OSPREY RESTORATION PROJECT IN THE URDAIBAI

BIOSPHERE RESERVE (BASQUE COUNTRY)

ANNUALREPORT2015

2

OSPREY RESTORATION PROJECT IN THE URDAIBAI BIOSPHERE RESERVE (BASQUE COUNTRY)

ANNUALREPORT2015

AitorGalarza

Projectteam:

MaríadelMardelArco

VicenteDeAlba

XarlesCepeda

JavierElorriaga

AitorGalarza

JonMaguregi

EdortaUnamuno

JoseMariUnamuno

AnderZabala

ÍñigoZuberogoitia

UrdaibaiBirdCenter.Orueta7.E-48314.Gautegiz-Arteagaurdaibai@birdcenter.orgwww.birdcenter.org

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SUMMARY

Theosprey restorationprogram in theBasqueCountry started in2013.The

aimistoestablishafounderpopulationintheBiosphereReserveofUrdaibai,

whichultimatelymayhelpouttherecolonizationofestuariesandwetlandsof

northern Iberian Peninsula, thus promoting connectivity between the

populationsinSouthernIberiaandcontinentalFrance.

During this thirdyearof theproject,under the licence fromScottishNatural

Heritage,13ospreychicksweretranslocatedfromScotlandtoahackingtower

located at the Biosphere Reserve of Urdaibai (Biscay, Basque Country). The

birdswere kept in the hacking tower between 17 and 31 days. During this

period the birds ate properly (271,19 g/day per bird) and all of them

experiencedpositivegrowth.Allbirdswerefittedwithabackpacktransmitter

(1.70 g PP Biotrack), which was replaced by a satellite transmitter (30 g

Microwave Argos / GPS Solar PTT) in the case of a single bird. One of the

chicks suffers from epilepsy and died after having several seizures once

released.Afterrelease,thebirdsstayedonaverage32.4daysinthevicinityof

thehackingtowerandleftUrdaibaibetweenAugust28andSeptember9.The

bird carrying satellite transmitter left Urdaibai on 5 September, reached

Guinea Conackry on 20 September and then moved to the Ferlo River,

(NorthernSenegal),whereitremainedforamonth.

Inthisthirdyearoftheprojectthefirstfoursub-adultospreysfromthe2013

releasereturned fromAfrica.Amalewasphotographed inanestuaryon the

northwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula and three other males have been

repeatedly observed in the Urdaibai Reserve. One of the birds (P2, 2013)

showeda stronghoming instinct to anestingplatformandhe carried sticks

and algae to thenest. In addition, twoof thesemalesmade some exhibition

flightsinthepresenceofaScottishsubadultfemale.

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INDEX

1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………5

2. Nestlingsupply.……………………………………………………………………6

3. Infrastructures

3.1. Perches………….………………………………………………………….6

3.2. Nestingplatforms……………………………………………………...6

3.3. .Hackingarea…………………..………………………………………..8

3.4. Obstaclesonelectricitypylon………………...……………...…. 8

4. Reintroduction

4.1.Nestlingcollectingandtransportation….………………………9

4.2.Stayinthehackingtower………………………………................. 11

4.3.Releaseandfirstflights…………………………………................ 14

4.4.Dependencephase……………………………………………………..15

4.5.Intraspecificinteractions………………………………................ 15

4.6.Interspecificinteractions………………………………................ 16

4.7.Humandisturbances………………………………………............... 16

4.8.Veterinarycare……………………………………............................ 16

5. Telemetry…………………………………………........................................... 17

6. Firstreturns………………………………………………………………………. 19

7.MeetingwiththeteamfromScotland………………………………………22

8.Technicalvisits……………………………………………………………………….23

9.Dissemination

6.1.Guidedvisits.………………………………....................................... 24

6.2.Talksandconferences……………………………………………….. 24

6.3.TVandRadio…………………………….......................................... 24

6.4.PressandWeb………………………………………………………….. 24

10.Environmentaleducation……………………………………………………. 26

11. References…………………………………………........................................ 30

12. Acknowledgements…………………………………………………….......... 31

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1.Introduction

The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) restoration project in the Urdaibai Biosphere

Reserve (Basque Country) set on in 2013. The project is an initiative of the

Aranzadi Society of Sciences (www.aranzadi-zientziak.org) managed by the

Urdaibai Bird Center (www.birdcenter.org) and is funded and supported by the

Department of Environment of the County Council of Biscay and the Basque

Government.

TheprogramisdevelopedundertheguidelinesoftheOspreyrestorationprojectin

theUrdaibaiBiosphereReserve (Galarza&Zuberogoitia,2012)andauthorizedby

the Board of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve and theWildlife Committee of the

SpanishMinistryofEnvironment.

Themainobjectiveofthisprojectistosetupareproductivepopulationofospreys

intheBasqueCountry.Itcontributestothefollowingsub-objectives:

o To increase the osprey breeding range and promote the connectivity

betweenFrenchandSouthernIberianpopulations.

o Toincreasesocialawarenessaboutospreyconservationandabout

biodiversityingeneral,usingtheprocessasatoolforeducation.

o TopromotetheimageoftheUrdaibaiBiosphereReserveandecotourism.

