Ospreys in Britain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a medium large raptor which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution.
In the British Isles, they are scarce breeders primarily in Scotland, but also very rarely further south in England and Wales. They have made something of a comeback after becoming extinct in the British Isles in 1916 and recolonising in 1954.
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[edit] History
The Osprey formerly inhabited much of Britain, but heavy persecution, mainly by Victorian egg and skin collectors, during the 19th century and early 20th century brought about its demise. The Osprey became extinct as a breeding bird in England in 1840 and in Scotland in 1916, and it is not thought to have inhabited Wales at that stage.
[edit] Passage migrants
Ospreys also fly through Britain on passage to Sweden and Finland.
[edit] Recolonisation of Scotland
In 1954 Scandinavian birds re-colonised naturally and a pair has nested successfully almost every year since 1959 at Loch Garten Osprey Centre, Abernethy Forest Reserve, in the Scottish Highlands. The Osprey Centre at Loch Garten has become one of the most famous conservation sites in the world and attracts many visitors each year.[citation needed]
The early re-colonisation was very slow, because of contamination of the food chain by organochlorine pesticides, and the activities of egg collectors, and had reached only 14 pairs by 1976. "Operation Osprey" ensured the security of the birds by stopping egg collectors. Barbed wire was placed around the base of trees, electric wires around the tree and a watch was kept over them through the night.
Fifteen years later, in 1991 there were 71 pairs.
In 2001, 158 breeding pairs were located, mainly in Scotland.
[edit] Recolonisation of England and Wales
Because of the slow geographical spread of breeding ospreys from Scotland, in 1996 English Nature and Scottish Natural Heritage licensed a project to re-introduce the osprey to Central England. Over six years, chicks from Scottish nests were moved to the Nature Reserve at Rutland Water in the English Midlands, where they were released. Funding was provided by Anglian Water and the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust managed the project, supported by a large team of volunteers.
In 1999 some of the translocated birds returned after their migration from Africa and in 2001 the first pair bred. The same year, a pair from the Scottish population also bred for the first time in the Lake District at Bassenthwaite Lake. These two nests were the first recorded in England for 160 years.
Since 2001, pairs of Ospreys have continued to breed successfully at both sites and, by 2006, fourteen osprey chicks had fledged from the Rutland colony. Another unexpected result of the translocation project was the establishment of two nests in Wales in 2004. One was at an undisclosed location and the other at Pont Croesor, near Porthmadog in North Wales. In both cases the adult male, although originally from Scotland, had been translocated to Rutland.
Another significant milestone occurred in 2006 when two ospreys, having fledged from the Rutland nest two years previously, returned as adults. Both were too young to breed, but both they showed every indication that they will return as breeders in subsequent years.
[edit] See also
- Osprey
- Loch Garten Osprey Centre
- Rutland Water
- Reintroduction
- Caledonian Forest
- Dodd (Lake District)
