The Osprey Observer

A new nest

So exactly how do you go about moving an Osprey nest? Well, rather than moving the existing structure we decided it would be far simpler to erect a brand new nest. So once a position had been agreed, Central Networks kindly offered to come and erect the new pole about 100m west of 08's now-famous nest. Low water levels meant early autumn was the best time to carry out this work - within a few months the base of the pole will be under several feet of water! Having built the nest on a large plywood disc, the nine metre telegraph pole was carefully manoeuvred into position. With the new nest in place, a tractor and long rope was then used to remove the old nest. Nothing was wasted - we then used the sticks from this nest to build up the new one!

Osprey nests have been moved in a similar way in Scotland and France and we are confident that 08 and 5N will immediately take to the new nest in the spring. Having been in place for over a decade, the old nest was in need of repair, so hopefully the new nest will provide an excellent home for a family of Ospreys next summer!

The nest's new position will mean views of the Ospreys from Shallow Water hide will be better than ever, and over the next few months the path to the hide will be upgraded to allow full disabled-access.

Paul's migration

If you've visited Lyndon or come on an Osprey cruise in the past few years, the chances are you will have chatted to Paul Waterhouse. Paul first became involved with the project in 2005 when he spent a month studying the translocated juveniles for his undergraduate dissertation. The project team were so impressed that Paul was offered a job on the project when he completed his degree in June 2006. Since then Paul has worked on the project for the past two summers, based primarily at the Lyndon centre.

Paul has now decided to move away to work for the Alderney Wildlife Trust in the Channel Islands for a year. Before he sets off on his own migration, we asked Paul a couple of questions about his involvement with the project.

How would you sum up your involvement with the project?

"I've had a fantastic three years with the Osprey project. I've learnt a great deal, particularly from working with such enthusiastic conservationists and naturalists. Rutland Water is a great nature reserve, which is reflected in the diverse range of species that can be found here. I feel priviledged to have been part of the project which I'm sure will go from strength to strength over the next few years. I'm sure that in 50 years time, Ospreys will be a common sight in England thanks to all the hard work at Rutland Water.

Not only is the project helping Ospreys to recolonise England and Wales, but it also captures the imagination of the general public and in doing so, encourages them to take more of an interest in the natural world - something that I think is really important."

What's been your personal highlight of the past few years?

"Seeing the return of the naturally-reared Rutland chicks, in particular 5N - the first English chick to return and breed for over 150 years. This was not only a milestone for the project, but a hugely significant step in the recolonisation of Ospreys in England.

It was also a great honour to show the Ospreys to Sir David Attenborough earlier this year - he was the person who really inspired my interest in the natural world as a young boy."

We wish Paul all the best for his year in the Channel Islands where he'll be working for the Alderney Wildlife Trust as a Conservation Officer. You can read more about the work of the Trust on their website.

Paul has contributed a huge amount to the project over the past few years and will certainly be missed!

What's in the bag?

Each year when the youngsters at Site B are ringed, we record the weight of each chick. This enables us to assess the development of each bird and gives us an indication of each one's sex.

The standard method is to place the bird in a suitably sized bag and then weigh it using a spring balance - as shown in the photo on the right. And the best bag to use...well, a Rutland Osprey jute shopping bag of course (available here for the bargain price of £4.00!).

Vols Obs 4: A memorable morning

Volunteers, Lorna Burger and Ken Davies have dedicated a huge amount of time to the project over the last few years, and were present when the Site B chicks were ringed on Saturday morning. We asked them to share their thoughts.

To read more about ringing and the summer at Site B, visit the diary.

"It doesn't get any better than this.  After years of watching ospreys through binoculars and scopes, both day and night, I am going to get up close and personal with the three chicks at Site B while they are being ringed!  Will the weather be kind?  Osprey watchers experience all sorts of inclement weather including horizontal rain - but please not today!  03 and 05 have given us so many magical moments - including the victory rolls of 03 in flight and watching 03 and 05 feeding the young at the same time - a truly fantastic pair.  We are all assembled beneath the nest by 8.30am and can feel the underlying excitement.  What a great piece of kit the cherry picker is!  The chicks are expertly placed into their own flight bags and taken down to ground level.  The two adults are circling nearby making their presence known with their calls.  Of course, they have seen it all before!  The light is not brilliant for photos and I have to make some adjustments.   The moment has arrived and I see my first osprey chick, only a few feet away, as it is gently lifted out of the bag.  It is a female; she is beautiful and weighs an impressive 1850 grams - her talons are even more impressive.  I cannot believe that she is only 5-6 weeks old!  The two Tims (Appleton and Mackrill) skilfully put a metal ring on one leg and a plastic numbered ring (01) on the other.  The plastic ring is first softened in hot water. Two more chicks are ringed (another female and a male); they all look very healthy and seem remarkably unconcerned throughout.  We are privileged to see the second female ringed by Candice, the first lady to do this in England.  The chicks are soon returned to the nest and we all leave to allow the parents to resume their duties.  There are a lot of happy faces.   I will never forget this magical morning - and it didn't rain!" Lorna Burger

