The Republic of Ireland's National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) released the first osprey chicks as part of a new reintroduction programme over the weekend.
The programme was established to reintroduce the bird of prey to Ireland so that it becomes a viable, free ranging population in the wild.
Over the next five years, the NPWS plans to reintroduce 50 osprey chicks as part of the programme.
NPWS
Ospreys are fish-eating birds of prey which require habitats close to rivers, lakes or coastal areas which ensure a sufficient supply of fish.
The species is known to be monogamous and faithful to both their mate and their nest.
Ospreys are thought to have become extinct as breeding birds on the island of Ireland over 150 years ago, but have continued to visit the island as part of their migratory pattern.
The release of the chicks follows confirmation that a breeding pair of ospreys and their chicks was discovered at a nesting site in Northern Ireland in recent weeks.
Ulster Wildlife said it was first time in over 200 years that ospreys have been recorded breeding naturally in Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland's Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan said the reintroduction programme is “an important tool in...efforts to conserve and restore nature”.
“We know from our European neighbours and our own firsthand experience that reintroduction programmes can bolster declining populations, gradually increasing them over time, while giving us valuable scientific insights into managing the return of this vulnerable species to our shores to plunge and dive for fish and eventually breed.
“Similar to the white-tailed eagle programme, the success of this initiative relies on the support of our farmers and landowners, who are working together with an experienced NPWS team, and I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to them for their contribution in bringing this spectacular bird back to our skies,” the minister said.
Philip Buckley, divisional manager with NPWS southwest, who heads up the osprey reintroduction programme said:
“In preparation for this programme, we drew on significant experience of countries around Europe who have reintroduced the osprey resulting in sizeable breeding populations over time.
“Identifying a suitable habitat which the birds will return to each year is key, and I would like to thank the farming community in the southeast for their engagement and co-operation.”
Similar to the white-tailed eagle reintroduction programme, the chicks are brought from Norway, and cared for at a secure location until they are ready to be released.
All of the chicks are satellite-tagged, so that NPWS staff can monitor their safety and welfare at this early stage, and their migratory pattern in the future.
