Everyone here is obviously an osprey enthusiast. How did you first discover the magic of ospreys and what have they done for you?
For me my love affair with ospreys began in the early eighties. I went into a bargain basement bookshop in central London and bought a discounted osprey book called "The Scottish Ospreys from extinction to survival" by Philip Brown. It was a book I very much enjoyed reading but there it remained. After that I did not hear much more about ospreys until the mid to late nineties. There was some footage of the Loch Garten ospreys shown in the late nineties but although I may have it on video somewhere I cannot locate it.
In July 1999 I found that Rutland Water had launched a new website to cover their translocation project which had begun in 1996. I became an immediate fan.
1999 also marked the start of osprey tracking. I found that facinating as I still do.
The first osprey cam I remember was most likely at Blackwater, Maryland. It was one new picture about every 15 minutes. It did not really change life that much.
The great saga of Henry and EJ and OVS began in 2003 and that ran for five years.
Then on around 1st June 2004 I discovered what was the original streaming osprey webcam. It was DPOF and it was so exciting. From there on life was forever different.
From there it has just grown and grown. It means that five or six months of the year just flash past. It has meant meeting a wonderful group of people. Also being at a loose end is a thing of the past.
Thanks to the wonder of the osprey.
Tiger Signature
My love for ospreys started on my first visit to LG in the late 70's but 'What They have done for Me' is to bring me in touch with these wonderful like minded friends I have made on this forum We can follow the ospreys, enrich our bird knowledge, and talk about anything we wish. If this forum ever closed, we would have to open our own site. I have been to LG, Bassenthwaite and Glaslyn and must make a visit to Rutland and Dyfi. I definitely suffer from ospreyitis and thanks to the birds and all of you, my condition becomes worse day by day.
Oh what wonderful contributions.
ClairM Oh a link back to 1959. That is really interesting. It would be great if we could hear more reports of the early days at Loch Garten. I often recommend this wonderful radio programme broadcasted to mark the 50th anniversary of the return of the osprey in 2004. They explore the idea that the osprey was never extinct at all.
osprey A great recollection. I am still waiting to my first osprey catch a fish. I was present when 08 (97) caught one at Rutland in 2007 but I managed to miss it.
OG The Henry years at Loch Garten were certainly rivetting. A bit thin on chicks mind you.
ChloeB Yes Springwatch 2005 did have huge long term effects. It changed lives.
Valc Yes I know what you mean. For some reason ospreys are so much more interesting than any other birds.
BrendaH Oh so you been at it a long time too. Do you have any pictures of Ollie or Olive?
Lindybird Yes who would have thought that ospreys would bring Friends.
Annette Yes ospreys do a lot of international relations.
Alex You got lots of wonderful new things to discover then.
Borderlass You must have some nice osprey pictures then? It would be great to see them.
margobird Just as you go to see EJ and Odin. It is lovely seeing them for real having just come back from Dyfi myself.
Tiger, We are going through some old slides. I don't think they are going to be good enough for ID. Camera equipment not brilliant then and we were so young, but will put some on here when we have loaded them on computer after sorting them.
Unknown said: Tiger, We are going through some old slides. I don't think they are going to be good enough for ID. Camera equipment not brilliant then and we were so young, but will put some on here when we have loaded them on computer after sorting them.
It would be great to see a picture of Ollie, Olive or Ollie and Olive. I have posted a few wecam pictures before.
I have seen a proper picture of Ollie but I cannot locate it.
There was an aricle in a birdwatching magazine about the 50th anniversary of the return of the osprey and although not named we felt that some of the pictures were of Ollie.
Do you know the identity of this bird? It is seen in so many places but no one seems to know its identity for definite? Some people think it is Ollie.
Tiger tomorrow is D day and I just can't wait to see EJ,Odin and family for real. This is going to be the experience of a lifetime. So glad I stopped faffing about as whether I should be a volunteer and took the plunge. Have a feeling that once I have been I will want to go again and again.
Margobird
Just a few first photographs from June 1976 but no good for ID. OH will work on them. We do know we have slides of the birds, which we bought at LG, probably for the previous year, but this could take some time to locate. We are in the process of transferring thousands of slides on to discs,
Tiger, I have found your Ollie and Olive photograph, which you showed us on the 21.8.2010 and I saved.
Unknown said: Tiger, I have found your Ollie and Olive photograph, which you showed us on the 21.8.2010 and I saved.
Yes that is a great picture. You have no idea how thrilled I was when I found that. Perhaps you should take a look at the unanswered question on the Quiz again. :)
Unknown said: Just a few first photographs from June 1976 but no good for ID. OH will work on them. We do know we have slides of the birds, which we bought at LG, probably for the previous year, but this could take some time to locate. We are in the process of transferring thousands of slides on to discs,
Oh these are sensational. They take us back to that hot summer of 1976 when there were only 14 breeding pairs in Scotland then. Only 10 were successful and 20 chicks reared.
I spent that summer conducting buses for Eastern Scottish rather than viewing ospreys.
3 or 4 years ago I was given a link to this site by a friend. I always enjoyed watching garden birds, but mainly because they are beautiful.
Watching the Ospreys has made me realize they have personalities just like people and companion animals. Some are ambitious, and some are lazy. Some are aggressive and some timid. When I heard garden birds in the morning it never occurred to me they may be calling a mate for food. I just thought they were greeting the day. I learned they have different calls for various situations such as food soliciting or intruders and danger. I never thought about how birds cope in rain or bad weather until I saw EJ battling a storm to shelter her eggs or young. It has opened my eyes to their difficult and fascinating lives .
Formerly known as Barbara Jean