hi l live in Northampton and saw a fantastic sight yesterday l saw an osprey on top a telegraph pole as l drove back to see it it flew off and had a fish in its tallons, has anyone else who lives in this area seen one before? and is it ususal for them to be in this part of the country?
I don't know about Ospreys in Northampton, but it must be doing very well if you saw it with its lunch, I do know that the Ospreys are starting to return to their breeding grounds in Scotland and Rutland Water, it could have been a Bird on its way back to one of these areas.
Did it have any rings on it's leggs that you could see or a big tag sticking out of feathers on its wings..?
Either way, very well spotted.
And a warm welcome to the RSPB Forums. :-)
Brenda said: hi l live in Northampton and saw a fantastic sight yesterday l saw an osprey on top a telegraph pole as l drove back to see it it flew off and had a fish in its tallons, has anyone else who lives in this area seen one before? and is it ususal for them to be in this part of the country?
unfortunatly l didnt get close enough to see but will be going back that way with a camera to see if l can see it again.
the fish it had was still alive but there was know rivers or streams close to where l saw it so may just go walking in that area to see where he could of caught it
Hi Brenda
Ospreys show up in all sorts of surprising places during migration. Anywhere there's a body of water with fish can attract them - so not massively unusual to find one in Northants.
J
Every day a little more irate about bird of prey persecution, and I have a cat - Got a problem with that?
I thought you were saying something to me then John.
For those of you who are interested and have not noticed, Odin, last years partner of EJ at LG has returned this evening at 7.30pm.
I may be able to answer your question. An osprey has been reported for the last few days on the north side of Northampton. Maybe that's the bird you saw.
As others have said this is a time of year you can see ospreys around the country, travelling from Africa back to their nests. The nearest nesting site to you is Rutland Water, where a number of birds have recently arrived for the summer and you can see them from the visitor centre.
Here on the RSPB site, there is also a webcam showing the osprey nest at Loch Garten in Scotland: http://www.rspb.org.uk/webcams/birdsofprey/lochgartenvideo.asp
Hi Sue
The Osprey was seen in Pytchley, would the bird carry the fish all that way?
its a long way from pitsford reservoir.
Hey farmer, farmer, put away the D.D.T now. Give me spots on my apples, but leave me the birds and the bees, please!
Janet,
They can carry fish over considerable distances - ospreys do get mobbed by crows and seagulls, so perhaps it had flown away from its fishing site to get a bit of peace to eat its lunch. Just a theory.
The Rutland Water Ospreys website has been "down" for the last few days, but when it comes back, you'll find it has a lot of useful info about ospreys, and about visiting RW. Here's the link: http://www.ospreys.org.uk/
Hi sue
Thanks will take a look. :-)
Hi Sue link not working!
Hi Janet
It is the correct link - RW have sent out a "twitter" acknowledging the problem is at their end, and saying they are working to resolve it. Suggest you leave it a few days and try again. In the meantime they have set up this temporary blog:
http://www.rutlandospreys.blogspot.com/