Return of the first Osprey of the reintroduction program

- URDAIBAI RESERVE- Returns to Urdaibai the first osprey candidate to reproduce in the Reserve. New and important event in the reintroduction program carried out by the Urdaibai Bird Center (Aranzadi Society of Science) with the collaboration of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the Basque Government.

This week has taken place an event that we ere expecting with anxiety since the beginning of the recovery program of the Osprey: the return of the first individual candidate to reproduce in Urdaibai. It is a male brought from Scotland and released in Urdaibai in 2013. We have identified it through the yellow ring with the inscription N3 in its left leg. We observed it two days ago but we couldn´t approach enough to identify it correctly.

Yesterday, however, we saw clearly the digits of the ring while it was eating a plaice in Murueta. In the afternoon, we saw it in the marsh of Orueta, next to the Urdaibai Bird Center.

Last year this male returned to Urdaibai and was also observed in summer in Undurraga swamp near Legutiano (Alava). In addition, we also had the opportunity to observe making exhibition flights for a Scottish female born in 2012.

Being born three years ago, it is a individual that could mate and reproduce this year, which would be a great success of the recovery program. Now it is essential attracting a mate, for example, the Scottish female with whom he flirted last year.

We have named this Osprey as  "Roy", name of the person that advises us year after year how to carry on with the recovery project.