The Ospreys in Scotland

A digression from midlife today....

An Osprey souring on the breeze is a wonderful sight which, until recently was a very rare sight indeed in Britain. They were extinct from 1916 until 1954 when a breeding pair arrived in Scotland from Scandinavia. By 1976 there were 14 breeding pairs of Ospreys, all within Scotland. By 2001, the number of breeding pairs had risen to over 150 and the Osprey now also nests in England and Wales, as well as Scotland.

Much of this success has been down to conservationists who have protected the nests from egg thieves and vermin.

The link below shows a webcam which is set up to stream live coverage of one of the Osprey’s nests. At the time of writing, there are two chicks in the nest which hatched during the third week of May 2010.

http://www.thewebbroadcastingcorporation.com/swt/swt.php

If you take the time to read the second link below, you will see that this is no ordinary pair of Ospreys! The female is at least 25 years old and has been returning to her nest for the last 20 years.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/the-many-happy-returns-of-the-worlds-oldest-osprey-1926989.html

What happened after this article was written is even more interesting, although somewhat sad. The female Osprey’s usual partner did not return from Africa this year – it is presumed that he died, probably of old age. So what did the 25 year old female do? She found a toyboy! A 10 year old male Osprey is now her mate, the first time it is thought that he has bred. If you read the Osprey blog, you will see that he has not been fulfilling his husbandly duties very well but the female is slowly whipping him into shape …

A truly heart warming story.

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