Twelve osprey chicks have arrived at the Marjal de Pego-Oliva Natural Park after a 2,700-kilometre journey from Inverness in Scotland.
The arrival marks another milestone in an ambitious project to restore a breeding population of the protected bird in the Valencian Community.
The Generalitat Valenciana launched the reintroduction programme in 2019. Its goal is to establish a self-sustaining osprey population across the region.
Chicks begin their journey back to the wild
Wildlife experts from the Migres Foundation and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation transported the young birds from Scotland to the Costa Blanca.
After arriving at the natural park, the team placed the chicks in specially designed hacking cages. There, they will stay until they are strong enough to survive on their own.
Environmental staff from the Generalitat will feed and monitor the birds over the coming months. Once they are ready, the team will release them into the wild.
They will migrate to Africa before returning
After leaving the park, the young ospreys will begin their first migration to Africa.
They are expected to spend around two years there before returning to Spain.
Conservationists hope many will come back to the Marjal de Pego-Oliva Natural Park. Others may settle in wetlands across the Valencian Community and begin breeding.
The project plans to release around 100 osprey chicks over five years.
Scotland has provided all the birds so far. Future releases are also expected to include chicks from Sweden and Norway.
Strong backing for the conservation project
The Generalitat Valenciana leads the programme with support from the Migres Foundation and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation.
Fundación Iberdrola España joined the project in 2022. This year, it doubled its financial support to €100,000.
Representatives from the Generalitat, local Marina Alta councils, Iberdrola and the conservation organisations attended the arrival of the latest chicks.
Early signs of success
The project is already showing encouraging results.
This breeding season, conservation teams identified five ospreys that had returned to Spain after earlier releases.
Teams spotted four birds released in 2024 in Ibiza, the Estanys d’Almenara nature reserve, the Marjal de Pego-Oliva Natural Park and the Marjal d’Almenara.
Researchers also spotted a male released in 2023 near Pego-Oliva. It later moved to one of the new nesting platforms in the Albufera Natural Park.
These sightings suggest the reintroduction programme is beginning to establish a returning breeding population in the Valencian Community.
