Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
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Ospreys are summer visitors to Scotland, spending their winters in west Africa. Unlike other raptors, they feed exclusively on fish, both marine and freshwater and have specially adapted nasal valves which close when the bird in underwater.
Male and females have similar markings – dark brown on the back, tail and upper wings, white underparts and a white head with black eye stripes. Females are slightly larger than males.
Like many birds of prey, ospreys were persecuted and there was no breeding pairs in the UK until 1954 when a breeding pair returned to Loch Garten in the Cairngorms. Since then the number of breeding pairs has increased to around 190.
Nests are built in the tops of pine trees, often near lochs where they can fish. Ospreys mate for life and can return to the same nest site year after year. Both sexes are attentive parents. Young ospreys fledge after 53 days but stay around the nest for a further two weeks.
Ospreys start their migration in late summer, with the females leaving first, followed by the males and finally the juveniles who instinctively find their way.
When to see: arrive from North Africa in April; leave Scotland in August - early September.
Where to see: the main breeding sites are in the Scottish Highlands (Loch Garten, Glen Affric, and Loch of the Lowes), also now in South of Scotland (Glentress and Galloway).
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