The Wigtown Bay Ospreys were rung last Friday evening. Here's the press release:
Time is running out for a chance to view Wigtown Bay’s ospreys this year, as the successful nest’s two chicks get closer to taking their first flight.
The chicks, now named JD and JC, were ringed and weighed by experienced ringers last Friday (July 1) and are both looking healthy and ready to fledge. One chick, JC, was markedly heavier than the second, meaning she may be female, since in raptor species, the females are usually larger than the males.
Ian Brown, RSPB Scotland’s Community and Wildlife Officer in Wigtown said: “Ringing chicks is always a high point of the osprey season, as you get a really good look at the birds for the first time. Both our chicks were healthy, and are clearly getting lots of fish from their attentive parents. I’d expect them to be trying a few test flights in a couple of week’s time, though they’re likely to remain around the nest area until at least early August.”
An effort is made to ring all ospreys hatched in Scotland as it provides invaluable information on their movements and population. On one leg, birds are given a numbered metal ring from the British Trust for Ornithology, and on the other leg, they’re fitted with a uniquely marked plastic colour ring to allow birds to be identified by sight.
The Wigtown Bay Ospreys were ringed by RSPB staff and Ciril Ostroznik, from the North Solway Ringers, who climbed the tree to retrieve the chicks before they could be lowered to the ground.
Ospreys migrate to West Africa during the colder winter months, with the females departing first, and the males remaining at the nest site with their chicks until they too are ready to leave.
Live and recorded images of the Wigtown Bay ospreys and their chicks can be seen in the visitor room managed by Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Countryside Service and situated within Wigtown County Buildings. If you would like more information, please contact the visitor facilities in the County Buildings on 01988 402673.
Volunteers are still being sought to help out in the room for the rest of the season. If you would like to know more, contact Ian on 07919227854.
For more information/interviews/images, please contact Jenny Tweedie, Media and Communications Officer for the South and West of Scotland, on 0141 331 0993 or 07899 675131. Notes • This project is supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund and part-financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community, Dumfries & Galloway LEADER 2007-2013 programme. • The Wigtown Bay osprey group is a partnership between Dumfries and Galloway Council, RSPB Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, landowners and volunteers.