Rare headcam footage captures the secret life of Denbigh's beautiful Ospreys

And a new chick has been born at the Llyn Brenig site this year

Ian Cooper

05:00, 30 JUN 2019

HELMET CAMERA CAPTURES LLYN BRENIG OSPREY CHICK IN THE NEST

This rare headcam footage gives viewers a rare glimpse into the hidden world of North Wales magnificent Ospreys.

It was filmed by staff at the Osprey breeding programme at Llyn Brenig in Denbighshire during one of their regular 'ringing' sessions - are ritual conducted to help keep track of the birds.

This year, the arrival of a brand new male chick at the Denbigh moorland site has give all those involved with the scheme a special reason to celebrate.

The chick was successfully hatched in the 15 metre high purpose built platform on the in the reservoir itself and its weight confirmed the bird as a male.

The bird, who was given the identification 'KA5', is believed to be around five weeks old and weighed in at 1490g.
 

He is the second chick to be born at Llyn Brenig - this first was a female which hatched last year.

She was named Luned, after a character in the Mabinogion, following a social media vote.

"Normally what we do is use Welsh literature as our source of names and this year we are going to go with 'One Moonlit Night' by Caradog Prichard," said Llyn Brenig's Tourist and Attractions Manager Nick Kite, who plans to find some suitable male names by using a Facebook poll.

The choice of names for the chick are either 'Rolli' or 'Moi' from the famous novel, with the results from a vote announced next week.

Read on

MoD agree to limit low flying over rare bird breeding site

Ospreys laid a clutch of eggs on a nesting platform at the Llyn Brenig reservoir on the Denbigh Moors last year

Ian Cooper

22:03, 25 MAR 2019

UPDATED10:15, 26 MAR 2019

One of Britain's rarest birds which set up home in Denbighshire is being given a helping hand thanks to some much larger flying beasts.

It is 12 months since a pair of Ospreys laid a clutch of eggs on a nesting platform at the Llyn Brenig reservoir on the Denbigh Moors. 

Now the Ministry Of Defence has agreed to limit low flying between the months of April and May - the main period of sensitivity in terms of disturbing the birds.  

It comes as a unique bird hide has been developed to allow photographers to capture images of the birds from a perfect vantage point. 

Nick Kite, attractions manager for Welsh Water, who has been instrumental in developing the hide, said the facility designed by Gilleard Bros Ltd has been positioned 150 metres from last year's nesting site.

It is unique in that is has one way glass, gimbles to allow heavy camera lenses to be kept in the perfect position and even comfy office chairs for snappers.

Mr Kite , who has been in the role since 2012, added: "Pretty soon I realised that we might be able to attract Osprey's to this site, we started putting up telegraph poles with ready-made nesting platforms on and over the course of two or three years we had five sites. Finally last year, they decided to breed."

"The only platform over water  is very similar to the location the nine-year-old female bird  (known as Bird 24) was born at Rutland Water. Perhaps she thinks shes found somewhere that looks a bit like home!' And the team at Brenig has also looked to a skies for a helping hand (or wing) of a much different kind, in the form of the MOD. 

Read on

Ospreys return to UK is one of the great conservation success stories, says STUART WINTER

OSPREYS carry more than the weight of a fish supper in their steely talons.

By STUART WINTER

Generations of conservationists have had their hopes held firm and fast by these modern-day phoenixes with their story of resurrection from the flames of persecution and blind hatred.

Like many hook-billed, broadwinged birds of prey, ospreys were anathema to the huntin’ and shootin’ set who cursed their immaculate fish-catching skills in waters reserved for rods and flies.

As brave men were falling on the pock-marked landscape of the Somme, so did the fortunes of the osprey on British soil.

With bounties placed on the osprey’s head by country estates, along with further harrying by egg robbers and skin collectors, the fish-hawk ceased nesting on our shores in 1916.

An exciting new project has seen eight osprey chicks making their maiden flights over the harbour’s waters in recent days

Its renaissance some 40 years later, culminating with the arrival of three chicks at Loch Garten in 1959 under the watch of the RSPB, is hailed as one of the great conservation success stories of the age.

