Famous Cairngorms osprey may have died of old age

28 May 2019

Conservationists suspect one of Scotland's best-known ospreys has died.

EJ is the most successful breeding female osprey at Loch Garten, an RSPB Scotland reserve near Boat of Garten in the Cairngorms.

Ospreys migrate to Scotland from west Africa to breed. Until now, 21-year-old EJ has always returned to Loch Garten by 4 April.

Reserve staff now hope her nest, which is empty and overgrown with grass will be used by another pair of ospreys.

Last month, RSPB Scotland raised concerns for EJ after her late return for a 16th season. Reserve staff, who have written a tribute to the osprey, said 21 was "an amazing age for an osprey.

Over previous seasons, 25 of EJ's chicks have fledged.

But the raptor is not only known for her breeding success. She has also gained fame for the adversities she has overcome in previous seasons.

Read on

One of the iconic Glaslyn ospreys has laid her 50th egg at their special nesting site.

Rare osprey bird lays her 50th egg at North Wales nesting site

The magnificent bird has returned to Gwynedd from west Africa to breed every year since 2004

By  Eryl Crump

12:42, 17 APR 2019

UPDATED12:49, 17 APR 2019

The egg laid by the female osprey, known to members of the community-led wildlife charity, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife (BGGW) as Mrs G, was the second laid by the magnificent bird this season.

Staff at BGGW were delighted to spot the egg in the nest at Pont Croesor near Porthmadog just before midday on Tuesday.

GGW spokeswoman Rebecca Phase said: "We were delighted to see the female osprey known as Mrs G lay her second egg of the 2019 season on Tuesday morning. This marks the 50th egg Mrs G has laid in her lifetime."

This is Mrs G's 16th year of breeding and is the longest breeding osprey in Wales and has laid more eggs than any other osprey in England and Wales.

She was first discovered breeding at the nest in 2004 and to date has hatched 40 live chicks, 36 of which have successfully fledged the nest.

Six of her offspring are known to have bred in Britain and she is known to have 74 ‘grand chicks’.

"We now know two other chicks have returned this year, but are not yet known to be breeding.

"One of the recently returning chicks was hatched in 2015, the first year Mrs G bred with a new partner called Aran, when the original male failed to return from his winter migration," added Rebecca.

The ospreys spend every winter in West Africa and travel thousands of miles to return to the Glaslyn estuary every year to breed and raise their chicks.

Continued

Rare bird of prey spotted over Santon

Monday, May 13th, 2019 4:41pm

The spell of good weather has been good for more than just gardeners it seems.

An osprey has been spotted on the Island today.

Director of Manx Birdlife Neil Morris, says he spotted the bird of prey in Santon this morning.

The raptor is considered a rarity in the Island's skies, with just one or two sightings each year of the bird as a passing migrant.

The bird was heading northwards, gaining height as it did so, and Neil described the sight as "magic!"

According to the RSPB, there is believed to be just 200-250 breeding pairs in the British Isles with Scotland considered a 'stronghold' for the species.

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Osprey EJ has still to appear at Loch Garten in Cairngorms

Conservationists say they have not yet given up hope that one of Scotland's best-known ospreys will return to a nest in the Highlands for a 16th season.

EJ is the most successful breeding female osprey at Loch Garten, an RSPB Scotland reserve near Boat of Garten in the Cairngorms.

Ospreys migrate to Scotland from west Africa to breed.

Until now, EJ has always returned to Loch Garten by 4 April.

Over previous seasons, 25 of EJ's chicks have fledged.

The raptor, which is nearly 22 years old, is not only known for her breeding success. She has also gained fame for the adversities that she has overcome in previous seasons.

In 2017, she refused to leave her clutch of eggs after they were buried under snow.

Another season saw EJ forced to defend her nest against a rival female.

Reserve staff monitoring CCTV images watched as EJ's eggs rolled around the nest while the pair scuffled.

EJ has also had to defend her nest from crows, buzzards, a white-tailed sea eagle and a hungry pine marten.

Back in 2007, EJ incubated two separate clutches to rival males but they all perished.

Read on

Ospreys’ recovery from pollution and shooting is a global conservation success story

February 26, 2019 11.40am GMT

Alan Poole

Research associate, Cornell University

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A hundred years ago, a person wandering the back roads of coastal New England might have come across an odd sight: at the edge of a farmyard, cheek by jowl with pigs and chickens and cows, a tall pole topped with a massive stick nest. And standing guard in the nest, a large brown-backed, white-headed wild bird of prey – an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus).

Farmers in this region knew that nesting Ospreys were vigilant watchdogs, quick to chase “chicken-hawks” and other predators away. But as fish eaters, Ospreys were no threat to farm animals. And they were trusting enough to live comfortably near humans. So farmers lured them by building them places to nest – generally, an old wagon wheel atop a bare pole, mimicking the dead trees in which Ospreys had nested for millennia.

Although these clever farmers didn’t know it, they were pioneering methods that would help to bring Ospreys back from the edge of extinction decades later. As I recount in my new book, “Ospreys: The Revival of a Global Raptor,” these birds have made a spectacular recovery from chemical pollution, guns and traps, thanks to many dedicated conservationists and an amazing ability to thrive in close quarters with humans.

Continued

Power companies are working together on a unique problem causing safety concerns By:

Kristen Nielsen 

Posted: Sep 21, 2018 06:20 PM EDT

Updated: Sep 21, 2018 06:20 PM EDT

Local power companies and wildlife conservationists are joining forces due to a re-emergence of one bird species and the problems they're posing.

The First Energy Power Corporation has started a project in six states including Pennsylvania to address a growing problem presented by a particular species of bird. They're working with State Representative Parke Wentling and conservation groups to provide a solution.