Thisreportdescribesactionscarriedoutinthethirdyearoftranslocation,

adaptationandreleaseofyoungospreysinUrdaibai.Giventhatthe2013report

describedindetailthepreparationprocessandthestructuresusedforhacking,in

thepresentreportwereferonlytosignificanttechnicalaspects,inparticularthe

changesorimprovementsmade,theresultsoftheprocessofhackingandreleasing

andthereturnsofbirdsreleasedinpreviousyears.

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2.NestlingsupplyThegeneralagreementestablishedin2013withtheGovernmentofScotland

(ScottishNaturalHeritage),whichguaranteestheannualprovisionof12chicks,

wasmaintainedin2014.Thisyear13chicksweretranslocatedbecausein2014

only11ospreyscouldbecollected.

OspreyhabitatinScotland(LochAlvie)

3.Infrastructures3.1.Perches

Thenumberofartificialpercheswasincreasedinthevicinityofthehackingtower

in order to facilitate landing and resting. More perches were installed in other

partsofthemarshes.

3.2.Breedingplatforms

Nestsorartificialplatformsconsistedbasicallyofametalplatform1x1mthatwas

filledwithbranchesandfineplantmaterialtoreachaminimumheightof0.5m.On

thisplatform,awoodenperch1.5mhighwasinstalled.Whensitedinthemarsh,

theplatformwasusuallyattachedtoawoodenpole5-7mhigh,whileinthewoods

theplatformwasfixedtoatreethatstoodinthelandscape,usuallyapine(Pinus

radiata/Pinusmaritima)oreucalyptus(Eucalyptusglobulus).

Locationofartificialbreedingplatformswaschosenonthefollowingcriteria:

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• Minimumhumandisturbance:distancefromroads,inhabitedbuildings

andbusypaths>300m.

• Theplaceselectedanditssurroundings(>300m)shouldbewithinthearea

ofmaximumprotectionintheReserve(SpecialProtectionArea).

Ospreysreleasedin2015usinginstalledperchesandplatforms

Uptodateatotalof14platformshasbeeninstalled,8inthemarshesand6inthe

forest. During 2015maintenancewas carried out on some of the platforms that

had lost some of its structure during winter. To do this we had the help of

volunteers and staff of the Fire Fighting Service of the County County of Biscay.

(Gernika-Lumo).

ArtificialplatformsinstalledintheUrrunagareservoir,Álava(left)andtheBayofTxingudi,

Gipuzkoa(right)

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Furthermore,incollaborationwiththeArabaCountyCouncilofAlavaweinstalled

a platform on the marsh Undurraga, within the system of the Zadorra River

(Basque Country), located about 45 km South of the Urdaibai estuary. This

platform is added to other two installed in previous years in Ullibarri-Gamboa,

withinthesamesystemofreservoirs.Inaddition,incollaborationwiththestaffof

theInterpretationCenterofPlaiaundiEcologicalParkanotherplatformwasbuilt

upintheBayofTxingudi(Gipuzkoa,BasqueCountry),locatedabout70kmEastof

Urdaibai.

3.3.Hackingarea

Weclearedtallvegetationinthefieldonwhichstandsthehackingtowerandalso

webuiltonehidenexttothecontrolcabininordertofacilitateobservationofthe

birdsduringthedependencephase.

Comblikestructuresinstalledintheelectricitypylonslocatedclosetothehackingtowerto

preventospreyperchingduringthedependencephase

3.4.Obstaclesinelectricitypylons

Atleasttwobirdsoftheprojectreleasedtodatehavediedbyelectrocutionduring

theirmigration:P3(2013)andNA(2014).AllthebirdsreleasedinUrdaibaioften

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perchonpylonslocatedclosetothehackingtower.Althoughthesepylonsarenot

dangerous it could be possible that the birds get accustomed to such structures

which make more likely to use them and, therefore, more vulnerable to

electrocution outside the Reserve. Therefore, in collaboration with the power

company,comb-likestructureswereinstalledinthefourelectricitypylonscloseto

the hacking tower to prevent birds resting on them. The installation of these

obstacles was quite effective, since none of the individuals used these pylons

duringthedependencephase.

4.Reintroduction

4.1.Nestlingcollectingandtransportation

Between July4and8, thirteennestlings(8maleand5 female)werecollected in

MorayandtheHighlands(Scotland).ThisoperationwasconductedbyRoyDennis,

Highland Foundation forWildlife, andhad the cooperation of several volunteers

and a staff member of the reintroduction programme. Nestlings were collected

only from nests containing more than one chick and when body condition was

good. On three occasions two chickswere collected from nests containing three

nestlings.Allnestlingwereweighedandmeasured(lengthofwing,tailandtarsus)

insitu.Afterremovalfromthenest,nestlingswerekeptinfourpensaccordingto

theirage,andfedthreetimesdaily,attheheadquartersoftheHighlandFoundation

forWildlife,locatednearForres(Moray,Scotland).Theywereidentifiedwithmetal

ringsof theAranzadiSocietyofSciencesandyellowcolourPVCringssuppliedby

theDoñanaBiological Station.While in Forres, nestlingswere examined by Jane

Harley, from theStrathspeyVeterinaryCentre (GrantownonSpey), certifying the

goodbodyconditionandhealthoftheindividuals.

