Tag Archives: osprey

British osprey chicks hatching

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This video from England is called Rutland Ospreys 2013 – 19 May 15.42hrs – 2nd Egg Hatching.

From BirdLife:

First osprey chicks appearing across the country

Worrying incident as nest robber is disturbed

May 2013. Osprey chicks have been appearing across the UK in the last week, and, amazingly, more osprey eggs too. We think the first chicks to hatch were, as usual, in north Wales, at the Glaslyn Osprey project. Amazingly, just a few miles down the road, the Cors Dyfi ospreys have laid their first egg of the season and it’s one of the latest eggs ever laid by an osprey in the UK. Plentiful chicks have hatched in Rutland and more are on the way, but, worryingly, it appears that an egg collector tried to rob an osprey nest on the Threave Estate in Scotland.

Rutland

At least 6 chicks have already hatched at Rutland Water, the spiritual home of ospreys in England, and there are two more nests yet to produce. More about Rutland Water Nature Reserve here.

Lake District

A Pair of ospreys have nested again in the Lake District, and eggs have been laid.

Loch of the Lowes – Remarkable ‘Lady’ lays 4 eggs!

The veteran osprey, known as ‘Lady’ has laid 4 eggs this year. She didn’t lay her first until later than usual, and there were concerns that perhaps she was infertile, but she has confounded everyone by laying 4 eggs. Read how to see the ospreys at the Loch of the Lowes wildlife reserve here.

Boat of Garten – 4 eggs

The regular pair at the Boat of Garten are also incubating 4 eggs. More about Loch Garten here.

Tweed Valley ospreys – First Scottish chick

A pair of ospreys in the Tweed Valley have hatched what is believed to be the first Scottish Osprey chick of the year, and have two more eggs as well.

Threave ospreys – Egg collector scared off!

Unbelievable as it is in this day and age, it appears that an egg collector was disturbed whilst trying to raid the osprey nest on the Threave Estate. A man in tree climbing gear was disturbed by a member of the public near the nest – Read more here.

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Welsh osprey update

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From Wildlife Extra:

Amazing week at Cors Dyfi osprey project

Monty and his new mate, Blue 12, at Cors Dyfi

Monty and his new mate, Blue 12, at Cors Dyfi

5 females and 2 males in a week

May 2013. Monty, the male that has been resident at Cors Dyfi for the last year or two, has not been joined by his regular mate, Nora, this year. In her absence over the last week Monty has been ‘flirting’ with at least 5 different females, whilst another male was seen in the area as well. It appears that Monty has now settled down with ‘Blue 12′, who was hatched at Rutland Water in 2010, and, interesting, was spotted at Rutland on 27th April, a few days before she appeared at Dyfi.

Click here to go to the Cors Dyfi Osprey blog.

May 2013. Countryside Rangers from conservation charity, the National Trust for Scotland are keeping a 24 hour watch on the Threave Estate‘s ospreys after a suspected attempt to steal the nesting birds’ eggs: here.

Osprey nest in Virginia, USA: here.

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Oldest osprey ‘Lady’ lays more eggs

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This video from Scotland says about itself:

Will she return? Countdown on for ancient osprey Lady to land in Scotland after brush with death

Although she nearly died from a mystery illness last year, staff at a Perthshire nature reserve are hopeful that ancient osprey Lady will return this month. Broadcast: Wednesday, March 23, 2011.

From Wildlife Extra:

Extraordinary ‘Lady’ osprey lays 2 more eggs, 65th and 66th of her lifetime

Lady lays yet more eggs

April 2013. The record breaking osprey, known as ‘Lady’, at the Scottish Wildlife Trust‘s Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve in Perthshire has laid two more eggs, the 65th and 66th of her lifetime.

The osprey, affectionately known by many as ‘Lady’, has been returning to Loch of the Lowes, near Dunkeld in Perthshire, for an incredible 23 years. The female osprey and her mate are now incubating the eggs, which will take five to six weeks. Last year, one of three eggs hatched and the chick was satellite tagged by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

The whole laying process was seen live on the nest camera, which is available to view online.

