Osprey chick survives plastic bag ordeal

Jul 1 2009 By Patricia Lewis

Osprey chick

RUBBISH nearly claimed the life of one of the region’s first Osprey chicks in 200 years last weekend.

Staff at the Wigtown Bay Visitor Centre were horrified to find the chick wrapped in a black plastic bag when the centre opened on Saturday morning.

Rangers and visitors watched nervously as the small bird twisted in and out of the plastic fearful that it may have seriously injured itself.

Dumfries and Galloway Ranger for Wigtownshire Elizabeth Tindel said: “We were really concerned about the chick because when we opened the centre on Saturday morning it was wrapped in a bag.

“It was standing in the bag and couldn’t turn around. One of its legs was wrapped in it as well. It tried to stand up and sit down and it couldn’t.”

Staff at the centre were concerned that approaching the nest could have disturbed the parent Ospreys to the point of them abandoning the nest and chick.

Eventually the chick managed to pull itself free after a few hours of struggling.

Elizabeth said: “The visitors stayed most of the time to make sure it was okay. One woman was in tears.

“We have a no interference policy at the centre. We could not have got close without disturbing the nest.”

This is not the first time the Ospreys have had a close call.

In 2006 the male Osprey entangled its leg in a piece of fishing net which was caught on the nest as it dived into flight.

Although it suffered no injuries staff at the centre and Dumfries and Galloway Council hopes the incidents will highlight the dangers of rubbish to wildlife to the public and will make people more careful about how where they throw their litter away.

A spokesman from the council said: “Ospreys bring in all kinds of nesting material. There is a big bag of fishing netting and rope in the Visitor Centre collected from the 'Ospreys are back in Galloway' nest.

“They also bring in a lot of black plastic, even the skip of a cap and blocks of wood as well as the traditional nesting material of sticks have been seen.  Black plastic is a hazard to not only chicks but also to eggs.”

Elizabeth said: “I think this will show people that we have to take more care with where we throw our rubbish especially with plastics bags in the sea.”