THE wait for new osprey chicks at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve has begun after three eggs were laid in quick succession. 

Blue 35 laid her eggs on April 15, 17 and 20 after she and her partner White YW successfully completed their long journey from Africa to Cumbria. The migratory birds breed at the reserve, near Witherslack, in the summer.

Ospreys are a protected species. Cumbria Wildlife Trust has worked to restore the reserve since the late 1990s to encourage breeding pairs. The species is still recovering from extensive hunting in the UK during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 

The trust set up a live feed streamed from a camera at the nest so the public can see the ospreys on the website.

The ospreys will 'share egg incubation duties' for the next five to six weeks, with the first chick expected around May 22.