Osprey at Haslingden Grane in Rossendale, Lancashire, UK - May 2017

www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guid...

Seen in flight from below the osprey has white or slightly mottled underparts. The long wings are angled, bending at the 'wrist' which has a black patch contrasting with the white wing linings, and at a distance it could be mistaken for a large gull. This spectacular fish-eating bird of prey is an Amber List species because of its historical decline (due to illegal killing), and low breeding numbers

Overview

Latin name
Pandion haliaetus

Family

Osprey (Pandionidae)

Where to see them

Its main UK stronghold is in Scotland (with some sites in North East England) where you can visit many nest sites with public viewing facilities, including Loch Garten (Highland), Wigtown (Dumfries and Galloway) and Loch of the Lowes (Perthshire). In 2001 it began breeding in England at Bassenthwaite in Cumbria, at Rutland Water (where it was introduced) and there are two pairs with viewing facilities in Wales. Can be seen at almost any large body of freshwater during spring and autumn migration.

When to see them

Birds arrive back from Africa in late March and April, leaving again in August and September.

What they eat

Fish

Population

UK Breeding:- 200-250 pairs

Breeding

Although immature ospreys may return to the UK, pair up and even build trial nests when they are two years old, they normally breed for the first time in their third to fifth year.

Ospreys are believed to be largely monogamous, and strongly faithful both to nest and mate.

The nest, called an eyrie, is generally built on the top of a large tree, usually a conifer, but deciduous trees are also used. In parts of their range, ospreys may nest on cliff ledges, coastal rocks, buoys and electricity pylons. Man-made structures are used more regularly in North America than in Europe, although a small number of the Scottish ospreys nest on electricity pylons.

These long-lived birds are mainly site faithful and some nests have been in use for some 20 years, with the birds adding to it each year. The nest is a large structure made of branches and twigs, lined with small twigs, moss, bark and grass. It takes both birds 14-21 days to complete a new nest, which at completion can be 120-150 cm across and 50-60 cm deep. As more material is added in later years, the nest can grow to a depth of 150-200 cm.

If ospreys fail to breed successfully, they often start to build a new nest known as a ‘frustration eyrie’, which they may use for nesting the following year. Ospreys use specially made nesting platforms readily, and many of these sites are in regular use in Scotland.

In the second half of April, the female lays two or three eggs at 1-3 day intervals and incubates them for 37 days per egg. Even though chicks hatch a few days apart, aggression and dominance by the older chick is rare. This asynchronic hatching is typical for most birds of prey.

If food is short, at least the oldest chick will get enough and survive. Nest failures are most commonly caused by adverse weather conditions, food shortage, inexperience of birds nesting for the first time, and occasionally by egg collectors robbing the nest.

Like most other birds of prey, ospreys divide the nesting duties clearly between the pair. The female does most of the incubating, brooding and direct feeding of the young. She guards them throughout the nestling period, and will share the hunting at later stages when the chicks are larger. The male, on the other hand, is the major provider of fish for the female and young.

After fledging at c. 53 days, both parents provide food for the young, which stay close to the nest for a further two months. Many juvenile birds die before they reach maturity at three years old. Those that reach breeding age can expect to live on average about eight years. The oldest known wild osprey was 32 years old.

Habitat and food

Ospreys are found in a variety of freshwater, brackish and marine environments. The most important habitat requirement is the presence of ample supplies of medium-sized fish obtainable near the surface of clear unpolluted water. Several birds sometimes congregate at good feeding sites.

The osprey is a specialist feeder, relying on medium sized fish, both marine and fresh-water. The bird will fly above the water’s surface to locate fish, sometimes gliding and soaring up to 70 metres high.

The exact catching technique varies with the type of fish, but they all involve a nearly vertical plunge dive with wings half-folded and feet thrown forward at last moment. The fish are caught in talons after a dive to a maximum depth of 1m. The fish is held head first, like a torpedo, when carried to a perch or to the nest.

The long, curved talons and the short spines covering the underside of the toes assist with the capture and holding of the fish. The bird is also able to close its nostrils to stop water getting up its nose during a dive.

Legal status

The osprey is afforded the highest degree of legal protection under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

It is an offence to intentionally take, injure or kill an osprey or to take, damage or destroy its nest, eggs or young. It is also an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb the birds close to their nest during the breeding season. Violation of the law can attract fines up to £5,000 per offence and/or a prison sentence of up to six months.

The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 widens this protection and provides additional protection for the osprey in Scotland.

Population trends

The osprey used to be distributed throughout Europe, but heavy persecution, mainly by Victorian egg and skin collectors, during the 19th and early 20th century brought about dramatic decreases and extinctions.

The osprey became extinct as a breeding bird in England in 1840 and in Scotland in 1916, though it continued to occur as a passage migrant. In 1954 it re-colonised naturally (by birds thought to be of Scandinavian origin) and a pair has nested successfully almost every year since 1959 at the RSPB's Loch Garten, Abernethy Forest, reserve in Scotland. The Osprey Centre at Loch Garten has become one of the most famous conservation sites in the world.

The early re-colonisation was very slow, possibly because of organochlorine pesticides in the food chain and due to the continued activities of egg collectors, and had reached only 14 pairs by 1976. Fifteen years later, there were 71 pairs.

In 2001, 158 breeding pairs were located, mainly in Scotland. That same year saw the first successful nesting of ospreys in England for 160 years by both naturally re-colonising birds in the Lake District and re-introduced ones at Rutland Water.

Threats

In the past, shooting and nest destruction were some of the main threats, and migrant birds are still regularly shot in southern Europe, although British ospreys migrate through Spain where they are at less risk than in some other countries.

Contamination of birds with mercury and organochlorine pesticides, and entanglement in fishing line occur, but cooperation with anglers has reduced the latter problem significantly.

Ospreys are surprisingly tolerant of regular activity, such as passing vehicles, but they are extremely nervous of unusual activity, and hence there can be a risk of a nest being deserted following disturbance, both intentional and accidental.

The osprey is listed on the Amber List of UK birds of conservation concern because of the long-term population decline and since it is a rare breeding bird in the UK.

Conservation action is aimed at increasing the osprey population and range in the UK. This will require the general land use policies for currently occupied habitat to include a provision for ospreys and ensure that key feeding and nesting requirements are not compromised. A number of organisations provide artificial nest sites in strategic locations to encourage range expansion.

Protection of the foraging habitat is most effective through coastal zone and estuary management plans, and integrated management of river catchments. Protection of nesting birds from illegal human interference is another priority.

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / Rossendale Borough (show map)

Taken on: May 24, 2017

Sets appears in: • Nikon P900 Wildlife • British Wildlife more » • Rossendale • Lancashire • Group 2 « less

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Camera: NIKON COOLPIX P900, f/5.6, 1/800 sec, 196mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	NIKON COOLPIX P900
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/800)
Focal Length:	196mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	-0.2 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	COOLPIX P900 V1.3
Show full info

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