Some unusual Osprey pictures...

...and some suggested captions.  

If you can contribute a suitable caption for any of these pictures please send us an email

The 2006 picture is at the bottom of this page.

Paul Hope
"Sea of Tranquility here we come! "
(The travel brochure says that it is still an unspoilt wintering site away from the crowds.)

Duncan Rankin
"A spokesman for NASA has denied suggestions that their project to build nest platforms for local Ospreys is now seriously over budget ."

PHOTO IN SEARCH OF A CAPTION 1999

Simon Elliott sent this picture of an unusual Osprey nest site taken in April 1996 of a nest on top of a Gemini space rocket at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The picture needed an appropriate caption and the following suggestions were received.

Tim Mackrill:
'Who said it was only humans who could ever embrace new technology?!'

Paul McMichael:
My top suggestion HAS to be:
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
(but I guess that non-Douglas Adams fans wouldn't get the joke.)
On a lesser level, therefore, we offer:
"Roy Dennis will NEVER think of looking for us here..."
or, possibly:
"Ma - what does 'T minus 10 and counting' mean....?"

Ivan Steenkiste:
"A small flight upwards for an Osprey, a huge climb for Mankind"

Barrie Galpin
"Osprey satellite transmitter"

Sandra Johnson
"This year we're planning a family migration."

Stuart Brierley
'"Oy Snowy, I can see the pub from 'ere"(Remember the old Castlemaine XXXX ad ??)
or, "To infinity and beyond"

Fiona Mackenzie
"We could well be back in Speyside a great deal earlier this year"

 Go to:


© Anglian Water

 

PHOTO IN SEARCH OF A CAPTION - 2000

On 26 September 2000 we published this picture showing translocated Ospreys gathering at an artificial nest close to the release pens. We invited captions to accompany the picture and those we received are shown here.

Mildred's radio antenna was beginning to attract unwelcome attention (Barrie Galpin)

Bird in Flight: "Ya dancing?"
Second from left: "Ya asking?"
Bird in Flight: "I'm asking"
Second from left: "I'm dancing" (Iain Macleod)

The others didn't seem that impressed with Bert's rendition of YMCA by the Village People. (Paul Hope)

Go to:

Photo in search of a caption, 2003
 

Volunteer, Bob Jackson, sent us this picture of Osprey 08(97), saying "Just when I pressed the shutter... !"

We asked for suitable captions and the following is a selection of those we received.

Duck! (Anonymous)

Eh up me duck - who's that fishy looking character then? (Sue Sanford)

The tufted duck has a strangely haunting call. (Anonymous)

Heck, it's the Osprey Team! (Mick Farmer)

Damn ducks have been watching too many low flying jets! (George Batchelor)

If I just click these ruby slippers....(Marilyn Fletcher)

In the dark over lunch.(Tony Southwood)

Sigmund didn't believe in ghosts, until...(Anonymous)

Keep your pecker up, they are only passing. (Tony Southwood)
However, in view of 08(97)'s record, perhaps the most appropriate caption came from one of our volunteers
08 is wondering if it is female.

Go to:

Some of the captions suggested are below.

Mike Willis: "It's no good, that chick will have to go on a diet"

Philip Tew: "If this doesn't satisfy their hunger the next trip's down to the chippy"

Tony Webber: "Trust me to get the sharp end again"

A most topical caption came from David Scott:

"Operation Swordfish: another scoop for Piers Morgan"

(Note for overseas readers: Piers Morgan was the editor of a tabloid newspaper in the UK. Fake photos led to his demise.)

Rob Nichols: "Tabloid exclusive: First picture of the new Chinook helicopter."

Cooperative foraging? 2004

There is a growing population of Ospreys in France at the Forest of Orleans (see http://balbuzard.lpo.fr) and Gabriel Buns who works there sent us this amazing picture.  

Some emailers expressed disbelief that swordfish are found at Rutland Water: they must have missed the point that the picture came from France.

 

Mike Willis got quite carried away:

"Why don't we let it go in Lagoon 1 for a giggle?"

