The first osprey chicks acquired in Norway to re-introduce the species to Ireland were released into the wild this weekend.
The satellite-tagged chicks are part of a National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) programme aiming to re-introduce 50 young ospreys.
Ospreys are fish-eating birds of prey, living close to rivers, lakes or coastal areas, which ensure a sufficient supply of their favourite food.
They are known to be monogamous and faithful to both their mate and their nest.
Ospreys became extinct in Ireland over 150 years ago, but a breeding pair was discovered for the first time in Fermanagh over three years ago – giving birth to chicks recently, according to Ulster Wildlife.
Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan describe the release of Norwegian-born osprey chicks as a “milestone moment” which is “particularly exciting given the news of a breeding pair in Northern Ireland”.
“It is a positive sign of the quality of the habitats on this island and gives us reason for great hope that these chicks will eventually breed here too and reminds us that biodiversity action can – and does – yield positive returns,” he aid.
“We know from our European neighbours and our own first-hand experience that reintroduction programmes can bolster declining populations, gradually increasing them over time, while giving us valuable scientific insights into managing the return of this vulnerable species to our shores to plunge and dive for fish and eventually breed,” he said.
“Similar to the white-tailed eagle programme, the success of this initiative relies on the support of our farmers and landowners, who are working together with an experienced NPWS team, and I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to them for their contribution in bringing this spectacular bird back to our skies,” Noonan added.
The NPWS has developed expertise over the past 16 years in re-introducing species that had been extinct.
Its white-tailed eagle programme has reintroduced 170 white-tailed eagles to Ireland, some of which are now fledging chicks, in an ongoing partnership with Norway.
NPWS south-west divisional manager Philip Buckley, who heads up the osprey re-introduction programme, said that identifying a suitable habitat to which the birds will return each year is key”.
He paid tribute to international partners and thanked the farming community in the southeast for “their engagement and co-operation.”