Scottish Wildlife Trust Perthshire Ranger Emma Rawling said: “The first egg was laid on 18 April amid very high winds and with an intruder osprey in the vicinity. The second arrived just after 1 am on 21 April but it wasn’t until first light we got a good view of it as she rolled it delicately with her beak in the nest.

Third egg possible?

“We are over the moon as this effectively doubles our chances of having chicks hatch this year at this famous nest. We are also hoping our bird might equal her historic average of three eggs, as she is still mating with the male. If this happens, the last egg would be laid sometime over the next day or two. Our 24 hour nest protection now becomes even more important. We will be monitoring the nest for as long as the ospreys are here and we hope we’ll see the eggs hatch in a few weeks’ time.

“We’re still learning so much about osprey behaviour. Having the camera in the nest and so many enthusiastic visitors and viewers around Loch of the Lowes at the moment makes this time of year incredibly exciting.”

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First Scottish osprey egg this year

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This video from Scotland says about itself:

July 1, 2011

Pic Katielee Arrowsmith/Deadline News

Three Osprey chicks are ringed to allow their progress to be tracked over their lifetime and migration.

The Tweed Valley Osprey Project is a partnership of Forestry Commission Scotland and Kailzie Gardens, part-funded by the RSPB.

Pictured are 3-4 week old chicks which were brought down from their nest, tagged and put back safely by Tony Lightley, Conservation Manager and licensed ringer of the FCS.

From Wildlife Extra:

First Scottish osprey egg of the season

Tweed Valley osprey egg first in Scotland

April 2013. The Borders’ ospreys have heralded that spring is on the way – because there is now an egg in their nest.

First in Scotland?

Everyone involved in the Tweed Valley Osprey Project is excited about the early breeding success, as the birds only arrived back from their winter sojourn on 3 April – and the team believe it is the first osprey egg to have been laid in Scotland.

Osprey information officer Diane Bennett said: “It’s been another year of pretty bad weather for them but it seems that the ospreys are getting used to dealing with the cold and snow when they first return.

“This is the tenth season where they’ve come back to a sturdy nest, thanks to the work of Forestry Commission Scotland’s conservation rangers, and with this first egg, things are looking promising.

“One of our new volunteers spotted the egg on 12th April, and as you’d expect, the mother osprey has been fussing over it and has made sure that she’s found the best position for incubation. Hopefully there will be more eggs to come – but for now it’s all good news!”

Ospreys have been nesting in the Tweed Valley for more than 15 years. The Tweed Valley Ospreys Project, a partnership between the Commission, Kailzie Gardens and RSPB Scotland, has helped safeguard the birds and allowed the public to enjoy them through two viewing centres.

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Oldest osprey ‘Lady’ returns to Scotland

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This video from Scotland is called Loch of the Lowes Ospreys 2012 – 30 March 8.32am – Lady Marge Returns!!

From Wildlife Extra:

Remarkable Osprey, ‘Lady’, returns to Scotland for 23rd year – Ospreys update

Ospreys spotted at Rutland and Glaslyn

April 2013. A sure sign of spring (ignoring the weather) is when ospreys return to the UK after their winter break in the warmer climes of West Africa. The first ospreys have foolishly returned a few days earlier than last year, to be greeted by rain, fog and even snow.

Lady returns again

The remarkable female osprey, known by many as ‘Lady’, that is believed to be 27 years old, has returned to the reserve near Dunkeld for the 23rd year in a row.

Rutland

There are now at least 2 pairs resident at Rutland, in Manton Bay and at site B, and there have been sightings of several other birds too. Rutland’s most successful breeding osprey, ever, (03)97, was the first back on Sunday 18th March, ensuring that he had no competition for his usual nest site. He was followed shortly afterwards by (00)09, his daughter, who fledged in 2009 (The clue is in the name).

To get the latest updates, go to the Rutland osprey website.

Read more about Rutland Water Nature Reserve here.

