Kielder osprey chick takes first flight

An osprey chick has taken its first flight from its nest in Northumberland.

Visitors at Kielder Castle Visitor Centre watched the flight live with footage from a camera near the nest.

The chick is the only survivor of three eggs laid after stormy weather in May. There is another nest in Kielder with two chicks.

It is one of only two places in England to have had two naturally colonising breeding families in a decade, the Forestry Commission said.

Commission shop manager June Banks said: "It was quite emotional.

"The youngster perched himself on the edge of the nest and eventually plucked up the courage to take a leap in the dark.

"Everything else went like clockwork and after a circuit around the nest he arrived back safe and sound."

The Commission said the chicks in the other nest had also been seen flexing their wings