A PAIR of buzzards have raised three chicks in a rural valley for the first time.

The birds began building their nest in Washburn Valley, near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, in March.

The chicks hatched early last month and have been fed on a diet of rabbits, small mammals, frogs and carrion by their parents.

They flew the nest over the past week after being ringed by experts from Bradford Ornithological Group and staff from Yorkshire Water, which owns the land where the nest was built.

Yorkshire Water's catchment and recreation manager Geoff Lomas said it was the first time that buzzards had nested in the area.

"We have a small number of buzzards nesting on Yorkshire Water land in other parts of the region, but we are thrilled to have a new pair in an area where they haven't been seen for decades," he said.

"We first noticed them some time ago but, for obvious reasons, we didn't want to draw public attention to the breeding pair until the chicks were old enough to fend for themselves."

Andy Jowett, from the Bradford Ornithological Group, said: "As we were able to ensure they were left largely undisturbed, there's no reason to believe the buzzards won't return next year.

"Three chicks is a good yield, especially for a new breeding pair, so the environment of the Washburn Valley certainly seems to suit them."