Mr Rutland, formally known by his
ring number of 03(97), was a male
osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
who was born in Scotland in 1997 and nested every summer near
Rutland Water
Rutland Water is a reservoir in Rutland, England, east of Rutland's county town, Oakham. It is filled by pumping from the River Nene and River Welland, and provides water to the East Midlands. By surface area it is the largest reservoir in En ...
, England, from 1999 to 2015.
Having been extinct in England since the 1840s, ospreys were re-introduced to the country from 1996 by the Rutland Osprey project, which translocated birds from Scotland to Rutland Water. Mr Rutland was born in Scotland in 1997 and was translocated to Rutland Water that summer, part of the second batch of ospreys introduced to England. Having built his nest in 2000, Mr Rutland bred for the first time in 2001, raising a single chick with an unringed female at a nest on private land, close to the reservoir. He continued to breed every year up to 2014. By 2015, he had migrated in excess of .
He failed to return in 2016 at the age of 18.
Background
Having once been common in the United Kingdom, the population of
osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
s declined sharply in the 19th century as a result of human activity and habitat loss, eventually leading to extinction in England during the 1840s and in Scotland around 1916. In 1954, a pair of birds returned to Scotland with a breeding at
Loch Garten
Loch Garten ( gd, Loch a' Ghartain) is a large Highland freshwater loch near Boat of Garten, in the Strathspey area of the Cairngorms National Park, in Scotland. It is surrounded by the tall pine trees of the Abernethy Forest, a large area (adjac ...
and the population began to grow again, assisted by a shift in attitude. After the
Rutland Water
Rutland Water is a reservoir in Rutland, England, east of Rutland's county town, Oakham. It is filled by pumping from the River Nene and River Welland, and provides water to the East Midlands. By surface area it is the largest reservoir in En ...
reservoir was opened in 1976, the Scottish ospreys and some from Sweden began using it as a stopping-point during their migration.
In the 1990s, following unsuccessful attempts to persuade the birds to stay in Rutland for the summer,
the Rutland Osprey project was launched, with financial backing from the
Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust
The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT) is one of 46 wildlife trusts across the United Kingdom. It manages nature reserves in Leicestershire and Rutland, and was founded in 1956 as the Leicestershire and Rutland Trust for Nature Con ...
and
Anglian Water
Anglian Water is a water company that operates in the East of England. It was formed in 1989 under the partial Water privatisation in England and Wales, privatisation of the water industry. It provides water supply, sewerage and sewage treatment ...
. Led by osprey-expert Roy Dennis, the project began trans-locating osprey chicks from Scotland to Rutland Water, where a number of artificial nests had been set up on platforms. The first set of birds began their migration to Africa in the autumn of 1996, but none of them returned to Rutland. One was reported to have died in
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 井仆井內丐中五 (Senegaali); Arabic: 塈堻媞塈 ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''R矇ewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 井仆不丐仆不五 ...
, for unknown reasons, and an osprey with a ring matching the 1996 birds was spotted in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart ireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
in 2001, but it is not certain if this was one of the Rutland set.
Life
Mr Rutland was one of eight osprey chicks in the second batch to be transplanted from Scotland to Rutland Water in July 1997.
He was given the designation 03(97) and, along with the other birds from that year, a white ring was placed around his leg.
The 1997 set translocated for the first time some chicks who were not the youngest in their nests, following a rule change, and this appeared to improve the survival rates of the birds.
In 1999 Mr Rutland and 08(97), another member of the 1997 set, became the first two birds released at Rutland to return from their migration. They spent the whole summer at the reservoir, making use of the artificial nests set up by the project.
The last sighting of Mr Rutland that year was on 27 August. Both he and 08(97) returned again in the spring of 2000, and for the first time they also attracted females to Rutland Water. One female, who had no ring around her leg, formed a bond with Mr Rutland in August 2000 and the pair built a nest together although they did not breed. In 2001 he returned earlier than 08(97) accompanied by an unringed female, who project officials thought was likely to be the same female as the previous year. Making use of the nest that he'd constructed in 2000,
Mr Rutland and the female mated, producing three eggs of which one hatched.
This made him the first member of the Rutland osprey project to successfully reproduce.
The chick was given the ring number 13(2001).
Mr Rutland returned to Rutland Water and bred every subsequent year until 2014, producing a total of 32 young,
with three different females. As of May 2015 Mr Rutland had 46
grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
In 2016, at the age of 18, Mr Rutland failed to return from his winter migration.
See also
*
List of individual birds
This is a list of well-known real birds. For famous fictional birds, see list of fictional birds.
* guia Vit籀ria, a bald eagle who serves as the mascot for Portuguese football club S.L. Benfica
* Albert Ross, an albatross believed to have been ...
References
{{Use dmy dates, date=August 2016
Individual birds of prey
Individual animals in England
Individual wild animals
Rutland
1997 in England