African mystery surrounds Welsh-born osprey

No signal from Leri since OctoberJanuary 2012: Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of a young female osprey that migrated with her two brothers from their nesting home in Mid Wales to Africa .

Three young ospreys are all satellite tagged but the female, named Leri by staff at the Dyfi Osprey Project near Machynlleth where she hatched, have not received a signal from the transmitter in Senegal since late October last year.

Dyfi Osprey Project manager Emyr Evans and his colleagues at Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust (MWT) are keeping their fingers crossed that the tracker transmitter has developed a fault and that she is still alive. 

'We're hoping it's just a faulty transmitter'‘Leri's transmitter was sending back confusing and conflicting data before it stopped working,' explained Mr Evans. ‘We hope it's a case of a faulty transmitter rather than something happening to Leri.'

Wildlife workers in Senegal are keeping a close watch out for Leri and her brother, Einion, who has also made his home in the country. Transmitters on both Einion and his brother Dulas, who is in neighbouring Gambia, are sending data back to Wales regularly.

The ospreys were satellite tagged in partnership with the BBC's Springwatch and Autumnwatch programmes, which are using the neighbouring RSPB's Ynyshir Reserve as their broadcasting base in Wales .

Leri's parents are soon due back in WalesThe three young birds, the first to hatch alongside the River Dyfi since 1604, are not expected to return to Wales until 2013 when they will be mature enough to breed. In the meantime, their fortunes will be closely followed by the transmissions thousands of miles away in Africa .

Their parents, Monty and Nora, are expected to fly back to Wales this spring, with the Dyfi Osprey Project preparing to reopen on March 30. Last year, Monty arrived at Cors Dyfi Reserve, Derwenlas on April 6 and the first chick, Einion, hatched in June.

‘Because he bred last year, we are hoping he will come back a little earlier this spring,' said Mr Evans. MWT has created a new website with regular blogs for each of the ospreys at http://www.dyfiospreyproject.com for people wishing to receive the latest news about them.

Visitors to the Dyfi Osprey Project are able to see live, high resolution nest camera footage at the visitor centre on large plasma screens and view the resident wildlife from a specially built tower-hide with telescopes and binoculars.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/osprey-leri.html

Guy Hawks: Ospreys return to Wales for first time since the Gunpowder Plot

With his wings outstretched and a satellite receiver on his back, Einion the osprey is unaware that he is making history –one of the first of the beautiful birds of prey to hatch in Wales for more than 400 years.

A trio of the majestic birds –named Einion, Leri and Dulas after local rivers – hatched three months ago in the Dyfi Valley, also home to their father Monty.

Majestic: Monty rests on a branch

Photo: Andy Rouse

He has soared in the skies above the valley for two years but it was only this year that he managed to attract a mate, a female named Nora.

After a rather hasty 16-day courtship, she laid her eggs in their nest on top of a 50ft telegraph pole.

Einion, Leri and Dulas are now fully fledged and will soon migrate 3,600 miles to spend the winter in Africa. The trip is fraught with danger for young ospreys, and only one in three lives to make the journey back to Britain.

To track their progress, the trio have been fitted with the tiny solar-powered transmitters.

The osprey is Wales’s rarest bird and to see them take flight is a truly incredible sight,’ said Emyr Evans, of the Dyfi Osprey Project, which fitted the transmitters. ‘We hope they will fly back to us safely after spending the winter in Africa.’

Also known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, ospreys live mostly on a diet of fish and have a 6ft wingspan.

In common with other birds of prey, they had been hunted to extinction in Britain by egg-collectors and trophy-hunters.

In the Fifties, conservationists reintroduced them to parts of Britain – most notably, the birds have re-established themselves in Scotland, where there are now some 200 pairs.

There is also another breeding pair at Glaslyn, Gwynedd, North Wales. It is suspected that Monty may have been born there and that he has returned to Wales to breed.