Candice Barker with 03(08)

"7.30am, Saturday July 5th : Outside Tim Appleton’s cottage in the North Arm, a group of people are assembling on a grey morning ~ members of the Osprey team, some of the night watchmen, and about 15 volunteers. There is subdued excitement, checking of cameras, exchanges of greetings. John Wright drives us to Site B in a minibus. As we arrive, we see 05 on the nest tree, and 03 nearby on a perch, but they are soon both in the air, circling and calling, as several vehicles (including a cherry-picker) edge along the front of the wood and get into position under the nest tree. At a signal, we are led along an overgrown path at the edge of the field, and walk along the front of the wood until we are virtually under the nest. All the familiar land-marks, usually just seen from the shed, are now startlingly close at hand. ‘There’s new perch’, says someone, ‘ and that’s the fallen tree, and that’s right-hand ash.’ We watch as the cherry-picker and its operator ascend to the nest. 03 has gone out of sight, but 05 remains over and around the nest, calling anxiously a lot of the time. The three chicks are carefully picked up and placed in three separate bags, before being brought to the ground and handed to Tim, who brings them along to the Land Rover and lays them on the ground. We are ushered forward and gather round as the first bag is opened. There are gasps of amazement at the beauty and fragility of the young Osprey chick as it is held firmly but gently in Tim Appleton’s hands. Many of us are seeing an Osprey at close quarters for the very first time, and we are thrilled to examine the details of the plumage, the strong and already sharp bill and talons, and the wonderfully wild expression in the eyes. This is a female, and she is given two rings by Tim Appleton and Tim Mackrill : one is the ‘official’ ring, and the other is the plastic identity ring which will allow us to identify her when she leaves the nest, and, in later years, when she returns to Rutland to breed. It is a white ring with black numerals : 01. Her full title will be 01 (08). She is weighed (1850 grams) and her wing is measured before she is returned to her bag. Candice rings the second chick, another female 03 (08), and she is probably the first woman ever to ring an English Osprey. This one weighs about the same as the first one. The third chick is a male, considerably smaller than his two sisters. He weighs in at 1650 grams, and is given the ring 05(08). After everyone has had a good close look, the bags are given back to the cherry-picker operator, who delivers the chicks safely back to the nest. Their mother is still circling as we walk back to our minibus, and the male re-appears too. We hope it is not too long before normality returns. As we trundle back, we see the cherry picker and other vehicles starting to leave. All should be quiet soon. Back at the cottage, we marvel at what we have just had the privilege of witnessing ~ a full brood of English Osprey chicks have been ringed and recorded, on a drizzly July morning in the county of Rutland. It was an unforgettable experience, and we all thank the members of the project team before going our separate ways. In a mixed season, this has been the highlight for us, and will sustain us in the long winter months as we imagine where our three young Ospreys might be. We wish them every success, and hope that one day in the future, perhaps in 2010 or 2011, we shall see them once again, flying over Rutland." Ken Davies

Kelly wrote:

We have a large number of Ospreys that nest in North-Central Washington. My job is to ensure that if the Ospreys are using a utility structure to nest upon, that the nest is moved to a safe location or the structure is modified so to avoid risk to the Osprey and system reliability. We routinely monitor approximately 30 Osprey nests in our area. Some of these nests are natural, others are on stand-alone platforms or modified utility poles provided by us.

We also have a number of Canada Geese that nest in the area. The geese tend to initiate nests approx. two weeks before the Ospreys return. Every spring, we have issues with geese occupying Osprey nests. This year, we had 9 Ospreys that were displaced from their nests by geese. I am looking for ideas on how to cover Osprey nests to prevent geese from moving in on them. I would appreciate any information you may have on your experience covering Osprey nests to prevent geese from using them. To give you a better idea of what we are dealing with, please see www.chelanpud.org/avianProtectionPlan.html and www.chelanpud.org/raptors.html

The Manton Bay nest , goose-proofed

Having told Kelly how effective we have found builders' bags in the past, it suddenly occurred to us that we may need something a little larger for this year's huge nest in Manton Bay. All offers of enormous bags will be gratefully received!

Wader Scrape Hide on the Lyndon Reserve offers great views of the Ospreys on the Manton Bay nest, but immediately in front of the hide is an area of reedbed where, all last summer the curious calls of Water Rail could be heard. Last winter three channels were cleared through the reeds and this has opened up occasional views of the adult Rails throughout this spring.

Then in late May the adults were seen carrying food into the depths of the reeds and, soon afterwards, six chicks were brought out to feed just 2 or 3 metres from the hide. For most birdwatchers this was the first ever view of the strange chicks, with bare pink patches on the back of their heads and to see them so close and oblivious of the clicking cameras above them was quite remarkable.