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For the First Time, an Osprey Ringed in Latvia has been Spotted in Norway

A female osprey was seen in the south of Norway; the bird was ringed with a red ring in 2020 by Aigars Kalvāns, an Environmental Expert of JSC “Latvia's State Forests” (LVM). This is the first case of an osprey ringed in Latvia that has been seen in Norway.

“Analysing the information provided by the bird's ring number, it was found that I had ringed this bird four years ago when the bird was still a baby; it was done near Kuldīga. Moreover, it is interesting that this bird nests in Norway for the second year already. It is the farthest place where birds born in Latvia have been found nesting – about 600 km away,” says LVM Environmental Expert Aigars Kalvāns.

Until now, the farthest osprey ringed in Latvia was found at a distance of 500 km – it was spotted nesting in Poland. The LVM Environmental Expert points out that, on average, ospreys nest significantly closer to their birthplaces – females 172 km and males only 54 km away.

The osprey is a medium-sized bird of prey with long wings. The underside of the body, head, and underwing coverts are white, contrasting with the dark brown upper body. The bird has a distinct dark eye stripe.

The osprey is relatively rare in Latvia – about 200 couples of these birds nest near us. Most of the European population nests in Sweden, Finland, and Russia (a total of more than 7 000 couples).

There is a significant number of rare and protected species nesting in LVM areas, most of them such as the golden eagle, the white-tailed eagle, the osprey, the lesser spotted eagle, the northern goshawk, the black stork, and the capercaillie live in the forests managed by the company.