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CollectingtheospreychicksinScotland

Table1.Weightofnestlingswhencollectedfromthenest,onarrivaltoUrdaibaiandwhen

fittedwithtransmitterinthehackingtower.

Osprey Sex Collecting Arrival Transmitter

32P0206 M 1330g

(07/07/15)1200g

(09/07/15)1346g

(28/07/15)33P0207 M 1360g

(07/07/15)1296g

(09/07/15)1372g

(24/07/15)34P0208 M 1345g

(07/07/15)1293g

(09/07/15)1360g

(24/07/15)35P0209 F 1033g

(07/07/15)1055g

(09/07/15)1623g

(08/08/15)37P0060 F 1181g

(08/07/15)1130g

(09/07/15)1513g

(08/08/15)N7P0052 M 1401g

(04/07/15)1325g

(09/07/15)1469g

(24/07/15)NFP0053 M 1332g

(04/07/15)1334g

(09/07/15)1411g

(24/07/15)NJP0054 M 1514g

(04/07/15)1401g

(09/07/15)1464g

(03/08/15)NRP0055 F 1737g

(04/07/15)1541g

(09/07/15)1729g

(28/07/15)NUP0056 F 1355g

(05/07/15)1261g

(09/07/15)1572g

(03.08.14)NTP0057 F 1309g

(05/07/15)1195g

(09/07/15)1348g

(03/08/15)NXP0058 M 1355g

(05/07/15)1311g

(09/07/15)1375g

(28/07/15)PXP0059 M 1216

(05/07/15)1215g

(09/07/15)1202g

(28/07/15) *ospreywithPTT

On the morning of July 8, nestlings were taken in a transit van from Forres to

Aberdeen airport, where they were fed before being transported to London by

plane.FromLondontheindividualsweretransportedonanotherflighttoMadrid

where the birds were fed with anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus). Finally,

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transportationfromMadridtotheBasqueCountrywascarriedbyvan,arrivingat

the area of hacking in the morning of July 9. Aitor Galarza (County Council of

Biscay)accompaniedthebirdsduringtransport.Onarrival,theveterinaryservice

of the project examined the birds. Apparently all the nestlings were in good

conditiondespitethefactthatmostof themhadexperiencedaslightweight loss

sincecollectingfromthenest(Table1).Wetookasampleoffeatherofeachosprey

forsexingusingmoleculartechniques.

RoyDennisandJenniferClarkringingthebirdsinForres(Scotland)

Osprey arrival to the hacking tower (left).Mar Del Arco and Javier Elorriaga, staff of the

project,examiningthebirdsandtakingfeathersample(right)

4.2.StayinthehackingtowerExceptthefirstcage,whichhousedonly4birds,theresthosted3chicks,grouped

accordingtotheirplumagedevelopment.Thosewhoweresiblings(33/34,N7/NF,

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UN/NT, NX/PX)were installed in the same cage. During their stay in the tower

birds were fed four times daily. The food was pre-weighed and the amount

consumedwasnoted.At first the fishweregiven insmallpieces, removing large

scalesandbones,increasingthesizeofthepiecesandtheamountofscalesandfish

bonesasthedayspassed.Priortoeachnewintakeoffooduneatenremainswere

removedfromthecages.

CheckingtheospreysthroughtheCCTVsystemfromthecontrolcabin

Theospreysweremainlyfedonthick-lippedgreymullets,Chelonlabrosus,directly

caughtintheestuarybythestaffoftheproject.

Table2.GrowthratesfromdateofcollectinginnesttothearrivalinUrdaibai,andgrowth

ratesduringthestayinthehackingtower.Themeandailyfoodintakeofeachbirdinthe

hackingtowerisalsoshown(July9-24).

Dailygrowthratefromnesttoarrival(%)

Dif(g)

Dailygrowthrateduringhacking

(%)

Dif(g)

Dailyfoodintake(g)

32 -4.80 -130 +0.54 +146 267.933 -2.30 -64 +0.36 +76 246.2734 -1.93 -52 +0.32 +67 226.3035 +1.06 +22 +1.62 +568 329.0937 -4.31 -51 +1.09 +383 345.83N7 -1.35 -76 +0.68 +144 232.29NF +0.009 +2 +0.36 +77 211.22NJ -1.86 -113 +0.17 +63 276.78NR -0.82 -196 +0.61 +188 298.36NU -2.31 -94 +0.94 +310 343.17NT -2.90 -114 +0.49 +153 315.41NX -1.08 -44 +0.24 +64 224.26PX -0.02 -1 +2.71 +552 208.64

Youngospreyswereobserveddirectlythroughthespyglasswindowsandthrough

theCCTVsystemtomonitortheamountoffoodeatenandobservetheirbehaviour.

