Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust

INTERVIEW WITH ANDY BROWN, July 2000   Andy Brown is the Strategic Biodiversity Planner for Anglian Water, developing the company's biodiversity action plan and overseeing the conservation work at its reserves and operational sites. He is the company's day to day contact for the Osprey project and he holds the purse strings.

Why invest in the Osprey project rather than a more threatened species?

This is just one of the conservation projects that Anglian Water is involved with, it is not a one off. Our whole conservation policy is now centred on the UK's Biodiversity Action Plan, which incidentally has the Osprey as its symbol. This plan contains objectives and targets for a set of priority species and habitats that have been agreed as nationally threatened or in dramatic decline. The reasons for developing this project are described elsewhere on this website so I won't go into those in detail. Personally, I believe that alongside the scientific reasons, projects involving "Flagship" species like the Osprey are very important. To really make nature conservation effective we have to involve and educate a higher percentage of the general public, not just those people whom already have an interest. We have to start making the connection between the actions of our everyday lives and nature conservation. This amazing fish eating hawk can pull people into conservation that might never have taken an interest before. Then you can then start to interest them in the less exciting but equally important aspects of conservation, such as the management of a large lowland water body which is also used for public water supply.

What is your personal involvement in the project?

I represent the company on the Project Steering Group, alongside representatives from the RSPB, English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage and others. I have been working in the conservation field since leaving University in 1994 and so I hope bring more to the table than just the money! As part of my role is to work in close partnership with the Wildlife Trusts at our nature reserves, I keep quite a close eye on developments during the osprey season. I don't get involved in the day to day tasks but Helen, Tim, Roy and I discuss all the major issues together, like the development of this web-site and the whole satellite tracking aspect of the project.

What about practical involvement, do you get your hands dirty? Sadly, I don't have as much time as I would like to get practically involved and that goes for all my conservation projects not just the Ospreys. I oversee the conservation activities across the whole Anglian Water region, but I try to get involved when I can. This year I was able to join Roy, Helen and Tim Mackrill during the collection of the chicks in Scotland. Actually helping to measure, ring and feed the birds was a fantastic experience; being so close to these magnificent birds of prey was a life changing moment. You can almost feel yourself being drawn into their piercing, orange eyes and you can't help but imagine looking down on the world as they see it. The experience certainly made me consider going back to a role with more practical involvement. Although, I must admit that it didn't seem quite so exciting at 4:00am in the morning driving down the A1 with Helen and Tim snoring, but that was a small price to pay.

Does the collection and travel cause any distress to the chicks?

Scientifically, that is a difficult one for me to answer. We travel during the night to minimise the effect on the birds, being cooler, quieter and dark. Once they are in the pens at Rutland they certainly seem to recover immediately, feeding themselves and beating their wings to develop them for flight. For a fuller answer I'll pass this question on to Sue Thorton, the project's vet, who will be interviewed in the very near future.

Have you seen the Ospreys since the collection and how do they get on together in the artificial nests as they are all unrelated?

Yes, I have seen them and they are all doing well. I hope to be at the release to watch their first tentative flights, especially 04, it was the first Osprey I helped to feed and so I feel a particular connection. Their interactions in the pens are closely monitored by the dedicated team of volunteers, without whom the project would not be possible. As for the birds being unrelated, it doesn't seem to affect their interactions and development. When we decide which birds should go into the individual nests (three birds are placed in each of the four nests) we separate the most advanced ones, these can then encourage the other birds' development by example.