Ospreys in the Loire Valley
29th July 2011
In: Trips
In July I returned to the Loire Valley to assist Rolf Wahl with his ongoing scientific work into the conservation and research of the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus).
Rolf's web site provides excellent historical and statistical data on the conservation in mainland France. In summary, Osprey's began to breed in the mid 1980's and by 2007 22 pairs were successfully breeding, resulting in an average annual growth rate of the population of 15.1% per year since 1985. Currently, there are some 22 breeding pairs in the Orleans Forest and a further 5 in the Chombard area.
Rolf has been ringing the Ospreys since 1995 this page provides full background to the project. Interestingly, an Orange darvic ring is used with a combination of two digits or letters which are read down the ring towards the foot, unlike the UK where the ring is read up from the foot.
My time was spent photographing Ospreys that Rolf wanted to specifically identify, including the challenge of having to photograph a female and identify her metal ring supplied by the Centre de Recherches par Baguage des Populations d’Oiseaux (C.R.B.P.O.) of the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (M.N.H.N.) of Paris. On this particular occasion we chose late afternoon with ideal light and placed my pop up hide some 80 metres in woods across a lake from the nest. With a Canon 800mm f/5.6 plus 1.4x extender mounted on a tripod and using a cable release to trigger the shutter from live view I managed to capture a picture that Rolf was able to use. The thumbnail images below provide some views from one of the hides and of the nests/perches.
Rolf's web site provides excellent historical and statistical data on the conservation in mainland France. In summary, Osprey's began to breed in the mid 1980's and by 2007 22 pairs were successfully breeding, resulting in an average annual growth rate of the population of 15.1% per year since 1985. Currently, there are some 22 breeding pairs in the Orleans Forest and a further 5 in the Chombard area.
Rolf has been ringing the Ospreys since 1995 this page provides full background to the project. Interestingly, an Orange darvic ring is used with a combination of two digits or letters which are read down the ring towards the foot, unlike the UK where the ring is read up from the foot.
My time was spent photographing Ospreys that Rolf wanted to specifically identify, including the challenge of having to photograph a female and identify her metal ring supplied by the Centre de Recherches par Baguage des Populations d’Oiseaux (C.R.B.P.O.) of the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (M.N.H.N.) of Paris. On this particular occasion we chose late afternoon with ideal light and placed my pop up hide some 80 metres in woods across a lake from the nest. With a Canon 800mm f/5.6 plus 1.4x extender mounted on a tripod and using a cable release to trigger the shutter from live view I managed to capture a picture that Rolf was able to use. The thumbnail images below provide some views from one of the hides and of the nests/perches.
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The principal viewing area is found at the Etang du Ravoir in the Forest of Orleans, near the town of Ouzouer-sur-Loire. Here a large car park within the forest is just a 5 minute walk from the hide. Excellent views are available across the lake of the Osprey nest. The nest is probably 300m+ away so a good pair of binoculars/scope is required. The best time to visit is during the afternoon when the sun starts to go behind the hide. The images below provide some idea as to what to expect. The middle picture sees my equipment pointing at the osprey nest.
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Perhaps the highlight of the trip was the ringing of the Ospreys. It was a fascinating insight into the professionalism of the people involved who were able to climb a 30/40m pine, carefully place 2 or 3 juvenile Osprey into a holdall, lower them down and move them to a prepared ringing table where Rolf was waiting. It was with the utmost precision that both nests saw the juveniles ringed within an hour, thereby ensuring any disturbance was limited. Given that the nests are located in Pine/Oak trees much higher than that seen in the UK a professional climber is employed to remove the juveniles from the nest. The images below show Eric skillfully ascending and the fruits of his labour successfully at rest waiting to be ringed.
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Rolf had prepared all of his equipment in readiness for the Ospreys being brought to him. I was utterly stunned when I saw one of the juveniles for the first time only inches from me. They looked beautiful, very calm and unconcerned as to what was happening, their plumage immaculate and "feet" just enormous! The images below show Rolf and his assistant Giles measuring and weighing the juveniles.
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It was impressive to witness the way the Ospreys were handled and cared for during the whole time they were absent from the nest. Rolf of course has ringed hundreds of Osprey and clearly loved his work.
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Here we see 3 juveniles with their Orange darvic and metal rings fitted. They were soon back at the nest where Eric had been waiting to safely place them.
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It was a superb experience assisting Rolf in his work. I thought watching an Osprey fish at close quarters was an amazing sight but seeing a juvenile Osprey only inches from me, stroking its head and then holding it, is without doubt one of my life's wildlife highlights. Thank you Rolf for giving me the opportunity, your work is inspirational.
