The return of ospreys to Ireland — and their rightful place in our ecosystems
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In the Mesolithic period, which in Ireland occurred between 8000 BC – 4000 BC, hunter-gatherers here believed that everything was infused with spirit. One could take on the properties of a particular plant or animal by eating them. This seems to be the only reasonable explanation as to why our Mesolithic forbears ate birds of prey.
Owls, eagles, falcons and osprey would have been difficult to hunt. The calorific gains from consuming the flesh would be easily outweighed by the effort of catching such a predator. And by all accounts, they taste awful. But by eating a falcon, an owl, or an eagle, people likely believed that they could take on the spirit properties of that animal... the speed of a peregrine falcon, the night vision of the owl, or the strength and agility of an eagle.
Perceptions of the natural world change continuously. Much of the reverence from pagan times continued through to the medieval era. But later, as different values took hold, people perceived themselves as separate from nature and increasingly sought to tame and control their environment, ignorant of the role that many species play in sustaining healthy ecosystems.
Osprey chicks have been released over the past few days as the NPWS embarks on a reintroduction programme over the next 5 years. Read more at : https://t.co/6BjfUPjTRg pic.twitter.com/rLc3qoF7I9
— Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage (@DeptHousingIRL) August 28, 2023
During the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, birds of prey were seen as a last vestige of the ‘wild’, thus something to be exterminated from the landscape. Eagles were thought of as a threat to game birds such as pheasants, which had been introduced from Asia in the 16th century. Estate-owning landlords from Scotland and England cleared people from the hills to make way for the latest commercial venture: sheep. Eagles and osprey were seen as a danger to lambs across the uplands. Hence many of the large native raptors here were hunted to extinction.
These perceptions, and the persecution that results from these beliefs, continue today. In recent years, rare hen harriers have been shot in Kerry and poisoned in Meath; a White-tailed eagle was shot in Tipperary; peregrine falcons have been poisoned in Dublin; and numerous red kites poisonings have occurred in Wicklow and Wexford. Between 2007 and 2019, a whopping 300 birds of prey were found to have been poisoned or died in unnatural circumstances in Ireland. The ‘Raptor Protocol’ notes that 214 of the incidents recorded involved poisoning and 58 involved shooting. One of the poisons used is Carbofuran, which has been illegal here since 2007. Possession and use of Carbofuran is a serious criminal offence, as is the laying of poisoned bait, though wildlife crimes such as these are often not treated as seriously by the authorities as is warranted. As our perceptions evolve, and the vast majority of people across Ireland once again value the presence of eagles, owls, harriers and falcons, more effective investigation and enforcement of these sinister crimes is needed.
Meanwhile, raptor conservation and reintroduction projects have been successful and hugely popular, and widely supported by the general public. Hen harriers, whose mountainous habitats have been much reduced by plantation forestry, have suffered dramatic declines in recent decades. They are now the subject of several conservation schemes to sustain fragile populations. Golden eagles, persecuted to extinction in Ireland just over 100 years ago, have been successfully reintroduced in Glenveagh National Park in Donegal. White-tailed sea eagles were reintroduced in Killarney National Park between 2007 and 2011 and have since begun to breed in counties Cork, Kerry, Galway, and Tipperary. For the most part, people are thrilled that these spectacular eagles have been reinstated to their rightful place in Irish ecosystems. Benefits include a boost to tourism in the locations where the eagles are visible, including positive economic benefits to the town of Mountshannon in County Clare due to the presence of eagles nearby on Lough Derg.
Because reintroductions involve serious conservation efforts and sustained positive co-operation between farmers, landowners, and National Parks and Wildlife Service, it is truly tragic when rogue individuals shoot or set poison bait to kill these precious creatures.
In 2023, another raptor reintroduction began. Osprey are a native, fish-eating bird of prey with an impressive wingspan of 180cm. Their last known breeding site was by Lough Key in County Roscommon in 1779. During the summer of 2023, one breeding pair was recorded on Fermanagh — the first here in 244 years! Just a few months later, in August 2023, nine chicks from Norway were released by the National Parks and Wildlife Service in the south-east, starting in County Waterford, where the presence of both freshwater and marine habitats offer promise for the success of these enormous birds. Landowners and communities around the release sites are supportive of the reintroductions.
Osprey have evolved especially to eat fish, so spend most of their time near lakes, bays, and sea inlets. Their legs are longer than most raptors so that they can stand or dip their talons into shallow water without getting their feathers wet. They make their huge nesting platforms, known as eyries, high up in trees where egg-pilfering predators cannot get to them.
In winter, osprey migrate southwards, sometimes travelling all the way to Africa before returning to home territory to breed in spring. Males perform an elaborate aerial display, referred to as a 'sky-dance', to woo their partners during courtship and early incubation. Once paired up, ospreys stay together for life and also remain loyal to the same nest site each year. Ospreys are thus portrayed in folklore across the world as an icon of continuity and fidelity.
As enthusiasm mounts across Ireland for white tailed eagles, golden eagles, ospreys and other majestic birds of prey, it is time to also step up efforts against wildlife crime.
I know that I am certainly eager to see these majestic raptors gracing the skies of the south-east. To me, they represent a welcome recognition of loss and reconciliation, an indication that our collective perceptions of nature might, at last, be improving. And with this, we might truly begin restoring the balance within the ecosystems we so depend on.