Hi there
Some more facts about Ospreys
source: http://www.jacobijayne.co.uk/21-facts/
1. Once known as the fish hawk, the osprey lives on fish that it catches by snatching them in a shallow dive from the surface of the water.
2. Though fish are by far the most important part of the diet, ospreys have been recorded catching a wide variety of other prey, including birds, reptiles and even crustaceans.
3. Though almost all British ospreys nest close to freshwater lakes or lochs, they will readily fish in the sea.
4. Some osprey populations, such as those on the Mediterranean islands of Menorca and Corsica, feed almost exclusively on sea fish.
5. Ospreys are one of the world's most widely distributed birds, breeding throughout much of North America, Northern Europe and Asia and around the coast of Australia.
6. All British-bred ospreys move south to Africa after the breeding season, with most wintering in Senegal and the Gambia.
7. Young ospreys remain in West Africa until they are three years old, when they fly north for the first time.
8. These young birds seldom breed until the following year.
9. Though ospreys can be found commonly in suitable habitat throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa, they do not breed there.
10. In Britain collectors exterminated ospreys in the early years of the 20th century, and the birds didn’t return to breed until 1954.
11. The returning birds were not re-introduced, but were Scandinavian birds that colonised naturally.
12. The returning ospreys had to be carefully guarded for many years to protect them from egg collectors.
13. Today there are more than 200 breeding pairs in Scotland, and almost all suitable territories are occupied.
14. Breeding took place in England, in the Lake District, in 2001, the first English nest for over 150 years.
15. In 2001 ospreys also bred at Rutland Water, the result of an imaginative translocation programme, with young birds from Scottish nests moved and released at the reservoir.
16. Ospreys will readily adopt artificial nest platforms, especially where there is a shortage of suitable trees in which to nest.
17. It is not only Britain where ospreys have recolonised. They returned to breed in France in 1984, and the population has grown rapidly since then.
18. Ospreys are early migrants, and returning birds are regularly seen in Scotland in late March, with the males arriving a week or two before the females.
19. Pairs do not remain together outside the breeding season, but the same pair will often breed together at the same eyrie in subsequent years.
20. Unlike most birds of prey, ospreys like to breed in loose colonies, and the presence of one successful pair will often attract others in following years.
21. Ospreys are long-lived, and many birds are still breeding aged 10 or more.
Regards
Kathy and Dave
Kathy,I would query some main items on your list. EJ, the female at LG has always arrived before her partner over the years and this has caused problems on her nest over the years. The most famous year was when her partner Henry arrived very late and she mated with OVS and when Henry arrived, he threw the eggs, which OVS sired, out of the nest.
Ospreys have been known to return at two years old.
There is so much up to date and historical osprey info on the RSPB LG site with a a very big following. We have not only followed our own LG ospreys but those of other countries and because of sat tagging we can follow them on Google Earth.
Some of us contributed to the cost of tagging for 2009 and this year we are answering an appeal towards the cost of bringing electricity to Loch Garten. I know some of the bloggers are also on this forum.
Another fascinating fact about ospreys - the oldest bird on record was 32 years old.
Noticed some unfinished business on this thread, so I have brought it to the top of the pile.
Trochilus: Thank you for you additional piece of information
Brenda: love to hear what others think here about your thoughts
Have only just seen this list - thanks Blackbird! I have a comment on another of the points:
Nicki C said: 6. All British-bred ospreys move south to Africa after the breeding season, with most wintering in Senegal and the Gambia.
Some British ospreys spend the winter in southern Europe. This is the case with Beatrice, a bird who osprey expert Roy Dennis has been following by satellite for a couple of years now, who winters in southern Spain near Gibraltar.
As Brenda H has said, the Loch Garten forum on this site is a mine of information for all things osprey:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/groups/lochgartenospreys/forum/default.aspx
Thanks Kathy
I didn't spot this thread originally, and I read the facts about ospreys with great interest.
If all of the possible Scottish locations are now in use, perhaps they might spread down into England a little more often. We can live in hope. :-)
Best wishes Chris
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