Ospreys return to purpose-built nestingplatform

A PAIR of ospreys have made the return trip from Africa to a man-made home specially created for them on the border of Angus and Perthshire.

The birds can look forward to a summer uninterrupted by overhead line works to a pylon which was their previous nest for almost three decades.

Until 2014, the ospreys had faithfully made their annual journey thousands of miles from West Africa to the Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) tower near Alyth but with important engineering works on the horizon, experts hatched a plan to create a new home for the summer migrants.

In March 2014, SSEN erected a 25-metre tall platform along with two 8.5m perching posts under the guidance of osprey expert Roy Dennis from the Highland Foundation for Wildlife, and in consultation with Scottish Natural Heritage and Perth and Kinross Council.

The renesting was undertaken to allow for future development of a substation at the site and will also allow for overhead line works on the tower to be carried out this summer.

Although the birds were given a choice in 2014 of their original nest, which was l eft i n place on the transmission tower, to the delight of the project team the ospreys went straight to the purpose-built platform and bred successfully.

The old nest was removed the following winter.

SSEN lead environmental project manager Keith Thomson said: “It is great to see that the ospreys continue to return and utilise the purpose-built nest while allowing critical works to be safely undertaken on the transmission network.”