Kielder ospreys

Two birds have been spotted so far, one from each of last year’s pairs, but there partners have not yet been seen – Perhaps they will couple up? Several of the birds seen in Kielder over the last year or so have been identified as birds fledged in Glaslyn.

More about Kielder Water & Forest Park here.

Glaslyn

It might have been the coldest Easter for decades but the weather did not deter the site from experiencing few excitements. The Glaslyn pair has been busy with the nest and many other sightings of ospreys in the vicinity. At one point, five ospreys were seen around the nest – what an amazing scene! Few have been spotted fishing in the Porthmadog area during the past few days.

Read more about the Glaslyn Osprey Project here.

Dyfi Osprey Project – Montgomeryshire

Unfortunately, no ospreys have returned here yet, it isn’t too late though.

Lake District Ospreys

Ospreys have been glimpsed several times, but none have taken up residence yet.

Loch of the Lowes

The female osprey returned on Saturday March 30th and was confirmed as the famous female using close ups of plumage and eye markings on Easter Day. Over the last couple of days she has settled into the nest, along with the male who has been at Loch of the Lowes for a week already. This is the same male who was new last year; he and ‘Lady’ successfully bred then, so we hope the same will happen this year.

Lady, as she has become known, is a remarkable over 25-year-old bird (Ospreys live on average just 8 years), that has raised
48 chicks so far, at Scottish Wildlife Trust‘s Loch of the Lowes wildlife reserve. This is her story. More details here.

More about Loch of the Lowes wildlife reserve is here.

Loch Garten

EJ, the female osprey, delighted staff by winging her way back to the popular nature reserve. This year she was confronted with a spectacular wintry landscape, a frozen Loch Garten and temperatures of -7 degrees. Ready to spend her 11th year in the Cairngorms, she touched down just after 6:00pm on Wednesday 27th March 2013. As yet her partner has not been seen.

More about Loch Garten here.

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Ospreys, how to help them

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From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in the USA:

NestWatch eNewsletter

March 2013

Osprey leaving the nest

An Osprey takes off from its nest platform. Photo by Dea via Birdshare.

Platform for Success

The Osprey is a large fish-eating hawk and a top consumer in the food chain. Like Bald Eagles, Ospreys declined following the widespread use of the pesticide DDT. Now that DDT has been banned in the United States for 40 years, the Osprey is a common sight in open habitats near water. Ospreys are good indicators of environmental toxins, and their recent rebound is a positive sign. Similar to eagles, the Osprey builds a conspicuous nest out of large sticks that is fairly easy to spot, if you know where to look. Ospreys seek out a high vantage point near water from which to build their bulky nest, usually atop a sturdy treetop or snag.

However, the Osprey will readily nest on an artificial structure, such as utility poles, boats, or even duck blinds, particularly when other options are limited. Because it can be undesirable to have an Osprey nest on one of these structures, many people encourage safer nesting by Ospreys by putting up an artificial nesting platform. Ospreys will readily use artificial platforms, and the following tips will help you to recruit a nesting pair of Ospreys to your area.

  1. Build community support for the Osprey by educating neighbors about this regal raptor. Talk to your local bird club, conservation organization, utility company, and/or parks department about providing in-kind or financial support for your project. Simply by asking, you may be able to secure donations of old utility poles, lumber, hardware supplies, or labor.
  2. Choose a location that is likely to attract Ospreys. The location for the platform should be within 1,600′ of water, and should be taller than any nearby trees (or at least 20′ tall, whichever is greater). If the platform is to be located in water, it should be at least 15′ over the water’s surface. Platforms can even be placed on utility poles with the aid of 6-8′ risers (work with your utility company to place platforms in areas where Ospreys are already using utility poles for nest sites). Ospreys are fairly tolerant of nearby human activity and of other Ospreys, so long as there is an adequate food supply to support nesting.
  3. Follow our construction plans for building the platform, and consider adding a predator guard to the post. Add a few large sticks to the bottom of the platform; this will entice Ospreys to check out your nest start.
  4. Monitor the platform for activity, and report your observations to NestWatch.org. You can also peek into the private lives of Ospreys by tuning in to the Lab of Ornithology’s Osprey Cam in May to watch nesting Ospreys in Montana, courtesy of Project Osprey.

