Today I had the privilege of participating in a very special activity: the ringing of young Ospreys. A unique opportunity to learn more about these majestic birds and their life cycle.
The nest of these Ospreys was located in an electricity pylon, in the middle of a huge private land in Alcalá de los Gazules and could only be reached by a ride in an off-road vehicle past a large herd of grazing cattle.
Both youngsters were just over a month old and already surprisingly large and strong. They would remain in the nest for about three more weeks before fledging.
The process of ringing these birds required a detailed and careful approach to protect both the birds and the researchers. Equipped with safety harnesses, two researchers climbed up to the nest, approximately thirty meters above the ground. With great care, the young ospreys were removed from their nest and lowered into sports bags. While the worried parent birds circled nervously above our heads, the young birds were ringed, measured and weighed on the ground. Blood samples were also taken for further analysis. To keep the young Ospreys calm during this procedure, a hood was put on them. Both young birds turned out to be females.
All collected data were carefully recorded and will be useful later in the study of the population and health of Ospreys in the region. A total of seven people were involved in this operation, which lasted more than an hour.
At one point the air above us became quiet, a sign that the parent birds had disappeared from the scene for a while. It soon became clear why: they had to think about providing food for the young. There were clearly fish in the nearby lagoon!
It was breathtaking to see such beautiful young birds up close, their bright yellow eyes and strong but not yet fully developed wings were a reminder of the wonders of nature.
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