Powderham Osprey – Pandion haliaetus

The last few days have been hard for me to get out and do anything at all due to bad toothache which has caused infection and a lot of pain. Anti-biotics seems to be getting on top of it now thankfully. Yesterday, however I did manage to get out for a few hours and decided to go and see what I could find at Powderham and Cockwood. As I passed by Powderham estate I stopped to watch the Osprey reported for the last few days. The bird was very visible in a dead tree near to the castle but in the distance. Luckily, after only ten minutes, it left it’s perch and headed in to the thermals to float over to the Estuary. It returned after a very short while carrying a fish, landing back on it’s favourite tree to eat a dinner of Mullet! Frustration was my over riding feeling, it was just too far to get a good picture of but, never the less a very satisfying sighting. There are, according to the RSPB website, 148 breeding pairs of Osprey in the UK. I personally believe that Osprey will, in the not too distant future, nest here in Devon on the Powderham Estate where there is ample food opportunities and nest sites on the estate with the security that a Devon breeding pair would need. An Osprey is a regular visitor on migration here and surely it can’t be out of the question in the future.

Birdwatching and wildlife in Devon is a rewarding and interesting passtime. Even in July when birdwatching is very quiet you can usually find something interesting to see if you are blessed with time, and have luck on your side.

Here is a photo of the Osprey taken in August last year, a considerably better image than yesterday’s. Note that this bird has a clear white chest which would indicate a male. Females would have a bib marking and in juveniles there would also be an indication of a “bib” in both sexes. This years photo would also indicate a male, my guess is that it is the same individual.

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On the subject of Powderham Estate I took this photograph last year of one of the Fallow Deer herd and it is such a satisfying image that I thought I would share it with you again.