Ospreys return to Pego Marjal

OSPREYS have been successfully reintroduced into the Pego-Oliva wetlands after an absence of nearly 50 years in the region as a whole – although they have now flown away to France and Morocco.

Last time they were seen in the Marjal was in the 1970s and early 1980s, and elsewhere in the Valencian region they have not nested since the late 1960s, says the regional environment ministry.

Four chicks were brought over in June – two born in the Balearic Islands and two in Cádiz on the south coast – and put in giant cages specially acclimatised to prepare them for life in the wild.

As they grew, the cage doors were opened to allow the chicks to experiment with flying.

They had learnt to fly by Au

The species disappeared in the natural park in the 1970s

gust and, as they were tagged by experts at the Migres Foundation who were caring for them – with the help of volunteers – their flight path has been traced.

Some of the birds were tracked to the Moroccan coast and the south of France.

But they are known to travel long distances in short periods, and they are shortly due to commence their migration south for the winter, which will reverse in spring.

The Marjal – like the salt flats in Calpe and the lagoon in Torrevieja – is a 'pit stop' on the global migratory route, so it is likely they will be back on the Marina Alta before long.

Benidorm's Terra Natura theme park, the town councils in Pego, Oliva, Dénia and Jávea, Pego hunting club and Dénia fishermen's association, plus a group of volunteers, helped the Migres Foundation in the osprey resettlement programme.

Electricity board Iberdrola assisted by reconfiguring power lines to make them birdfriendly.