Finally, share your success with us, and publicize it in your local newspaper! People will be curious about the platform, and this is the perfect chance to share the amazing Osprey with them. Coordinating a big project like this can bring together people from very disparate backgrounds–such as utility workers, anglers, and bird watchers–who might not otherwise work together for bird conservation. By taking on a project like this, you will not only be building a platform for success for the Osprey, but for future community partnerships, as well.
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Ospreys back in Britain

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This is called Osprey video, Pandion haliaetus.

From Wildlife Extra:

Ospreys are back in the UK

Ospreys spotted at Rutland and Glaslyn

March 2013. A sure sign of spring (ignoring the weather) is when ospreys return to the UK after their winter break in the warmer climes of West Africa. The first ospreys have foolishly returned a few days earlier than last year, to be greeted by rain, fog and even snow.

Rutland

Rutland’s most successful breeding osprey, ever, (03)97, was the first back on Sunday 18th March, ensuring that he had no competition for his usual nest site. He was followed shortly afterwards by (00)09, his daughter, who fledged in 2009 (The clue is in the name). To get the latest updates, go to the Rutland osprey website.

Read more about Rutland Water Nature Reserve.

Glaslyn

The Glaslyn ospreys have often been the pace setters, first return, first eggs etc, but this year they were pipped at the post by Rutland. The first bird, and unringed female, arrived back on Monday 19th March.

Read more about the Glaslyn Osprey Project.

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Oldest osprey ‘Lady”s 62nd egg

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This video is called Loch of the Lowes Osprey, The First Egg 2011.

From the BBC:

16 April 2012 Last updated at 11:39 GMT

‘Oldest’ breeding osprey lays 62nd egg at Loch of the Lowes

Loch of the Lowes Osprey Webcam viewers spotted the egg on Saturday

An osprey which is thought to be the UK’s oldest breeding female has laid her 62nd egg at a Perthshire reserve.

The bird, known as Lady, returned in March to the Loch of the Lowes reserve near Dunkeld, where she has nested for 22 consecutive years.

On average, ospreys live for between 10 and 15 years in the wild.

The egg was spotted on Saturday evening by Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) staff and volunteers monitoring the webcam trained on the nest.

It follows last week’s “puzzling” behaviour by the bird, who showed all the tell-tale signs of egg laying before completely changing her behaviour.

Officials at the Scottish Wildlife Trust, who manage the reserve, said Lady could have laid a “phantom egg”, or the egg could have been damaged or destroyed.

If the egg which is now being incubated hatches, a chick can be expected in the next five or six weeks.

Scottish Wildlife Trust ranger Emma Rawling said: “After a mystery on the nest last week I’m so relieved that we can confirm there definitely is an egg in the nest now.

“Our 24 hour nest protection now becomes even more important – we will be monitoring the nest for as long as the ospreys are here and we hope we’ll see young hatch in a few weeks’ time.”

Ms Rawling said Lady kept “surprising” experts at the SWT.

“She still seems committed to breeding, even at her advanced age. I’m sure that her fans watching on the webcam across the world will be keeping their fingers crossed that these eggs hatch very soon,” the ranger added.

Failed to hatch

In 2010, experts feared Lady would die after she fell ill and stopped eating.

However, thousands of people watching via webcam witnessed the osprey’s sudden recovery days later.

Lady returned to her nest the following year, but her eggs failed to hatch. At this point Ms Rawling said staff at the SWT “feared that might have been the last we would see of this bird”.

But Lady returned to the Loch of the Lowes again this year after completing the 3,000-mile migration from West Africa.

Female ospreys normally produce about 20 chicks in a lifetime. Lady has produced 61 eggs and has now seen 48 fledge.

See also here.

Osprey chicks in the UK: here.

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