Birds of Next Term, 6: Osprey

 Immature Osprey

The most obvious two raptor species, which have increased over the two decades of the classes are the Buzzard and the Red Kite, but there has been another less visible winner: the Osprey.  In childhood I never expected to see an Osprey unless I made the highly improbable trip to Speyside.  That arduous journey has become less necessary as more and more Ospreys now spend time on passage through East Yorkshire.  The very first time any of the classes, and myself, encountered one was a Wednesday morning of 6 May 2009 when we had just scaled a mound in Holderness.  Initially, what looked like a speck in the distance looked a little bit like a Heron, but it soon resolved itself into a Fish Hawk.  We obtained wonderful views, as it passed directly overhead the gawping group.  Ten years later the Thursday morning group were just enjoying their lunch at the same location when another flew over the lake.  Probably the same bird returned several hours later and was viewed by most of the afternoon group, as they chomped on their cake before they set off for home.  We have also seen individuals at Hatfield Moor, and another in 2015 attempting to catch fish near the tip of Spurn Point.  An immature bird was found injured or tired and taken to Malton for rehabilitation.  It was cared for by Jean Thorpe and released.  It spent some time recovering at North Marsh, Tophill Low, where I caught up with it, before it set off on its migration south.   Osprey are fairly large raptors with very long wings, and usually a noticeable kink, or elbow, may be seen in the wing. They are very white underneath with brown upperparts. The brown line through the eye can be a diagnostic feature on a good sighting. Of course a large raptor with a fish in its talons should help to narrow down identification! 

The recovery of this species, and protection by the RSPB and other conservation agencies is well documented, and there's no need to go into all that here.  In 2017 there were estimated to be 242 breeding pairs in the UK - the majority in Scotland - but the true figure is thought to be higher than that.  Last year the first known pair of Ospreys nested in Yorkshire on a keepered estate and successfully fledged two chicks. Hopefully, measures will soon be taken all over Yorkshire to erect possible artificial nesting platforms to encourage it to expand its nesting in God's own county in the near future.  Last year a young Osprey remained fishing for three weeks around Hornsea Mere in October and even into early November.  This is a sight which is likely to become more common in the years ahead.  So, at least that’s something positive to which to look forward.