ALL our wildlife has to cope with adversity and those who enjoy the countryside have to accept this.

In the Lake District, for example, the golden eagles have had a difficult time recently. The male bird reached almost 30 before "disappearing" and the younger female needs a new mate. The site around Haweswater must wait for a successful pairing.

In contrast, ospreys are now in residence near Bassenthwaite and a female has been present since 1998. Chicks have been successfully raised since 2001.

The return of ospreys to England, after an absence of at least 150 years, is one of the great conservation success stories of recent times, and the Lake District pair is proving to be a huge draw for visitors.

Bill Kenmir of the RSPB said: "Little do the ospreys know just how many people are following their story, not only in this country but across the globe.

"We rely on a huge team of people to help make the osprey project a success and the news that an egg has successfully hatched is testament to all their hard work. The many fans of the Lake District's ospreys will be thrilled."

Graeme Prest of the Forestry Commission added: "We are delighted that the ospreys have nested successfully for the third year in a row.

"The new Osprey Discovery Room at the Forestry Commission's Whinlatter Centre will provide a great new experience for visitors.

"There will be lots of osprey information and the opportunity to watch all the action from the nest on the big screens."

Pete Barron, of the Lake District National Park Authority, said: "The arrival of the chicks is always an ideal time to come and view the ospreys. This year there is the opportunity to see the birds and reduce your impact on the local environment by using one of the special travel packages using buses from Keswick to visit Dodd Wood and Whinlatter."

Ospreys are migratory and are on their way back to Africa in September. I have marked the site down as a place to visit next spring and throughout the summer of 2004.

Heat's good for spiders

I RECENTLY received the following letter from Peter Blackburn of Walden Road, Wilpshire:

"I thought you may be interested in the picture enclosed. The spider in our bath is one of about 10 that we have had to remove from our house over the past few months, not liked by my children at all! Where do such big arachnids come from?

"I also enclose some pictures of a coastal visitor to a factory site I was cleaning, just at the side of the motorway at Roman Road industrial area.

"A pair of oyster catchers raised a good brood (five in total) of chicks, which were reared and quickly flew off. We are informed that oyster catchers are few in numbers and very timid. Well I can tell you the pictures were taken from my Landrover from a distance of about 15 yards with the busy M65 whistling by behind the trees that can be seen in the background.

"And lastly, the 'Mitton white crow' is a white crow and not an albino. It has a black beak, black legs and a black eye. However, it is such a wily bird that it took me nearly three weeks to catch near enough to the road to photograph.

"One of the old employees at Stonyhurst College had for some years a white crow as a pet. It is now a stuffed example in the college museum, but they too make the mistake of labelling it as an albino.

"There is also a pure white crow in a local flock at an area between Hellifield and Long Preston. I first saw it when I was a farm apprentice in 1962. Whenever I go back, I nearly always see one of its descendants."

Ron replies:

Peter's letter raises three points - 1. The spider is the house spider which is more common this year thanks to the hot summer. They can certainly grow very large. They are likely to spin huge webs during autumn and will keep the "dusters" in the family busy.

2. Oyster catchers are more common away from coasts and also less shy than they used to be. The usual clutch of eggs is three and so a family of five is a good sighting. Crows do eat the eggs and young of oyster catchers which brings me to point three.

3. The white crows described are defined as partial albinos and there have been several East Lancashire sightings recently. There is a pub between Chorley and Wigan called The White Crow.