Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Ospreys continue to spread in the north-east

The osprey population in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is growing by around five percent each year. So that more data can be collected about their behavior, some birds of prey are now being given a transmitter for the first time.

Dhe osprey is spreading further in north-eastern Germany. There are currently 260 breeding pairs in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, said the honorary state coordinator for ospreys and peregrine falcons, Torsten Marczak, on Tuesday at a ringing campaign for young animals near Sternberg. They raise about 400 young annually. The population is doing well, growing by around five percent every year. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, with its many lakes, is considered an important distribution area for the osprey in Germany.

According to the energy supplier Wemag, some ospreys received a transmitter for the first time during the ringing campaign this year in order to get more data about their behavior. According to the project group for the protection of sea eagles in Schleswig-Holstein, a significant proportion of the osprey breeding sites in MV are on pylons belonging to energy supply companies.

“When building nests, large branches keep falling on the line,” explained Jan Koppelmann, the bird protection officer at energy supplier Wemag. “If they get wet, there will be a short circuit and a power failure.” The animals could also injure themselves. That is why Wemag sets up about five alternate pylons for osprey nests in its network area every year.

According to the project group for the protection of white-tailed eagles, the osprey was a widespread breeding bird in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania until the second half of the 19th century. Due to intense persecution, however, its population has declined sharply. After the Second World War, he was affected by the use of chemicals such as DDT in agriculture.