SPLISH SPLASH

Watch these superbly adapted raptors plunging for fish to feed their young

- Mike Dilger

MANY BIRDERS DESCRIBE AUGUST AS M being the quietest month of the year to enjoy our feathered friends. Certainly, high summer is the time for quietly raising broods, with many adults additionally keeping a low profile while undergoing their annual moult. But for anyone suffering birdwatching withdrawal symptoms this month, then good news and views can be provided by the osprey, and the frankly marvellous spectacle of it fishing for its supper.

Slightly longer bodied than a buzzard and with much longer wings, this large raptor is specialised to eat nothing but fish. Ospreys are purely summer visitors to our shores, with most overwintering in the wetlands of Senegal and The Gambia. BirdTrack reveals that birds can appear back in Britain by late February, but the main arrival occurs in early April, with males often turning up at least a week earlier than the females.

Often using the same treetop nesting site, year upon year, most pairs appear to be faithful. Changes of mate are only thought to occur when one of the pair has died or returns so late that in the interim its 'other half' has found a replacement. Following an affirmation of the pair's bonds (through courtship), the female proceeds to lay a clutch of eggs.