The ‘polyospreys,’ as the RSPB’s model birds of prey in Poole Harbour are now affectionately known, are still in the media today with a great video on the Guardian website showing them in all their splendour.
The two polystyrene birds are shown in their new homes – one perched on a large branch by the nest and one safely tucked away in the nest itself. As Mark Singleton at RSPB Arne says in the video, almost as soon as the birds were secured in position a herring gull threw a bit of a tantrum so that could be a good an early sign that the birds are life-like as hoped!
How amazing would it be if some roughly thrown together sticks, a splash of paint and a polystyrene model could help further reverse the fortunes of some of our most charismatic birds of prey?
Well that’s exactly what we’ve been hoping to achieve with our latest experiment in Dorset. And it’s caught the attention of BBC Breakfast as well as the Independent, the Daily Mail and others.
In case you missed the story, we are attempting to encourage real ospreys to nest at our Arne nature reserve and wider Poole Harbour by putting some life-sized polystyrene ospreys in man–made nests.
We’re leaving no stone unturned with the added ‘decoration’ of some white paint to imitate that they can feel relaxed enough to do everything at the site...
Ospreys regularly visit Arne in the spring and autumn on their way back to their wintering grounds south of the Sahara.
Thousands of visitors enjoy incredible views of them perching on posts and in trees in Dorset, but if they stop to breed people soon be able to witness the adults hunting, feeding and raising their families.
The low cost experiment is aimed at encouraging young male ospreys that are less than three years old and older females that may have lost their partners to stay at the site.
Experts believe that by placing plastic versions in the trees, the real ospreys, which are extremely faithful to their previous nest site, might be tempted to go one step further and raise a family there.
And after harnessing up, much shimmying up trees and carefully balancing and securing the models, everyone must now wait with baited breath to see if the model birds will fool the visiting birds into thinking that ospreys have bred on the site before.
Our polar bear April Fool certainly captured a lot of attention and fooled quite a few people in the process.
It was reported in April Fools' roundups in the Mail, Guardian, Telegraph on CNN, STV and Radio 4's PM. Some regional newspapers also joined in, reporting it as a 'real' story, as did Country Life.
The Independent reports today that it had one environment correspondent hotfooting it to the newsdesk until the date was pointed out. Dave Sexton, the man at the centre of the story, had a couple of well-known tv wildlife presenters contact him to check whether it might actually be true.
And thousands of people around the world followed the unfolding saga via updates on our twitter and facebook pages.
Of course, there's a serious side to all the fun. Lots of rare wildlife, including polar bears, are threatened with extinction. We aim to stop extinctions through our Letter to the Future campaign. 166,195 people have signed the letter to help save our wildlife and the environment.
If you have signed thank you. If you haven't, please sign it now .
Just taken a phone call from Dave Sexton on Mull.
After a morning of searching, he's re-discovered the polar bear back at its original location.
A very excited Dave told me: 'The bear was so pleased to see me again, it rolled over and let me tickle its tummy. I feel incredibly privileged to have struck up such a relationship with such an amazing animal.'
Our Mull Officer, Dave Sexton, got the shock of his life while out on a routine wildlife survey yesterday, Wednesday 31 March.
“We rounded a headland on the west coast of the island and saw a large, white shape lying by some rocks in the distance. As we got closer, I was staggered to see that it was a polar bear. At first I felt sure it was dead, but then I realised it was still breathing. Scarily, it opened its eyes as we got next to it, but didn't show any other signs of moving. We grabbed a few photos and went off to get help.”
On his return an hour later, Dave was amazed to find that the bear had disappeared. “We couldn't find any trace of it. Luckily we have the photos, or I doubt that anyone would believe us. Having spent many years protecting threatened wildlife, I just hope this polar bear is going to be ok.”
Islanders are now searching for the missing bear, which is thought to have drifted across to the island on an ice floe. The nearest polar bear populations are found on Greenland and on the Svalbard archipelago, midway between Norway and the North Pole. In recent years other visitors to Mull from the high Arctic have included a bearded seal and two northern bottle-nosed whales.
Scientists believe the colder winter and lower than average sea temperatures this year may have allowed the ice floe to remain frozen for longer, thereby assisting the polar bear's passage.
This is believed to be the first time a live wild polar bear has been observed in UK territorial waters since before the last Ice Age. However, bear bones found in the famous prehistoric caves at Inchnadamph in Sutherland are believed to be from a polar bear.
The coastguard, police and Arctic marine mammal experts are now searching for the animal. The public have been warned not to approach the bear if they see it, as it may be hungry after its long journey.