The last reported sighting of an osprey in the Dyfi Valley came in 1604 – the year before the Gun¬powder Plot – when a Flemish engineer wrote of ‘fishy hawks’ on the Dyfi Estuary.

Since the young ospreys hatched, they have been seen by more than 40,000 birdwatchers.

By Emily Hill

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2030973/Guy-Hawks-Ospreys-return-Wales-time-Gunpowder-Plot.html#ixzz1WQEcXS1g

Osprey chick is earliest to hatch in UK

by Sally Williams, Western Mail
May 11 2011

The earliest osprey chick to have hatched in Britain has made an appearance in a Welsh nest, a wildlife charity announced yesterday.

RSPB Cymru said the first osprey chick that hatched late afternoon at an RSPB viewing site, near Porthmadog on Monday, is believed to be the earliest to hatch on record in Britain.

Geraint Williams, osprey project officer said: “It really has been a season full of surprises here at the Glaslyn Osprey site this year.

“The icing on the cake will be the confirmation that we witnessed the earliest hatching of an osprey chick in Britain.”

He said the chick’s parents had a flying start this year when they arrived back at Glaslyn from their wintering grounds in Africa almost a month earlier than usual.

They have since laid three eggs and have spent the last few days carrying fresh bedding into the nest in preparation for the new arrivals.

The RSPB said the continued success of this pair of osprey, now in their eighth successful season, is due in no small part to dedicated local volunteers who help to protect these birds from the ever-present threat of egg collectors and their chicks.

Visitors to the RSPB Cymru viewing site at Pont Croesor, Glaslyn near Porthmadog can observe the nest and special moments like the male returning with a fish for the chicks.

There are telescopes available and plenty of friendly advice from RSPB staff and volunteers.

And birdwatchers can enjoy dramatic close up views of the nest via a camera situated nearby, against a backdrop of stunning vistas of Snowdon and the mountains of Eryri.

The site has a live video link from the nest feeding into a TV screen in the visitor centre.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/05/11/osprey-chick-is-earliest-to-hatch-in-uk-91466-28671435/

Reward over shooting of Osprey in Lincolnshire

The RSPB has offered a £1,000 reward for information in connection with the shooting of an Osprey in Lincolnshire.


The young bird, which was tagged in Sweden, was found near a fish farm at Hundon Manor, Caister.

Lincolnshire Police said veterinary tests revealed that it had been shot twice with a shotgun.

Mark Thomas, RSPB investigations officer, said: "The shooting and subsequent death of this bird is sickening."

The Osprey became extinct in Britain between 1916 and 1954 because of illegal persecution.

The bird was one of three chicks hatched from a nest in Spjutholmen, Sweden in June 2010 and during its short life had crossed the North Sea and was well on course to undertake its first migration to Africa.

Wildlife crime officer for Lincolnshire Police, Nigel Lound said: "We know this bird was ringed in Sweden and was only 86 days old.

"These birds are extremely rare and it is terrible that one has been shot in Lincolnshire. We need anyone who has any information to get in touch with us as soon as possible."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-11772772

Reward over shooting of Osprey in Lincolnshire

The RSPB has offered a £1,000 reward for information in connection with the shooting of an Osprey in Lincolnshire.


The young bird, which was tagged in Sweden, was found near a fish farm at Hundon Manor, Caister.

Lincolnshire Police said veterinary tests revealed that it had been shot twice with a shotgun.

Mark Thomas, RSPB investigations officer, said: "The shooting and subsequent death of this bird is sickening."

The Osprey became extinct in Britain between 1916 and 1954 because of illegal persecution.

The bird was one of three chicks hatched from a nest in Spjutholmen, Sweden in June 2010 and during its short life had crossed the North Sea and was well on course to undertake its first migration to Africa.

Wildlife crime officer for Lincolnshire Police, Nigel Lound said: "We know this bird was ringed in Sweden and was only 86 days old.

