We are still receiving lots of good osprey questions via email to :  ospreys@swt.org.uk. What’s yours?

Q: I keep seeing movement of small birds on the osprey nest – what are they and why are they there?

A: There have been lots of small visitors to the osprey’s nest- blue tits, great tits, and even a young Great Spotted Woodpecker this morning. These birds are often seen on and around the nest tree but have gotten a bit bolder now no ospreys are in full time residence. They are being attracted by the tiny insects inhabiting the nest lining and structure- these are living off the scraps of old fish, bird feaces and feather dander.

 Q: When will “Lady” leave on migration this year?

A: This is difficult to answer- she is on the loch today sitting on flat top tree this morning so she is still around. Last time she failed to breed in 2011 she stayed around until   7^th August which is just a wee bit earlier to leave on autumn migration than usual. What she will do this season is anyone’s guess right now.

Q: As the ospreys haven’t raised any young this year will they return to the nest next year?

A: Yes, if they both survive the winter and migration, they will come back to the same nest and try again. Their loyalty to a successful nest site is very strong and one year of failure won’t be enough to put them off.

 Q: Do ospreys breed every year? How many chicks do they usually produce over a lifetime?

A: Yes ospreys generally breed every year, starting at between 3 and 5 years old and continuing as long as they survive-average life expectancy is estimated to be between 10-15 years in most osprey populations.

On average most pairs have 2 chicks per year with good years of three chicks balancing out poor years of only one or even none. From an ospreys perspective therefore, one year without producing chicks isn’t a huge deal in terms of lifelong productivity but when you have a species trying to recover from local extinction it is a lost opportunity.

All this just goes to highlight how remarkable the achievement of our female osprey is- 50 chicks have survived to fledging from her nest so far!

Ranger Emma