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INTERVIEW WITH HELEN DIXON, |
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Since 03 and 08 didn't attract any females this year, do you think
they will do any better another year?
The signs are already looking good for next year with 08(1997) showing signs of serious pair bonding with a female who has been present at the reserve for the past two weeks. Our hope is that she will remain in the area for the rest of the summer and return here early next spring to join her "mate".
Are you convinced that the translocation is working? Where are all
the other translocated Ospreys - Scotland?
Yes, there are sure signs that the translocation is working. The return of the two male birds for two successive years is proof of this. As far as the other translocated Ospreys are concerned, there are a number of possibilities; sadly the most obvious is that the young inexperienced birds have died or been killed on migration or in their overwintering grounds (in wild populations 40% or more of young fail to return to their breeding grounds); to date there have been no records of Rutland young returning to Scotland or elsewhere but of course this cannot be discounted (remember S09, the Norwegian male that was trapped and satellite tagged in Scotland). Young birds clearly do range. The third possibility is that the young will return after three or more years when they are more sexually mature.
The project team made the decision
at the outset that birds were going to be identified
simply by the numbers they carry on their coloured darvic
ring. This would keep the work at Rutland Water in line
with the monitoring work that has been undertaken in
Scotland for the past 40 years. Also it has to be
remembered that the project is above all an experimental
scientific project. We feel that by giving the birds
names this can "humanise" them. Those who work closely
with the birds know how easily it is to become attached
to them (see below). Perhaps then it's for our own
protection - names would only strengthen the (one-way)
bond! Of course there is no reason why others following
their progress via the web should not choose their own
names for the birds.
Why don't you give your translocated Ospreys
names?We have often been asked this
question - not least by workers on other projects,
including the Black
Stork satellite
tracking project.
How would you feel if Ospreys bred somewhere else in England before
Rutland Water?
One of the original aims of the project was to aid in the restoration of the Osprey as a breeding species in England. It is our hope that the Rutland Water area may become a nucleus from which the colonisation of the English Midlands can occur. The southerly spread of Ospreys in Scotland means that it will hopefully not be long before the north of England is colonised. We very much see the project as an opportunity to accelerate the natural re-colonisation process.
When Ospreys are taken from nests in Scotland, don't you feel sorry
for their parents?
Chicks are taken from nests with good breeding records and to date our licence has only allowed us to take one chick from broods of at least two and more generally three. In the wild it is not at all uncommon for one chick in a brood of three to fail to fledge, particularly during bad weather. Apart from the first year all the chicks that have been brought to Rutland Water have fledged successfully.
What for you is the most satisfying side of the project?
There are so many satisfying aspects to it. As jobs go, I could not ask for a better one and I have never once felt that I do not want to go to work today. Of course the privilege of working so closely with such an incredible species is immensely satisfying, and this is obvious in the enthusiasm of the many volunteers who give so much time to the project each summer. The variety of the work is also a big plus - you can never be sure what the day will throw at you...
One of the worst moments was in
1996 when we discovered the body of bird 10 floating in
Lagoon 1 on the day of its release. We guess it probably
landed on a patch of weed thinking that it was grass and
became entangled. The loss of birds in the first year of
the project was particularly distressing as I had
hand-fed every one....the dangers of becoming too
attached!
What has been your best and worst moments so far?This is an easy one. The best
moment was undoubtedly on Saturday May 29 last year when
Tim Appleton called me at home to say he was watching a
young adult with a white ring - our faithful number 08
(97). The sight of our first "returnee"gave me a huge
buzz.
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The fish guts at 6.00am! |
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Could you see yourself working on any other translocation
projects?
Most definitely yes - but this could depend on the nature of the beast - the Osprey would be a hard one to beat!
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