"These birds are extremely rare and it is terrible that one has been shot in Lincolnshire. We need anyone who has any information to get in touch with us as soon as possible."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-11772772

New footage of ospreys captured

4 May 2010

Hidden cameras have captured stunning new footage of a record-breaking pair of ospreys.

The male and female birds were reunited last month and are nesting in an eyrie on a specially built platform high in the trees of Kielder forest.

They became famous after raising three chicks which successfully fledged last summer.

They were the first osprey chicks born in the North East of England for at least 200 years.

The female is spending most of her time on the nest, with the male supplying fish plucked from Northumbrian Water's Kielder Reservoir and the two have been seen sat side-by-side watching as the world goes by.

Philip Spottiswood, Forestry Commission Chief Wildlife Ranger, said: "The cameras have been a godsend, allowing us to check the birds' progress without going anywhere near the nest.

"Last year we adopted a very careful approach so as not to disturb them and generally stayed well clear."

The three chicks raised last summer will spend the next few years in sub-Saharan Africa, where the birds migrate for the winter.

Assuming they survived their first migration south, they will return north to breed when they are about four years old.

Historically ospreys lived in Northumberland, hunting on the once extensive network of marshes.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20100504/tuk-new-footage-of-ospreys-captured-6323e80.html

Fishing osprey caught on camera

Click to enlarge

http://e-edition.metro.co.uk/2010/04/14/ - p17.

Ospreys return to Cors Dyfi Nature Reserve

April 2010. Four ospreys were seen in or around the nest on Easter Sunday - a big surprise to everyone at the reserve! Three ospreys can still be seen around the reserve including the female from 2009; the other two seem to be a pair but are not nesting as far as anyone can see. The female has been seen eating a huge flounder on her usual perch next to the nest and tends to spend around half of her time on the nest.

A pair of ospreys nested here in 2009, albeit unuccesfully. They are only the second known pair of ospreys in Wales.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/cors-dyfi-ospreys.html

Three chicks spotted in Kielder osprey nest

The Kielder Partnership can reveal that the first ospreys to nest successfully in Northumberland for over two centuries have had three chicks.

These are the first images of the historic nest showing the female with her chicks, on the artificial nesting platform erected on the estate by the Forestry Commission in 2008.

Because experts are staying well back from the remote site to avoid disturbing the birds, the picture was only made possible using a powerful telescope peering through dense foliage.

Martin Davison, Forestry Commission ornithologist, who is keeping tabs on the ground breaking osprey family, said: "We think these birds are first time parents, probably about four years old, but even so they are doing a smashing job," he said. "A big cause of infant mortality amongst birds is lack of food, but the male has been out regularly swooping down on Kielder Water to bring the youngsters tasty fresh fish. We can't take anything for granted, but each day that passes the chicks grow stronger."

Growing appetites

Chicks need at least one small fish every day to stay healthy, but as they develop, so too will their appetite. So far the female has steadfastly refused to budge from the nest, but she will hunt if the male struggles to find enough food.

Viewing point

The viewing point is open daily and manned during weekends, but may also be staffed at other times during the week. For further information please go to http://www.visitkielder.com/ , or check times with the RSPB on 0191 2568200. Located at the Mounces Car Park, off the C200 near Leaplish Waterside Park.

Duncan Hutt, Head of Land Management at the Northumberland Wildlife Trust, added: "It's great news to have ospreys breeding in Kielder Water & Forest Park and even better to find that they have had three chicks. All being well we will be able to watch all the birds hunting around the lake later in the summer."

Photo Credit: Forestry Commission.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/kielder-osprey939.html

Record-breaking 53rd egg for Osprey pair

Perthshire Osprey lays Easter egg



The oldest breeding osprey in Scotland has returned to her nest in Perthshire, with her mate of 15 years.

The female, which is more than 20 years old and has travelled 3,000 miles from Africa to the Loch of Lowes, has laid a record 53 eggs and raised 44 chicks since 1991.

Raymond Buchanan reports.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7995593.stm