11 - The Osprey Project

It is autumn in Urdaibai. At high tide, a bird of prey with a dark back and a white chest is gliding slowly over the marshes. Suddenly, it sees something down below and dives steeply into the water. For a brief moment, the surface of the marsh reflects the scene in all its beauty, until the bird plunges into the water and flies away with a fish in its claws. It is an osprey, one of the most charismatic birds in Europe.

Long ago, the osprey was a common species in most of Europe. However, its populations were decimated by deforestation and persecution, and this beautiful bird ended up confined to the vast, deserted forests of Scandinavia and a few inaccessible cliffs in the Mediterranean. Luckily, the conservationist efforts that began on the 20th century have enabled a slow but steady recovery of this species.

The osprey does not actually breed in Urdaibai. However, this bird visits the Reserve every year, both during its autumn migration and in early spring. This is because Urdaibai is located on the migratory route of the ospreys that nest in Northern Europe and spend the winter in tropical Africa.

At the moment, we are developing a programme for getting this spectacular to be not only a migrant but also a breeding bird our Reserve. Over the coming years, young ospreys brought from Scotland and Finland will be acclimatised and released in Urdaibai so that they can eventually come back and breed here.

The osprey is a flagship species, an emblematic icon of environmental preservation in Europe. Its presence in Urdaibai provides us with a unique opportunity to better protect the Reserve. It can be a powerful tool for educating people, and also for promoting ecotourism.