World Osprey WeekWOW!

23-29 March 2015

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. Ospreys that breed in North America migrate to

South America 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-colonise Wales. They have

nested on the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust’s Cors Dyfi Reserve 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

http://www.ospreys.org.uk/wow-interactive-schools-map/

• Daily blogs during WOW

to help teachers and

students interpret the

migrations.

• Introductions to all the

satellite-tagged birds.

Following the Ospreys on migration

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.

Free school resources

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-fly

ways-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