Ospreys in Britain

The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a medium large raptor which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution. The subspecies Pandion haliaetus haliaetus is native to Eurasia and is found in the British Isles, where it is a scarce breeder primarily in Scotland with smaller numbers in England and Wales. It became extinct in the British Isles in 1916, but recolonised in 1954. Scandinavian birds migrate through Britain on the way to their breeding sites.

The osprey formerly inhabited much of Britain, but heavy persecution, mainly by Victorian egg and skin collectors, during the nineteenth century and early twentieth century brought about its demise. The osprey became extinct as a breeding bird in England in 1840. It is generally considered that the species was absent from Scotland from 1916 to 1954, although there is some evidence it continued to breed in Strathspey in the 1930s and 40s. It is not thought to have inhabited Wales at this time: in Ireland it appears to have died out in the early nineteenth century.

In 1954 Scandinavian birds re-colonised Scotland naturally and a pair has nested successfully almost every year since 1959 at Loch Garten Osprey Centre, Abernethy Forest Reserve, in the Scottish Highlands. The Osprey Centre at Loch Garten has become one of the most well-known conservation sites in the UK and has attracted over 2 million visitors since 1959.

The early re-colonisation was very slow because of contamination of the food chain by organochlorine pesticides and the activities of egg collectors. As a result the breeding population had reached only 14 pairs by 1976. To protect the birds and increase their survival rates, "Operation Osprey" was launched. Barbed wire and electric wires were placed around the trees the birds nested in and a watch was kept over them through the night. Fifteen years later, in 1991, the number of pairs had increased to 71. In 2001, 158 breeding pairs were located, mainly in Scotland. In 2011 RSPB estimated there were between 250 and 300 nesting pairs in Great Britain.

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