2019

Osprey Population has Increased Five Times in Latvia

Regular monitoring of osprey population carried out by environmental experts of JSC “Latvia's State Forests” (LVM) allows to monitor the nesting success of the protected bird. In the monitoring of 2018 it was found that 210 to 230 pairs of ospreys are currently nesting in Latvia, which is an increase of 5% as compared to the previous monitoring data.

“Evaluating the information obtained during the last 30 years of monitoring, it has been found that the osprey population has increased almost five times,” says Aigars Kalvāns, LVM Environmental Expert, emphasizing that approximately 80% of all osprey population in Latvia nest in the areas managed by the company.

153 osprey nests were identified in the framework of the monitoring, and it is the largest number of inhabited nests in one year. 15 new osprey nests, so far unknown, have been found; 12 of them are located in the areas managed by LVM.

LVM Environmental Experts discovered a new bird nest in LVM Rietumvidzeme Region. It is located in an ecological tree - a pine - left in a clearing; ospreys often choose pine trees for their nests. It was found that 32% of all the osprey nests that were inhabited last year were located in ecological trees.

“Interestingly, the newly found nest is located just 10 metres from a motorway. Ospreys are tolerant against the disturbance caused by passing cars, which is also confirmed by other successful nesting examples alongside the roads. Ospreys start to worry only when a car stops at the nest and someone gets out of it,” says LVM Environmental Expert.

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.

LVM Environmental Experts carry out regular bird monitoring to obtain information on the living conditions of bird species and (in line with LVM's environmental objectives) and to reduce the impact of forestry activities on the living conditions of rare and protected species.

Monitoring allows following the achievement of identified environmental objectives and, if necessary, to justify changes in forest management practices to minimise environmental impacts. As concerns bird species, monitoring results show population dynamics, development trends, and total numbers in Latvia.