UKH

Anyone seen any returning ospreys this year.

In the last week there have been sightings in Wiltshire, Norfolk, Leighton Moss, Loch of Lowes and Munlochy, and other places too.

Dave

As part of our job, we've put three platforms up for them in the north Leicestershire area. As far as I know, none of them are being used yet, although one has been visited.

Read today that the female at the Loch of Lowes is on the nest, though alone at present. Given the location of Loch of Lowes it seems odd it is one of the first nests to be occupied.

Dave

Not back at Rutland Water yet 

https://www.lrwt.org.uk/rutlandospreys

Also a plug for a new book one of my friends has just had published:

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/osprey-9781472992628/

+ the charity

https://www.ospreylf.org

My sense is that if the ospreys know that their nest site is a ‘prime’ nest site, then they will rush back early and grab it before anyone else does, and then protect it from intruders. 

Hope the book does well.

Took this photo last year.  

Good news and it seems that that’s the first Osprey known to return to a nest, though Ospreys have been back in the UK for a week or so generally.

Return to Loch of Lowes is usually only second to the Rutland nest so not unexpected though earlier than last year. I’ve heard the same as Bottom Clinger said about re-claiming prime nests.

If anyone wants to follow Osprey arrivals on the monitored nest sites, the Roy Dennis Foundation keep a database and this is the the 2024 one 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQkNtj5rXvqob-clC4lbH1H4dpI4Fqs... .

That’s a great photo 

I presume Swithland res - hope ospreys tolerate hobby - which are seen hawking there so presumably breed somewhere fairly local

Cropston res? about as public as it gets

And guessing now, Thornton res or Staunton Harold tes

Thanks. My memory card read ‘full’ as soon as I took that photo !  

Swithland/Cropston. I wasn't present for this one, but the rest of our team were. 

One for Thornton, and one for Blackbrook.

Edit: They are not very tall, maybe 8mts at most, and slap bang in the middle of the field, but on the flight path to the reservoirs. 

I might have briefly seen one as I drove past Leighton Moss by the railway crossing? An unfamiliar raptor was flapping overhead against a grey sky. The only other contender I can think of was marsh harrier.

Always great to see an Osprey flying along the coast, we are blessed in Oz as they are relatively common here. As I have not posted a picture on UKC directly (ever IIRC), now seems like a good time to try.

Let hope this works.....

Edit : OMG so easy !

Great picture…gorgeous blue sky…

Great picture. What kind of migratory journey do Australian ospreys undertake? Assuming they do.

Thank you mate.

Blue sky -> Queensland, beautiful one day, perfect the next (apart from the 300mm we had in 3 hours recently

Thanks Lankyman.

Mmm I'll have to look into whether they migrate or not, I'm not sure. I'm presuming they don't, but happy be corrected. Lot's of surprising birds that you don't expect actually do a north south migration here in Oz.

A number of osprey live webcams are coming online now. Two of the best IMO to dip into now and again are those at Loch Arkaig -

youtube.com/watch?v=--l_qKzu2kE&

youtube.com/watch?v=cThAEtbegKk&

I don't think the ospreys are back yet but a few days ago a pair of buzzards were showing an interest in one of the nests.

Dave

Looked in past a local osprey nest site today and no nest! Five or so years of built up nest material has disappeared over the winter. Apparently winter high winds.

Will be interested if the same pair rebuild there this year or not.

Here in BC, we see a lot of ospreys.  Along the Columbia Valley towards the south to the Bugaboos, and along the coast, N of Seattle. We see lots of birds.  Now we see the migrating birds: ... terns, ducks, swans, geese.  I think the coast ospreys live around here year-round.  All seem to be going north.