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Nohierarchicalconflictsbetweenindividualswereobservedandwedidnotneed

tomanipulateanyofthem.

The average amount of food daily eaten per individual was 271.19 g

(range=208.64-345.83).Allthebirdsgainedweightduringthestayinthehacking

tower(Table2).

FishinggreymulletsatUrdaibai

Table3.Periodofstayinthehackingtowerandperiodofdependence

OspreyPVCring

Arrivaldate

Releasedate

Daysinhackingtower

Departuredate

Daysbeforedeparting

32 09/07/15 30/07/15 21 03/09/15 3533 09/07/15 26/07/15 17 03/09/15 3934 09/07/15 26/07/15 17 04/09/15 4035 09/07/15 10/08/15 31 06/09/15 2737* 09/07/15 10/08/15 31 - -N7 09/07/15 26/07/15 21 03/09/15 24NF 09/07/15 26/07/15 17 03/09/15 24NJ 09/07/15 05/08/15 26 05/09/15 31NR 09/07/15 30/07/15 21 28/08/15 29NT 09/07/15 05/08/15 26 08/09/15 34NU 09/07/15 05/08/15 26 05/09/15 31NX 09/07/15 30/07/15 21 06/09/15 38PX 09/07/15 30/07/15 21 05/09/15 37

*epylepsia

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Nestlings remained in thehacking towerbetween17and31days (seeTable3).

Duringthestayinthetower(18July-3August)themeanmaximumtemperatures

was 27ºC (range= 20-31ºC) and the mean minimum temperatures was 16.7ºC

(range=12-20ºC)(insitumeasure)

Processingoffishclosetothehackingtower

4.3.Releaseandfirstflight

Acoupleofdaysafternoticingthatthebirdsstartedmovingagainstthefront

mesh,weopenedthehackingtowercages.Beforedawnwedistributedfishonthe

feedersandquietlyopenedthefrontpanelssothatthebirdscoulddecide

themselveswhentoflyoutofthecages.Staffandvolunteersdiscreetlyfollowed

fromadistancetocheckthebirdsleavinghackingcagesandthefirstflights.

Figure10.Firstflights

Weconductedfouropeningsofthehackingtower.Someindividualswerechanged

fromonecagetoanotherdependingontheirstageofdevelopment.Thesequence

ofopeningandreleaseofbirdsisshowninTable4.

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Table4.Openingdays

Date Ospreys26July 33,34,N7,NF30July 32,NR,NX,PX

05August NJ,NT,NU10August 35,37

4.4.Dependencephase

Thedependenceperiodwas32.4days(range:24-40days,n=12)(Table3),similar

tothatobservedinNorthAmerican(32.5days)(Stinson,1978)andScottish(30.4

days)(Bustamante,1995)naturalpopulations,andshorterthanthatobservedin

reintroduction programs of Andalusia (38.3 days) (Muriel et al., 2010), Portugal

(44days)(Palma&Beja,2011)andItaly(48.7days)(Montietal.,2012).

Afterthefirstreleaseday,foodwasprovidedonceadaybeforedawn.Firstfishing

attemptswerereportedthefirstweekafterrelease.Notably,mostoftheospreys

tried fishing, although, as expected in these cases, no successful fishing events

wereobserved.Fishingattemptsgraduallyincreasedinintensity.

Releasedospreysperchinginanartificialnestandinthefeeders.

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4.5.Intraspecificinteractions

Duringallthedependenceperiod,thejuvenilesshowedasemi-gregarious

behaviourwithfrequentvisualandvocalcontact,andoftenusingthefeeders,

perchesandartificialneststogether.Weobserveduptosixindividualsonthe

samefeederandthesameartificialplatform.Wenotedtheabsenceofaggressive

orhierarchicalinteractionsthatreducethefeedingofsubordinatebirds.During

thedependencephasetheyoungospreyscoincidedwiththreereturnedsubadult

malesandonefemaleborninScotlandin2012.Thereleasedospreysoftenwere

observedinthecompanyofthesesubadults,especiallywithP2fromwhichthey

beggedforfood.ThepresenceofP2inthenestingplatformwasverypositive

becauseitpromotedseveralbirdstoflydirectlytotheplatformfromthehacking

towerwhenreleasing.

4.6.Interspecificinteractions

We recorded 50 interactions with other bird species: marsh harrier (Circus

aeruginosus(24),crow(Corvuscorone)(17),buzzard(Buteobuteo)(2),peregrine

(Falco peregrinus) (2), hobby (Falco subbuteo) (1), yellow-legged gull (Larus

michahellis) (1),black-headedgull (Larusridibundus)(1)andgreyheron(Ardea

cinerea) (1). Ospreys chased other birds in 40 cases, while the ospreys were

chasedin10cases(crow,marshharrier,hobbyandperegrine).Theseinteractions

areconsiderednormal,physicalcontactorapparentnegativeresultsdidnotoccur.

