Tweed Valley osprey chick falls from nest

29/07/2009 11:23:37 Osprey chick returned to nest by Forestry Commission rangers
July 2009. One of the three osprey chicks in the Tweed Valley was at the centre of a dramatic rescue by Forestry Commission Scotland rangers after it fell from the nest.

2 chicks fledged
Two of the chicks successfully took their first flights as expected. However the youngest chick, named Stig, despite being nearly a week away from being able to fly, fell from the nest while exercising his wings.

Osprey Centre Officer, Emma Rawling, explained: "It's not unusual for chicks to ‘accidentally' take off but this was different - Stig simply stepped backwards and fell! There followed an anxious wait to see it he would reappear as we all thought he was stuck somewhere within the tree's high canopy. By the next morning there was still no sign of him and concerns for his welfare mounted. Generally we have a strict policy of non interference for the birds' welfare, and we respect a legal exclusion zone around the nest but we knew that if Stig was stuck on the ground his chances of survival were slim to none."

Found on the ground
A rescue was then mounted by Project Staff and Forestry Commission Scotland Conservation Manager Tony Lightly. A search soon located Stig stuck in long bracken not far from the base of the nest tree, from where he would never have been able to rescue himself.

Emma added: "He was looking rather forlorn but unscathed and feisty enough to have a good peck at me! He was well and truly stuck and not yet able to fly himself out of trouble."

After a check over and a good meal of salmon, hastily donated by a local business, the hapless chick was returned to the nest by the Commission's wildlife experts.

Emma said: "Stig was returned safe and sound to the nest, accompanied by an extra trout to console him, and seemed to settle back into his routine after about half an hour, none the worse for wear and despite all the excitement. He doesn't seem to have learnt a lot because he was back sitting on the very edge of the nest again."

The Tweed Valley Osprey Project is a partnership between Forestry Commission Scotland, Kailzie Gardens, RSPB Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage.

Both centres at Glentress Forest and Kailzie Gardens are open from 10am- 5pm until the end of August when the ospreys migrate south to Africa for the winter.