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World Osprey Week WOW! . Ospreys are amazing!. With a wingspan of 1.5 metres they are one of our largest birds of prey . They are the only British bird of prey to eat only fish . Ospreys can live for more than 20 years . Most European migrate to Africa for the winter.
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Ospreys are amazing! • With a wingspan of 1.5 metresthey are one of our largest birds of prey. • They are the only British bird of prey to eat only fish. • Ospreys can live for more than 20 years. • Most European migrate to Africa for the winter. • It takes an Osprey two to three weeks to fly 3000 miles when they migrate in Spring and Autumn – that’s around 200 miles a day. They can travel at speeds of over 50 miles per hour. • They arrive back at their nests at the end of March to breed and raise young before returning to Africa for the Winter. • In the UK there are over 250 breeding pairs in Scotland, seven in England (five at Rutland Water and others in Northumberland and Cumbria) and three in Wales. • Ospreys are found throughout much of Europe and also North America.
Ospreys in the UK • They were extinct in the UK by the late 1920s as a result of persecution by man – but started returning in the 1950s. The first nest was at Loch Garten. • In 1969, a pair first returned to the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve, when they were only the fifth known pair in Scotland. • 64 Scottish Ospreys were released at Rutland Water between 1996 and 2001 in order to establish a population in central England for the first time in over 150 years. This was the first project of its kind in Europe – and has now been replicated in Spain and Italy. • 76 young Ospreys have fledged from nests in the Rutland Water area since 2001. • Ospreys from Rutland Water have also recently helped Ospreys re-coloniseWales. They have nested on the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust’s CorsDyfiReserve since 2011. • In 2010, an Osprey named Lady of the Loch began her twentieth breeding season at the Loch of the Lowes.There’s even been a song written about her! Fly Lady Fly can be downloaded from iTunes.
What is World Osprey Week (WOW)? • WOW is an exciting opportunity for schools to: • Follow Ospreys on their spring migration • Learn about these incredible birds • Make links with other schools around the world
Which Ospreys will we be tracking? • We’ll be following satellite-tagged Ospreys from: • England • Scotland • Finland • Corsica • United States
Following the Ospreys on migration • The WOW website includes an interactive Google map to track the birds on migration www.ospreys.org.uk/schools-map/index.html
Following the Ospreys on migration • Daily blogs during WOW to help teachers and students interpret the migrations. • Introductions to all the satellite-tagged birds in early March.
School resources • All schools have free access to a range of schools resources, including lesson plans and ideas www.ospreys.org.uk/free-school-resources/ • Registration is very simple www.ospreys.org.uk/wp-login.php?action=register • Once registered schools have full, free access to the resources – for primary and secondary schools.
Setting-up your school page • Once registered for the WOW website all schools can set-up their own page by completing a simple online form www.ospreys.org.uk/osprey-flyways-school-form/ • All schools will be included on the interactive map and their page posted on the WOW website www.ospreys.org.uk/osprey-flyways-project/osprey-flyways-project-schools/
www.ospreys.org.uk/osprey-flyways-project/osprey-flyways-project-schools/www.ospreys.org.uk/osprey-flyways-project/osprey-flyways-project-schools/
Contacting other schools • Each individual school page includes the contact details of a teacher at that school, enabling schools to make links with each other.
We hope you enjoy your WOW experience! www.ospreys.org.uk