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An osprey born and ringed in Scotland last year is among us to stopover in the Biosphere Reserve of Urdaibai. It is a young osprey which was ringed in the nest on the 17th of July 2012, in a forest near Aberdeen (Scotland). This nest has been used by these birds for years and many successful broods of this magnificent bird have hatched out over the years. The osprey in question was ringed with a blue PVC ring with the digit 89, in order to track it remotely.
"Osprey 89" during the ringing session
The first shigting in Urdaibai was on the 15th of March 2013. It was resting and feeding in the outer marsh of Urdaibai, specifically in the area near the old oyster bed of Kanala, which has been sighted for the last time this week in Gautegiz Arteaga.
The photos shown below were taken by Gari Bilbao, an amateur ornithologist, while he was observing birds in the lagoon of Orueta.
 
 
Several pictures of the osprey in the lagoon of Gautegiz Arteaga (Gari Bilbao)
Once the ring was read, we got in touch with the experts who study the osprey in Scotland, Ian Francis and Roy Denis who is our advisor on the osprey recovery project in Urdaibai.
"Osprey 89" in the nest in Aberdeen (Scotland) 2012-07-17
According to the experts, 2012 was a very bad year for osprey breeding due to the adverse weather conditions during the breeding season. Many of the eggs did not even hatch out and there was a high mortality rate among the nestlings. Therefore, it is gratifying to know that this particular specimen has survived its first year of life. |
