Scottish osprey chicks arrive in Pego

Jo Pugh

A PROJECT to reintroduce the osprey to the region saw the arrival of 12 osprey chicks in the Marjal natural park of Pego on Thursday, July 13. The dozen chicks, who arrived safely, were presented at their new habitat, where they will live for the next few months.

The 12 birds of prey arrived from Scottish soil (for the first time), courtesy of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, a foundation that works on species restoration and is at the forefront of bird migration research.

The foundation has participated in the reintroduction of birds in Switzerland and the Basque Country. The foundation has joined the project in conjunction with the Migres Foundation, the ministry of the environment, the town councils of Pego, Oliva, Denia and Javea, and the Iberdrola Foundation.

Only one chick has a name. “His name is Pepe in tribute to a person who helped us enormously at customs, because it seemed that we were not going to be able to take them,” explained Itziar Colodro, a member of the Migres Foundation.

It is not the first time that an at­ tempt has been made to reintroduce the osprey in the Marjal park, but this project has become more ambitious. On previous occasions the number of specimens was smaller, between two and five chicks. “Increasing the number of birds increases the chances of survival of the species in their first year,” remarked Colodro.

“The journey of the birds was complicated, especially to be able to get through customs, because Brexit has complicated everything expo­ nentially, and in the case of transporting animals, it is always a delicate situation,” said Colodro.

“Nothing has been left to chance,” said Colodro. In the selection of the specimens there are different parameters, one of the most important is their size, “The bird must be the right size, not too small because they can suffer more during the transfer, not too big, in order to prevent them from wanting to start flying earlier than expected,” Colodro explained.

Under this premise, the smallest chicks are always chosen from each of the nests that are monitored on the Scottish coast, “thus increasing the probability other birds that remain will live, and thereby increasing the effective population.”

Regarding the new arrivals, the percentage of males is slightly higher than that of females. In previous introductions, the ratio was 50 per cent male and female. “Last time we were more concerned about the health than the sex of the chicks, this time the selection has been more specific,” said Colodro.

After the journey, the ospreys must now adapt to the environment. They will have the help of the project’s technicians. “We will try to have the minimum human contact, we don’t want them to consider us a friendly species.

For this, the ‘hacking’ method will be chosen when feeding them during their first steps of life in the Marjal. Hacking consists of raising the chicks in a state of semi­freedom.

They are placed in nests that simulate natural ones and they are provided with food artificially, we try to avoid as much as possible that the bird knows its food origin,” ex ­ plained Colodro.

After the first few weeks, in which the chicks barely leave their nests, they will begin to take flight, another crucial moment. On previous occasions, the migrations of these birds have led them to a tragic end, “it usually happens, because they have many hurdles to overcome on their routes, from electric lines to buildings. We put a GPS on them to track them but we can’t do anything else on this issue, just make their stay here the best because they perceive it as their home and want to come back,” Colodro clarified.

“We are delighted to welcome these birds once again. We want the project to work and for the species to establish itself in the area in the not too distant future. That’s why we have always been and will be supporting this proposal,” said the mayor of Pego, Enrique Moll.

The mayor highlighted “the incredible work that the technicians are doing, their obstinacy in making this project work is admirable. Hopefully in a short time we will be able to confirm the consolidation of this project and that way they will see all their efforts rewarded.”