WEIGHING in at just over 3lbs, the "baby" Osprey of Bassenthwaite Lake is already shooting up.

Hatched just six weeks ago, at the beginning of June, experts attribute its fine stature to a regular diet of fresh fish.

David Hirst, of the RSPB, agreed that the youngster, pictured here in its nest at Wythop Forest near Keswick, is large for its age.

Mr Hirst said: "That's what comes of being an only child and getting the osprey's share of all the fish. You can see the two unhatched eggs in the picture - it might not have been quite so large at this stage if it's siblings had hatched out."

The youngster, believed to be female, is the first chick to be reared from this year's eggs at what is the only known osprey nest in the north.

The other eggs have now been sent away for scientific analysis to try to identify the reasons why they did not hatch.

Staff expect it will be towards the end of the month before she puts her wings to the test.

Only recently she was given a health-check and ringing after being carefully lowered from the tree top nest by the Lake District Osprey Project.

As part of a national monitoring programme to learn more about ospreys, the chick was ringed' to help identify her if it returns to the Lake District in the future. The young osprey was fitted with a green colour ring' on its right leg and this will identify the bird if it is seen on migration between Cumbria and its wintering quarters in Africa.

A public osprey viewpoint at the Forestry Commission's Dodd Wood near Keswick gives open-air viewing of the nest from across the Lake. It is located, three miles north of Keswick off the A591 with drivers recommended to follow the signs for Mirehouse.

The viewpoint is open all daylight hours and from 10am to 5pm osprey project staff are on hand with telescopes for visitors to use.