Rutland Osprey Project        

      

Our meeting this month opened with a reading of a thank you card from one of our members who has just celebrated a 'big birthday'! We were also treated to birthday cake with our tea and coffee at the end of the meeting.

Several outings were announced by the outings secretary. A' Climate Change' question and answer session and a 'Molecular Gastronomy'  hands on laboratory session are just two examples of the variety of events organised by the Staffordshire Federation.

Book group and craft group dates were announced and details given of the current craft competitions. Our next meeting is the A.G.M. and we have 2 vacancies for committee members this year. A request was made for extra help and anyone interested would be welcomed with open arms.

Kayleigh Brooks from the Rutland Osprey Project was our speaker. She is employed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust. Ospreys eat only fish and therefore need to be located near water. Their eyesight is sixteen times better than ours and they can plunge dive to a depth of one metre. They nest in trees and on artificial platforms that have a 360 degree view. They usually lay three eggs and the incubation is about five and a half weeks. In 7 weeks they have matured into juveniles and are ready to migrate the 3000 miles to Gambia and Senegal in West Africa.

In the 19th century, persecution by fishermen led to a decline in their numbers and in 1842 the last pair were seen in England. Rutland Water is a 3000 acre site and Anglian Water stock it with 80-100,000 trout, so this was considered a perfect area to set up the osprey project. There was a successful  breeding project in Scotland, but ospreys are site faithful, and the urge to return to Scotland too strong, for these birds to stay in England and breed.

To overcome this problem, 64 six week old ospreys were, taken to Rutland from Scotland. They were ringed and kept in release pens. Human contact was kept to a minimum and the fledglings were allowed to bond with Rutland. They were allowed to migrate, and in 1999 the first translocated osprey returned to Rutland and bred in 2001. Since 2001, 102 ospreys have fledged from nests in the Rutland area. The adult birds have an easy life in Winter, but  they do have threats, such as discarded fishing nets. Therefore the Osprey  Project has created a vital link with the African community by providing wildlife education .

We were informed that 30,000 people have visited the Lyndon Visitor Centre at Rutland Water. Various events are organised such as dawn and afternoon cruises from the harbour and photography walks. The project is funded through fundraising challenges and activities. Kayleigh is taking part in a tandem skydive later in the year and was keen for any sponsors; several members were generous in their support.

We were treated to an informative talk on a bird which many of us realised we knew little about.

Our next meeting is on 9th March, which will be a members evening with wine and nibbles. Further details can be obtained from Penny Bailey through the link below.