"I suppose we could bomb the cormorants with it"

"Damn! I think I'm going to let go, I've got this aweful itch under my bill"

"Thank heaven Tesco was still open!"

"1st osprey-
I think we should have the Bassenthwaite pair round for dinner.
2nd osprey- and 08(97).
1st osprey- but who would he bring?"

(Mike works in the In-focus shop at Rutland Water, so you can let him know what you think about his humour!)

Tony Broad: "Are you birds sure that I'm welcome for dinner?"

Go to:

Picture in search of a caption, 2005

The man is John Wright.
The fish is a pike.
It weighed 28lb and was found freshly dead at the side of the main reservoir.

Osprey Project Officer helps out with chick feeding

Mike Willis

John knows it's best to carry a fish around if you want to attract a female.

Barrie G

A slippery customer...and then there's the pike

Tim Mac

Newly weds pose for camera before crossing the threshold

Adele, Min and Cat.

Anything 08(97) can do, I can do better

Barry Potter

No wonder our birds come back every year

Anglian Water

How the heck will I get this in my jamjar ?

Pam Birley

If I use this as bait, perhaps I can catch a big one.

Laurence Tucker

This fellow named John made a wish
For something to put in his dish
It was quite a surprise
To find one this size
Said Tim "that's a serious bit of fish."

George Batchelor, Nightwatchman
The pike says, "If you think he's big, you should have seen the man that got away!"

Ron Sposato

I reckon 02 killed this.
You're joking, he'd never have got it out of the water
No, but it seems to have choked on some feathers and 02 always liked to pick a fight.

Sue Sanford

As an osprey foster parent, John loved teaching his chicks to catch fish, but found the eating part far less enjoyable.

Dave Shaw
Oh dear, I'm sure I asked for a bike

George Batchelor

OOOOOOOOH!!!!!!!!!! John, and I thought you were the one who said size doesn't matter!!!

Peter Pritchard, volunteer.

This would make a better offering to 05 than a "very impressive piece of weed"

Sue James, volunteer

 

Rutland's second most eligible bachelor pictured during his latest unsuccessful attempt to attract a mate

Nick Kerwin

Go to:

Photo in search of a caption, 2006

This image was sent to us by Ruud Kampf and was taken earlier in 2006 at an Osprey nest built on a pylon close to the Naardermeer nature reserve, about 20 km east of Amsterdam.

Some of the first captions received had a definite theme :

I can't sit on these darn eggs much longer - someone will notice I'm not an Osprey (Geoff Williams)

I think one's about to hatch. (Rob Nichols)

Blimey! I can feel them hatching. (Mike Willis)

In the Netherlands, males do most of the incubation (Barrie Galpin)

Photo: Ruud Kampf

If you have a suitable caption for this picture please email it to us.

  Then, other ideas began to emerge:

On a clear day you can see Rutland Water (Rob Nichols)

Ruud "adopting" a "sitting" position (Michael and Naida Lee)

Osprey theme park ride opened, but you'd better hang on tight (Gilly Jones)

I don't think much to Holland's low cost housing (Rob Nichols)

Some people will do anything to get a foot on the housing ladder (Lynn Evans)

I reckon Diarmud Gavin's gone too far this time (Mary Lindsey)
 

This bit's OK. It's the diving for fish when they hatch that gets me (Lynn Evans)

If that's what an egg tooth feels like, I'm off (Tony Brown)

That's one way to get high in Amsterdam (Rob Nichols)

I wonder if I've built it big enough yet (Mat Sprigg)

This is promotion. I was on a stork's nest last year (Lynn Evans)

Ospreys sometimes bring brightly coloured objects to decorate their nests. (Anon)

And on top of this it's a raw fish diet (JBolton)

©2008 Rutland Osprey Project.
Photographs and images by members of the Project Team unless otherwise stated.
The project is a partnership between Anglian Water and the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust,
with funding from Augean Plc through the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme.
The project is based at Rutland Water Nature Reserve.