Since then, the osprey’s fortunes have been as buoyant as its flight.

Tens of thousands of bird lovers have paid homage in pilgrimages to the Highlands as the number of nests have risen to treble figures.

Read on

RSPB lays down strict rules to protect ospreys at T in the Park

Phil Miller

Arts Correspondent

Saturday 25 April 2015

A wildlife charity has said it will oppose T in the Park's controversial new home at Strathallan Castle in Perthshire this July unless strict rules to care for protected birds are put in place.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) does not want nesting ospreys close to the proposed site to be disturbed.

RSPB Scotland is urging Perth and Kinross Council not to grant planning permission for the event without safeguards being secured.

It has also expressed disappointment that the issue has not been resolved "at this very late stage".

On the final day of consultation before a decision is made next month, the RSPB called for a series of measures to be put in place, including restrictions on the use of fireworks and lighting, and permanent 'no go' buffer zones around an active osprey nest.

These zones would measure 500m until after mid-June - this covers the period when the birds are likely to lay eggs, incubate them, and raise small chicks.

It is also asking for an 'ornithological clerk of works', a specialist qualified and experienced bird expert, to be appointed who will be able to overrule others on site to stop any activities that may cause disturbance.

Some T in the Park infrastructure, like the Slam Tent, big wheel and funfair should also be moved 500m away from the osprey nest.

Continued ...

T in the Park 2015: New blow for event organisers as campaigners claim rare birds are nesting on the site

07:36, 9 April 2015

By Sally Hind

DESPITE a star-studded line-up already being announced for Scotland's biggest music festival campaigners are determined to have it moved from the new site at Strathallan Castle.

CAMPAIGNERS have delivered a fresh blow to T in the Park bosses after claiming rare birds are now mating at the site.

A pair of ospreys sparked concerns for the festival earlier this week after being spotted just 80 years from the new venue at Strathallan Castle in Perthshire.

But Strathallan T Action Group have now claimed that an active nest is a major threat to Scotland's biggest music event, expected to attract 75,000 music fans from July 10.

The group has called for the festival to be cancelled or relocated, despite a star-studded line up including Noel Gallagher and Sam Smith already being confirmed.

Continued ...

Ospreys fill up on fish at Clifton Lakes in Warwickshire

3 October 2014 Last updated at 11:31 BST

Ospreys - a protected bird of prey usually found in Scotland - have been in Warwickshire for the past two weeks, en route to their winter home in Africa.

The fish-eaters have temporarily settled near Clifton Lakes in Rugby, where BBC Midlands Today's David Gregory-Kumar spoke to the owner of the angling ponds, John Daleman.

Source

Kitsap Audubon Society takes up cause of Poulsbo ospreys

Rachel Anne Seymour

6:08 PM, Jul 25, 2014

7:26 PM, Jul 25, 2014

POULSBO — The lights at Strawberry Field park must have seemed like the perfect nesting spot for a pair of ospreys. The birds mainly feed on fish, and a pond stocked with fish is nearby.

Full story available to subscribers only.

Video and more ...

Have you seen a nesting osprey across the N-east?

Members of the public across Aberdeenshire have been urged to report nesting ospreys that they spot.

RSPB Scotland are appealing for people to contact them if they notice a nest because they can difficult to find. Ospreys first bred in Aberdeenshire in the early 1990s and numbers of nesting pairs were on the up right until 2011, but in recent years the numbers have gone down.

Only 15 of the known nesting sites in the North-east are being used this year, compared to 23 in 2011.

RSPB Scotland Conservation Manager, Ian Francis said: “We are sure there are nests that we don’t know about, but we are starting to worry that the population might be beginning to decline after decades of steady increase. Although ospreys are one of Scotland’s largest and most characteristic breeding birds, they can be very secretive. We are urging people to get in touch to tell us about where they have seen ospreys, particularly if they think they have spotted a nest.”

