Northumberland is a beautiful county, and those of us living here in Northumbria are blessed to live in such an awe-inspiring land. From the soaring peaks of the Cheviots to the golden beaches along the coast, it is truly a lovely place.
And there is more of course. Northumberland is home to many rare and wonderful species of wildlife, from red squirrels to red kites. And in the large, quiet expanse of Kielder Forest to the west of the county, there are numerous ospreys.
And then there is the distinctive culture of Northumberland, driven by its music traditions of Northumbrian pipes and fiddle and many great songs. Northumberland is also home to numerous great music festivals, welcoming musicians and audiences from near and far. Now one of these music festivals is helping a project aimed at protecting the ospreys in Kielder Forest.
Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s Kielder Osprey Watch project
Northumberland Wildlife Trust have announced that their Kielder Osprey Watch Project has received a welcome financial boost. This money has come from a kind donation from the organisers of one of Northumbria’s much-loved local music festivals.
Redefest is held annually in the Northumberland village of Rochester near Otterburn and its organising committee has donated £500 to support the popular volunteer-led Osprey project. Organisers chose to distribute some of their remaining funds to local projects that have made a positive impact on the community after the final event of this year’s festival.
Redefest committee members are said to have selected Kielder Osprey Watch as one of the causes to benefit from the donation as a gesture of thanks for Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s support over the years.
Northumberland Wildlife Trust are also able to announce that “breeding pairs of ospreys have returned to nest in Kielder each year since 2009, arriving in spring and remaining until September. Activity around the nest peaks during July and August, when chicks hatch, are fed and eventually learn to fly and hunt independently”.
The Osprey Watch cabin at Tower Knowe Visitor Centre is staffed each year by Northumberland Wildlife Trust volunteers staff from April until mid-August. This provides visitors with the opportunity to learn more about these remarkable birds through telescope viewing and expert guidance.
The project offers volunteers the chance to meet new people while enjoying the stunning Kielder landscape as well as crucially helping people to connect with nature.
Impact of the Osprey volunteers
Northumberland Wildlife Trust Volunteering Support Officer, Joe Crutwell, commented:
“In just four months this year, our Osprey Watch volunteers spoke to 5,131 visitors and clocked up 1,297 volunteering hours, so this donation is a great boost to their efforts and will be put to good use when the birds return to the region next spring.
“Keep watching the skies from March onwards and put a note in your diary to come and meet the volunteers at the Osprey Watch cabin and try out the telescopes for yourself.”
The Kielder Osprey Project is a partnership between Forestry England, Northumberland Wildlife Trust, Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust, Calbert, Northumbrian Water and Wild Intrigue.
For more information, please see here.
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