What’s the future for Ospreys?

Although the picture for Ospreys has improved, there’s no room for complacency.

Are they protected?

In the UK the Osprey was ‘red-listed’ for many years. That meant it was a species of high conservation concern. However it was recently downgraded to ‘amber’: medium conservation concern. This is because the breeding programme has been going well.

However this doesn’t mean the Osprey is safe.

There are numerous dangers to its well-being, and sadly these often include human threats like egg-snatchers. All the bodies working with Ospreys in Scotland and throughout the UK put a lot of time and effort into protecting our Ospreys, and you can help them by donating.

Because there are different subspecies across the world, the Osprey isn’t considered to be at risk at a global level.

How much more work is needed?

We can never stop protecting and nurturing Ospreys.

We also need to maintain the environments they need in order to thrive, especially fish stocks and fishing sites in Europe and Africa.

And by carefully ‘translocating’ or moving chicks before they fledge, we can establish more and more sites as Osprey breeding grounds. The success at Rutland Water shows this is possible.

Roy Dennis and the Highland Foundation for Wildlife believe Scotland should aim to have 500 breeding pairs, with possibly as many as 2000 pairs in the British Isles. One day, they’ll hopefully nest again on the Thames, even within the environs of London. Only then will the Osprey have returned to near its natural numbers.

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