The Ospreys are back !!

Let’s hope things improve for those ospreys.
The higher up the chain the fewer in number of apex species, that’s nature. As such the more susceptible to rapid and catastrophic consequences these creatures experience. Unfortunately we humans can have a devastating influence very quickly on these species. Some don’t understand or even care about how precarious their existence is. I guess hoping is not adequate, we really need to act.

ADP here is another blog, from Border Osperys, that should interest you, complete with a couple of interesting videos on the newest page.

https://borderospreys.co.uk/2024/05/09/the-full-set/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3OomV12hFt72Ieyq9OIHB4_P1_WNmaJis2UzWTwB_nGEilDRgARHEgCbA_aem_AdTL7P63Dl6H5CK2Xedz9P-XADFv5BRt6_lMeagi9OBh-KMk5oayedtj-bpOTHHV7i2S1l9w3H1E9509WG7H968h

More good news from late yesterday. The first egg to hatch, on a nest that is being recorded, happened at 22:23 last night at Manton Bay. It was from the 2nd egg laid and the chick is already feeding from the fish given to it by it's mother, Maya.

Nellie- the perfect storm is just arriving. We have over introduced Ospreys. There is now savage competition for viable  nest sites. Ospreys feed on high in the water fish, primarily Rainbow trout in the UK. Where as there has been a good supply, paid for by fishermen things are changing rapidly., The biggest provider of fishing in the Midlands has gone into liquidation,no more stocking. Pressure is being applied on the Water companies to concentrate on their basic services of water and sewage, giving up recreation. This has already started. According to the eco lobby our rivers are sterile, the sea depleted of life and the returning salmonid almost at extinction. No other food source. Coarse fish in our reservoirs are bottom feeders and too deep for Ospreys. Once the RSPB  made Ospreys a cash cow but failed to,provide any of the food cost they lost the support of fishermen who initially were their biggest supporters. I regret to say but your earlier post will become the norm. Web cams will show starving and dying chicks. The rewilding exponents have a lot to answer for. You wont get realism like this from the woke programmes like Countryfile and Spri ngswatch but its is the future of these birds unfortunately. As a curiosity does anyone know what the population number was of the Ospreys in their natural heyday.

Fisherman, as you well know, but choose to ignore, not all Ospreys feed soley on your precious trout, with those near the coast taking different salt water species such as flounders for food, and the inland ones feeding on Pike, Perch and Graying. There is bound to come a time when the number of Ospreys reach an optimum and viable population throughout the country, which is what is being aimed at by all the interested parties.

Enjoyed Anglesea, now back on the mainland. Headed to Glaslyn to see the ospreys either today or tomorrow. The birds here will feed on ‘seafood’ with grey mullet being a significant part of their diet. 
What amazes me that the total number of these birds in England and Wales is positively minute with just 5  breeding pairs in Wales and 30 pairs in England. Now compare that with approximately fifty million non-native young pheasants released annually into the UK for shooting. Now I wonder which of these two species has the greater impact on our wildlife.

Once again the strident noises are from those who make no financial contribution to the bird life.  Things have moved faster than anticipated with a vast reduction in the food chain likely over the next 2/3 years. That will have a detrimental effect on the Osprey 's welfare. I've pointed out  the scenario and we will have to wait to see the outcome. 

Thank you Nellie for the information. Fisherman you are clearly a good conservationist and I agree with many of your comments but bottom feeding fish also rise to the fly as I have caught Pike and Eels on a fly. Living in Herefordshire when I do and seeing the destruction of the River Wye and Lugg from Chicken Mannure's and other fertilizers' pollution is heartbreaking and all caused by the deadliest predator.......MAN. 

In some respects I do hope you are right, fisherman! Nature has a natural way of sorting the food chain and numbers within it. Humans eradicated the osprey and now they are doing what nature intends because some helped them in positive ways.
It’s not about lack of nesting sites, I’ve seen ospreys nesting on roadside poles just outside towns in other western countries, folk encouraged them to do so despite having relatively large populations of them in the wild. Ours could and hopefully will spread further a field. Currently we are witnessing some ‘healthy’ competition because the birds are relatively scare in number and in distribution but with newcomers drawn to fellow birds and possible mates that conflict is natural. 
The next five or so years could be positive for our populations, of course those with other vested interests will argue otherwise.
Let nature take its course but let’s help repair what we’ve damaged. Let’s give ‘it’ the best possible ‘fighting’ chance.

There is no such thing as "wild". Everything is managed in one way or another. We left Deer go wild and reality is there needs to be a cull of 10,000's of thousands to revert to a proper healthy population. The only way to achieve this is with a rifle. Introducing a few wolves would have no effect whatsoever.Its the same now with Badgers and Foxes. The countryside  is over run by them, to the detriment of other species. Leaving it to nature will not work without there  being drastic consequences along the road, far better enlightened management, taking in the whole flora and fauna  gambit. Of course it will not happen as there are too many vested interests and we go from one crisis to another.