassenthwaite Lake, looking across to Dodd Wood and Skiddaw, from Blackstock Point, July 2015

Areas of Interest

Osprey viewing from Dodd Wood viewpoints
Whinlatter Visitor Centre in Whinlatter Forest Park, where there is a live video feed from the nest to a big screen. NB: Whinlatter is also a major mountain biking centre.
Forest walks, provided by the Forestry Commission, starting from the Dodd Wood car park.
Ivy Crag Wood - a small remnant of oak woodland on the slopes of Dodd below Skiddaw
Powterhow Wood, with a hide (blind), on the south west edge of Bassenthwaite Lake. Access from the car park at Powter How, via a nice walk through the woods, where you might see Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Wood Warblers, and Great Spotted Woodpeckers. There's a tunnel under the A66, so no road crossings involved. Or you can park in the A66 layby at Blackstock Point, and take a walk along the lake side to get there. Location shown by arrow on map referenced in External Links, below.^[2]
Dubwath Silver Meadows, a new wetland nature reserve about 17 acres in size, located at the north west end of Bassenthwaite Lake. 1.6 mile circuit of path and boardwalk, plus hides built in Celtic style.^[3]

Access and Facilities

Covid-19 re-opening update: The forests, viewpoints and car parks are now open at Whinlatter and Dodd Wood, but the viewpoints are not staffed. You are welcome to visit the viewpoints to see what you can spot with your own optics.

The viewpoints are open and staffed from early April to the end of August (Late Summer Bank Holiday). You may still visit the viewpoints outside of the Osprey season, for beautiful views of Bassenthwaite Lake and Derwentwater.
Osprey watching viewpoints are in Dodd Wood, on the east side of the lake. It is 3 miles north of Keswick off the A591, follow signposts to Dodd Wood from the A66. The car park is opposite the entrance to Mirehouse.
The Lower Viewpoint is open from 10am to 5pm daily and is staffed by volunteers. Excellent views of the Ospreys fishing over the lake. There are feeders out for the local birds, and Red Squirrels.
The Upper Viewpoint is open from 10.30am to 5pm daily. It is about half a mile, a 30 minutes walk, up a steep incline, to this higher viewpoint. There are telescopes for viewing the nest which is down on the marsh about a mile away.
There is no charge to use the viewpoints, but there is Pay & Display Parking at the car park by the Old Sawmill Tearoom. Please note that NO CHANGE IS GIVEN.
There are public toilets at the car park.
The Old Sawmill Tearoom at Dodd Wood is open through the Osprey season and beyond, closing at the end of October.
The Whinlatter Visitor Centre is located west of Braithwaite, on the B5292 between Braithwaite and Cockermouth - Grid Ref NY208245. It is open all year, and the Osprey Exhibition will be open from 10am until 5pm during the period that the ospreys are nesting. Parking charges are the same as Dodd Wood.

Contact Details

Whinlatter Visitor Centre phone: 017687 78469

Gallery

Click on images to see a larger version:

Photo by HelenB
Satellite tracked Osprey chick (no. 11) died in West Africa, but its remains were found. Photo on display at Whinlatter Visitor Centre, April 2012
Photo © by HelenB
The 2nd Osprey nest (centre) was only 400m from the Upper Viewpoint. Derwentwater in the background, May 2009

Content and images originally posted by HelenB

External Links

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Bassenthwaite Lake. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 December 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Bassenthwaite_Lake

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