Ask osprey expert Roy Dennis a question

Do different populations of osprey winter in different areas? Is there connectivity between breeding locations and wintering locations? Do British birds winter in different areas than Scandinavian birds for example?



Tom from Wales living near the Glaslyn ospreys

Hi

How many Osprey's are there left in the wild?, and also what is the return routes that the adult Osprey's will use during the spring migration?



Ryan From Middlewich Cheshire

Hi Bill. We used to have hundreds of birds in our garden but now there are only a few. As it is November this seems unusual as they are all usually back by now. Hope you can help. Thanks Kathryn Smith from Holmfirth

Hi roy

is the ospey the only bird of prey to have a reversible outer toe for carrying its prey,also is there more man made nests sites than natural ones .Regards Dave

Hi Roy,Bill or Chris.



Are many migrating birds affected by the growing number of wind turbines that blot our landscape?

Thanks,

Ivor.

dear autunm watch

i live is aberdeenshire in northeast scotland and at my local river there is a single whooper swan who has been there for 3 days. he never moves far from the spot that he is in and is constantly calling. There have never been swans at our river before. Is he lost and what can we do to help?

How rare was the osprey sighting at RSPB Sandy a week ago?

This may be a stupid question but if there are so many fish for the ospreys to catch in that lake in Senegal why do they even bother to migrate 3000 miles back to the UK?!

If it's so nice down in west africa, why do the ospreys bother to come back here?

Roy, When osprey are feeding in saltwater lagoons, do they need to find fresh water to drink or can they get enough from the fish flesh, like some other animals can, for example dolphins.

Hi, why do ospreys migrate to northern Europe to breed in the summer? Why not stay in Africa where there is plenty of food which looks easier for them?

Loving this series!

Thanks

Hi Roy, I was a volunteer at Operation Osprey, Loch Garten, almost 40 years ago. I went for day walk with you and a group of others when I saw my first Golden Eagle - something I still vividly can remember. You had an amazing ability to se things others didn't. What tips can you give people to see other wonderful birds? Best regards, David

Please Roy, if the living is so good in Africa for the ospreys, why do they bother to

migrate such huge distances? I suppose this question applies to other birds too!

To Mr Osprey Himslf#

can yo please tell me where you got the smoked prawns and red wine when yuo had a chat with Ewan MciLwraith sincere thanks in anticiation



Aberfoyle

We often over-winter in Goa and often see Osprey there. Where do these birds come from? Are they from India, or would they migrate from further afield?

What sort of gull was the one getting food from the osprey

was it a slender billed gull

from ellie and hetty arnfield age 13 and 9

I am a huge fan of Roy's, and in awe of the Osprey project, parallelling the Cuckoo project this year.

But my question to Roy is: WHY WHY WHY can you not pronounce Einon's name correctly?

It is not Ennion it is EYNON (phonetically)

If you persist, you will lose Welsh fans!!

If there is such excellent food supply in West Africa, why do ospreys bother to migrate to UK ?

Hi Guys,



we live in Highland Perthshire & have been looking after Osprey nest sites while eggs wait to hatch and have just watched the brilliant film of our birds in AFRICA.



We are just wondering why the birds bother to make the 1000's of miles return journey back to struggle through a typical British summer, especially in the Scottish Highlands........Is it purely native, wild instinct...????

What I don't understand is if the fish is so easy for the ospreys to catch in the lake in Senegal why do they come back to the UK and not just stay where they are?

Roy,



If the Ospreys have such an easy supply of food in Africa, why do they breed in the UK?

On further examination I find the name is Einion, so the pronunciation is EYNION not ENION

When the young ospreys migrated to Africa, how did they know where to go? Did they follow their parents?

Hi Roy - wonderful programme in Senagal - you may remember me as Bridget Furness - did my PhD at Aberdeen decades ago - now in Cape Town - See me on Facebook as Bridget Farham

I spent 2 years working in the Naval Operations Base (Jazirat Umm Al Ghanam), Sultanate of Oman, in the Straits of Hormuz from 1987-89 and we had a resident osprey(s) that used to live and fish in the harbour for some months of the year (can't remember what season).

Compared to it's own body weight how big a fish can an Osprey catch and fly with.

Hello. I saw a large (over 20 inches tall) bird of prey sitting on a sign near a drainage dyke near my house. On the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk earlier this week. After watching the programme, I've realised it looks most like an Osprey. Is this possible in this location? We do get Buzzards in the area but I'm sure it wasn't - it was very white patched round the face and then again further down the body.

If food is so plentiful in West Africa, why do the Ospreys winter in the UK?

When will Roy answer the questions?

Hello to Everyone across the Big Pond!

Im in Florida, USA and am looking for an answer to some odd osprey behavior. I have a pair of breeding ospreys on a tall platform nest I built 3 years ago. Past years suggest the eggs are getting close to hatching. One of the ospreys will continually attack pelicans that happen to land in the water within sight of the nest (up to 500 meters away!). Why would ospreys be so mean-spirited to pelicans? They don't impress me as being a threat to the nest nor do they eat the same food resource (pelicans look for minnows/ ospreys eat much larger fish). As a marine biologist, I understand underwater critter behaviors, but above water Im baffled by this! Answers and speculations welcome!! Thanks everyone. Bob

If the first egg of 3 hatches on May 27, and it's now June 14, is it safe to say the other 2 won't hatch? Thank you.