Ospreys can nest in trees or woodland, often far from rivers and lochs. If you see one email esro@rspb.org.uk or call 01224 624824.

http://www.inverurieherald.co.uk/news/local-headlines/have-you-seen-a-nesting-osprey-across-the-n-east-1-3431917

New Jersey fire siren silenced by osprey nest

By WAYNE PARRYMay 6, 2014 5:10 PM

SPRING LAKE, N.J. (AP) — A pair of ospreys has quieted a fire alarm in one New Jersey shore town.

The raptors have built a nest inside the fire siren at Spring Lake. By law, the nest can't be disturbed. Ospreys are listed as a threatened species in New Jersey during their breeding season.

So the siren has been turned off for the spring and summer, while firefighters and paramedics rely on pagers and cellphones to alert them of emergencies.

Borough Administrator Bryan Dempsey said a police officer notified him in March that an osprey appeared to be building a nest on the siren, which is mounted on a pole about 100 feet off the ground behind the police, fire and first aid squad headquarters.

"We had to shut off the siren for the rest of the season," he said.

First responders in the resort about 60 miles north of Atlantic City say so far things have been working smoothly.

Spring Lake officials say they may need to create an alternate place nearby for the birds to nest next year, as they tend to return to the same spot.

"The issue is, once they pick a spot, they keep coming back to that spot," he said. "Even if we got rid of the nest at the end of the season, we'd have to build a new spot for them to nest next season. So we'll do whatever we have to do to make sure they have a habitat to live in."

The nest cannot be disturbed at least until Sept. 1.

Continued

Project Tracks Ospreys From N.H. To The Amazon

By EDITOR

Ospreys, also called sea hawks or fish eagles, are found all over the world. But when the temperature drops, the birds head for the tropics.

For juveniles, that first migration is a crucible that only 25 to 40 percent survive.

From the Here & Now Contributors Network, Sam Evans-Brown of New Hampshire Public Radio brings this story of a project that tracks ospreys to learn about the adventures they have between their departure in the fall and return in the spring.

continued

Protected birds fed poisoned corn: court

A far north Queensland man has faced court charged with killing protected birds by feeding them corn laced with poison.

The Department of Environment alleges more than 50 birds died from pesticide poisoning on a grazing and grain producing station near Cairns in 2011.

At least 10 were protected brolgas.

Richard Thiele, managing director of Osprey Australia which runs the 2,300 hectare station, has been charged with breaching the Nature Conservation Act.

Wildlife ranger Karen Dabinett on Tuesday told Cairns Magistrates Court that rangers found the bird carcasses on the property after a tip-off.

Small piles of corn were found dotted around the station and corn was found inside the birds, she said.

Thiele's lawyer argued that anyone could be responsible for the deaths as the large property is accessible to members of the public.

No motive was revealed in court.

The hearing is expected to finish on Wednesday.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/08/13/13/16/protected-birds-fed-poisoned-corn-court

Ospreys are back in the UK

Ospreys spotted at Rutland and Glaslyn 

March 2013. A sure sign of spring (ignoring the weather) is when ospreys return to the UK after their winter break in the warmer climes of West Africa. The first ospreys have foolishly returned a few days earlier than last year, to be greeted by rain, fog and even snow.

Rutland
Rutland's most successful breeding osprey, ever, (03)97, was the first back on Sunday 18th March, ensuring that he had no competition for his usual nest site. He was followed shortly afterwards by (00)09, his daughter, who fledged in 2009 (The clue is in the name).

21st March update - Unringed female arrives at Manton Bay nest on Rutland Water; those in the know have identified her as the female who has nested on that nest for the last 4 years.

To get the latest updates, go to the Rutland osprey website

Read more about Rutland Water Nature Reserve 

Glaslyn
The Glaslyn ospreys have often been the pace setters, first return, first eggs etc, but this year they were pipped at the post by Rutland. The first bird, and unringed female, arrived back on Monday 19th March.

Read more about the Glaslyn Osprey Project 

More reports of ospreys

Osprey sighted at Top Hill Low reserve in Yorkshire. 21st March

Osprey spotted at Loch Dougan, Gelston near Castle Douglas. 21st March  

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/uk-ospreys-2013.html