Osprey killed by otter (1 Viewer)

[kas]

My friend attended the national angling heats at the Carron Valley Reservoir last wee,.near Stirling.

He saw a dead Osprey which had been killed by an otter.

The bird had swooped down on the otter from behind with its talons out, but the otter managed to grab the osprey and I think it was bitten by the otter, which proved to be fatal. My friend didnt actually see the attack, but saw the dead bird.They have photos but I dont think there is any point in posting them.

Has anyone heard or seen anything like this before?

The bird was ringed and it has been returned to the RSPB.
Hopefully the bird didnt have little mouths to feed.

 

[Bluetail]

It would be interesting to see the photos anyway, if only because this reads a little oddly. Person sees dead Osprey and is told (by anglers?) "It was the otter wot did it - honest, guv!" See what I mean? I hope the RSPB do have the bird.

 

[salty]

i have never heard of osprey hunting anything but fish. will be interesting to see the post mortem on the bird, sounds 'fishy' to me this one.

 

[kas]

My friend is a very reliable source, when I get pictures I can send them to anyone who would be interested. This person has taken me to see Ospreys for years and always lets me know what lochs he sees them at. He would certainly never do anything to the birds.
The RSPB were called and came to collect the bird, so it will be interesting to see what they say.
Also the reservoir staff keep close tabs on the birds, they were telling my friend about how many birds they have there and other things without giving sensitive information out.

 

[alanhill]

I'm also puzzled by this as I've never heard of Ospreys taking anything but fish. Was the alleged attack on the Otter on land or in the water? I would assume it must have been in the water. In that case was it a very short-sighted Osprey who mistook the Otter for a fish? However, re-reading the original post, if the Otter turned and grabbed the Osprey then it sounds as if it was on land, which would make it even curiouser.

Alan Hill

 

[helenol]

Is it possible the otter had a fish, and the osprey was going after that?

 

[Bluetail]

Hi kas. I'm sure neither of us intended to cast any aspersions on your friend. Personally, I was just wondering about the people who spoke to him. Anyway, if the RSPB were called and collected the bird in person, then that does strongly back up the original story. If someone had done something untoward they certainly wouldn't want the RSPB crawling over the corpse!

 

[sparrie]

I think if an Osprey is hungry it will hunt anything near the water. I have seen pictures of young Ospreys trying to take ducks from the surface. I think the (otter with the fish is probably the best explanation.

Gary

 

[saluki]

I think if an Osprey is hungry it will hunt anything near the water. I have seen pictures of young Ospreys trying to take ducks from the surface. I think the (otter with the fish is probably the best explanation.

Gary

I can't see an Osprey attempting to take an otter - dog otters in particular are huge, they weigh more than a fox! If the report is correct I can only imagine the Osprey was mobbing the otter and made a tragic error of judgement.

saluki

 

[baccalynnwv]

Is it possible the otter had a fish, and the osprey was going after that?

Was going to be my question... brave osprey if so.. and highly trained otter to match. LOL

Rebecca

 

[Steve G]

Some of the West Coast Sea Eagles-especially some of the Mull birds- have taken to hastling Otters with fish though Sea Eagles are much more powerful birds than Ospreys & accordingly the Otters show respect!!

 

[Ian Bell]

Although I have not seen this for myself,I am sure I have read that Ospreys have been seen taking Rabbits as prey,especially when fishing conditions are poor.Anyone else heard of this?

 

[markpie]

I am highly surprised at this. I doubt the osprey was after the otter, especially as I've only heard of them catching fish, unless it was a young one but in this case it doesn't look like it. And I'm rather doubtful of the theory of fish-snatching; I would have thought that the osprey would catch it's own, especially at this time of the year.

I'm a bit confused about the source of information. Who saw it and told your friend?

Mark

 

[jpoyner]

If the Otter was responsible for the death then my guess would be that the Osprey dived for a fish and the Otter was on or below the surface nearby at the time and attacked the bird as it landed in the water.
Ospreys are quite vulnerable for the few seconds they hit the water and if an Otter were to make a grab at the bird during this stage then I guess it could well have an advantage. Once the bird's feathers became water-logged it would find it very difficult to lift from the water. It may well have drowned rather than the Otter actually killing it.

However I have never heard of this before but it is possible I suppose. Otter certainly will grab a duck if they get the chance and a large dog is a pretty powerful beast.

I would be very interested to hear if this was the case.

John

 

[kas]

Here is the pics. They are interesting but not very nice.

 

[Quacker]

Although I have not seen this for myself,I am sure I have read that Ospreys have been seen taking Rabbits as prey,especially when fishing conditions are poor.Anyone else heard of this?

Almost always fish, but occasionally, small mammals, amphibians etc. - it's a myth that Osprey feeds exclusively on fish. (how can you tell I'm just back from Loch of the Lowes and Loch Garten lol).

 

[Dave H]

Obviously I was fascinated by this story as the reservoir in question is only 20 miles from my house. I took a drive out last night and within about 2 minutes of arriving I got great views of an osprey fishing right by the side of the road! It takes about 30 minutes to get there from the edge of Glasgow and I can't believe I've only discovered it. Looks like I won't have to drive for hours to see one now!

I'll take a camera next time! |=)|