This is a wonderful book describing how the ospreys were first extirpated in Scotland around 1916 and then were found to return in 1954.
A number of people on the forum now have a copy so we can have a discussion about it.
Here is what the book looks like. Its ISBN number is: 9780434089109
Tiger Signature
ChloeB said: Have just started to read mine again.
Have just started to read mine again.
That sounds great. I was thinking of making a short summary of each chapter.
That sounds an excellent idea Tiger.
ChloeB & Tiger's Osprey Data
Tiger - "It was be so lovely to know where those first birds came from. Of course as you may know Roy Dennis now thinks that the ospreys never died out in the first place.
This is an amazing audio on the same subject. You should enjoy listening to it. Listen at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/birdboys.shtml "
Thanks, I have listened to this and did enoy it. I do think that it is likely that the ospreys did cling on in some out of the way areas in Scotland. After all,every so often various species are found in jungles that were thought to be extinct.
ChrisyB I am so glad you listened to the "Bird Boys". It is such a great audio which was in celebration of 50 years of Loch Garten in 2004. Of course they managed to fit in a second 50th anniversary in 2009.
There is a very interesting point on page 13 of "Scottish Ospreys"
It says.
Some of the 'colonies' of ospreys must have been very impressive. The Late Capt. C. W. R. Knight was on Gardiner's Island (off Long Island, New York) in 1932 and estimated that over 300 pairs were breeding in an area of about 3,000 acres. This gives a density of over 50 pairs breeding to a square mile.
This question comes up from time to time as to how many ospreys can breed in a given area. It seems that the answer is a great many.
Interestingly there are still ospreys on Gardiner's Island and some of them nest on the ground. See Gardiner Island
An amazing amount of ospreys Tiger.
Love the quote in your link to Gardiner's Island....."Lion Gardiner purchased an island from Indian Chief Wyandance, Montauk Sachem for "one big black dog, one gun, some powder and shot, a gallon of rum, and three Dutch blankets." :)
I am ashamed to think that ospreys could not safely nest on the ground here with impunity :(
Been reading my Philip Brown - just finished chapter four. But got to admit I didn't read chapter two thoroughly, just too heart breaking although knew beforehand what happened back then.... One of the joys in this book is the manner the author writes, absolutely vivid use of words and love the pics too
my photos in flickr
Unknown said: Been reading my Philip Brown - just finished chapter four. But got to admit I didn't read chapter two thoroughly, just too heart breaking although knew beforehand what happened back then.... One of the joys in this book is the manner the author writes, absolutely vivid use of words and love the pics too
Yes Philip Brown is a very exciting writer. He was secretary of the RSPB from 1952 to 1963.
Ah so you have just found the frustration eryie in the Sluggan Pass? The map at the start of the book shows just how far away from Loch Garten the Sluggan Pass is. Earlier in the thread JSB reported that he was at school nearby at the time and was totally unaware of it all, like most most people at the time.
It must have been such an exciting find.
Didn't have a chance to say, but I was on chapter 8 at the beginning of the weekend, and finished on Sunday morning. It was quite hard reading the early parts, with all the doom and gloom re egg collectors, but I fair bounced through the second half in a much happier frame of mind.
I'm so glad George Waterston wasn't asking Philip Brown whether he should open to the public, just informing him that's what he intended to do. If something is in the public eye then there's less chance of sneaky baddies getting in on the act. Although I am fairly sure in my own mind that there always were some ospreys about that nobody knew about, I am also sure that this public awareness helped speed up the growth in numbers.
Terry in Cumbria
TerryM I am glad you have read it now. I think the early chapters have to be taken in context. Life in the 1850s was hard.
There is a wonderful picture of osprey eggs on page 26.
I have just sought out the story on page 40 about Osgood MacKenzie. It was an eight year old he was already a keen collector of eggs.
He gave his mother no peace until she arranged an expedition to the nest; but found they were too late as as a south county shepherd had got wind of the fact that the eggs had a market value and taken them the previous day. However, a good Calendonian bank note, if it had Tir nam beann, nan gleann s'nan quaisqach (the land of the mountains, the glens, and the heroes) printed on it , was fairly powerful in those days; for a pound/note of that description my enemy, Jock Beattie (for I fear I hated him in my little heart), handed over the two big, pure white eggs, and I returned in a kind of semi/triumph on my Shetland pony's back.
For some reason the highlighted line sticks in memory like none other. It certainly captures the drama of Philip Brown's writing.
On page 49 the account of how Lewis Dunbar swam across to the island on Loch an Eilean at the dead of night on 8th May 1852 is quite chilling (no pun intended) to say the least.