Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust is working to attract Ospreys, a bird of prey once extinct in the UK, to Stocker’s Lake in Rickmansworth, working in partnership with site owners and project funders, Affinity Water.

Due to human persecution Ospreys became extinct from England as a breeding bird over 180 years ago and from Scotland in 1916. This was mainly as a result of Victorian egg and skin collectors, pesticides like DDT thinning the bird’s eggshells and also gamekeepers who considered them a threat to fisheries. Additionally, habitat loss had a role to play in their demise. Successful conservation programmes are now making amends to the natural world and have brought the birds back to the UK. This started in 1954, when two Scandinavian birds flew to Loch Garten and nested, but it was not until 1959 that the pair bred successfully under the 24-hour watch of the RSPB in a project named Operation Osprey. Since then, the Osprey’s story has been one of continuing conservation success. Ospreys were relocated from Scotland to Rutland Water in Leicestershire between 1996 and 2001 and in 2001, the first breeding pair in England raised a single chick. There are now thought to be up to 300 breeding pairs in the UK and around 1,500 individuals in total, although none currently breed in the south-east of England.

The new nest at Stocker's Lake is a step towards attracting the iconic birds to the region. Constructed from Rhododendron branches and twigs, collected by the local community group, Friends of Stocker's Lake, the nest towers 10 metres above the lake, with fishing opportunities below. The structure was built by Wildlife Windows, the specialists responsible for the successful nest at Poole Harbour, which two years ago saw Ospreys breeding on the south coast for the first time in 200 years.

Josh Kalms, the Trust’s People and Wildlife Officer at Affinity Water sites says:

“The success of Osprey re-establishment programmes and indeed those involving the reintroduction of other wildlife species demonstrate that despite the devastating declines we are seeing in our wildlife, with one in six species at risk of extinction, we can reverse this trend if we take action. You don’t have to be a nature lover to appreciate that we are in the most pivotal decade of our lives in the nature and climate crisis – we all want a more sustainable future and a planet we can live on. Every action we take for wildlife, no matter how small, is a positive.”

“Ospreys are magnificent birds of prey and it is wonderful to think that the species could become part of our local birdlife in future. We recognise this could take some years, but it is hoped our artificial nest may be seen by a juvenile or displaced Osprey, on its southern, autumn migration to the Congo. The following year it may choose to make a new home at Stocker’s Lake.”

Sophie Mortimer, Biodiversity Manager at Affinity Water says:

“We have been working with Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust to enhance biodiversity on three of our priority sites as part of our Biodiversity Programme since 2016, but our working relationship spans over three decades. Our common aim is to connect people and wildlife through collaborative working and sharing expertise. Our partnership enables expert site management and wildlife monitoring, as well as joint educational and community events to raise awareness of environmental issues, particularly around habitats and biodiversity and the link to water saving. Stocker’s Lake is a great example of a site where a number of conservation initiatives have been implemented over the past nine years. Some successes include Kingfisher nest creation, pond creation and the introduction of Dexter cattle for conservation grazing.  We love that we can use the expertise of our colleagues from the Trust to enhance biodiversity on site and create habitat to attract and give home to rare species such as Osprey.”

Stocker’s Lake is a refuge for people to reconnect with nature and for wildlife to thrive. Visiting information can be found on the Trust’s website at hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/stockers-lake and details of the many family-friendly events held there can be found at hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/events