4.7.Humandisturbances

Humanscausedflightreactionofospreysatleastonsixoccasions:boat(2times),

canoes (2 times), helicopter (1 time) and fisherman (1 time). When possible,

peoplecausingdisturbancewerewarnedoftemporaryrestrictionsonuseandto

leavetheareavoluntarily.Oncethedisturbancefinished,frightenedbirdsreturned

totheareaandrecoveredtheirnormalactivity,usuallyinlessthananhour.

4.8.Veterinarycare

Allbirdswereclinicallyexaminedonarrivalandtheyshowednosignsof illness.

However, inlaterdayswenoticesthattheosprey37regurgitatedfrequentlyand

hadalittleleftcheekswellingthatdisappearedafterafewdays.OnAugust8this

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samebirdhadanepilepticattackthatrecoveredinminutes.Onaugust10thitwas

releasedasplannedbutittooksevendaystotakefoodfromthefeeders,whichis

anunusualbehaviour.OnAugust19thitsufferedanotherseizurewhileeatingona

feeder,hefelldownandwaspickedupbyourstaff.Thenitwastransportedtothe

Care Center for Wildlife of Gorliz where it died a few hours after suffering

successiveattacksbothduringtransportandatthecarecenteritself.

Exceptforthisincident,nootherissuehadproblemsorshowedsymptomsof

sicknessduringstayinthetowerofhacking,sohandlingwasnotnecessary.

Exceptforthisincident,norotherospreysdidnotshowanysymptomsofillness

duringtheirstayinthehackingtower,soitwasnotnecessaryanyhandling.

5.TelemetryEach birdwas equippedwithVHF radio-tags (Biotrack PP 1.70 g), attached to a

pair of back feathers, and were tagged during the night, two days before the

release.Thesetransmitterswereusedtodetectdailytheindividuals,toknowthe

departuredateandeventually to locateandrescue theminemergencysituation.

ThisVHFdevicewasreplacedwithasatellitetransmittertoonebird.

Trackingduringthereleasedays

Preliminary results of the monitoring of juvenile ospreys through satellite

transmitters(30gMicrowaveArgos/GPSSolarPTT)pointtoadecline,yettobe

determined,oftherateofsurvivalintaggedindividuals.Forthisreason,theteam

decided to reduce themonitoringprogramwithsatellite transmitter toonly two

individualsbutfinallyonlyonewasinstalled(PX).

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As inpreviousyears,weuseda trapwithnooses installedona feedingplatform

approximatelyamonthafterthereleaseofthebirds.Onlyoneofthebirdscouldbe

capturedandtaggedwiththesatellitetransmitterPX(Mandela)thatwasattached

tothebackusingaharnessofTeflon.Transmitterinstallationwascarriedoutby

RoyDennis,projectconsultant.

Left:PTTdeployedbyRoyDenniswiththehelpofIanPerksandEdortaUnamuno(middle).

Right:PXMigrationroutetoAfrica.

ItwasobservedthatPXhadincreaseditsweight552g,atarateof+1.27gperday

(datacorrectedbythebiomassofthebird)fromtheinstallationofthetransmitter

inthetowerhackinguntilfurthercapture(38days).Hedepartedthesameday

(September5th)sothattheinformationprovidedbyitstransmitterwasonly

usefultodeterminethedayofdepartureandtoknowthemigratoryrouteand

winteringarea.Onthe20thofSeptemberhearrivedinGuineaConackryafter

crossingMorocco,Mauritania,Senegal,GambiaandGuineaBissau.Laterhesettled

foramonthintheFerlo(15º43'17"N,15º36'14"W)River,atributaryofthe

Senegal.Finally,hesettledintheNorthernbankoftheGambiaRiver(15º31’55”N,

15º51’44”W).

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PXinhiswinteringareaoftheGambiaRiver(November2015)

6.FirstreturnsWe have recorded the return of four birds from the 2013 cohort, three in the

Urdaibai Reserve and the Undurraga reservoir (Alava), and a fourth in Ribadeo

(Asturias).Thesepreliminaryresultsareverypositive,bothforearlyreturnofthe

first birds and for the large number of individuals involved comparingwith the

results of similar ongoing or conducted reintroduction programmes in Europe

(Table6).

Table 6. Starting year, first returns and number of birds returned the first year, and first

breedingyear inEuropeanreintroductionprogrammes(Casado&Ferrer,2007;Mackrillet

al.,2013;Palma&Beja,2014)

Start Firstreturn/birds Firstbreeding

RutlandWater(England)

1996 1999(3rdyear)/2 2001

OdielandCádiz(Andalucía)

2003 2007(4thyear)/5 2008

Alqueva(Portugal)

2011 2014(3rdyear)/1 -

Urdaibai(BasqueCountry)

2013 2015(2ndyear)/4 -

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LocalitiesinNorthernIberianPeninsulawherereturnedindividualswereobservedin2015.

