With many of the birds delaying their migratory return, due to the storms off the coast of West Africa and over the south of the Iberian Peninsula, things got off to a slow start. But that all changed on 15^th March. For the fourth year running, it was female 25(10) who got the 2026 Osprey season well and truly underway, if only for just a few minutes on Mother’s Day. She returned to the Manton Bay nest for longer periods two days later. Her own nest is just a short distance away, also in Rutland at Site C, and her breeding partner, 11(10), returned shortly after her so they quickly settled down at their regular site.

Osprey 25(10) is first to arrive in 2026 at the Manton Bay nest on 15th March. Credit: LRWT.

A week after 25(10)’s arrival, another local Osprey spent some time at Manton Bay before going off to her usual nest. The Argyll BTO-ringed female, resident at Site N for the past three seasons, was identified thanks to the power of our new high-resolution camera, as we could zoom in to see the BTO ring and read its number.

Close-up of the identification ring on the Argyll BTO-ringed female that visited the Manton Bay nest early in the 2026 season. Credit: LRWT.

Then, on 24^th March, an action-packed day began to unfold just after dawn. An unringed female landed on the nest at 06:28. Could this be Maya? We quickly ascertained that it wasn’t but then, to add to the day’s excitement, 33(11) landed at 07:17. The first of our Manton Bay residents was back!

Osprey 33(11) returns from migration and lands on the Manton Bay nest. Credit: LRWT.

Just a handful of hours later, at 14:30, Maya arrived back from migration, proudly carrying a large trout to the nest. 33 was straight onto the nest to greet her, but the unringed female was still around and tried to muscle in on the action.

Maya returns to her Manton Bay nest from migration. Credit: LRWT.

Maya was having none of it and literally bumped her off the nest, twice (just a few minutes apart). Maya and 33 soon began mating and continued building up the nest, ready for what we hope will turn out to be another incredible season at Manton Bay.

Maya pushes the intruding unringed female off the Manton Bay nest. Credit: LRWT.

Meanwhile, over on Lagoon 4, our newer nest platform has now been fitted with cameras in anticipation of the return of a pair that showed interest in the nest last year. Rutland-born 359 (male, a 2021 chick) and Rutland-born 3H9 (female, 2023) got together late in the season last year, so we had high hopes for their return and 359 came back to the nest late on Sunday 29^th March. Interestingly, 359 is one of the Argyll BTO-ringed female’s chicks and 3H9’s parents are 25(10) and 11(10), all mentioned above!

Finally, a special visitor to Manton Bay, on Sunday 29^th March, was 5H1. She fledged from Poole Harbour in 2022, the first osprey to do so in Southern England for about 180 years! She made local Site Z her home here last year and hatched three chicks with 3AY in 2025. One of these chicks, 8R3, was seen in February at two separate locations in The Gambia and Senegal. In addition to her residency in Rutland, her female parent, CJ7, has Rutland heritage too, having hatched in the area (Site K) in 2015.

Osprey 5H1 intrudes briefly on the Manton Bay nest. Credit: LRWT.

It was surely only a matter of time before we would see some eggs on the Manton Bay nest. Having firmly established themselves as a prolific pair of ospreys, breeding together since 2015, the first egg duly arrived on 5^th April, with a further three neatly following at 3-day intervals. Taking into account averages over recent years, we should expect the first one to hatch around the 12^th May, give or take a day or two.

We had high hopes for our Lagoon 4 nest this year, with both the ospreys that spent time together there last summer, male 359(21) and female 3H9(23), having returned a few days apart this year. They have both moved onto different nests now though - 359 pairing with HJ8 at Site B (her long-term partner, 30(10), has failed to return) and 3H9 is now elsewhere in the area too.

One particularly interesting return this year is that of male 4H6(23). This is the first sighting in his home area, since he migrated from Site K in 2023. He was spotted at Site R on 11^th April.

On 25^th April, there were sightings of both 3H4 and 2H3, which brings the total number of ospreys that have returned from migration in the area to 31, equalling last year’s record. With any 2024-hatched first-time returners possibly still to arrive, this should be yet another record-breaking year for the project.

But now, our focus is firmly fixed on those four eggs of Maya and 33. Any day now…

All four Osprey eggs on the Manton Bay next for the 2026 season. Credit: LRWT.