Wentling tells us, "...osprey build a very large nest. It can actually go across the entire length of the top of a power line."

This bird of prey is returning to the area after decades on the threatened species list. As of last year, they are no longer considered threatened but they do remain a protected species.

Sarah Sargent, Executive Director of the Erie Bird Observatory, says, "Actually, there was a number of reintroduction programs and so forth over the years.  But now, we actually have this nice, healthy population that is growing".

These birds once built their nests atop the tall, straight trees in the area, but many of those were cut down to build ships.  Which, according to conservation experts, power poles are a great substitute.  But their nests are causing issues, putting themselves and the public at risk.

Environmental Scientist for First Energy, Amy Ruszala, tells us, "They cause a lot of power outages.  It is endangering to the birds.  They also can cause a pole fire which is dangerous for the public but for the bird as well."

Continued

3-in-1: This osprey caught a shark that was eating a fish

3-in-1: This osprey caught a shark that was eating a fish

BY EARTH TOUCH NEWS APRIL 24 2018

Wildlife photography requires a keen eye, an intimate knowledge of your equipment, and – sometimes – a healthy dose of good fortunate. Florida photographer Doc Jon recently snapped a few images of an osprey soaring above Madiera Beach only to realise when reviewing his photos at a later stage that the raptor was clutching a shark in its talons. The shark meanwhile – in a scene that resembled some kind of weird avian-piscine matryoshka doll – had its jaws firmly clasped around a fish.

Jon uploaded the incredible images to his Facebook page where they quickly gained a lot of interest. “When I got home and opened [the photos], my first thought was 'Woah! That’s a shark in his talons!'" Jon told WFLA about his reaction to realising what he had captured. "But then I saw the fish and I literally laughed and said, 'No way!' I couldn't believe it."

The waters around Florida are home to a number of shark species and it’s unclear from the photo evidence exactly which one this osprey plucked out of the Floridian fish buffet. It appears to be a juvenile, though, which can make the identification process a bit tricky.

Read on  

New potential mate for Cairngorms osprey EJ

10 April 2018

The most successful breeding female osprey at an RSPB Scotland reserve has been seen with a new potential mate.

Known as EJ, the female returned to the RSPB's Loch Garten reserve in the Cairngorms for her 15th breeding season after migrating from west Africa.

But Odin, her partner of nine years, has not returned after disappearing mid-season last year.

Reserve staff have been blogging about a new male bird seen with EJ at her nest.

EJ returned to the nest last month and has been defending the site against rival birds.

Source  

Osprey EJ returns to reserve for 15th breeding season

22 March 2018

A female osprey has returned to a Highlands nature reserve for what RSPB Scotland says is her 15th breeding season.

The bird, known to conservationists as EJ, was spotted at her nest at the RSPB's Loch Garten reserve in the Cairngorms on Wednesday.

Ospreys migrate from west Africa to Scotland to breed and can be seen hunting for fish from rivers and lochs.

EJ is Loch Garten's most successful breeding female osprey.

During last year's breeding season, she refused to leave her clutch of eggs even after being buried under snow.

Continued 

Crabbers Rescue Mother Osprey, Fledgling Afloat In Fallen Nest

July 10, 2017 4:15 PM By Alex DeMetrick

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — It’s not unusual for birds to fall out of their nests.

But having the entire nest fall into a river and float away with the bird inside? That’s unusual.

Alex DeMetrick reports, this situation recently sparked a unique water rescue.

Ospreys are skilled nest builders. And apparently, those sturdy nests can also serve as life rafts.

Last week on the Magothy River in Pasadena, Paul Rothe and friends were crabbing.

“We got over there, there’s an osprey nest, the whole nest in the water,” Rothe says. “I’ve never seen anything like that before in my life, and I’ve been on the water my whole life.”

Even more surprising was the contents of the nest.

Watch video and read on  

Rare bird sighting in Espanola

Rocco Frangione, staff June 12, 2017

The Osprey are back in Espanola.  The birds disappeared from the area in 1983 when the former E. B. Eddy had a disastrous chemical spill in the Spanish River.  Several groups spent the years following the spill rehabilitating the Spanish River which has seen the return of many species.  The Osprey also came back but their sightings are rare.  A female Osprey caring for its chicks on McCulloch Drive was photographed and the area in question is drawing a lot of attention.  The bird is a protected species.  In the McCulloch Drive instance, the Osprey is using a wood flat as a nest.

Source

Guest from Mongolia flies to Gangapur after 20 years

Sumita Sarkar | TNN | Updated: Feb 8, 2017, 12.47 PM IST
 

NASHIK: Osprey, a fish-eating bird of prey, was sighted in Gangapur dam recently after nearly 20 years. 

The bird is known to come all the way from Mongolia and at times flies to South Africa. Osprey is also known as fish eagle and is a 60cm in length and 180cm in width (across the wings). 

Members of Nature Conservation Society of Nashik (NCSN) spotted the bird during one of their excursions a few days ago. 

"The bird comes from North Europe. It travels from Mongolia and goes as far as South Africa. We had spotted it last around 20 years ago. It is a beautiful bird weighing between 1.4kg and 2.5kg. We saw the male Osprey, which is slender and has a faint collar in the neck. The female bird has a dark band around the neck," honorary wildlife warden Bishwaroop Raha said. 

He said the bird must have migrated here as the water of Gangapur is deeper than that of Nandur Madhyameshwar, where it is shallow, and it dives deep in search of fish. "It dives from 50feet height for fish. It is not a rare bird, but its sighting is very rare in Gangapur dam. All over the world, there are around 2.50 lakh Ospreys," Raha added.

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