P1(2013)PhototrappedinVegadeo(Ribadeoestuary,Asturias)onApril27and28.

P1 perching on an artificial nest in front of Vegadeo (Asturias) (picture: FAPAS) and the

estuaryofRibadeo(Galicia-Asturias)

P2(2013)Observations:May20-May22(3days)andJune2-September17(105days).NotobservedonSeptember7.Location:UrdaibaiBiosphereReserve

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BehaviouratUrdaibai:-Itstayedclosetothereleasedospreysandnoterritorialbehaviourexhibitedwiththemduringthefledgingdependencephase.-Itoftencametoeatatthefeeders.-Ittransportednestingmaterialtoanartificialplatformonseveraloccasionsatleastin12days.-ItmadedisplayflightswhenasubadultfemalefromScotlandAU4(2012)wasclosetothisplatformandalsowhenitwasanotherreturnedmaleN4(2013).

P2atthemarshesoftheUrdaibaiBiosphereReserve

N3(2013)Observations:July29-August9,August13,August15-August16,andSeptember4(15days)Location:UrdaibaiBiosphereReserve(14days)andUndurragareservoir,Álava(1day)BehaviouratUrdaibai:-Itstayedclosetothereleasedospreysandnoterritorialbehaviourexhibitedwiththemduringthefledgingdependencephase.-Itoftencametoeatatthefeeders.-ItsometimesinterfereswithP2(2013),chasingittogetitoutofthenestingplatform.-ItfliesbesidetheScottishsubadultfemaleAU4(2012)andperformsdisplayflightsatthesametimethatP2(2013).

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N3atthemarshesoftheUrdaibaiBiosphereReserveN4(2013)Observations:August2-August3,August10-August13andAugust31(7days)Location:UrdaibaiBiosphereReserveBehaviouratUrdaibai:-Itstayedclosetothereleasedospreysandnoterritorialbehaviourexhibitedwiththemduringthefledgingdependencephase.-Itoftencametoeatatthefeeders.-ItsometimesinterfereswithP2(2013),chasingittogetitoutofthenestingplatformwhentheScottishsubadultfemaleAU4(2012)wasinthearea.-Inasingleeveningitcomestofishuptosixtimes

N4feedingononeofthefeedersinfrontofthehackingtower

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Left:Part of the staff of theprojectwith the Scottish colleages:EdortaUnamuno,MarDel

Arco, Fraser Cormack, RoyDennis, IanPerks andAitorGalarza (from left to right). Right:

Scottish experts choosing a perch for installing a nesting platform in the reservoir of

Urrunaga(Álava).

7.MeetingwiththeteamofScotlandWith the aim of discussing the results obtained to date and introduce technical

adjustmentsinordertoimprovetheprojectameetingofthestaffoftheUrdaibai

BirdCenterwithRoyDennis,senioradvisoroftheprojectwasheldinSeptember.

Themeetingwasalsoattendedby thevolunteers IanPerksandFraserCormack

whoarepartoftheteamthatcarriesouttheworkforthesupplyofindividualsin

Scotland.Scottishteam'svisitwasalsousedtoexploretheUrdaibaiReserveand

reservoirsofZadorrainordertoidentifypotentialnestingsitesforthespecies.

8.TechnicalvisitsInMaywe received the visit of part of the team that assist the recovery of the

Bonelli eagle populations in Spain (Life12 / NAT / ES000701). In August,

coincidingwithoneof the releasingdays,wereceived thevisitofProfessor José

LuisTellería,fromtheDepartmentofZoologyoftheUniversityofMadrid.

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Left.AitorGalarza(middle)withpartofthestaffoftherecoveryprogrammeoftheBonelli

EagleinSpain:ItziarAlmarcegui,GloriaGiralda,JavierDíezandAlfonsoLlamas.Right:Part

of the staff of the project with Professor Tellería (Mar del Arco, Aitor Galarza, Javier

ElorriagaandJoséLuisTellería)

9.Dissemination9.1.GuidedvisitsDuringthedependencephasefiveguidedvisitswereorganizedinordertoobserve

theospreysanddisseminatetheproject.Around75peopletookpart.

Figure25.Guidedvisitstoobservethereleasedospreys9.2.TalksandconferencesOctober2015TheOspreyinUrdaibai:recoveringaconservationisticon.TxingudimarshesInterpretationCentre(Irún,Gipuzkoa).October2015RestoringtheOspreytotheUrdaibaiBiosphereReserve.Natura2000BiogeographicalProcessAtlanticRegionMeeting.BiodiversityCentreoftheBasqueCountry(Busturia,Biscay)

25

November2015Recoveringtheospreybyhacking.PracticalcourseofVertebrateZoology.UniversityoftheBasqueCountry.UrdaibaiBirdCenter(GautegizArteaga,Biscay).9.3.TVandRadio

VisitofateamfromtheBasquePublicTelevision(ETB)totheprojectfacilitiesinUrdaibaiETB(BasquePublicTV)

• www.eitb.eus/es/.../aguila-pescadora-urdaibai-vuelve-jaun-zuria/BasquePublicRadio(RadioEuskadi).Severalprograms.ToemphasizetheprogramsdevelopedweeklywithRogeBlascorelatingmonitoringmigratoryjourneyofospreystoAfrica.

