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Ospreys breeding in
2001
The translocated
male, 03(97) had returned to Rutland in 1999 and again
in the early spring of 2000. That year he was seen
regularly throughout the summer and later formed a
close pair bond with an unringed female. They
constructed a completely new nest but no serious
breeding attempt took place. There were no certain
sightings of either bird after the end of
August.
The nest is away from the
reservoir and in one of the most remote corners of
Rutland, well away from all public rights of
way.
The following diary charts the
key events recorded during 2001.
On 28
March 2001, 03 arrived back
early, and began to enlarge the nest that was
commenced the previous year.
He was joined on 3
April by what was probably
the same unringed female.
They were first observed mating on 18
April, though the female
had, on 13, 14 and 15 April, also been seen mating
with 08(97) in Manton Bay.
Towards the
end of April it was clear
that it was 03(97) awith his off-site nest that had
succeeded in attracting her attention.
With the support and encouragement of the landowner,
members of the Osprey Project Team set up an
observation post so that, when incubation started at
the end of April it was possible to keep the nest
under regular surveillance. The female was responsible
for nearly all the incubation with change-overs only
occurring to allow the female to feed.
On 6
June, a marked change in the
female's behaviour suggested that a chick had hatched
- she was now presenting tiny scraps of food deep into
the bowl of the nest.
On 8
June confirmation was made
when Roy Dennis and Tim appleton visited the nest.
Using a long pole with mirror attached they were able
to confrim the presence of one chick and two eggs. It
was the first Osprey chick to hatch in central England
for 150 years.
A press release was issued on
11
June announcing the
successful hatching but not the location of the
nest.
Until then the progress of
the breeding attempt had been kept secret: as
Stephen
Bolt, Anglian
Water's Head of Environmental Standards
said,
It has been a
very tense time, worrying whether or not this
young and inexperienced pair would hatch
their first brood. The birds' welfare has
always been our paramount consideration,
which is why we chose not to announce that
the birds were nesting until their eggs
hatched. We are overjoyed to have achieved
what we set out to do all those years
ago.
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Tim
Appleton
added,
This is a very
special time for everyone involved in Bird of
Prey Conservation, not least our huge team of
dedicated volunteers. We knew we had all the
right ingredients for Ospreys to establish a new
population in the heart of England, and our
patience has paid off.
Roy
Dennis had every
faith that the project would succeed:
We always knew that
this was a long term project, if the
translocated birds were to settle and breed it
would take at least five or six years. Now there
is every chance the population will increase and
breeding Ospreys in England could become a
common sight as they were in Shakespeare's
time. |
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By 24
June we became
convinced that the second and third eggs had not
hatched, but one growing chick was occasionally
seen above the rim of the nest. The male
continued bringing food to the nest and the
female tearing and feeding it, usually to the
unseen young.
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By early
July the rapidly
growing chick, now about 24 days old, was
showing itself frequently on the nest. It was
seen stretching its wings and, unexpectedly,
moving small sticks around the nest - just as it
had seen its mother do .
On 14
July, the first and
only visit (under licence) was made to the nest
site in order to ring, weigh and measure the
chick. The young bird, then about 38 days old,
looked well-fed and healthy. It was possible to
confirm that two other eggs had been laid and
were presumably infertile.
The parents wheeled high
overhead until the human visitors left and then
the female was back on the nest within 5
minutes. Soon the male, 03(1997) left to go
fishing and returned after a short while with a
fish for the female to feed to the
chick.
Like all the 2001
translocated Ospreys, the Rutland chick was
fitted with a red ring with white lettering on
its right leg. Its ring number was
13.
The chick was thought to
be female.
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First
picture of the first Osprey chick in central
England for 150 years |
The family group is pictured below at their
nest.
The chick, 13(01), is on the nest and the adults
on either side. The male, 03(97), is on the
right, with the larger, unringed female on the
left.
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By the end
of July this website
was announcing:
The Rutland chick is now
much bigger than when this picture was taken on
14 July. It now seems to be about the same size
as its father, but still much smaller than its
mother. Female Ospreys are generally bigger than
males and there is a considerable difference in
the sizes of this breeding pair.
The nest was visited by at
least two non-breeding adults during the week.
Both were orange-ringed males, returned birds
from the 1998 translocation. They did not appear
to be threatening the chick but the mother
became very defensive and when the father
returned from a fishing trip the visitors were
escorted away. |
Although the youngster
does now feed itself from bits of fish lying in
the nest, when the adult male comes in with a
fresh fish, the female still feeds the chick.
She repeatedly tears very small pieces of fish,
offering them to the chick who takes them
eagerly. In one five-minute period she tore over
50 pieces of fish, giving half to the chick and
eating the rest herself. This feeding procedure
can go on for up to an hour. Meanwhile the male
sits on a nearby branch, watching closely. At
the end of the meal the chick will sit down in
the nest, while the female wipes her bill, moves
a few sticks around the nest and then takes a
short flight to stretch her wings.
When there was a good
breeze during the last week the juvenile
frequently exercised its wings and occasionally
lifted a short distance above the nest. It will
clearly not be long before it takes its first
proper flight. |
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On 30th
July the Rutland chick
took to the air for the first time, flying first
to a nearby tree an making a good landing.
During the day it made several more flights of
up to three and a half minutes' duration, but
moving only a short distance from the nest site.
Again the adult female fed the chick with food
brought in by the male. By evening the young
bird was back very close to the nest to roost.
On 1
August the chick,
accompanied by its two parents, took a long,
high spiralling flight above the nest site.
There were regular sightings of the adults and
juvenile throughout August.
The adult female was last seen on
28
August , the juvenile
13(01) on 30
August and the adult
male 03(97) on 3
September.
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