Osprey Rising Like Phoenix Over England

Like a Phoenix, The #Osprey is rising again above the landscape of England, where it had gone #extinct in the 1840s, and in all of UK by 1916 - due to illegal #EggCollection/ persecution/ #HabitatLoss. This particular breeding pair is considered a major milestone in the re-introduction program of Ospreys in England, as this is the first pair not to include a translocated bird. The male in flight, codenamed 5R(04), born here in 2004,  from a translocated Scottish bird, started breeding in 2010, has raised 8 chicks in the last 3 years, with this female which is believed to be Scotland-born, that stopped and settled to breed on its way back from West Africa to Scotland. [At Rutland, central England]

[This is a pretty bad, very long-range shot (@650mm with teleconverter, F11, 1/640s), of the nest across the lake, some 250-300m away, that I would have normally trashed, but for the story it has to tell, I decided to keep it. The only shot with some action after 90min wait:). Also, later when zoomed it to max, realised there is something more interesting than I thought- more than what was seen through camera- The male was bringing in some fish to the nest, as the mother bird which stays in the nest looks on. With 3 1-week old chicks(27/May), I was told, daily it was bringing a foot long fish 5-6 times.. to the >1m wide nest. They would be ready to fly after 6 weeks. 
Live Webcam of this nest: http://www.ospreys.org.uk/webcam/ ]

This was a moment I had waited for years.. to experience and capture- watching them in flesh and blood, when in the mood of raising chicks- putting all their energy into bonding/caring for/raising chicks...absolutely focused!.

Though the Osprey is considered as the second most widely distributed raptor species in the world, after the Peregrine Falcon, my first and only sighting of them before this, was on the new year's day of 2004 ..On the edge of vast stretches of waterlogged paddy fields..close to Guruvayur.. When I had volunteered for the bird survey of Kole wetlands in Thrissur, organised by the Kerala Agricultural University.. 

I had left the revelling, boozing-on-the-streets, honking-along-in-raucous-celebration, wildly boisterous Bangalore city crowd behind on New Year's eve, with a silence growing into me, dreaming of the surprises of the bird world in God's Own countryside.. 

For me, the Osprey was one of the surprises- It is a winter visitor there (from Russia?).

 Osprey, the best fishing machine on wings, the most elegant and skillful at fishing - the best footages I've seen:

Extinction & Re-introduction in England (from a population Re-colonising Scotland) :

The last breeding pair in England was recorded in the 1840s. From Scotland, they disappeared after 1916, with natural re-colonisation by Scandinavian birds from 1954 (which migrate over/ through UK). The natural re-colonisation was very slow, because of #pesticide contamination of the food chain (99% of their diet is fish, which means the water bodies have pesticide run-off from farms etc).
  [wiki] : There was a medieval belief that fish were so mesmerised by the Osprey that they turned belly-up in surrender, and this is referenced by Shakespeare in Act 4 Scene 5 of Coriolanus:
I think he'll be to Rome
As is the osprey to the fish, who takes it
By sovereignty of nature.

A re-introduction program was started in England 1997, with newly hatched chicks brought from Scotland. From that, a male started breeding 4years later (including 3 migration cycles, to West Africa and back). Since then, it's been breeding every year after returning from migration, raising 30 chicks in 12 years, including this year.  One of them is this male in flight, born in 2004, and started breeding in 2010 with the female seen on the nest, believed to be a bird from Scotland that stopped and settled here to breed on its return migration route from Africa. And this particular breeding pair is considered a major milestone in the re-introduction project, indicating its success, as this is the first pair not to include a translocated bird.. Giving hope.. in these initial steps towards reaching a self-sustaining population without intervention. 

Overall, 62 chicks have fledged till 2012 from nests around here.

In a recent  tweet-a-thon hour, end of May, with the theme/tag  #naturesintrouble when the British Trust for Ornithology (@_BTO) was replying to questions, I asked about the current Osprey population estimate for UK. The reply: "2006-10 #Osprey estimate for UK was 200-250 pairs"
It was estimated that it could take at least 150 years for Ospreys to naturally re-colonise the whole of the UK.

+
More About Ospreys:

They are large birds with around 1.5m wingspan, 20-25yrs lifespan! Interestingly, when they are 3 months old, before winter, they fly alone to West Africa, ~4500km, often crossing the Sahara. The juveniles don't return until after 2-4yrs..or even older. In couple of more summers, typically 3-5yrs they are ready to settle with a partner.

Re-introduction Program:

http://www.ospreys.org.uk/osprey-facts/breeding-at-rutland-water/

http://www.ospreys.org.uk/osprey-facts/the-translocation-project/

Satellite Tracking:

http://www.ospreys.org.uk/category/satellite-tracking/

http://www.ospreys.org.uk/a-flight-across-the-sahara/
"For any Osprey migrating from the UK to West Africa, the Sahara is undoubtedly the most demanding phase of the journey. For three to four days the birds must battle across one of the most barren, inhospitable places on planet earth without any food. The rewards once they get to West Africa are great, but actually getting there is not easy."

How hazardous is the Sahara Desert crossing for migratory birds?

Indications from satellite tracking of raptors

http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/6/3/297
By evaluating more than 90 journeys across this desert by four species of raptors (Osprey Pandion haliaetus, Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus, Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus and Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo) recorded by satellite telemetry. Forty per cent of the crossings included events of aberrant behaviours, such as abrupt course changes, slow travel speeds, interruptions, aborted crossings followed by retreats from the desert and failed crossings due to death, indicating difficulties for the migrants. The mortality during the Sahara crossing was 31% per crossing attempt for juveniles (first autumn migration), compared with only 2% for adults (autumn and spring combined). Mortality associated with the Sahara passage made up a substantial fraction (up to about half for juveniles) of the total annual mortality, demonstrating that this passage has a profound influence on survival and fitness of migrants. Aberrant behaviours resulted in late arrival at the breeding grounds and an increased probability of breeding failure (carry-over effects). This study also demonstrates that satellite tracking can be a powerful method to reveal when and where birds are exposed to enhanced risk and mortality during their annual cycles.

Linking Kids &Cultures Through Birds, Sensitising People through Education, for Protecting Nature:

http://www.ospreys.org.uk/osprey-facts/west-africa/