• www.eitb.tv/es/player/radio/radio-euskadi/2514820/3255846/• www.blogseitb.com/.../mandela-el-aguila-pescadora-atleta-en-vuelo-de-

urdaibai-a-senegal/9.4.Pressandweb

• www.lne.es/occidente/2015/05/...aguila-pescadora/1759624.html• www.20minutos.es/.../regresa-urdaibai-primera-aguila-pescadora-

programa-reintroduccion-sociedad-ciencias-aranzadi/• www.elcorreo.com/.../primer-ejemplar-aguila-pescadora-

20150522134105.• https://www.euskadi.eus/informacion/...el-aguila-pescadora.../es/html• www.deia.com/.../jaun-zuria-primer-aguila-pescadora-en-retornar-a-

urdaibai• www.deia.com/.../trece-polluelos-de-aguila-pescadora-llegan-a-urdaibai-

desde-escocia-

26

JoseMariUnamuno(right),DirectoroftheUrdaibaiBirdCenter,talkingabouttheproject

withthepresenterAnderIribarinthestudiosoftheBasquePublicRadioinBilbao.

10.EnvironmentaleducationIn2014weinitiatedanenvironmentaleducationprogramasamaininstrumentto

fulfill one of the priorities of the osprey restoration project: awareness on the

conservationofbiodiversityingeneralandtheospreyinparticular.

SeveralschoolsintheBasqueCountrytakepartinthisprogramthatiscoordinated

bytheUrdaibaiBirdCenterincollaborationwiththeDepartmentofEducationand

the Department of Environment of the Basque Government (Centre of

interpretationofthemarshesofTxingudi).

Duringthisyear2015therehavebeencarriedoutthefollowingactivities:“Ospreysflywayslinkingcommunities”Project

It has continued with the participation, initiated three years ago, in the

internationalproject"OspreysFlyways linkingcommunities"coordinatedbyTim

Mackrill and Pete Murray (Rutland Water, Leicester, England) in which are

involvedschoolsinEurope,AmericaandAfrica.Themainobjectiveofthisproject

istodevelopacoordinatedapproachintheuseofnewtechnologiesineducation

(Websites,GoogleEarth,Skype,...),takingtheospreyandtheirmigrationrouteas

avehicletoconnectschoolsindifferentpartsoftheworld.Amongotheractivities

inMarchtheWorldOspreyWeek(WOW)andinSeptembertheByeOspreyWeek

(BOW) were held in which two public schools Urdaibai (Montorre and

27

Urretxindorra) shared by videoconferenceworks with schools in Italy, England,

AmericaandGambia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLQF5N89rHIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxwH5Tp7sJQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99EzJarUkGchttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLQF5N89rHI

Comic

It has been made the second chapter of a comic in which the recovery plan

undertakenincollaborationwithScotlandisexplainedindepth.Thismaterialhas

beendistributedbyschoolsandisavailableonthenetwork.

Thecomic isbeingworkedby the schoolsatdifferenteducational levels suchas

languages,visualartsordevelopmentoforatoryas introductorymaterial for the

casemonographicguidedvisits.

Travellingexhibition

TheexhibitionhasbeenexhibitedattheUrdaibaiBirdCentreandattheCentrefor

InterpretationofTxingudithroughouttheyearandhasbeenseenbythousandsof

people.Also,asproposed fromthestart, theexhibitionhasalsobeenexposed in

differentschoolsintheBasqueCountry.

28

Didacticunitsandsupportmaterials

We havemade two didactic units in Spanish andBasque to deepen thework of

schoolbeforeandaftereachvisit to theospreysite.Oneof theunits isaimedat

students of Primary andSecondary to another.Bothhave separatematerials for

teachersandforstudents.Thiseducationalmaterial isprovidedtotheschools in

ordertooptimizethesitevisitandprovidecontinuity insubsequentwork inthe

classroom.

MonographicvisitsInOctoberwerecarriedoutmonographicvisitstotheUrdaibaiBirdCenterandthe

Center for Interpretation of Txingudi for those schools engaged with the

environmental education program. A total of 27 schools (1,724 students and 84

teachers)wereinvolvedinthesevisits.

