A nationally important South Devon nature reserve has secured funding to create homes for birds of prey under conservation concern.
Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve is home to incredible wildlife and natural features, and it is about to get even better! This year, the team successfully applied for Farming in Protected Landscapes funding to create osprey towers on the nature reserve.
Working closely with South Devon Osprey Partnership and our dedicated volunteers we were able to create two of these platforms, which hopefully will present nesting opportunities for osprey in the future.
Typically, ospreys nest at the top of tall trees by lakes and large bodies of water. This is so that they have a good line of sight across the horizon to keep an eye on passing fish, which they can dive down to hunt, and have sight of potential predators.
The tower is made from a long, thick wooden pole, which has a platform securely attached to the top, in which ospreys can build their nest. Osprey are migratory birds of prey, historically they have faced persecution. The hope is that by adding to the network of nest platforms now in South Devon we can support the return of breeding osprey to Devon and support UK conservation efforts.
National Nature Reserve Ranger, Kieran Shaw-Flach says: ‘This is a brilliant addition to the reserve! The project has been a huge effort from lots of people, and we’d like to say a big thank you to South Devon Osprey Partnership, Fran, our volunteers and to our funders. Special thanks also to people like local farmer Kieth W and Marcus at Landmarc. We are really excited and are going to be monitoring the osprey tower closely to see if and when ospreys choose to move in. Watch this space!’