29

Eachvisithasconsistedofthefollowingareas:1.-Introductiontomigration2.-Ospreyandmigration3.Ospreyexhibition4.-Thebiologyoftheosprey:-Identificationbypicturesandvideo.-MigrationinUrdaibaiandotherBasquewetlands.-Travelfriends(waterfowlspecies)-TherestorationprogramintheBiosphereReserveofUrdaibai-SchoolProject"OspreysFlywayslinkingcommunities"-TrackingbyGPS.5.-WatchingwetlandbirdswithspecialdedicationtoOspreySeriesoftalksinschools

DuringMaysix talksweregiven indifferent localitiesof theUrdaibaiReserve in

ordertopromoteengagementofschoolsintheproject.Around500studentsfrom

sevenschoolsintheregionassistedthetalks.

Triptych.

AtriptychdescribingsyntheticallytheOspreyrecoveryprojectandthewaytotake

part in itwaspublished.Thisbookletcanbedownloadedon theprojectwebsite

andwillbeavailableinallschoolstakingpartintheproject.

30

11.ReferencesBustamante,J.1995.Thedurationofpost-fledgingdependenceperiodofOspreysPandionhaliaetusatLochGarten,Scotland.BirdStudy,42:31-36.Casado,E.&Ferrer,M.2017.Osprey(Pandionhaliaetus)reintroductionprojectinAndalucia.2007Report.Galarza,A.&Zuberogoitia,I.2012.ProyectodereforzamientoyrecuperacióndelÁguilapescadoraenlaReservadelaBiosferadeUrdaibai(Bizkaia,PaísVasco).SociedaddeCienciasAranzadi/DiputaciónForaldeBizkaia.http/www.birdcenter.orgMackrill, T., Appleton, T. & McIntyre, H. 2014. The Rutland Water Ospreys.BloomsburyPublishing,London.Monti, F., Sforzi, A. & Dominici, J.M. 2012. Post-fledging dependence period ofospreysPandion haliaetus released in central Italy: home ranges, space use andaggregation.Ardeola,59(1):17-30.Muriel,R.;Ferrer,M.;Casado.E.&Calabuig,C.2010.FirstbreedingofreintroducedospreysPandionhaliaetusinmainlandSpain.Ardeola,57(1):175-180.Palma, L. & Beja, P. 2014. Reintroduction of the osprey (Pandion haliaetus) inPortugal.AnnualReport2014.CIBIO.Stinson, C.H. 1978. The influence of environmental conditions on aspects of thetimebudgetsofbreedingospreys.Oecologia,36:127-139.

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12.AcknowledgementsOrganisations:

• ScottishNaturalHeritage,ScottishGovernment,UK• HighlandFoundationforWildlife,Scotland,UK• HeathrowAnimalReceptionCentre,London,UK• MinistryofAgriculture,FoodandEnvironment,GovernmentofSpain• MinistryofEconomyandCompetitiveness,GovernmentofSpain• BiodiversityAgency,BasqueGovernment,Spain• DepartmentofSustainableDevelopmentandNaturalEnvironment,County

CouncilofBiscay,Spain• DepartmentofPresidence,CountyCouncilofBiscay,Spain• BoardoftheUrdaibaiBiosphereReserve,BasqueGovernment,Spain• CityofGautegizArteaga,Biscay,Spain• Iberdrola

People:

• RoyDennis(HighlandFoundationforWildlife,Scotland,UK)• IanPerks,BrianEtheridge,FraserCormack,TimMckrill,JenniferClark,

AdamRitchieandNimrodMifsud(VolunteersinScotland)• JulianOrsi(RothiemurchusFishery,Scotland)• JaneHarley(StrathspeyVeterinaryCentre,Scotland)• TristanBradfield(HeathrowAnimalReceptionCentre,London,UK)• IgorAginako,AsierGoñi,EnekoDíaz,FranciscoMartínez,JulioRuiz,

EnriqueGoikolea,JuanCarlosPinoandJavierUgalde(Rangers,DepartmentofSustainableDevelopmentandNaturalEnvironment,CountyCouncilofBiscay)

• JaimeUribarriandOscarLizarralde(Vehiclepool,CountyCouncilofBiscay)• RamónAranburu,JoseRamónBarruetabeña,JesusMariBilbao,Lander

Elguezabal,ImanolElorriaga,JabierGorostiza,IñigoJuaristi,JosuSanJuan,JonAndoniSantamaria,HugoGonzález,AlexUgaldePedroUribarrenandJonZorroza(FiremenofGernika,CountyCouncilofBiscay)

• AlvaroAsteinza,JosebaBermejo,DavidColl,IoarDeGuzmán,RomainFrancin,KarmeleGallastegi,AnabelGarcía,EduardoGómez,IsaacGonzález,IgoaGorostola,SoniaHidalgo,EnekoIturregi,AitorJuaristi,AmaiaMendinueta,JavierRuiz,IbaiUgalde,JuanÁngelVizcarra(Txope),MikelYarzaandIbaiZobaran(VolunteersinUrdaibai).

• AnaGómez(Veterinaryclinic)• IñakiIntxausti(WildlifeRescueCentreofGorliz,BiscayCountyCouncil)• JuanCarlosGonzález,IbanCendoyaandTeodoroRuiz(Iberdrola)